BetaNews Wrap-Up: CES 2005 in Review
Now that the exhibits have been packed up and hotels vacated, the time has come to reflect on last week's Consumer Electronics Show. CES offers a peek at the upcoming year in tech and although no one product stole the spotlight, Las Vegas was not without its usual dazzle. Read on as we highlight the important news from CES 2005.
Tuesday
Motorola Adds Cell Phones to Clothing
Entering a new phase in its efforts to modernize its aging brand, Motorola's accessories division will soon unveil a line of winter clothing with built in controls for cell phones and portable music players. Motorola has joined up with snowboard company Burton to develop Bluetooth-enabled jackets, helmets and hats.
Linksys, D-Link Unveil Media Players
Linksys and D-Link both announced ahead of Tuesday's start of CES 2005 new wireless media players that will allow consumers to play and stream multimedia through their home entertainment systems. However, D-Link's offering will be the first player to support Windows Connect Now, a proprietary version of DTCP-IP.
Philips DVD Burner to Support Blu-ray
Philips introduced Monday a new computer DVD recorder that will be able to record and play DVDs in the new Blu-ray format. The unit will be on display this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and is expected to be available by the second half of this year.
Wednesday
SIRIUS, Microsoft Join for Video Service
SIRIUS and Microsoft will partner to offer a premium satellite video service to its customers starting next year, the companies announced at CES 2005. SIRIUS plans to offer two or three video channels of content aimed primarily for a younger audience. The video channels will use Microsoft's Windows Media Video 9.
While SIRIUS announced that it had a little over 1.1 million subscribers and formed a partnership with Microsoft for mobile video, frustration may be setting in for the satellite radio service. Rival XM released several new products, and announced it had 3.2 million subscribers, stealing the thunder from its smaller rival.
Seagate Announces 5GB Compact Flash
Computer storage device manufacturer Seagate will begin shipping a 5 gigabyte CompactFlash card to retail stores next month, the company has announced. The 5GB card is the largest on the market to date, and will work on any CompactFlash II-based device, Segate said. It will hold 1,500 high-resolution pictures.
Thursday
Gates Plays Up Partners in CES Keynote
Microsoft chairman Bill Gates used his keynote address at the 2005 CES Wednesday to play up several of the deals it has struck with various companies in an effort to display Microsoft's commitment to "bringing the digital lifestyle into the mainstream." The address served to give attendees a broad idea of what Microsoft and its partners have been working on over the past year.
Microsoft Extends SPOT to New Devices
Microsoft plans to finally move its Smart Personal Objects Technology initiative beyond watches and bring its MSN Direct service to new devices, such as alarm and wall clocks. Although Redmond originally demoed SPOT in early 2003 within bedside alarms and kitchen appliances, the technology has thus far been limited to wrists.
MSN to Stream Movies to Television
MSN announced Thursday that it will begin to offer pay-per-view movies from CinemaNow through its MSN TV 2 set-top boxes beginning in spring 2005. Customers will receive an upgrade to their boxes, which will allow them to view content protected with digital rights management.
TiVo Demonstrates HD Cable Ready DVR
TiVo demonstrated Thursday at CES 2005 a high-definition cable ready DVR that will soon allow customers to use the TiVo service without a set-top box. The new service will be delivered over the Internet and embraces the CableCARD initiative, which allows televisions to link to digital cable systems without the use of an external box.
Creative Announces New Zen Micro MP3 Players
Creative said Thursday it will introduce three new versions of its popular Zen Micro audio player to meet "strong consumer demand." The new players will come in 1GB, 4GB and 6GB models. The original Zen Micro had a capacity of 5GB, and according to the company, sold out quickly in many retail locations.
Friday
ICQ, Others Back New U3 USB Standard
Flash storage manufacturers SanDisk and M-Systems are slated to announce Friday at CES a new USB standard called U3, which enables users to carry, store and launch applications directly from a USB flash drive without installation. ICQ will be one of the first adopters of the platform.
DirecTV, TiVo Partnership in Doubt
DirecTV demonstrated its own DVR based on internal technology Thursday, fueling speculation that its partnership with TiVo may have soured further than previously thought. The new DirecTV DVR uses technology from NDS, a subsidiary of parent company News Corp.
Verizon to Stream TV, Games to Phones
Verizon announced "VCast," a new high-speed wireless multimedia and video service, at CES on Friday. For $15.00 USD per month, customers will be able to access over 300 videos optimized for the company's new CDMA EV-DO network. The new service distances Verizon from its rivals in terms of "next generation" wireless services.