Setting up for the Consumer Electronics Show. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press)

This year's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas features 2,700 exhibitors, 37 pavilions and 20 market-specific "tech zones" spread across 1.8 million square feet of exhibit space. It's a sprawling, chaotic scene, but if you were to boil all that down into one word describing what CES 2007 is really about, it would be "connected."

The pervading theme of this year's show is the idea that the growing array of home, work and mobile gadgetry and services can be knitted together through wired and wireless networks.

And the show, taking place Jan. 8-11, is nothing short of a gadget lover's dream come true.

A visitor can see a personalized television on a watch at one booth, then turn around to a display across the aisle and check out a cellphone with a built-in podcast player. Kiosks show off gear ranging from a system that can compress an entire computer's contents onto an ultra-portable USB memory stick, to an online photo-sharing service that can recognize people's faces to sort and label photos automatically, to a box that rips video directly to any media player at the touch of button.

The gear

There's no shortage of internet gadgets, wireless devices and unique accessories on display. Axion of Pomona, Calif., showed off its Internet Protocol TV, a wireless screen about the size of a cutting board. The IPTV's seven-inch screen streams a video signal over Wi-Fi sent from a base station that connects to the internet to receive video broadcasts. The monitor and base station will be available as a package for $349 US in the second quarter of the year, Axion's Joanna Zhang said.

Nae-kwon Jung, president of Emtrace Technologies of Seoul, Korea, was mobbed by people eager to learn more about his WidgetStation. The prism-shaped device, about the size of a large drinking glass, features a pair of 2.5-inch LCD screens. The unit connects to the internet via Wi-Fi or through a standard cable connection to display tiny single-purpose computer programs called widgets. Widgets can display anything from the time to a live webcam image to the weather. Yahoo already has a site dedicated to the tiny desktop applications.

WidgetStation users can select and display their widgets on a colour or monochrome display version of the device, which can sit on a nightstand or desk, eliminating the need to turn on a computer to use the purpose-built software programs. Emtrace plans to bring the device to North America this year.

Canadian connection

Burlington, Ontario's Gennum unveiled its NX-6000 Bluetooth wireless headset. The tiny, unobtrusive, black unit packs the company's digital sound processing chip — developed from its hearing-aid business — into a much smaller, lighter shell than previous models. The $179 US device will be available by March, spokeswoman Amanda Resnikoff said.

Resnikoff also pointed to the company's NXZ Zen voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) headset, which she said is certified by Skype for use with that company's free VoIP software. The NX ZenVoIP sells for $169 US.

Either headset could work with the SX Gen by Las Vegas's own Seamless Internet Inc. The company was showing off its converged computer and communications device, which packs a PC with touchscreen, global positioning system, GSM cellular and Wi-Fi network capabilities, along with a dedicated media player and a fold-out keyboard, into a unit the size of a large can of soup.

"We're testing it with law enforcement, emergency and disaster first-responders," Chris Akins, the company's chief technology officer, said.

Aigo of China's three-in-one wristwatch plays digital video and records voice memos. It features a crisp 1.3-inch OLED colour screen. The company was showing it at CES, but there's no word on whether it will bring the watch to Canada. (Saleem Khan)

Tuning in

Wireless transmissions of another kind — internet radio — were what James Hamond of Victoria, Australia-based Torian had on offer. The company won an innovation award at last year's CES for its receiver, which pulls internet broadcasts from around the world and internet-based radio programs, and lets people listen to them on a tiny handheld receiver, independent of an internet connection.

That led the company to develop this year's innovation, a self-contained module that adds the same capabilities to consumer electronics for the home, such as TVs, stereo systems, computers, and even car stereos. The Alchera will be available by June for less than $150.

The home was in the spotlight for Sangbin Park of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Microrobot. The marketing manager from South Korea — who lived in Halifax for a year before heading to California — was showcasing the company's Ubot, a robot vacuum cleaner and floor washer that uses invisible tracks printed on flooring to navigate the home on its cleaning tasks.

"You can only see the tracks under ultraviolet light," Park said.

Park's company, which already sells the Ubot in South Korea, is looking for partners in North America to distribute the products.

Another Korean product that drew attention was Samsung's iPod nano-like cellphone. The slim, pearlescent unit looks similar to the nano when closed; a keypad slides down from the bottom to let people make phone calls. As yet, there are no plans to bring it to North America, a representative said.

But iPod owners need not fear. Battery Biz Inc. was presenting a device the company hopes will be a hit. The company has been licensed by Duracell to sell a tiny battery and FM transmitter that plugs into the bottom of an iPod nano or iPod Video. The company says the $80 US device, which will hit stores by June, adds 12 hours of battery life to the media players.

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