Each year in the second week of January, two big conventions happen within the boundaries of Sin City. The convention that we cover draws techno nerds, gadget gurus, and audiophiles from the consumer electronics industry to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. The other one draws every other male who couldn't get in to CES, the adult video industry show. CES is one of the largest shows in Vegas, drawing this year alone 129,328 industry suppliers, buyers, executives, celebrities, and other electronics people. The show's focus is on upcoming technologies and what's new in consumer electronics. At CES, all of the major categories can be found, such as home theater, personal computing, and, of course, our favorite, mobile electronics.
With all of the new and emerging technologies at CES this year, we are sure this segment will remain the hot spot of the industry, and we are not just talking audio here. It is time to get yourself acquainted with terms such as telematics, Bluetooth, and HD Radio. These technologies are exploding onto the scene and are poised to forever change how we use vehicles in our daily lives, while altering the driving experience as we know it.
One of the newest products we previewed was Microsoft's mobile computer system running Windows Automotive software. This telematics system, which works in conjunction with your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, is able to give you up-to-the-minute traffic and weather conditions, along with making phone calls and checking e-mail on the fly. The system works via voice commands, so you never have to take your eyes off the road or hands off the wheel.
Other manufacturers displayed stand-alone mobile entertainment units for the rear passengers, which are unique because they operate independently of self-contained factory sound systems. High Definition Radio, or HD-Radio as it is known, is on the move and will soon offer digital radio broadcast in select markets to give you CD-quality sound over existing radio waves, along with data streams that contain radio station, song, artist, stock, weather, and so on. Other big newsmakers were all-in-one head units, such as Alpine's CDA-9820XM and Pioneer's all-in-one AVIC-N1 DVD Navigation head unit. Being all-in-one units, they eliminate the need for a separate box mounted under the seat to receive XM radio or to play DVDs and run navigation software.
As always, the floors were overflowing with show vehicles stuffed with every conceivable portable entertainment product inside. Some of the vehicles, such as the Alpine Element, recreated the home theater environment with its mobile Dolby 5.1 surround-sound system. We also noticed the show vehicle trend coming away from the sport compacts and leaning more toward trucks, as rad show trucks sporting the latest and loudest in stereo equipment sent good vibrations throughout the crowds. Several of these breathtaking show trucks come to mind, including Sony's intense mobile multimedia Silverado. This truck just has to be experienced first hand, but you'll be seeing much more of this sick Silverado in a future issue of Truckin'. We imagine audio tuners are discovering the benefits of exploiting the cargo area that an SUV or pickup truck offers them to work with.
As always, we covered the entire show in the short time we had. We just wish all the cool stuff we got to see or do as magazine editors would fit into the confines of this story. Unfortunately, you will just have to take our word that it was awesome. For more information on CES, check out www.cesweb.org.