It snowed in Las Vegas during January's Consumer Electronics Show. Hard snowfall blurred everything in our line of sight. But while it didn't stick to the ground, it got everybody doing something they don't often do in that part of the country-talking about the weather. It's an apt metaphor for the buzz that surrounds CES. There was a lot going on at the event with each exhibitor lending its voice to the cacophony of marketing messages barraging attendees. Some of the messages stuck, others didn't, but we had to wait until after the storm was over before we could sort everything out. The result? In this story, we highlight some of the standout mobile (and other) electronics products from CES. Enjoy. And when you're finished, turn to our TruckTronics column, where we talk about the Innovations Awards winners from the show.
Navigation
GPS navigation products have taken different forms over the years. Most current applications are low-priced, handheld units that fit into a pocket and are better suited for backcountry exploration, in-dash units that stake a claim on the higher end of automotive navigation and the green in your wallet, and portable plug-and-play units that can be transported from one vehicle to another. It's that latter category that we saw grabbing the lion's share of attention at the show.
Satellite
Satellite radio service providers XM and Sirius have dominated headlines as they continue to reshape and redefine the pay-to-play radio market. XM is coaxing more makers like Panasonic to crank out satellite-ready product for the car and inspiring hand receivers from Delphi and Pioneer. And, while Sirius is adding hardware of its own, content is king as Eminem joins the network with a radio show, following media Mongol Howard Stern. Also, Sirius is working with Microsoft toward the ability to beam video to subscribers in the future. On the terrestrial front, HD Radio is asserting itself with car-ready hardware and agreements with 21 leading radio groups that will adopt HD technology. But, surprise, radio is not the only medium being exploited to give you on-the-go entertainment from outer space. Satellite TV antennas have become small enough to fit on top of an SUV without transforming your uber-urban Escalade into the dork equivalent of an AWAC airplane. These are the systems we'll talk about here.
Audio
The more car audio changes, the more it appears to stay the same. But looks can be deceiving. While speakers still look like the speakers of yesteryear, manufacturers have gotten better at wringing more performance out of them while squeezing them into the smaller spaces of a pickup truck. Head units are more sophisticated then ever, playing MP3s, WAV, CD-RWs, satellite radio, and digital radio. And the iPod has forced companies to adapt to the new ways people experience their music.
Video
Indispensable. That's probably the best word to describe how integral video has become to mobile entertainment. It's so prevalent and inexpensive (sometimes cheap) that overhead flipdowns and headrest monitors have become the ubiquitous video solution for carmakers and the aftermarket alike, and almost as banal as cupholders. That said, the better manufacturers refuse to stand still. Therefore, innovations abound in the mobile video market.
Security And Accessories
Sure, the sexy stuff are all those electronic, flashing or booming headunits, speakers, and monitors that actually deliver the audio and visual stimuli to your brain, but what transports those signals from CD player to speaker or between DVD player and monitor? The real workhorses of the audio/video world: cables, wires, distribution blocks, fuses, you name it. At worst, these electrical pipelines should be tucked away and do their duty in silence. At best, they should look cool enough to, well, accessorize by lying in plain view and be quieter and easier to handle than their more mundane cousins. And let's not forget about security and convenience, those unassuming technologies that alert you to evil-doers lurking about your truck at night or that turn on your engine during one of those Nor'Easters that trashes the East Coast in the winter months.
Something Different
Some stuff that we saw at the show just didn't fit into a tidy category. But, we still wanted to show it to you as technology relevant to the mobile market.