Pepcom Digital Experience 2006

Articles: Event Coverage

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Kurtis Kronk
Brian

Jan. 6, 2006

Specifications

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Saitek

Interestingly enough, Saitek didn't have any gaming devices being displayed at Pepcom. Their focus this year is on their new mobile speakers. We took a look at the A200 and A250 speakers. The A200 is a portable 2.1 system with an "expanded air volume system' that connects to any music player via a 3.5mm audio jack. Pushing the "On' button expands the EAVS chamber allowing a larger volume for better bass and sound. The A200 has 24 hours of play-time with 4 AAA batteries and is priced around $100.

The A250 is a wireless 2.1 system that streams music from a computer using Bluetooth. The A250 unit has a backlit screen and controls for volume, pause, play and forward/reverse song selection. The A250 can also connect directly to music players via a 3.5mm jack. The A250 has a 20 hour play-time with 4 AA batteries and is priced around $130.

The A200 and A250 systems look spiffy, but we weren't able to judge the sound quality due to the location. It would be interesting to see how effective the expanding chamber is on the A200. Saitek is also introducing A350 wireless headphones but we didn't get a chance to check them out.

NETGEAR

NETGEAR was showing off the world's first Skype WiFi mobile phone. Skype in and of itself is an awesome program, and the thought of a wireless phone using the Skype service is just awesome. The phone itself is loaded with the Skype software, so it doesn't need to be directly connected to a computer; it can connect to any wireless access point at home, the office or even a public hotspot. Because the phone uses the Skype service, you are charged the Skype rates! FREE! Well! as long as you are calling someone else that has Skype. Calling non-Skype users will still cost a small fee. To use the phone, simply enter your Skype username and password and it is ready to go. The phone will pull your contact list and display it on the phone's screen, showing each user's contact status.

Lego

If there was one booth that made us regress to our childhood, it was the Lego Mindstorms booth. Yes, that's right! Lego bricks! Don't call them "Legos" or you might get sued! Lego was showing off their new revision of the Mindstorms line, which has advanced immensely from the original line. We had to stop by and check it out for Rich, who couldn't make it to the show, although it did stir up fond memories of childhood for Brad and Brian.

There were around six Mindstorms models constructed at the booth. The most notable builds were of a scorpion with motion sensors allowing it to attack with its stinging tail, a working slot machine with a candy jackpot, and a walking robot. We got to see the scorpion in action, and Brian spent most of the time with the slot machine while reminiscing of times past with the Lego representative, but we didn't get a chance to play with the other models. Of course, Lego wouldn't subject children to the evils of gambling; the slot machine was built specifically for the convention in Las Vegas.

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Page 1: Introduction, Logitech & Motorola
Page 2: Energizer, Western Digital, Altec Lansing, & Sonos
Page 3: Saitek, NETGEAR, & Lego
Page 4: Alienware, Archos, & Kodak

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1 User Comment

1 - Posted by Rich on January 7, 2006 - 3:37 pm

I am sooo going next year! No one told me there would be Lego there.

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