I'm actually kind of surprised this took so long. The Consumer Electronics Association, sponsor of the now-gigantic CES (International Consumer Electronics Show), is tossing its hat in the ring to fill the void left by the "downsized" E3. (Did I just mix my metaphors? Sorry, it's been a long day!) 

The CEA notes that over 11 percent of its attendees this past January were interested in gaming. Gary Shapiro, the CEA's president and CEO, said the organization has been "deluged with inquiries on whether we could fill the tradeshow needs of smaller video entertainment companies." So the CEA is forming an advisory committee "to solicit gaming industry feedback and explore the viability of a West Coast event in late spring 2007 focused on the gaming and entertainment marketplace."

I'm glad to hear there might be a high-profile venue for smaller game companies. That's where freshness and innovation come from. But how would the CEA do things differently than E3? So far the organization's ideas sound a lot like the old E3, to me. We'll see what the advisory committee comes up with; they're actively soliciting interested game companies to contact them. So far Auravision, Majesco Entertainment and NCsoft are supporting... the formation of the committee. Way to commit, guys!

Here's what I'd like to see: a show that doesn't require square-mile booths, mega-thousand-watt sound systems, stupid costumes, and legions of scantily-clad babes; the razzle-dazzle gets old fast. I want to know what's new and cool without having to walk 25 miles through a convention center each day. I want to meet game creators and developers, not just PR flacks who are too baffled to go off script. And I want to go somewhere other than L.A.! No offense, left coasters, but downtown Los Angeles is dismal. Open bars can stay, though.

I'll let you know when I hear more. Stay tuned.

The Kensington RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger is the neatest way to integrate an iPod into your car and get a remote display. It transmits music through an FM modulator, but also shows artist and song information on your car's radio display, provided you have an RDS (radio data system) radio. Kensington managed to reduce the static common to FM modulators, though not totally.

As with generic FM modulators costing $15 to $50, the RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger sends music information to your car's radio antenna and broadcasts it over an unused FM frequency. Kensington says its ClearFM technology "reduces noise and enhances stereo separation." But "reduces," as we found out, is a far cry from "eliminates." The majority of cars sold today have RDS receivers, which allows the radio station to broadcast and display its call letters, artist and song information, and unfortunately, the occasional ad. Kensington uses RDS to display artist name and song name information on the radio display, though you see only eight letters at a time.

The adapter is made up of a 30-pin dock connector linked by a 4-foot cable to an accessory socket plug, in a unique dogleg shape. The connector works with all iPods except the 3G model. On the brushed-metal connector (the same width as the Nano) is a Plus button and Minus button that let you change the frequency your music is transmitting on. To lock in a frequency, you just press and hold on the baseplate of the power plug at the other end of the cord. You can store up to three frequencies.

The iPod display remains active, which is handy since the RDS display is so cryptic. So do the controls, which is how you change artists or playlists, and start and stop the player. Your car radio controls don't work for anything except volume control.

In use, we found that even the shortened display was useful for showing which song was playing, in case you don't yet know your music all that well. You can't use the display for tuning, though, because the RDS transmission lags behind the music. Since there's no dock or holder, the Kensington connector and your iPod area free to slide around the car, accumulate scratches, and occasionally get tuned to a different preset if you jostle the accessory plug.

Even tuned to the same station in the same part of town, we found sound quality varied from car to car. This might a result of the way we laid out the cable, which also serves as an antenna, or because of the antenna location: Some car antennas are in the rear window.

The RDS FM Transmitter/Car Charger is a good 1.0 product, but we'd like to see improvements: a mounting stalk so your iPod doesn't wander in the cockpit under hard cornering, and a line-out jack for better sound quality. It's also possible to hard-wire an FM modulator in line with your car's antenna jack. That provides better sound quality than a cassette adapter, better actually than anything except a line-in jack. But it would shoot the price over $100, and would probably require an installer in many cases.

The combination of iPod charging and the eight-character song infomation displayed on the RDS radio may be compelling for many people. With Apple now providing iPod connections for the majority of new cars now, you might want to check that option out first, but know that you're looking at spending $200 to $250 (minimum) instead of $75. Also keep watch for new cars (just a handful) and replacement radios with USB jacks that can control all music players, including iPods.

To read more about iPod car connections, click here.

Play Slide Show/All Shots (5)

An iPod car adapter that displays artist-and-song information on any car radio using RDS. Brilliant concept, but not completely immune from the static affecting RF modulators.

Shows information on the car's radio display. Recharges your iPod while you drive. Cheapest iPod adapter with external display.

RDS shows only eight letters. Some hiss, static, and interference. Not all cars have RDS. No line-out. Nothing to keep iPod from sliding around as you drive.

Talk about convergence devices: The Shining Elite VM-5602 Rear-View Mirror Wireless Player transforms your normal, featureless rearview mirror into a music-playing, Bluetooth-supporting contraption. Install it, and you can upload music via an SD memory card or USB drive and play them over your car stereo. The device can also be connected to your iPod or other MP3 player, though its audio input.

The Shining Elite can communicate with any Bluetooth-enabled phone, so you can send and receive calls through your rearview mirror. All the phone and music controls, including a FM tuner, are installed right on the mirror, so you don't have to take your eyes off the road.

This device is produced by a Chinese manufacturer; price and availability for the U.S. are not yet announced, but the product has receive FCC approval, so it may make its way here sometime soon.

I've never seen the Blue Man Group in action, but I've heard that they're really spectacular. So, I wasn't surprised when I saw that FAO Schwarz is selling the Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes. This music station lets you "mix and fade music, experiment with drums and other rhythmic instruments, or jam along with your iPod or MP3 player." To make music, simply use the included percussion sticks or your hands over the tubes.

It features eight motion-sensitive tubes for percussion, tempo changes and volume control; five percussion instruments (Blue Man Tubes, Blue Man Drums, Blue Steel Drums, Xylophone and Marimba); 10 pre-programmed songs; and a record mode.

You can also use the audio out to connect the Percussion Tubes through stereo speakers or a TV. But don't worry parents: headphones work just as nice! It measures 9" L x 18" W x 9" H and operates on 4 AA batteries (included) or with an AC adapter (not included).

I've always been a big believer in introducing kids to music at an early age. Sometimes I wish I had learned how to play the piano or the saxophone when I was younger.

The Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes ($99) are currently out of stock, but expect FAO Schwarz to restock this item by August 15th. Recommended for ages 5 and up.

And if you digg dig this, your kids will also enjoy the Blue Man Group Keyboard Experience ($99).

[via Uncrate]

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a media luncheon at the St. Regis Hotel in New York held by Tivoli Audio. You may not have heard of Tivoli, but it was founded in 2000 by audio pioneer Henry Kloss and Tom DeVesto, who's currently the company's CEO. Tivoli has been making award-winning, if relatively hard to find, radios and entertainment systems ever since. At the event, I learned a bit about the company's future products, current distribution plans, and even the history of radio. I also got the idea that even in this era digital downloads, radio still might have some life left in it.

Part of this optimism comes from testing out Tivoli's special bronze edition of its travel radio, the SongBook, released to celebrate the one-hundreth anniversary of broadcasting. This little retro-looking box is easily the best-sounding portable radio I have ever heard. The 2-inch speaker isn't large, but the sound is incredibly rich. The digital tuner is remarkably powerful, knobs are all logically placed, and the unit is even sealed against the elements so you can use it outdoors. There is also an auxillary input, so you can use it as an external speaker with your iPod or CD player.

Put simply, Tivoli makes some sweet-sounding, well-designed radios. Although the company has focused on the tabletop radio business, it also offers CD players and even satellite radio models. The products share a design sensibility that I really like and am happy to show off. (My wife, on the other hand, keeps putting the SongBook in the closet.) This fall, the company will release the iYiYi (yes, they are really calling it that) home entertainment system, which will include an iPod dock, speaker, and AM/FM tuner. It will list for $299.99 and no doubt sound amazing. Well, at least good enough to make you regret ripping all your CDs at 128 Kbps.

Right now, Tivoli does most of its business through boutique retailers, but that will change this fall when systems will be available through 1,700 Target stores. I am not sure that the average Target shopper will appreciate the elegance of a Platinum Series Model One with a hand lacquered, high-gloss finish or the playful naming of the iYiYi, but it is good news for the company.

Also, I have to thank Tivoli's CEO Tom DeVesto for educating me about Reginald Aubrey Fessenden. (Yeah, I hadn't heard of him, either.)  Fessenden was the guy who realized radio wasn't just a medium for point-to-point communication, but could be used for one-to-many broadcasts. It seems quaint to talk about broadcasting in this time when many-to-many communication is ascendant, but until Fessenden, radio was used just to transmit dots and dashes. He was the first to transmit human voices and music. (To find out more you can check out this summary and video put together by Tivoli.)

Seems to me Fessenden should have a space up there alongside Edison and Marconi. Heralding his achievements and celebrating "100 Years of Broadcasting" could be seen as a publicity stunt on the part of Tivoli, but at least it's an educational publicity stunt.

The SongBook makes me want to listen to the radio again, if it weren't for all the damn commercials. But that is another column.

Dan Costa is a senior editor at PC Magazine; check back every Thursday for his take on the world of consumer electronics.

Garmin introduces today the Forerunner 305 Foot Pod that wirelessly communicates with Garmin's Forerunner 305 wrist-worn device using Dynastream's ANT+Sport wireless technology. Similar to what the Nike + iPod Kit offers for consumers, the Foot Pod is mounted to a person's shoe and tracks your distance and speed when the Forerunner 305 can't pick up a wireless signal.

How It Works: The Foot Pod "uses a pair of accelerometers to measure each stride to provide a runner's speed and distance information. The unit features a simple and secure lace-mounted attachment, and runs on a single AAA battery (70 hours typical use)."

It is said to be 97% accurate when out of the box and 99% when calibrated.

Look for the Foot Pod in October 2006 for a suggested retail price of $99.99.

(Shown here is the Forerunner 305, not the Foot Pod.)

[via press release]

One of the pitfalls of owning a Mac notebook, whether it's a Powerbook or the new Macbooks, is the uncertainty of battery life. Typical battery life for a Powerbook and Macbook Pro is around 2-3 hours of constant use. You get a little more juice with the Macbook and previous iBooks. Mac OS X includes a battery gauge that tells you how much battery is left. What it doesn't tell you is the current capacity of the battery and the depreciation of it over time.

Coconutbattery 2.5 is a pretty cool Mac app that tells you the current capacity of the your battery, in relation to what it was originally. In time, you can predetermine a faulty or an aging battery. You can also get information about battery loadcycles, or how often did you fully load the battery; the current charger and whether you attached the right one; and information about the age of your Mac. Pretty useful tool, and most important: It's free!

You can even add it as a Dashboard Widget.

Thanks VersionTracker

This is the way things are supposed to work. I took Verizon Wireless' new V640 EVDO ExpressCard down to the Apple Store in SoHo, installed the drivers from the included CD, and popped it into a MacBook Pro. Within a few seconds, I had high-speed, go-anywhere Internet access, completely integrated into Mac OS 10.4.7 - check out the photo at left. (Click on it for a bigger image.) A reception indicator appears in the MacBook Pro's task bar; you pop a menu down to connect, and then you're online. It couldn't be easier.

Look for my full review of the V640 card next week on PCMag.com.

I remember way back in the early 90's, the Sci-Fi catch phrase "virtual reality" was bandied about. Thanks to unforgettable TV shows and movies like Seaquest DSV and The Lawnmower Man, I thought for sure that by 2006 VR devices would be all over the place. Much to my consternation this hasn't exactly occurred. Hell, I don't even have a cool time-share deep under the Atlantic. Tuna and whales floating through the backyard is all I'm asking for, people! 
 
So, you can imagine my excitement when I heard about two new products: the myvu personal media viewer and the ezVision iWear. Looking suspiciously like VR goggles, both of these devices are video iPod accessories that allow you to watch movies without relying on the iPod's tiny screen. Better yet, the myvu and iWear promise to provide a large TV-like viewing experience.

Costing $269 (direct), the myvu connects to iPods via a headphone/video port and comes with its own handy carrying case and battery pack (powered by 3 AAA batteries). The eyephone unit, using a term coined by the legendary writer William Gibson, is a thin goggle-style boasting two tiny LCDs that let you tuck away your cell phone or video iPod to enjoy hands-free TV viewing. The goggles also feature decent ear-buds with some passive noise-canceling. While the myvu looks sort of slick with its black futuristic design, I won't be using it on the subway anytime soon. I'd sooner strap two cats to my back, start playing the sax, then claim I'm from outer space--believe me, it happens. Also, it was difficult to use the myvu while wearing my incredibly attractive pair of glasses.

At $400, the iWear is a bit more expensive, doesn't look as nice as the myvu, lacks a carrying case, but has a bigger "virtual" screen size, also with two LCDs. The resolution is 320 x 240, and the unit weighs about 2.5 ounces. Power is supplied by a rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery. Unfortunately the ear-buds don't have the same rubberized passively noise-canceling attributes as the myvu. I'm happy to say that if you wear glasses, they are much more compatible with the iWear.

With both devices, display quality was all right, but not quite the 50-inch plasma experience I was expecting. Still, it beats squinting at the iPod's miniscule screen.

Thanks to PC Mag Consumer Electronics Reviews Editor Brian Bennett for the review!

This is one of those posts I couldn't resist writing about. For heaven's sake, this darn thing has my last name. Could it be my long lost robotic sister?

Her name is "Rong Cheng", a female robot created by a science institute in Beijing and dubbed the first chinese "beauty robot". She can respond to almost 1,000 Chinese words. She can dance, bow, and greet people in several Chinese dialects. Now, if only she could write reviews, I'd have myself a better-looking replacement. Of course, I can always pass her off as my foreign exchange intern, or someone that can answer my phones--ummm--in Chinese. Yeah, that will work.

The robot costs about $37,500 (U.S.) to make, so you don't wanna spill water on her.

Via Reuters