uavKim Wilson

At the Meridian suite in the Venetian, in the midst of their digital speaker systems and high-end components, was the portable F80. Like so many high-end manufacturer's, Meridian is courting the lifestyle consumer, which includes support for iPod users. The F80 is a portable, 2.1 channel, iPod speaker system that comes in five Ferrari colors.

This personal digital video recorder is also a media center with a 500GB hard drive that is upgradable to 1TB. The device allows you to record a video or TV program in real-time and supports time-shift functionality. There are editing tools that allow you to cut, splice and merge the home videos you store on the drive. There is a built in iPod dock for playback of your video media through a TV. It's compatible with about every file you can imagine and retails for $349.

I'm not much of a gamer but as I walked past these fully-equipped gaming chairs with built-in transducers that let you feel all those explosions and bullet impacts, it occurred to me that sitting in one of these might be pretty intense next time I watch Casino Royal. I hear line extension.

It may sound glamourous to you, having the opportunity to come to CES, see all the latest new CE toys, and write about it for you. Yes, it can be fun and the best part for me is interacting with friends and colleagues I don't get to see year round. Days start early and usually end very late. However, this year I did't need an alarm clock to get me up in the morning, no matter how tired I might have been the night before. We are staying at the Hyatt Place, a wonderfully remodeled hotel, a bit off the beaten path, which is quiet and tranquil compared to the large themed hotels with casinos. But there is always a catch. It is right in front of McCarren airport and each and every plane flies directly over us. Fortunately, McCarren has a curfew from midnight to 6am. So there is a small window of opportunity for uninterrupted sleep but you can set your clock by that first flight of the morning.