At LG's press conference, we got our first look at the new SL90 series of LCD TVs, which sport LED edge lighting. This precludes local dimming but allows a super-slim profile of only 1.15 inches. Also of note is LG's "single layer" design, in which a single piece of glass covers both the screen and narrow bezel. Two screen sizes will be available later this Fall—42 inches ($2100) and 47 inches ($2400).

LG's super-slim prototype caused a stir at the company's press conference. Even with LED backlighting and local dimming (with 240 dimming zones, over twice as many as most such sets), this panel measures only 6.9mm thick—that's about a quarter of an inch! This thing doesn't even have a model designation yet, so don't expect it in stores any time soon, but it sure is cool.

North American distributor <A href="http://www.aaudioimports.com">Aaudio Imports</A> was quite busy at CES last January, introducing many audiophile products to the US market. Among them was the 882 integrated amplifier from German boutique maker <A href="http://www.lindemann-audiotechnik.de/en/">Lindemann</A>.