Comdex/Fall may be a shadow of its former self in terms of attendance, but several companies took advantage of the yearly IT gathering last week to launch new products at the show.
Most of the consumer companies making news were not on the show floor, but holding court in hotels up and down the strip. Fewer than 300 firms were expected to exhibit at Comdex.
Among the introductions were Tablet PCs from ViewSonic and Toshiba.
ViewSonic’s V1250 has a 12.1-inch screen, a 1GHz Intel Centrino mobile processor, 30GB hard drive, 256MB of RAM, integrated 802.11b and a three-hour battery life. It is now available with a $1,759 suggested retail price.
Toshiba’s Portege M200/205 Series is available with several types of processor starting with the Centrino Mobile 1.5GHz. It has a 12.1-inch LCD, 512MB of RAM, a choice 40GB, 60GB or 80GB hard drive and optional 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity. It is available through mail order, www.shoptoshiba.com and traditional distribution channels and in select retail outlets.
Panasonic introduced three new branded DVD MULTI drives. The new models LF-P567CU, LF-M621U and KXL-CB30AU are available now and retail for $349, $299 and $225 respectively. They feature a slim-line design and have 3xDVD-RAM and 4x DVD-R write speeds.
Iomega showed an external DVD burner with a built-in video capture card that has the ability to burn to DVD-plus, -dash and -RAM media, along with two network hard drives.
The multi-format-capable Super DVD QuikTouch Video Burner is a USB 2.0 device that works with an attached VCR or camcorder to transfer and burn the data to a DVD. Iomega said the drive only requires the user to push one button, then it detects the recording media, launches the software, captures the video and automatically burns it to a DVD. It will ship in December with a $399 suggested retail price.
The Iomega Network Hard Drives come in 120GB and 250GB capacities and connect to a PC or home network via USB 2.0 or an Ethernet port. The drives are intended for the SoHo and home consumer markets and will ship in late December with suggested retail prices of $299 and $429, respectively.
Samsung showed new 19-inch, 17-inch and 15-inch LCD SyncMaster computer monitor/TVs. The 19-inch SyncMaster 192MP features a modular TV tuner that attaches to the back of the monitor, has picture-in-picture capability and is HDTV ready. It has attachable external speakers and can be wall mounted. The monitor will ship in early December with an $899 suggested retail price.
The 15-inch 510MP and 17-inch 710MP are Samsung’s more affordable options. With suggested retail prices of $429 and $619. These have built-in TV tuners and are now shipping.
BenQ added three value-priced digital cameras at the show. All shipping now and offer a color TFT LCD screen, 16MB of internal memory, SD/MMC expansion slots, built-in flash and digital zoom.
The CMOS-based, 2-megapixel BenQ DC3410 features 4x digital zoom and can interpolate a 3.1-megapixel image. It runs on a Lithium-ion battery and its built-in flash includes red-eye reduction and fill-in capabilities. It has a suggested retail price of $139. The 3-megapixel DC2410, $189, offers more than two hours of power with the 1.6-inch TFT LCD in use on two AA alkaline batteries. It features a 4x digital zoom. The DC5330, $249, is a 3.14-megapixel model that can be interpolated to 5.5-megapixel resolution. The camera adds a 3.3x optical zoom lens and uses a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery.
