2009 CES pre-show notes

This year CES has reverted back to their Thur to Sun (4 day) schedule from earlier years. Over the past 2, they ran it from Mon to Thu. I think this was done for the benefit of exhibitors so that moving equipment in and out, along with setup, would be cheaper to do on weekdays.

Here's a few scoops on cool gear that will be introduced



Logitech Harmony 1100 touch screen remote


This is an update to their first generation touch screen / RF type remote. It now sports a generous 3.5" LCD.

This Amazon link provides more details, along with an initial price of $499. The older model sells for $329 and has been seen discounted to $200 or so.



HP mini 2140

The netbook market is getting hotter with this new offering. HP finally updates the anemic HP mini-note 2133 with the Atom platform. The VIA processor in their previous model ran at a snails pace and drained the battery quickly.

The most notable features are its svelte aluminum casing and large keyboard. It's just 92% smaller than a full sized one. This unit also stands above the rest in that it has a 1366x1024 screen resolution over the typical 1024x600 LCDs. Pricing starts at $499.

The pre-show keynote this year is presented by Steve Ballmer of Microsoft. This is the first time Ballmer is running the keynote after BillG retired. You can catch the full webcast at Microft's Press site

I watched it **live** from the comfort of my own home this year. I must say, with a 750k/second video feed, it was decently acceptable on a HD set.