HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2000
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW

The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas might be the biggest and most exciting convention in the world! 140,000 folks showed up this year to see the latest technological wonders, everyone from Bill Gates to the stars of the adult cinema (Whoops! Better not go there!)
Our roving reporter Tony Beech was there to take in all the action, and here’s his report:

Folks, if you haven’t been to Vegas lately, it’s happening! The latest trend is huge fancy casino hotels that mimic other cities: you’ve got New York, New York; you’ve got Paris, you’ve got the Venetian. (When they build one that looks like Tijuana, I’m there!)

CES was happening too! Since this is a mobile electronics magazine, I’ll concentrate on that, but there was also wild stuff happening in other areas of the show. (Real wild, but like I told you, I ain’t going there!)

Let’s talk about some new transmitters. A company called DEI came up with two doozies. Check this out: the Merlin is the smallest transmitter of its type in the world. It’s about one inch square - it’s basically the size of a quarter, but you can use it to operate your security or remote start system. It’s got 18 quintillion rolling codes, which says permanent bye-bye to code grabbers. And you know what else? It’s waterproof. Take it surfing, snorkling or water skiing with no worries. Keep it safe in your fishbowl. And after three years, when the battery dies, it’s disposable. Toss-ola, just like your ex-!

The other transmitter is called the Venom, and it uses a hot new technology called Power Burst to double your range. Check this out: if you can typically remote start your car or truck from ¼ mile away, then with the Venom you may literally get a ½ mile range! No fooling. Just pull out the retractable antenna and press the button. This powerful little remote is also FCC legal, unlike those other long range remotes, which is another reason why the Venom won an Innovations Award at CES.

Speaking of transmitters, three of the leading brands of security systems brought out sharp new remotes this year. That would be Viper, Python and Sidewinder. (For which I say, “Fangs a lot!”) I don’t know whether it’s keeping up with the Joneses or what, but these sharp new remotes have got to be good for everybody’s business, creating excitement in the marketplace and offering consumers more value and more style for the money. If you have a chance, drop by a Sidewinder, Python or Viper retailer, and ask to see these great new transmitters.

Let’s switch gears here to remote start. You know about remote start, right? Starts your car at the push of a button? Well now, from a brand called Valet, you can put your remote start on a digital timer! Let’s say you have to go to work every morning at 8. (ha ha, I don’t - I’m freelance!) You set the Valet 556T to start your car at 7:30 every weekday morning. (See, it even lets you sleep-in on the weekends.) And you can warm up your car every weekday afternoon at 4:45 too. Plus, it’s got a digital thermostat, so it can start your car if the temperature gets too hot or too cold - you set it, and the 556T does the rest. All for just 99 bucks!

Finally, let’s talk about car audio, since “music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.” (Oops, I went there accidentally.) Directed Audio had some of the hottest new stuff at the show.

Their Directed 1100d subwoofer amplifier won a prestigious Innovations Award for its ability to deliver earthshaking power (1100 watts RMS) with extremely precise protection circuits, at a watt-per-dollar value that will really turn-on the autosound competitors out there.

Also from Directed Audio, the new 8” Studio Neodymium Midbass speaker is a real winner. It’s incredibly shallow, just 2½ inches deep, because that’s not a dustcap in front of the poly cone, it’s the motor! Which features an ultra-powerful 1½ inch neodymium slug. The Studio Midbass can handle 150 watts RMS, and is very loud: it’s 93 dB efficient at one watt/one meter. Add a couple of these babies to your doors or kickpanels for an awesome upfront soundstage that will rock the house (or at least your car!)

And to fine-tune your new audio system, what could be better than a clean little ½ DIN-sized, 5-band graphic equalizer (EQ) like the new Directed 1500. The 1500 features a dedicated subwoofer output, and it’s powered by a 30 volt bipolar switching power supply. You can pick one up for the unbelievable MSRP of just $130!