2009 CES

I'm not really a stickler for needing to know what the weather is doing outside at all times. But for those who are (mom and dad listen-up), Yahoo! has designed a Widget Engine that allows TV viewers to access a wide range of information, all from the convenience of their TV screen. During CES last week, Yahoo! showcased the weather widget on a Sharp widget-enabled television. As you can see, a full weather forecast is conveniently displayed to the left of your screen.

These new TV Widgets will allow users to do things like interact with friends, track their stocks or favorite sports teams, or check out the latest news headlines. The Widget Channel was created by Yahoo! and Intel and can work on televisions as well as LCD TV/DVD combinations.

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Tight squeeze, eh Sony? Some new promo pics of the new VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC have enraged some Japanese bloggers who are ashamed by the ad's unrealistic size portrayal.

Considering it is the world's lightest 8-inch notebook, it's not totally outlandish to assume it might be able to fit in the pocket of a pair of jeans. But then again, Jimmy Fallon could barely fit it in his jacket pocket, which leads to me believe a pair of my hip hugging jeans would definitely be out of the question. What do you think? Are you more ticked off that it's not small enough to carry in a pocket, or are you peeved that the ad is inaccurate?

• Motorola's Aura may not have been a new phone at CES this year, and it is somewhat expensive, but after a second glance, you really can't deny its stunning exterior. — Engadget
• For people who want to check their email on the go, but don't have a smartphone, Amika Mobile provides push email to any device that's able to receive standard text messages. — Unplggd
• Stevie Wonder loves his iPod and BlackBerry, but admits that devices with touchscreens exclude the blind. — Switched
• Things may not be so hot with the economy right now, but Sony still managed to announce 70 new products at CES this year. — CrunchGear
• Former Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove is now Twittering his life away! — Valleywag

Yubz, the experts in retro-esque Bluetooth handsets, have stepped up their game by showing off a limited edition Yubz Talk — which comes covered in 5,400 Swarovski crystals — at CES this past week. For only $1,800 you can pick up one of these exclusive handsets (out of twenty total). Or you can get the rock gold version for just $50, which in my opinion is just as bling.

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Hey, in case you missed it, the Super Bowl(s) of the geek world took place last week here in San Francisco and Las Vegas: Macworld and CES! We saw lots of hot products (and a few unbelievable ones) being unveiled this year, and personally, I'm anxious to get my hands on a few of these beauties. You can check out my Macworld roundup here, but in the meantime, have a look at some of my favorite things from CES below!

Kodak's OLED Picture Frame	MSI Unleashes the X320	Eye-Fi Hits the iPhone
Sony's Webbie Camcorder	Peep the Palm Pre	Sony's Tiny Netbook Debut

• Labeled as the "smallest wrist phone in existence", the LG GD910 is the first HSDPA wrist phone by LG and comes with a touchscreen, MP3 playback and high speed video conferencing. — Unplggd
• Microsoft's free Windows 7 Beta is now available for everyone to download. — Gizmodo
• Intel will soon be coming out with a new touchscreen tablet-style PC called the Classmate. — Switched
• Urban Tool bags offer a hip and non-conventional way to tote around your gadgets. — CrunchGear
• Dell has just announced its latest notebook — the Adamo. This thin, black notebook, is not a Netbook since it has a processor inside, but other than that, details are still limited. — CNET

At CES this week, Kodak showed off its 7.6-inch OLED digital picture frame that can store up to 10,000 photos on 2GB of internal memory. Usually I don't go ga ga over digital picture frames — I feel they are best suited for parents or grandparents — but I can't help but take notice at the plethora of functions this model has. With WiFi that can connect to RSS feeds, Flickr, and Kodak Gallery accounts, and you can access the news, weather and sports. It also comes with a quick touch border and a 180-degree viewing angle, this is far more than a digital frame.

This OLED frame was on sale on Amazon for $999, but is currently out of stock, but I'd keep checking back if you've got some really rich relatives that are on the lookout for one.

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This year's CES has already begun pouring in the tech treats, and one I was particularly excited for was Palm's. I wasn't let down: Palm announced its newest smartphone, the Palm Pre, with soft lines and a gorgeous OS.

The new phone has a multitouch touch screen, full Internet browser, slides out to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, but the best part — and what actually sets it apart from the iPhones, the BlackBerrys, the Androids — is the wireless charger, the "Touchstone."

No pricing has been revealed yet, but the phone should be available in the early part of this year; if the Pre also comes with competitive pricing (around $200), then look for this to be a worthy rival in the smartphone game.

• First it was the Sony Rolly and now it is the Sony Webbie, which can capture HD MPEG-4 video and 5-megapixel photos. The Webbie will be available for $200 tomorrow. — Engadget
• LG is planning on unveiling a super-slim 15-inch OLED television this Summer. — Switched
• Martha Stewart shows off her modernist, clean, and organized New York office in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living. — Unplggd
• On Jan. 15, SCE Asia is coming out with two new PSP colors — radiant red and vibrant blue. — Kotaku
• Polaroid just announced the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera, which allows you to crop or edit pics and print them up in seconds. — Gizmodo

After spotting a countdown ad on the Sony New Zealand site right before Christmas, it was pretty much guaranteed that Sony would be announcing something exciting during CES. Well here you have it, the world's lightest 8-inch notebook — the new VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC. Weighing in at only 1.4 pounds, this beauty comes with great screen resolution, WiFi, Bluetooth, built-in webcam, and its LCD display is LED-backlit. Comparable to the chic Vivienne Tam HP Laptop, this netbook will be available by early February and will be come in black, white, red, and green. Prices start at $900.

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