For little devices, it’s a big, big show

Tech takes to the road
That emphasis on automotive systems is not an aberration. As communication devices become ever smaller, the impulse for users to take them on the road is driving a boom in personal technology for the car. The Consumer Electronics Association projects that sales of electronic gear for automobiles will exceed $12 billion this year, having doubled over the last five years.

An indicator of the importance of computer technology for the car is that even though the auto industry is gearing up for the annual North American International Auto Show just a week later, General Motors Chief Executive Rick Wagoner will detour to Las Vegas to present the first keynote address by an automaker at CES, part of his campaign to persuade drivers to view the car as an ultra-high-tech device.

CES is dedicating a quarter-million square feet to autos — making it almost half the size of the Detroit auto show itself. More than 200 companies will be on hand to show off their car systems.

Music and entertainment technology has made up the bulk of in-car products, but the fastest growth is in GPS and video navigation; 2007 sales are projected to be up 41 percent to seize nearly a quarter of all car technology sales, the CEA said. Numerous exhibitors are previewing products that ditch the stand-alone, pre-loaded GPS module in favor of always-connected satellite and cell-network navigation systems.

“A lot of the home electronics are moving into the car,” Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, told automotive reporters at a Detroit trade show. “Consumers use to compare horsepower. Now they are comparing the electronics they want to see.”

What’s on TV?
Of course, CES’s buffet is still brimming with the meat and potatoes of the consumer electronics world.

Advancements in desktop and laptop computer systems are incremental. The emphasis is on tweaking current systems to make them faster and more capacious. Asus, for example, is releasing the M70S, a laptop with 1 terabyte of storage.

High-definition television makers, meanwhile, will continue to slug it out to produce the widest, thinnest, sharpest sets:

• Pioneer Electronics Inc. plans to introduce what it calls the world’s slimmest plasma set — just 9 millimeters thick.
• At least three companies will announce wireless HD systems, eliminating the ugly cords snaking down from a wall-mounted screen.
• Panasonic Corp. will unveil a 150-inch plasma set, dwarfing the current giant, Sharp’s 108-inch LCD.
• And Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will finally introduce the long-delayed laser TV, promising brighter, deeper images on larger, thinner screens that are cheaper to make than plasmas.

Don’t, however, expect a knockout in the DVD fight. Makers of both HD-DVD and Blu-ray players are crawling all over Las Vegas. But so are manufacturers intent on detouring the battlefield. More than one company is likely to offer an inexpensive dual-format machine, able to play both types of disk, for less than $500.

MORE FROM TECHNOLOGY & MONEY

Technology & Money Section Front

Gallery: Your latest splurges Facebook: ‘Why not give your ex another shot?’ Is Twitter the news outlet for the 21st century?   Advice on mortgage payments Get your ‘Thriller’ on YouTube   Stolen items up for grabs allDAY: Which TODAY anchor do you follow on Twitter?   What are your mileage points worth? Spears, DeGeneres Twitpic accounts hacked   Texting while driving worse than DUI? Technology & Money Section Front   Add Technology & Money headlines to your news reader: