More than 2,700 global companies, including 300 new exhibitors, unveiled an estimated 20,000 new technology products across 1.7 million net square feet of exhibit space during the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, Consumer Electronic Show, better known as CES. New trends unveiled at the 2009 CES show included 3D HDTV, advances in OLED, green technologies, Internet TV and digital entertainment. Produced by the Consumer Electronics Association, the 2009 International CES was held Jan. 8-11. Preliminary attendance estimates for the 2009 International CES is expected to be over 110,000.

“Despite a subdued economy, excitement exuded from the International CES show floor, with the sheer volume of innovative products, the quantity of senior level executives from the consumer technology and related industries, the international participation from companies and government officials and the partnerships and deals at the show,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “More consumer technology business deals start at the International CES than any other event on earth. The success of the 2009 International CES gives us optimism that innovation will restart the world’s economic engine.”  

“The level of excitement on the CES show floor was at an all-time high with ground-breaking technologies such as the Palm Pre, Sony’s flexible OLED display, 3D HDTV, Yahoo!’s TV Widget, LG’s Watch Phone and a 1/3 inch thin energy efficient Plasma HDTV from Panasonic,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences, CEA.  

The 2009 CES was also a celebrity-filled event which featured entertainment and sports figures including Tom Hanks, Alex Trebek, Jimmy Fallon, Stevie Wonder, Counting Crows' Adam Duritz, Usher, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Reggie Jackson, Dr. Oz and Ludacris. 

Audio Recorder 2.0 Deluxe was recently released by Honestech, Inc. This piece of equipment measures 3 ½ by 2 ½ inches and will convert LPs (better known as vinyl records), cassettes and even 8 tracks (if you still have a working 8 track player) into MP3s and audio CDs. 

Audio Recorder 2.0 Deluxe includes hardware, software, and audio cables to connect with most players with RCA Phono Plug and 3.5mm stereo jack outputs. Audio Recorder 2.0 Deluxe also includes new features such as noise reduction, digital amplification, auto trace splitting, and audio editing. Digital formats include WAV, MP3/MP3 CD and Audio CD. 

Prices begin at $79.99 and can be purchased at Fry’s Electronics, Sam’s Club, Costco.com, Amazon.com, NewEgg.com, and multimedia retailers QVC and at www.Honestech.com. 

If you have always wanted to use Quicken for your finances, then Quicken Online is the first free, Web-based basic personal finance service. 

Quicken Online’s new spending forecaster makes it easy to get a forward-looking view of paychecks and bills over a 30-day period. New budget alerts can be activated on mobile phones and PDAs such as low account balance and upcoming bill warnings. Users can also receive alerts when they’re getting close to overspending on groceries, shopping, or other expenses they want to reduce.  Sign up for free at QuickenOnline.com.  

Also at CES was Schwinn Bikes which offers seven eBikes with a variety of speeds, frame designs, battery ranges and styles. Schwinn eBikes have an easily removable, plug-and-play battery pack that transforms the traditional favorite into a convenient, clean-cut electric hybrid. A stylish rear rack holds and hides the slim battery pack, with room to spare for a briefcase or groceries. The bicycles’ internal electric cable routing makes for a clean look and safe riding, as well as an easily removable front tire without cumbersome wires.   

Schwinn’s newest eBike, Tailwind, showcases the next generation of the electric bicycle. The Toshiba Super Charge ion Battery (SCiB) technology that powers it can deliver a full charge in less than 30 minutes when plugged into a standard residential amp charger and less than 10 with a commercial charger. The SCiB’s cycle life provides approximately 3,000 charges that can carry the rider for about 30 miles, depending on the terrain and rider weight. Visit SchwinnElectricBikes.com  for more information. 

CES continues to showcase all aspects of electronics including entertainment, design, wellness, transportation and so aspects that touch our lives.