[CES 2009] The WiFli iPod Kit from Aamp might be small in size and not amount to much where design is concerned, but this is where the adage "don't judge a book by its cover" holds true, as it has been categorized as a nominee under the Innovations International CES 2009 banner in the In-Vehicle Accessories category. What makes this so special? Well, the WiFli consists of two parts - the FM transmitter will be attached to a compatible iPod at the bottom, while the receiver kit is stuck onto the steering wheel. It can be used for both right- and left-handed folks since the buttons on the receiver kit can be turned upside down by removing the whole chunk, and it takes less than five seconds to perform a switch in orientation. As for the FM transmitter, it will draw power from your iPod in order to function, but boasts a mini USB port as well for you to charge it and your iPod simultaneously when you're driving by hooking it up to your car cigarette lighter via an adapter. The WiFli allows you total control of song navigation on the iPod without having to lift a hand off the steering wheel, but you won't get to see the album cover art though since there is no LCD display on this $99.95 device. The WiFli will ship this within late February or March this year.

[CES 2009] Although fuel prices have fallen down considerably off their highs from the middle of last year, that doesn't mean we should just go nuts by purchasing a gas guzzler just to impress the Joneses. Why not try something more environmentally friendly with the XM-50000Li electric scooter from X-Treme? This new model just debuted at CES this year, and is the first street-legal electric-powered moped/motorcycle that is powered by 20 lithium-ion batteries to achieve a balance in performance and weight. These batteries will crank out enough juice to power a 5,000-watt motor that allows the XM-50000Li to hit a maximum speed limit of 50 miles per hour within a range of 85 miles. It will retail for $6,000 when available - who said going was a cheap endeavor?

[CES 2009] I would be happy too, if I were to be the President of this great country. The Happy Obama iPod speaker dock features an animatronic figure of the President-elect himself seated on a black cube. It would be better if he were to be on the White House, as it is rather undignified to be on something as simple as a mere box when you're about to be the most powerful man on earth. The Happy Obama iPod speaker dock is able to shake his head from left to right in an animated manner each time music is being played via the iPod. Seems as though he's saying a whole lot more nays compared to ayes.

[CES 2009] Blu:sens is not a name you would normally associate with when it comes to netbooks, but that doesn't mean they aren't in the game. At the Sands Expo, we caught hold of the FreePC_10P netbook that is powered by the now staple Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, with a choice of 512MB or 1GB RAM depending on your needs and budget. Other specifications are pretty much standard as the rest, including an 80GB hard drive, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity (now the latter's a bonus to have), a trio of USB 2.0 ports and an ExpressCard slot among others. There is no word on when it will arrive Stateside nor what operating system it will run on though.

[CES 2009] As if having a rear view camera view being displayed on your rear view mirror is not enough, Gentex Corporation ups the ante by introducing built-in LED indicator lights into your side mirrors as well that will definitely catch the attention of motorists and pedestrians alike whether it is night or day. This is pretty neat, considering how more and more cars feature built-in indicators on the wing mirrors these days, those who don't want to upgrade their vehicles to a new one can always settle for what Gentex is offering. The rear view mirror also boasts an auto-dimming technology that reduces glare from folks behind you who are inconsiderate (or have forgotten) enough to turn their high lights off. Depending on the size of your rear view mirror, you can choose from 2.4" or 3.5" LCD display options.

[CES 2009] Alco Electronics has rolled out an RCA-brand iPod sound system known as the Ri505, and this model comes in a rather bland black and titanium finish, accompanied by full-range speakers and a backwards firing subwoofer, allowing you to use this either indoors or outdoors although we think most people will settle for the former. What makes the Ri505 different from its competitors is the inclusion of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that is not found on similarly priced iPod sound systems, making the Ri505 punch above its weight class despite retailing for under $80 when it debuts in the US this February. Features include :-

• 2.75" full-range speakers
• 4-watt x 2 output power
• Subwoofer at 8 watts
• Remote control
• Headphone and line-in jack
• Dock iPod

[CES 2009] In-car entertainment systems sure have come a long way since the days of the cassette tape, and modern systems seem to offer virtually everything you need for an enjoyable driving experience, although it won't take over the steering wheel for you so that you can take a short snooze. Kenwood's DNX9140 Navigation DVD Entertainment System looks to be pretty complete in terms of features with the following :-

• 6.95" motorized WVGA resolution touchscreen display
• Garmin navigation software and UI
• Advanced voice recognition
• Integrated Parrot Bluetooth
• USB direct control for iPod content
• 5.1-channel surround sound processor
• Vehicle maintenance and mileage tracker

[CES 2009] This is interesting - a waterproof device that features Wi-Fi connectivity to keep you connected online even when you go snorkeling, making us wonder just how practical such a feature would be. We suppose if you love surfing the Internet from a palm-sized device while laying logs, being waterproof would work to your advantage just in case you have a butterfingers moment and drop it down the loo. We suppose this prototype comes with touchscreen capability as well, since there aren't any buttons on the front portion. One word of advice though if it ever rolls out to the consumer market - never, ever charge it underwater for obvious reasons.

[CES 2009] If there's one thing us press need at shows like CES, it would be netbooks as powerful as souped up desktop computers accompanied by superb battery life that is able to last the entire day, while taking just 10 minutes to achieve a full charge from empty. Toshiba hopes to achieve that with their external SCiB concept, targeting a 90% charge within 10 minutes of being connected to a power outlet. It also touts a superior life cycle compared to standard lithium ion batteries, and definitely does a whole lot of good to our environment since we won't need to dispose that many batteries any more. Unfortunately, it has not been perfected to date, so it will take a fair bit of time before it will actually be available to the mass consumer market.

[CES 2009] Casio's rugged GzOne is a well known tough phone, and just like how the many spas located in hotels across Vegas offer services to pamper tired conference attendees and tourists, so do these active GzOnes. While they won't be admitted to spas due to a lack of ID, at least they can chill out at Casio's booth on the showfloor. Maybe they need some loving at the AVN that's being held at the Sands Expo in order to loosen up...

[CES 2009] As with the separation of classes with us humans across the ages in different continents, so the same applies to the Pioneer BDP23FD Elite Blu-ray player. Very little is known about this rather stocky Blu-ray player, but Pioneer has clearly positioned this to cater to the custom-install market, and with a price that hurts the pockets at $600, not too many casual home users are going to pick this up on impulse unless they risk being thrown out of the room for a week.

[CES 2009] Up a notch is the Pioneer BDP-320 that will ship in April for $399. Judging by the specifications as listed below, it does look like a rather decent system to have at home if you're pretty much into home theater systems, but the regular man on the street who just wants to pop in his Blu-ray disc and watch the movie without additional bells and whistles might want to take a look at the Pioneer BDP-120 instead that ships in April as well.

• HDMI 1.3a output with 48-bit deep color support
• DTS-HD master and Dolby TrueHD internal decoders
• 1GB internal BD Live memory
• 7.1 channel analog audio outputs
• Kuro link video adjustment system

[CES 2009] With HD DVD dead and buried for a year now, Blu-ray has still yet to take off in a huge manner although its customer base is slowly but surely growing. Pioneer has three new Blu-ray players on display at CES, and the "baby" among the trio would be the BDP-120. This BD Live-enabled Blu-ray player offers the following :-

• HDMI 1.3a output with 36-bit deep color support
• DTS-HD master and Dolby TrueHD internal decoders
• USB port
• DVD upscaling to 1080p
• Kuro link

[CES 2009] Apart from its custom fit CC_01 earphones, Koss also has another new pair on display on the showfloor - the KDE/250 that features a couple of transducers mounted at a perpendicular angle. The 20mm transducer is low frequency dominant and ported whereas the 13mm transducer will focus on mid- and upper-range frequencies via a side-firing angle. This unique combination work their magic to ensure you, the listener, will benefit across the entire musical spectrum no matter what you listen to. Each KDE/250 purchase will come with a matching set of customized ear clips to make sure it fits virtually all ear sizes without any problem whatsoever. This will arrive in the US this March at a yet unspecified price.