The consumer electronics industry, like every other industry, is worried about its prospects for 2009. A shrinking economy, vanishing jobs and an imploding financial system cast long shadows over the coming year. But there are few bright spots on the horizon for CE manufacturers, according the Consumer Electronics Association, mainly involving green technology, next-generation input methods such as multi-touch screens and motion sensors and embedded internet access.
Consumer electronics claims to be "the only industry that has a growth rate of over seven percent" despite the economic climate, possibly because some of its products can replace other, more expensive entertainment options. If the economy continues to decline, CE manufacturers harbor a hope that consumers will react by "cocooning" in their homes, surrounding themselves with electronic comforts like HDTVs, Blu Ray players and videogame consoles. While it can be expensive initially, the homebody lifestyle pays dividends by cutting down on activities outside the home (movies, restaurants, bars, travel, concerts and so on).
So, what new gear will you be willing to plunk down your hard-earned (or -saved) money for, come 2009? We scoped out a some of next year’s hottest products on Tuesday night at a New York preview for the Consumer Electronics Show. Here’s what we liked:
MainGear Axess HD
This Windows Vista Media Center PC ($1500) is the first to feature D2’s high-end digital signal processor, which allows it to pump out cleaner, louder audio to surround sound speakers than any of the competition, according to a company spokesman. Relevant sound specs include a signal-to-noise ratio of 105 dB and a total harmonic distortion of 0.1 percent. The MainGear Axess HD accepts a standard cable card, so it can be used with your cable or satellite provider, while its ability to function as a normal computer lets you mix in a healthy amount of web content. Windows-phobes will be happy to know that it works with Linux media center platforms including MythTV. The 93-percent-energy-efficient Class D amplifier should help out with your electricity bill if you’re upgrading from a system with a traditional Class AB amplifier.
Optoma Pico Projector PK-101
Optoma has "the first" digital light processing (DLP) pico projector for projecting the photos and videos stored on iPods and other devices onto the nearest white surface. The "DLP" part of the equation means Optoma’s model manages a higher contrast ratio (2,000:1) than the competition and more vibrant colors. From what we saw, the image quality from the device’s LED light source was decent enough at 
about two feet wide, with the projector about four feet from the miniature projection screen. An iPod adapter kit will be optional at $30; otherwise, the Optoma Pico Projector PK-101 ($400) takes a standard composite video input. The device comes with two batteries, each of which lasts 2 hours in slideshow mode or 1.5 hours in video mode using the half-brightness setting. Halve those times for the full-brightness battery life estimates (now do you see why it comes with two batteries?) Bonus: you can mount it on a standard camera tripod using an included adapter.
Lenovo ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive
Lenovo’s ThinkPad USB Portable Secure Hard Drive ($180 for base model) lets you carry around data secured by 128-bit encryption and a 6-12 digit password. The shock-mounted 2.5-inch SATA hard drive (160GB or 320GB) helps this "mobile data vault" keep data safe from jolts in addition to thieves or snoops, while a USB 2.0 cable can be stored within the device’s housing for easy travel. It’s not for everyone, but with ongoing concerns of identity and data theft sure to be with us next year, you can’t be too careful.
Newber Beta iPhone App
As its name sort of suggests, Newber gives you a phone number that follows you around during your day. When someone calls, you can tap a button on your iPhone to route the call to the nearest landline — friends’ houses, offices or wherever — using the iPhone’s GPS function. You can choose to accept incoming calls on your iPhone or the nearest known landline, potentially saving you money on your wireless plan, preserving your iPhone’s battery and impressing your friends. If you choose to sign up for $5 per month, Newber will assign you a new number. But that should change; as a fully-licensed telco, Newber says it’s working on adding the ability to port current phone numbers into the system.
Dish Network DTVPal DVR
Only 12 percent of Americans plan to scale back on their cable costs in response to the economy, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, but that number might escalate if the economy continues to sputter. If you’re thinking of cutting the cable or satellite cord in favor of free over-the-air digital broadcasts and you still watch — or have downgraded to — a television that only has analog inputs, Dish Network has you covered with the DTVPal DVR ($250 after government rebate), the first digital-to-analog converter box with a built-in DVR. Previously, the best option for this scenario was TiVo, which requires a monthly fee. And yes, it records over-the-air high-definition channels in high definition. For what could be a thrifty 2009, the DTVPal’s lack of any monthly fee could help trim the budget while allowing you to record digital and HD signals to its hard drive (150 hours of standard definition or 30 hours of high definition). It was announced in January, but with the February 27 digital TV switchover approaching, Dish Network is understandably excited about moving more of these in 2009.
Zoombak Universal A-GPS Locator
Like that UPS package you’ve been chasing after, the Zoombak Universal A-GPS Locator ($200) alerts you whenever it enters certain geographical zones. But rather than coffee and binoculars, all it needs is a good battery charge (five days in standby mode) for its GPS and communication system. Clearly, these devices could be used to infringe privacy, but a company spokesman assured us that Zoombak "does not condone or recommend that the device be used for those things." Problem solved! Recommended uses include dropping one of these in your teenager’s car so that you know whether or not they drove to school and, if so, when they arrived. Whenever one of these tiny modules enters a specified GPS area, a text message and e-mail let you know the good news (or bad news, as the case may be).
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Sure, you can go out and get yourself a laptop right now that’ll go 12.5-hours strong, but what if your portable computer could nearly outlast your Aigo A215? While L’s mythical quad core lappie came close in theory, Mary Lou Jepsen’s (the former CTO at OLPC) startup is hoping to eventually create a machine that can last between 20 and 40-hours between charges. Pixel Qi is being pretty closelipped right now (and understandably so) about what exactly it has going on, but we get the idea the secret sauce is in a highly efficient display that will require far less power than traditional LCDs. The best part? We could see one of these longevous notebooks in the pipeline as early as 2H 2009, so we’d probably start stocking up on Red Bull right about now.
