What They've Thought Of Next

Daniel Sieberg Spotlights Some Of The Neatest Items At '08 Consumer Electronics Show

(CBS)  A TV that's only two credit cards thick, a driverless car, and a bed called "Starry Starry Night" -- all part of this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the absolute newest gizmos and gadgets are on display.

It's the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology, and runs through Thursday.

CBS News Science & Technology Correspondent Daniel Sieberg is there, and offered a preview Monday of some of the hottest tech offerings debuting at this year's show.

Among the trends Sieberg sees is televisions going super-slim. For the first time last year, flat screens outsold tube TVs. It's not surprising, since 2008 will be the last year of analog TV. By Feb. 17, 2009, consumers will either need to go digital by buying a new TV or a converter box. In the meantime, flat screens not only continue to grow in size, topping out at 150 inches with Panasonic's new plasma TV, but they keep getting slimmer and slimmer -- some down to a few millimeters in thickness. And the clarity of the images hasn't taken a back seat, either. New technologies such as OLED create images that are more lifelike than ever.

The following descriptions were prepared in part with information provided by the manufactuers:

LG SUPER-SLIM LCD HDTV
LG's new 42-inch Super Slim 1080p LCD HDTV combines a sleek design with enhanced features to deliver superior picture quality and enhanced functionality. Only 1.7-inches thin, the new LG delivers on picture performance including TruMotion 120Hz technology for smoother pictures and Intelligent Sensor, a new calibration that optimizes the picture based on the viewing conditions in the room. An invisible speaker design also eliminates the need for a front speaker grill.
Available Spring 2008; Price: Undetermined

SONY XEL-1 OLED TV
Sony delivers the first Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Television. The 11-inch screen is ultra-slim, with a depth of only three millimeters. The light-emitting display has a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio with very deep blacks, and unmatched color range and picture detail. It's low-power consumption makes this TV energy efficient.
Available January 2008; $2,500.

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MORE THAN JUST DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES: One of the most popular holiday gifts in 2007 was the digital photo frame. Now come the latest frames, integrating a number of other high-tech features:

AUDIOVOX DIGITAL MESSAGE BOARD
Audiovox has combined low- and high-tech elements in a communications center that can be placed in a high-traffic area: the kitchen refrigerator. By reinventing the classic fridge photo collage with a new Digital Message Board, a seven-inch digital photo frame has been merged into a refrigerator-mountable dry-erase board with a built-in digital calendar and microphone to record digital messages and reminders, digital clock, and even integrated post-it notes. The board also has a camera to record video messages or reminders for family members.
Available Spring 2008; $199.99.

GE PHOTOPHONE
The new GE PhotoPhone with Picture Caller ID displays the number and photo associated with a particular caller. When not being used for calls, the GE PhotoPhone automatically transforms into an electronic picture frame. Features a seven-inch frame that comes in black or silver. Also, can be expanded up to four additional handsets.
Available Spring 2008; $139.99 (additional handsets are $29.99 each)

MUSTEK DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME WITH IPOD DOCK
Mustek merges music photos and video with its new PF-i700 digital photo frame, integrating an Apple iPod docking station that plays iPod files, in addition to those stored on popular memory card formats. The seven-inch LCD screen boasts 460 x 230 resolution and a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. It also features stereo speakers and a headphone jack, and incorporates a card reader for SD, xD, MMC, MemoryStick and MemoryStick Pro cards and a USB 2.0 port for thumb drives or connecting to a PC.
Available January 2008; $129.99.

NGR DOCK 2
NGR Dock is a solar charging station with a built-in solar panel that stores renewable power to charge all sorts of personal communication devices, including cell phones, Blackberry, iPod, PDAs, Game Boy, and PSPs. The Dock also carries an always-ready emergency flashlight.
Available fall 2008; $500 (minus $150 from a 30% federal energy tax rebate)

PACEMAKER
The world's first professional pocket-sized DJ system, designed with the aim of bringing people closer to their music and enabling them to actively interact with their whole music collection. The 120GB Pacemaker device enables two tracks to be played simultaneously and boasts all the functionality of a full, professional DJ set-up. The intelligent software will automatically work out the BPMs (beats per minute) of each of your tracks, enabling you to quickly learn to match the beats between two tracks and create a DJ mix.
Available Spring 2008; $700.

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STARRY NIGHT BED
The Starry Night Bed from Leggett & Platt combines technology and bedding using diagnostic tools to monitor and moderate the way we sleep. Sensors detect body movements and breathing patterns. For snoring, the bed will detect and alleviate the condition by automatically adjusting bed positions. Also, regulates bed temperature by either heating or cooling for comfort, and has ambient lighting to light your way when leaving the bed at night. Entertainment features include a surround-sound system, a headboard that boasts a 1080p LCD based projector, internet connectivity, wireless RF remote via Microsoft's Media Center, iPod docking station, and DVR capability.
Available Spring/Summer 2009; $20,000-$50,000.

DRIVERLESS CAR
Do your e-mail, eat breakfast and even watch the news while being chauffeured to work! It's the future of driving, and now it's reality: cars that can actually drive themselves! Carnegie Mellon, along with General Motors and other partner companies, developed a driverless vehicle in a U.S. Defense Department-sponsored competition. The unmanned Chevrolet Tahoe used "intelligent decisions" -- obeying traffic laws, and driving with and merging into traffic -- to successfully make its way through a 60-mile urban course in November to win the challenge. Much of the technology already exists for vehicles including radar-based cruise control, motion sensors, lane-change warning devices, electronic stability control and satellite-based digital mapping. Electronics-enabled autonomous driving could dramatically improve life on the road, reducing crashes (eg. by eliminating driver error) and congestion (eg. by keeping a constant rate of speed).

[christiansin]

The benefits of the "driverless car" have been available for decades. We call the technology "public transportation" or "mass transit".

If everyone used it, we would all be better off and it would work much, much better.

[badfish911]

Meanwhile, critics say Dr. Phil has been capitalizing on her recent troubles.

[rf35]

Jaxfax asked: "How is this useful?"

Answer: Dirver error eliminated, you always have a designated driver, you can''t fall asleep at the wheel, seniors who shouldn''t be driving can now stay/get back on the road safely, car insurance rates drop, you won''t get lost driving in unfamilar areas...starting to get the picture?