The latest thing, at least for today
Steve Makris
Province
Mathieu Michael, president of Toronto-based Interactive Toy Concepts, demonstrates Turbo Remote Control Cooler.
LAS VEGAS — If you just bought a cutting-edge high-definition TV, I have bad news for you. The edge just got a bit sharper.
New life-like organic light-emitting diode and 82-inch quadruple full high-definition TVs from Samsung will make today’s models look like cave paintings.
Don’t cry. You can guide your remote-controlled robotic beer cooler (from Toronto-based Interactive Toy Concepts) right to your TV couch and drown your sorrows away.
Such over-the-top technologies are here at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show.
You may not need a TV that’s sharper than most digital cameras, but if you are looking for a better mousetrap, you will surely beat a path to one of the 2,700 exhibitors taking up more than 35 football fields of show space. Anything that uses electricity is here — much of it finding new ways to use today’s technology.
The Spot Satellite Messenger, for example, could be a real lifesaver. The palm-sized device works anywhere using GPS technology. For $149, you can e-mail home preprogrammed messages or simply press the OK button to tell someone who cares that you are safe. Your location or hike progress can also be tracked online with Google Maps. In an emergency, pressing the 911 button alerts rescue services worldwide to find you within three metres.
Green technology is everywhere, from new computers being built with non-hazardous materials to the eco-leading battery-saving Emotion Solar Portable media player, which plays songs, movies, audio books and charges other small devices such as cellphones, laptops and digital cameras.
© The Vancouver Province 2008
