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Tech Beat: Consumer Electronics Week innovates familiar tech
06/28/2011 04:00 AM
By: Adam Balkin

New innovations ranging from glasses-free 3D to musical light bulbs may be coming down the pipeline soon, but first they’re spotlighted at Consumer Electronics Week, which is unfolding now in the city. Adam Balkin filed the following report.

A glasses-free, 3D mobile phone is just one of several products being unveiled at Consumer Electronics or CE Week in the Big Apple, a sort of mini, mid-year cousin to the annual Consumer Electronics Show — a behemoth of an expo at the beginning of each year that showcases upcoming high tech gadgetry in Las Vegas.

The phone is LG’s Thrill 4G, and it should be rolled out this summer.

“There's an area of the phone called the ‘3D zone’ — it's an area of the phone where you can access all your pictures and videos and games in 3D,” said LG’s Tim O’Brien. “Actually, from this phone you can record 3D pictures and video.”

Pricing on the Thrill 4G, which will work on the AT&T network, hasn't been released.

Also on display at CE Week is something that may seem less thrilling at first glance: a new type of light bulb. However, this one holds a surprise that may be of particular interest to consumers.

“This product is called Music Lights, and we developed an LED light bulb that's also a speaker, and it runs wirelessly from any kind of source you want to run that can store audio,” said Frank St. Onge of Osram Sylvania.

The transmitter will cost about $150 while the light/speaker units will be $250 each. Developers say since the light is LED, they believe the speaker has a better chance of burning out before the light does.

Finally, sometimes a little bit of low tech can be the perfect companion for high tech, and LokSak bags are the perfect example. Ziploc-type bags, only much stronger, these allow mobile devices to survive a trek to the beach or even underwater.

“What we have is a hermetic seal,” said LokSak’s Linda Kennedy. “It does not allow any dust, water, humidity, sand — nothing can go in or out of the bag. Everything works like it's out of the bag and you can use Bluetooth while it's in the bag.”

These will run for $7 per three-pack.




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