Find out what products Pat's crazy about at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

There's tons of new tech toys to make geeks drool at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show . That's why we sent Leo and Pat there. After running around the conference like a mad man, Patrick gave us his scoop on what new products most thrilled this alpha geek. Get the products and his commentary below.

Pat's CES products

  • Microsoft SPOT Watch Prototype
    We mentioned this on air yesterday. Microsoft is working with watchmakers to bring smart personal objects technology (SPOT) to a wrist near you. SPOT is "a platform to make everyday objects better at their core functions." Uh, OK. Apparently that means the watch will load your calendar, get customizable news and weather reports, and receive instant messages. And, hey, rumor has it you'll be able to change the look of the face, too. This should make for an interesting summer.

  • Fossil Wrist PDA with Palm OS 5
    This is one of the companies that plans to make SPOT watches. Later this summer it plans to offer a Palm OS 5 PDA watch.

  • Garmin's iQue 3600
    This puts a Garmin GPS receiver inside a Palm OS 5 PDA. That sounds better than clipping a GPS to the back of a PDA. The price is steep, though. Garmin estimates it will cost $589 later this year.

  • Vercel ED 1
    Talk about something completely different. Caleb Chung, the guy behind the Furby (that small robotic fuzzy toy) is working on a very slick handheld PDA for teens: Vercel's ED 1. We played with a prototype of this Linux-based gaming/music/messaging platform. Gaming's cool, but I think the fold-out keyboard has the most promise. Hopefully it'll go on sale around August or September at a price that teens (and I) can afford.

  • Yamaha EZ-EG guitar
    Yamaha's EZ-EG guitar has lighted frets to help beginners learn songs. A built-in flash ROM can pack additional lessons. It'll cost $299, and it'll begin shipping in February.

  • Jeep Electronics Jeep Color TV/DVD/Radio/Flashlight Boombox JXLCDB
    Every year somebody comes up with some unbelievably odd combination of gadgetry. Jeep Electronics takes the cake this year with its $229 Jeep Color TV/DVD/Radio/Flashlight/Boombox JXLCDB. The version we saw at the show was a mock-up. All I have to say is, "Where's the cooler?"

  • Delphi's XM SKYFi Audio System
    For $229 this system packs a Delphi XM satellite radio receiver into a bow-tie-shaped boom box. The audio sounded much better than I expected, and I even found an XM channel that had Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies! Very very cool, and if you already own a Delphi XM receiver, you can buy the boom box alone for $99. (Batteries not included. You'll need six D cells.)

  • Zip-Linq
    Packing cables stinks. Zip-Linq is offering a range of retractable cables -- such as USB, 1394, and cellphone chargers -- that wind up rather than tangle up. Very cool, and the basic cables should sell for around $12. Très cool!


Be sure to also read Leo's products of CES 2003.