Gadget Time of Year

With the International Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas in full swing, followed by tomorrow's Mac World, it's a good week to be a gadget lover.

For instance, CES has already yielded some great announcements, including:

- Microsoft is bringing IPTV to the XBox. Want another good reason to invest in this gaming platform? It already can play some of the best games, is a kick-ass DVD player, and offers wireless connectivity to allow you to download movies and games right to your TV. Now, add the ability to subscribe over the Internet to your favorite TV channels, and it's goodbye cable. Add in DVR functionality, and the battle for the living room is over.

- The Tivo Comcast announcement. I shall say no more.

- The now-near legendary rumor of the iPhone from Apple gets more legs, as the Wall Street Journal leaks that Cingular is rumored to be providing a private cell network for Apple, and iChat has already been updated...stay tuned for the Reality Distortion Field at 9AM tomorrow.

- eBook readers start to go prime time. With eInk, this may finally take off. I already read books on my Palm, but this promises to be a much more forgiving technology.

And how did I miss this one? Side Show, a new small external LCD screen supported by Windows Vista, specifically for displaying the content of your favorite widget...even when the PC is off!

Man, it's good to be a gadget lover. And with my new Palm GPS just having arrived, I'll have much more to talk about soon!

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