XIAS is looking to tangle with the Apple iPod ecosystem as it brings to the Consumer Electronics Show its own new MP3 player and online music site. The new XIAS PV-4022 is set to price at around $110.

The XIAS PV-4022 is a 4GB flash memory based MP3 player which can hold and playback up to 1,000 WMA and MP3 music files. It will also be able to playback WMV video files on its 2.2-inch viewing screen. The PV-4022 sports an icon-based menu navigation system and will let you play/record FM radio and voice.

Sorting through the reams of CES related press releases coming at us right now turned up this rather interesting looking “enclosed play area specifically created to maximize the enjoyment of inter active media.” It’s known by its maker as a PlayPOD and it’s being targeted towards gamers who want their own dedicated space.

The PlayPOD is described by maker Gamecenter as a space where “gamers can now place in one piece of furniture a game console/PC, TV/monitor and all the included accessories, games and movies.” It has something of a Tron like look to it and, according to its development blog, may have a sound system integrated.

Digital Foci is another one of those little companies you don’t hear much about but which is always putting out new stuff. One of its more interesting offerings appearing at CES is its new Digital Foci Pocket Album OLED Series. These digital keychains come in 2.8-inch and 1.5-inch screen sizes and price at around $100 and $50 respectively.

The Digital Foci Pocket Album OLED Series is led off by the 2.8-inch model. This digital photo viewer with a wrist strap lets you store around 3,000 digital photos via its internal memory. You can manage photos via its internal file management structure and view images at a contrast ratio of 10,000:1. The 1.5-inch model is styled as a digital keychain and can hold 120 digital photos.

One thing about CES: manufacturers big and small all bring their new products to show off. One such smaller product developer is Norcent and it’s unveiling a number of things, including a 42-inch LCD-TV. The Norcent LT-4231P is set to price at around $1,300.

The Norcent LT-4231P offers through its 42-inch screen 1920 x 1080 resolution. It offers built-in built-in ATSC (over-the-air content), NTSC, and Clear-QAM (unencrypted digital channels) tuners. HDMI input is also provided as well as support on down the video line to composite.

Gefen announced to the press via an email a few days ago its upcoming CES line up. Amongst the cables, switchers and other line items we noted something of interest: two personal video recorders. No specific release date was given for the items, now available for pre-order, but we did note there’s a hard drive based PVR for around $1,000 and a USB memory device based one for around $650.

Gefen’s HD-PVR, which will also connect to removable USB memory devices for storage, has a built-in 80GB hard drive. With this you connect the PVR to an HDMI enabled display, select the video source and function you want from the source inputs and off you go recording. Recording can be done up to 1080i and there’s an on-screen menu for control options. Through this PVR you can also scan storage devices for other types of media to interact with.

DXG USA plans to debut its first “low cost” high definition camcorder at CES. This camcorder is known as the DXG-566V HD and it is priced at around $150.

The DXG-566V HD is a five megapixel digital camcorder which will let you record in HD video resolution up to 1280 x 720 at 30fps and D1 resolution of 720 x 480 at 30fps. It sports a three-inch camcorder style flip-out LCD screen, memory storage via SD cards and 2x digital zoom.

Sure it’s nice to be able to get the same functionality of your electronic gadgets into a smaller package, but smaller isn’t always better for everything. Having a pocket-sized GPS mounted to your dash can sometimes be like an eye chart test for finding destinations and points of interesting while driving your vehicle in traffic. Due to this Garmin is debuting a larger line of GPS units with a big 5.2-inch touch screen, and is packing it with features.

The big screen makes viewing and interacting with the touchscreen easier at arms length, and since they had the extra room they threw in quite a few extra tools. For starters you still get the voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, but it will also save up to 10 routes, keep track of where you have been, find points of interest as well as school zones and safety cams, shows terrain info and you can even have a little vehicle icon instead of the generic arrow representing your car. A couple of other pretty nifty features include an external video input which lets you have video connected to the GPS, such as a back-up camera on your big rig and an FM transmitter so you can listen to the MP3′s loaded on the device through the car’s FM stereo, not to mention the loaded games and audio books owners can take advantage of.

This water-activated “portable power product” is fuel cell-based and through the use of $20 disposable cartridges, it will provide “enough energy to recharge an average notebook computer 8 to 10 times” or even “operate low power devices such as portable lights, notebook computers, portable televisions etc. for more than 14 continuous hours,”. It works via AC outlet or dual USB. The unit will cost about $400. A few of the nicer features on this one are that the HydroPak is quieter and lighter than other types of generators in it’s class, and as a bonus, it doesn’t spit out horrible emissions.

At CES 2008, they will also have a smaller version named the HydroPak Mini, which is a prototype designed to power gadgets like cellphones or your favorite game systems. They expect to have units available for sale in mid-2008.

The news just keeps coming in from CES 2008 and it hasn’t even officially started yet. Kleer.com announced today that Sennheiser has introduced the industry’s first true wireless stereo earphones based on Kleer’s wireless audio technology. The MX W1 wireless earphones are said to deliver crystal-clear CD-quality stereo sound, as well as providing extremely high immunity to noise in the crowded 2.4 GHz band. Since all Kleer-based products are compatible, the MX W1 earphones can receive wireless audio from any Kleer-based PMP.

The earphones come with a carrying case that also acts as a charger, and you can recharge the transmitter and receiver simultaneously via a connecting cable, without removing the transmitter from the player. With Kleer’s Listen In technology, two or more people with
MX W1 earphones can listen to the same audio stream at the same time. The MX W1 will be available in May of 2008.

Here’s a great design if you dare to be different. The Vintage iPod Tube Amp/Charger has the cool somewhat steampunk/Sci-Fi look of a mad scientists lair. According to the manufacturer, you ca enjoy your playlists with the “warmth and richness only a vintage tube amplifier can provide”. I don’t know about that, but I love the design.

Many musicians believe that the harmonic richness and the pure tone of tube-based circuitry can’t be beat. That’s their thinking with this device. Just plug your iPod into the Vintage Amplifier/Charger, sit back with the included remote, and browse through your playlists. They claim that audio details that have been lost in MP3 files through compression, dramatically re-emerge through the 25 watts RMS per channel, all-tube pre-amp system. It will cost you a hefty $800 to find out if they are right. No doubt some of us don’t mind missing out on the differences we can’t hear anyway, at that price.

This credit card sized digital voice recorder is not only anorexic, but white as a hospital. A splash of color wouldn’t have killed them, would it? Anyway, despite it’s ultra white sanitary look, it’s pretty easy on the eyes. In fact, it reminds me of why I love Nurses, all dressed in white, nice curves…

It measures just 6.5 millimeters thick and has 1GB of built-in storage, a handy flip-out USB connector, and flush-mounted controls. But it’s not just a Voice Recorder, it can also be used as an MP3 player and USB flash drive. The recording is in high quality WAV file format and files can be handled easily, just copy or delete like a typical USB storage device. Of course the advantage with this device is that you can take it just about anywhere. Pick one up for $69.99.

According to a press release, BiTMICRO will be amazing some people for sure, with their new 2.5-inch solid-state drive with an amazing 832GB of NAND flash. The 3Gb SATA drive is a new addition to their E-Disk Altima line, and uses a technology they are calling multi-level cell (or MLC) memory, which doubles the number of bits stored per memory cell when compared with single-level cell (SLC) NAND. Apparently this increases data density and allows them to keep the price low.

Looks like they will be shipping in the 3rd quarter of 2008. That’s when we should see capacities ranging from 32GB all the way up to 832GB.

Today Asus announced the launch of its award-winning GPS smart phone in the U.S. early this year and will be showing the P527 at CES 2008. The Asus P527 already won one of the CES Innovation Design and Engineering awards for 2008.

It’s a pretty nice looking device and has several versatile functions, but the most unique ones have to be Travelog and Location Courier. Travelog lets users record travel routes and export data to Google Earth, while Location Courier acts like an S.O.S. beacon and is at the ready to send a user’s GPS position to up to five preset numbers. Basically, the Asus P527 has the features of a cell phone, navigator and PDA.

Stereoscopy is being brought into the digital age, with the Loreo 3D Lens in a Cap. It’s a stereo lens compatible with most film and digital SLRs. It comes with a choice of 7 mount types for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax K, and Minolta cameras. Basically, it’s a 38mm lens with an f/11 of f/22 aperture that takes two images of the same scene from slightly different perspectives. Your brain being the powerful tool that it is can reconstruct depth information from the two images. Hence 3-D.

The best part is that it couldn’t be easier. Just attach the lens. They also sell a $24 3D viewer that takes 4×6 printouts of your stereo photos, so you can see the cool effects. The lenses cost from $48 and $117, depending on the model.

The CompactFlash Association will be unveiling a CFast connector package at CES 2008, and the SATA interface will give you data rates up to 3Gb per sec. That’s quite a jump over the current 133MB/second that PATA provides right now. As usual, there is no word yet as to when it will hit store shelves after CES 2008.

Mr. Shigeto Kanda of Canon and the CFA chairman of the board thinks that “The development of a CompactFlash card with a SATA interface will maintain the dominance of CompactFlash in the non-consumer (embedded systems, single board computers, data recorder, etc.) markets as well as promote its use in other applications such as digital SLR cameras and professional video cameras.”