Hybrid takes orders intelligently

Pioneer this spring will release a dashboard navigation and MP3 player system meant to make life simpler for gadget hogs. But the new hybrid device, the AVIC-F500BT, might also drive some motorists nuts, by talking back to them when it is unclear about their instructions.

The AVIC-F500BT consists of a sleek-looking panel display surrounded by a few buttons. It takes most of its commands via voice recognition and its six-inch (approximately) touch screen. You will be able to control your iPod or Bluetooth phone via voice control, Pioneer says.

The AVIC-F500BT includes USB connections for other music players and devices. It also has an SD memory card slot for MP3- and WMA-formatted music.

The device includes a "VoiceBox Conversational Voice Search Platform" for hands-free operation. The platform does not require specific words to initiate a call to a contact, but accepts so-called "conversational commands from the driver." The VoiceBox platform is also smart enough, when it hears you say, "Call Joe Blow," to ask whether you want his home or mobile number. But that might be more talk than you want.

The AVIC-F500BT also has a rear-end camera input that switches on the video when you throw your recklessly huge SUV into reverse. God forbid you should have to turn your head to see what's behind you.

String three DVR headsets together for shoot 'em ups
It must be great playing Halo with your pals, chuckling like Beavis and Butthead. Now Vuzix Corp. wants to put each of you in front of your own giant TV, virtually speaking, of course.

That way you can do your shooting with less distraction, and without your neighbor seeing what you are up to within your personal field of view.

Vuzix (vuzix.com), which makes the AV920 video eyewear I reviewed in September, is selling an updated version of the same gear, one that plays well with others. You can daisy-chain up to four pairs of Vuzix's new iWear AV920-C frames together, to take part in multiplayer games for the Wii, Xbox, or Playstation 3.

The AV920-C system divvies up quadrants of a shared display screen, blowing each player's area onto his own, virtual 62-inch (as seen from a distance of nine feet). The AV920-C comes with a daisy chain cable and video splitter for connecting with the other headsets.

Like the AV920, the AV920-C supports resolutions up to 1024 by 768, with a 32-degree field of view. Current AV920 owners will be able to purchase an upgrade kit with all the necessary hardware and firmware to step up to "C" status.

New screens slated by Samsung for 2010
I don't have a specific replacement date for my beast of a Sony Wega, but I imagine it will be sometime in 2010.

That's when Samsung plans to launch its larger OLED TVs.

The company this week at CES is exhibiting the closest thing to a large, finished OLED TV anyone has seen to date. (As with robots, most of the major Asian electronics firms are eager to show consumers they are on the cutting edge of OLED.)

But large is a relative term. For an LCD TV, a 31-inch screen is no big deal. For an OLED screen, it's huge.

Samsung (whose latest LED is shown here) says it will be exhibiting a 31-inch OLED screen and its 14.1-inch baby brother at the big electronics show in Las Vegas.

OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens produce bright, sharp, rich pictures. And they weigh nearly 40 percent less than ordinary LCD TVs.

I imagine that means you might be able to hang your OLED on the wall above your fireplace, without having to first locate the studs behind the sheetrock.

OLEDs are also thin, and can be made flexible enough for ambient lighting and art, and even wearable applications. And compared to LCDs, OLEDs are energy-sippers.

But electronics manufacturers have reported production delays for OLED displays, which are extremely touchy, apparently. And I am not sure I can hold out beyond 2010 with this clunky old cathode ray tube hogging so much space in the TV room.

More Kreative way to tackle rats' nests
Kreative Power (kreativepower.com) is adding a twist to the dusty, old, and cluttered power strip you kick around your desk every day. The company in March plans to release a pyramid-shaped surge protector with six outlets, spread widely apart, that will better accommodate your larger plugs.

Kreative's Powramid E-900H, with its eight-foot cord and wide base, is, of course, simply another dust bunny trap. But the conical Powramid is only five inches across, which can make it a space saver. And the device's safety switch cover will guard your data against careless footsteps and toe taps.