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Gadget bonanza: 2006 will be the year of choices. by Perkal

"Do you want your high-definition version of ""The Godfather"" on a high-capacity Blu-Ray DVD or on an HD-DVD, which is easier to make? Do you want to play high-definition video games on Microsoft's Xbox 360 or on Sony's soon-to-be-unveiled PlayStation 3? Should you get a dual-core computer that can simultaneously download music, play video and run anti-virus protection without slowing down a bit -- or should you live with the computer you have? Mac or PC? Thin cell phone or cuddly?

You get the idea.

Change makes the consumer electronics world go round. There always seems to be something newer, better and faster right around the corner -- and we spend $122 billion a year looking for it.

This week brings the huge Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, followed by next week's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco _ two of the biggest and best-known gadget and technology showcases. Many companies introduce their latest products at these gatherings -- MacWorld last year saw Apple's Mac mini and the iPod shuffle make their debuts -- so CES and MacWorld Expo are places swarmed by trendspotters.

In just a few weeks, we are going to see slick new gadgets that look great because device-makers are paying more attention than ever to design. ""Good industrial design is always important for consumers,"" says Ken Hyers, an analyst with ABI Research. ""Consumer electronics manufacturers are more focused on that lately.

""We've seen things like the iPod succeed not just because it has a well-designed music service; it's also a very attractive music device -- clean lines, sleek.""

James Burke, Motorola senior director of product operations, Mobile Devices, says his company and other gearmakers ""are starting to focus on product designs that break through the clutter and will stand out on the shelves.""

But no matter how attractively designed, the hottest new thing's value rests in how it fits into your life, what it can do for you. To help you get a head start on making choices, here are some of the technology trends we can predict right now.

HIGH-DEF DILEMMA?

Another tech shoot-out is developing like the VCR/Betamax battle 25 years ago. High-definition DVD players were supposed to be in stores late last year, but wrangling over which format should survive meant no one has won so far. A quarter-century ago, VCR buyers had to choose between the Betamax and VHS formats. We know who won that battle (though Betamax owners declared their format superior in quality). Now, the choice is between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD in high-def DVD players and in tomorrow's computers.

The companies that back Blu-Ray say it is a format that can hold much more information than the competition -- meaning their DVD extras would make today's extras seem paltry.

HD-DVD's proponents say their technology is built on existing standards, meaning the disks will be cheaper and easier to make. Both formats aim to play the DVDs you own now.

VIDEO-ON-THE-GO

Last year, portable video got cool: New cell phones and iPods made it possible to play video available for download from preselected libraries; iTunes even struck deals with television networks to sell popular shows such as ""Lost"" for $1.99 an episode. We'll see more and more gadgets that will play video, but in 2006, we'll get more portable devices that will record your favorite TV shows -- think of it as something like TiVo you can take to the beach.

While Archos has been making these portable video recorders for a couple of years, newcomer Neuros recently joined the party. Obviously, somebody thinks we want to control our video.

GET MUSIC WITHOUT A COMPUTER

What made the iPod so lovable wasn't just its clean, sleek design. The easy-to-use iTunes Web site made buying music with your computer a piece of cake, and transferring tunes from the computer to the iPod was a breeze.

But imagine being able to skip the computer and download music directly to your music player. MusicGremlin promises to do that over the air -- you'll need a wireless Internet network at home or a bookstore or coffee shop that lets you use their Wi-Fi connections (search JiWire.com for locations near you). The MusicGremlin will have its own iTunes-style music store that you can buy songs from and share with other MusicGremlin owners.

MusicGremlin's content will be served up by MusicNet, which provides the tunes for online stores Yahoo! Music Unlimited, MusicNet@AOL and others.

SLEEK OR CUDDLY PHONES?

Subconsciously, we expect gadgets to get smaller as time goes by. Technological advancements make today's VCR's look emaciated next to the behemoths from 20 years ago.

So, when Motorola comes out with its RAZR phone, and Apple unveils a smaller, thinner iPod, older phones and music players look old and fat.

Expect phonemakers to experiment not just with thinness but with shapes and textures to make devices feel more natural. Motorola's PEBL phone is meant to be cradled in the palm, much like an ocean-washed stone. Still, thin and sleek won't go away: Samsung's A900 is a slice off the old RAZR.

The common denominator between sleek and cuddly phones will be big screens and keypads, because the wireless companies' newer, faster networks that are here and coming online don't require bulky phone components.

`LIFESTYLE' PHONES

On Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 5, sports entertainment giant ESPN will get into the cell phone business. Cell phones with the Mobile ESPN logo will give sports fans, sports highlights, real-time score updates. It'll be more ESPN highlights and interviews than what you can currently watch on the Verizon VCast and Sprint TV cell phones.

Mobile ESPN won't be completely in the cell phone business. It's merely leasing part of Sprint Nextel's phone network and will sell special black and red Samsung phones with ESPN's logo.

Like the Virgin Mobile and l-stalled Amp'd phones marketed to the high school and college crowd, ESPN will be the newest so-called MVNO (or mobile virtual network operator) to offer a phone service based on lifestyle.

As with everything else in the consumer electronics world, more MVNO choices are coming."

This article was published on Sunday 17 December, 2006.

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