Hot gadgets bask in Comdex glitz

	GALLERY
The PC ePhone leads the hot trends at Comdex 2000

From Rick Lockridge
CNN Technology Correspondent

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Glitzy high-tech gadgets rival their surroundings at Comdex 2000 in Las Vegas this week.

Dot-coms and fortunes may be collapsing, but with 2,200 exhibitors and 200,000 attendees at this computer industry show, you'd never know it.

Leading the hot trends this year is the PC ePhone. As a combination palmtop computer and cell phone it's not the first on the market (or the cheapest, at $1,500), but it's the first to have a stylus wireless handset using Bluetooth technology.

The rugged and water-resistant Industrial Pocket PC by Casio is the perfect holiday gift for klutzes. The Industrial EG-800STD Pocket PC has a corporate look, and the Industrial IT-700 Pocket PC includes wireless LAN options and 10-key pad. At $400 it's twice the price of some PDAs, but it also has more memory and features, like recording and playing MP3 files.

Risking overexposure (musical cameras?), MP3 music players are a common theme at Comdex. The Fujifilm Finepix 40i Digital Camera, priced at $699, features an MP3 player, digital imaging and digital video.

For the readers among us, the eBookman by Franklin holds several downloaded novels, set in easy-to-read type. The EBM-911's features include a USB port, MultiMediaCard (MMC) slot, headphone jack, speaker, microphone and backlight. If your eyes are weary, the eBookman will even read to you.

And every year at Comdex there's a new spin on the wristwatch standby. This year: Casio's wristwatch camera, which takes pictures.

Newcomers make a splash at Comdex
November 13, 2000
Review: Design makes the difference for pocket-PC gadgets
October 25, 2000
GM to study driver distraction from in-vehicle gadgets
October 23, 2000
Wearable gadgets offer modern look for military
October 19, 2000
Gadget: The Mysmart.pad brings hotkeys to mousepads
September 11, 2000

Casio
Fujifilm USA
Franklin Electronic Publishers

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.