CES: A sneak peek at some gadgets

'Twas the weekend before the start of CES and all throughout Las Vegas, every creature was stirring — even the mouse!

Pardon the bad pun on a holiday classic, but that is often my impression of the "behind-the-scenes" work that I observe regarding the day or two prior to the annual CES event.

It seems every single carpenter, electrician, handyman, trucker, sign-hanger, and computer networking technician is racing to convert the estimated 1.7 million square feet of exhibit space of both the Las Vegas and Sands Convention Centers into the massive electronics circus that so many of us in the press and the industry expect every year.

Still, amid the bustle of construction and other preparations, there are some pretty nifty things to report. At CES Unveiled (a pre-show event for members of the press only), a few dozen selected companies showcased some of the latest and pretty innovative products that will be on the show floor.

These three products in particular caught my eye as examples of some of the expected trends (discussed earlier in our Electronics Podcast) we're tracking here at the show and beyond.

Not to mention, they're very unique — if not quirky.

A laptop with a view for Vista

Microsoft's new Vista operating system will offer a lot of new features and capabilities for PCs. One of them is SideShow, the ability to display brief bits of information — calendar appointments, e-mail, to-do lists — on a secondary screen.

ASUS claims it will be one of the first laptop manufacturers with a model ready for Vista's SideShow. Company officials say the W5Fe's second screen will enable mobile workers to stay on top of their e-mail or display maps and navigation information while the laptop remains closed. ASUS hopes the W5Fe, which will be available around when Vista ships from Microsoft at the end of January, will help propel the company beyond "boutique" status, as makers of PC gear and specialized laptops aimed at hardcore geeks.

And one handheld to rule them all?

Seamless Internet, based here in Las Vegas, showed off a prototype smart phone that bucks the trend of more capabilities, in smaller packages. Its S-XGen handheld is shaped like a conventional PDA and weighs just under a pound at 14 ounces.

Stuffed inside the device, however, is a full Windows Mobile-powered PC, with an Intel processor, a 20-gigabyte hard drive, and wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities. And while it has a 4-inch touch-sensitive color screen like a traditional PDA, the cover unfolds into a full QWERTY keyboard. That will make it easy to craft e-mails and documents using the Microsoft Office Mobile Suite software included on the hard drive.

But more than just a handheld "ultra mobile PC," the S-XGen is also a tri-mode GSM cell phone and can access high-speed wireless data networks. While its shape makes it awkward to use as a conventional cell phone, company officials say using a wireless Bluetooth headset and wireless "dial pad" (still in development) will make it more convenient for voice calls.

A rumble with Roomba?

And one final interesting gadget that caught my eye... Korean company Udot displayed a home robot that could give iRobot a run for its money.

Udot's machine combines iRobot's Roomba robotic floor sweeper with iRobot's Scooba floor mopper into one thick (it's at least twice the height of either of iRobot's offerings) automated floor cleaner.

Like iRobot's machines, Udot's automaton supposedly functions unsupervised, wandering your home sweeping and cleaning automatically. Given our tests of Roomba and Scooba yielded less than impressive results, one would hardly think that Udot's critter could do any better. 

However, company officials unveiled a hidden secret that might give its little home robot an edge. Udot plans to offer special hardwood flooring that contains invisible patterns that can be custom installed in homes to help guide its robot for more efficient cleaning.

Company officials said such setups have proven successful in Korea, where the company has been selling its robot for the past year or so.

No word on when the units will be available in the U.S. or if the custom flooring would require a contractor or could be done on a DIY basis. Costs of the unit and flooring also wasn't disclosed.

— Paul Eng, Web Senior Editor

—Paul Eng