Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

'Popular Science' Editor Demonstrates New Gadgets

Aired June 27, 2002 - 13:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Some cool gadgets and gizmos are catching the eye of technology fans in New York City today. It's the final day of an expo showcasing the technology of the future that's available to consumers right now.

Let's check in with "Popular Science" technology editor Suzanne Kantra. She's in New York.

Now, are these truly gizmos that all of us can appreciate, or is this really for the hard core gadget guru gizmo guys?

SUZANNE KANTRA, TECHNOLOGY EDITOR: These are really for just about anybody.

What we have here today are, you know, the peripherals that you would use with the laptops and the desktop computers, because these really aren't as exciting as some of the other products.

Today, we have the CLIA (ph) from Sony. What's great about this is not only is it a regular organizer, it has a keyboard built in, really high-color-resolution display. The display actually turns around, flips down, and you can use it like a regular Palm product. The other great thing about it is it actually has a little camera built into it.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my God.

KANTRA: You could take picture.

WHITFIELD: You've got to be kidding me. So you could take pictures as well -- digital photos, I guess, as well. Now, how does that compare price-wise to the other PDAs that are on the market. Surely this is a little pricey.

KANTRA: This is the -- this is the most expensive. It's at $599.

And actually, one other thing, it does include an MP3 player. So this is the most full-featured Palm-based product that you can get on the market today.

WHITFIELD: Wow! Wow, that's very cool! I kind of like that.

OK -- I'm kind of married to the one PDA that I have, but you know, that one kind of interested me a little bit.

All right, so you also have you a device that promises some sound quality at home on your -- I guess when you are trying to download music on your computer.

KANTRA: Yes. It's from Zitel. You don't think about it, but the sound card that was built for your PC is geared for, you know, the alarms and the dings and the clicks and that kind of thing, not for high-uality sound. So what this device does is it plugs into your USB port, and it processes your MP3 files, your CDs, the soundtrack from a DVD movie. And you can plug this in directly into the receiver for your home stereo system. So you get fantastic sound.

WHITFIELD: Wow!

Now on to DVDs. So for those who have actually have DVDs -- I'm still in the category of VCR only -- but for those who have DVDs, what have you got for us?

KANTRA: Well, we have Panasonic DVD multidrive, and these are for computers now. And they cost about $350. But if you think about it, these are going to come down into more consumer-based products, and you'll be able to record your home movies and potentially even later be able to use these as VCRs -- actually, probably, as soon as this year -- for about $600.

WHITFIELD: Wow! So this is separate altogether. It's not an attachment to your existing DVD.

KANTRA: No, it's not. This would replace the DVD drive that you have in your computer, and, later on, your VCR.

WHITFIELD: OK, Suzanne Kantra. "Popular Science" magazine, thanks very much -- last day of that techie-type convention going on in New York. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com