The 2005 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was larger than ever before with over 129,000 attendees and 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space. So large was the show this year that the exhibit space overflowed into the Hilton and Renaissance hotels, and into several gigantic tents that were set up in the parking lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center. CES is, without a doubt, the largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology, unveiling the latest in high-tech products.

Bill Gates was back again for the seventh time, doing his annual pre-show keynote speech. This year's was done in a "talk show" format with NBC's Conan O'Brian as the guest host. Bill promoted Microsoft's concept of the new "digital lifestyle," promising that we'll be able to access our favorite movies, videos, and photos from our Windows Mobile devices, Tablet PCs, and laptops in the next year.

Bill Gates pre-show keynote speech with talk show host Conan O'Brian

Hot New Devices

The keynote speech was fine, but the exhibit hall was a lot more fun. CES covers much more than Windows Mobile-related devices and accessories. You see audio electronics, digital imaging, game consoles, home theater and video, and much more. Focusing on the Windows Mobile end of things made my life a little easier, but this is still the longest show report I've ever written.

BenQ P50 Pocket PC Phone Edition

http://www.benq.com

Newcomer BenQ was there showing their new P50 Pocket PC Phone Edition device. I was excited to see this tightly integrated mobile device with so many features packed into a small form factor. The P50 has a quad-band phone, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless built-in. It has the latest Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software and the new Windows Media Player 10 Mobile (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/windowsmobile/default.aspx), enabling it to connect with Media Center PCs for transfer of TV shows and rented movies and songs.

BenQ's new P50 Pocket PC Phone Edition

The iQue M5 Pocket PC by Garmin

http://www.garmin.com

Garmin showed me their first Pocket PC, the iQue M5. It looks really sleek and includes both a GPS receiver and Bluetooth. The GPS antenna folds flush on the back of the unit, keeping it out of the way when you're not using the GPS. When you press the antenna release switch the GPS powers up and acquires satellite signals, and the QueMap interface loads on the M5: you're ready to GPS! The Garmin device also has Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which supports either portrait or landscape screen orientation. The unit comes with a sturdy windshield mount with integrated charger and speaker.

Garmin's new Pocket PC with integrated GPS and Bluetooth