2006 Consumer Electronics Show

One part geek, two parts chic, and definitely not for the meek or the weak is the gi-normous annual tradeshow known as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES for those in the know), a four day event where tech-savvy addicts from all around the world gather to get a hi-tech fix. Occupying the massive Las Vegas Convention Center and spilling over into surrounding facilities, the CES show boasts a bevy of electronic gadgets and gizmos that dictate everything you want or will want for the next year and many after. From plasmas to PCs to personal electronics to our personal favorite, mobile electronics, CES is where all new products that require voltage to operate make their international debuts.

With an entire hall devoted to mobile electronics, car audio giants such as Eclipse, Alpine, Audiobahn, Eclipse, JL Audio, and Kenwood and niche manufacturers Powerbass, Digital Audio, Bravox, and Necvox and more were on hand representing hard for the mobile front. The latest in head unit, amp, and speaker technology was on display, fused with cars sculpted into custom systems that kept attendee's heads turning and in some cases, guessing--Alpine's wild BMW 6 Series being a prime example. Rockford Fosgate, my own personal first amp, had in their booth the colossal T15KW amp that powered not four, not eight, not even twenty, but a whopping sixty 12-inch woofers and six 6x9 speakers in an ear-deafening display. Yamzy and I wanted to put on some old school "2 Live" or "Gucci" Crew but decided against it after our internal organs and hair follicles were jarred from the bass in the demo.

Among some of the other notable attractions was Honda's engineering marvel, the Asimo robot. The media-friendly Asimo was walking and interacting with the crowd as a foreshadowing of what we can only assume will eventually be a hostile global takeover, Cyberdyne powered by Mugen-style. On the cool tip, XM Radio set up a stage in the mobile electronics hall where their resident DJs and other celebrities made guest appearances throughout the show and was where we got the rare opportunity to photograph West Coast gangsta lyricist Snoop Dogg and ber-producer extraordinaire Pharrell Williams from the Neptunes. While we were hoping for some Pharrell beatboxing and Snoop freestyling, they instead gave some insight into their greatest influences and future projects. While we could ramble on and on about all the celebrities or cool stuff we saw, we'll stop gloating and let the pictures speak for themselves. And for those who may have missed it, pictures of the crazy Car Audio booth CES "hooked" Primedia up with, all glorious four-hidden-feet of it.