Aloha from Las Vegas, where the weather is warm and clear.

Attendance was very good on this first day of the January, 2002 Consumer Electronics Show.

Although we don't have photos today (check later updates), Sharp announced significant price reductions on a number of thin-line LCD televisions: The 10" size that was $999 is now $699. The 12" size that was $1,599 has been replaced with a new 13" model that is just $999. The 15" size that was $2,499 has been cut almost in half -- now just $1,299. And the 20" screen size formerly priced at $3,499 is now only $2,499.

Here are more highlights of the first day of CES 2002...

Day 1

January 8, 2002

The Las Vegas Convention Center new South Hall expansion. For CES 2002, the convention center has expanded substantially with a new south hall that has vendor displays on 2 levels.

Stan Sato, Lance Crabbe, and Jeff Priester of Design Systems Ltd. at the 2002 CES Alexis Park Venue where McIntosh displayed their new products. This venue (smaller than the Las Vegas Convention Center) is where high-end audio vendors display new products in the hotel rooms of the Alexis Park.

This is a front view of the OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) panel technology. This futuristic technology is "paper-thin" and has the potential to literally change the shape of video displays. Look for it first in cell phones.

This is a side view of the OLED showing how thin the panel is.

Here is another revealing side view of the OLED panel.

This is a side view of a "concept" TV using the OLED technology.

Here is the front view of a working "concept" TV using OLED technology.

The Triad Bronze HT-2 is a moderately-priced home theater speaker package (about $3,000) that delivers high-performance as well as flexible speaker placement (they can be installed in-wall, placed in a cabinet, or used free-standing).

This is the Xantech KP1. It is a wall-mounted keypad for a moderately-priced multi-zone controller. This system has sophisticated programming options, clean keypad button layout, plus volume level feedback on the display.