17 Vendors Bring THG Their Latest Gear

What happens when the editors from Tom's Hardware invite 17 vendors to show us their latest and greatest products? Last week, we held our first editor's day in Irvine, California, and got to see some cool new products in networking, memory, peripherals, storage and displays. Editor-in-Chief David Strom, along with editors Christiaan Allebest and Humphrey Cheung, met with local vendors and came away impressed with the variety of products being developed in southern California. Here is a brief roundup; look for more detailed reviews in the coming months.

Ama Technologies

We reviewed the DVX-POD from Ama Technologies back in December 2004. It was an interesting product that played back video, music and photos, but it had some interface quirks. Fortunately, Ama Technologies will be releasing a new model that seems to have addressed these problems.

The DVX-POD plays back multiple formats of video, music and photos. The next generation model will be released in June, and will also have audio speakers built into the back. The speakers are angled to bounce the sound off the table, which provides for a simulated subwoofer effect.

All the menus can be changed to support multiple languages, including Chinese, German, French and Japanese.

The unit is Divx certified (portable profile) and the interface has been greatly improved. When a file is selected, pertinent information will be displayed on the right. Photos are also thumbnailed on the right side of the screen.

The same two layer polymer Lithium Ion battery is included, but a model with four and eight layers is in the works.

The DVX-POD can be used as a portable screen for your game systems (Xbox, Playstation, etc). The PVR function can be used at the same time, allowing players to record their gaming sessions - now you can prove to the world that you beat Halo 2!

Price has not been set, but will probably be around $500 to $600, according to Ama Technologies officials. A value package will be available, which will include a car charger, headrest bag and a travel bag. The headrest bag will mount the DVX-POD on the back of a car seat, so the device can entertain people in the back seats with movies or games.