BeamEcho

Apple inc. is unquestionably the star of Macworld's annual conference, taking the spotlight every year with its new and exciting products. However, there are many other companies who show up with their own contribution to the Mac & iPod platforms. This year included it's own fair share of terrible products not worthy to be mentioned, but also saw a few exciting new and updated products from established companies, as well as some notable rising stars. Here is the creme of the crop for non-Apple product at Macworld 2008.

Audioengine 5 Bamboo: Any customer who has come into Beam Echo in the past 6 months asking for high end speakers has probably been shown a staff favorite at the shop, the Audioengine 5 unit. The powered bookshelf speakers, which are made by a company comprised of some the original members of the design team for the iPod, have absolutely fantastic sound, and are rich in features, features including a USB port for iPod charging, and a regular sized power outlet for the Apple Airport express unit, to allow AirTunes wireless audio streaming. Macworld 2008 brought about the Bamboo version of the A5 unit, which takes the same high quality product, and replaces the white piano finish with a stunning bamboo finish, and as the gentleman at the Macworld booth claimed, it's not at all at the expense of sound's quality. BeamEcho hopes to have the Bamboo unit available by mid-to-late Febuary.

The Eye-Fi card: I'd say one the most exciting third party products at Macworld 2008 was the Eye-Fi card, the one and only product made by the Eye-Fi Company. The card is a 2 GB SD card, compatible with most non-Sony consumer level digital cameras, except it has a twist. Somehow, the company managed to fit a tiny WiFi module in the card. What this means is, a photo taken with the camera can be set to automatically upload to a computer, or upload to an online service such as Facebook or Flikr when the card is connected to a familiar WiFi network. And that's not all; Macworld '08 brought a direct-to-iPhoto upload, as well as Leopard compatibility to this unique device. The card is so new, it has yet to be approved for sale in Canada, meaning it might be awhile before Beam Echo can get our hands on the card. But I picked one up while I was down there, have been playing with it, and I have to say, it's REALLY cool.

Guitar Hero III for Mac: One of the biggest console games of 2007 was Guitar Hero III, the game that makes YOU the rockstar. And now, Intel Mac users will be lucky enough to have the rockin' rollercoaster right on their computer. The game, which includes the install disc, as well as a guitar controller, challenges the player to 'play' notes on his guitar in a certain progression, to match the notes that appear on the screen. In the game console world, the musical 'Guitar Hero III' has already established itself as a hit, to teens, college students, and even some adults, and we think it'll go over just as well on the Mac platform as it did on the consols. I had a chance to actually stand up an try the game, and instead of writing my thougts, I'll leave you with this picture, which captures my opinion more professionally than words ever could.