Hewlett-Packard duly unveiled a raft of new products yesterday, including a Digital Entertainment Center and an Instant Cinema Digital Projector.
According to IDG News Service: "The Digital Entertainment Center is designed to be a hub for managing digital content such as music, movies and photos from a single device located in the living room. The four-inch tall device, scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter, contains a personal video recorder, a digital video recorder and a DVD, and is managed with a remote control. 'It is a couch potato's dream,' Fiorina quipped. No pricing information was given for this product.
"Fiorina also introduced the HP Instant Cinema Digital Projector ep9010, which combines a projector, DVD player and a stereo/subwoofer sound system, which she described as 'a boombox for movies'. Estimated retail price for this product is $1,999. It will ship in the third quarter."
While these and other products might be interesting, they were overshadowed by the long-awaited unveiling of HP's version of Apple's iPod. IDG reports that this "will begin shipping in early September in two versions: a 20G-byte version costing $299 and a 40G-byte version costing $399. The Apple iPod from HP will be available at major consumer electronic retailers and at www.hpshopping.com, Fiorina said."
Further, next month, "HP will launch what it calls iPod 'tattoos' for users to dress up their iPods. The self-sticking paper will be preconfigured to fit the iPod, allowing users to print either premade designs or self-made designs, she said. 'One thing we know about today's consumers is they want to connect emotionally to their products,' [Fiorina] said. The so-called HP Printable Tattoos will be easy to apply and remove and be water-resistant, she said."
