Reports on the Vegas CES from around the Web

The chief executive of SBC Communications Inc. will be among the highlighted speakers at the annual event that begins Thursday, next to a keynote lineup that includes executives from Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Inc.

Other pipeline providers, such as Verizon Communications Inc. and Time Warner Cable, are also expected to announce their latest strategies or partnerships to better position them in the delivery of all things digital - music, photos, videos, television.

"Everyone wants to get into the living room, whether it's Microsoft or the telcos," said Ted Schadler, an industry analyst with Forrester Research.

Among the products Salton plans to begin selling by the second quarter are coffee makers, microwave ovens and bread-making machines, all of which have built-in networking capabilities for communicating with one another and other devices in the home. The company also introduced a PC-like entertainment device designed specifically for use in the kitchen, and a wireless "hub" machine that can be used to manage all of the networked appliances.

Perhaps the most forward-thinking, yet eccentric, gadget in the bunch is Salton's Beyond Bread Maker and Beyond Microwave, both of which offer not only Internet connectivity and storage space for recipes, but also the capability to cook via bar code.