Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 7, 1994                   TAG: 9401070091
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: LAS VEGAS                                LENGTH: Medium

COMPUTERS ARE FINALLY TAKING THEIR PLACE

That is the overwhelming message at this year's Winter Consumer Electronics show, which began Thursday. An estimated 79,000 exhibitors, store buyers and journalists are descending on the Las Vegas Convention Center to learn about the latest high-tech gadgetry at booths spread over 1 million square feet of floor space.

Personal computers and software are the fastest-growing product category at the show and, by extension, will be the hottest growth area for retailers selling consumer electronics.

According to a survey scheduled for release Thursday by the Electronics Industries Association of Washington, which sponsors CES, overall sales of consumer electronics will increase a relatively modest 4.4 percent in 1994. But sales of home computers are expected to jump 11 percent to 8.7 million units.

Joining the traditional CES exhibitors such as Panasonic, Sony and Nintendo are first-timers from the computer industry such as Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.

"I think the question is, why we didn't go earlier," said Avram Miller, vice president of corporate business development for Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel.

Miller said Silicon Valley missed a surge of consumer interest in home computers in the past two years and is rushing to catch up. "This was not a market that was created by the industry," he said. "This is a market that was created by the consumer."

But the show isn't entirely given over to PCs. It is still packed with companies offering interesting - and sometimes bizarre - new solutions for everyday problems.

Sony Corp., for example, will show splash-resistant cordless phones for people who can't resist making calls while floating in the pool or standing over a sink full of soapy dishes.

Quality Products Inc. of Miami is going a step further with a "Scuba Waterproof Pager Case" for beeper-addicted outdoor enthusiasts who absolutely have to be in touch, no matter how far underwater they may be.

And then there is the "automobile smoke defense machine" from Technology Source of Granada Hills. Instead of sounding an obnoxiously loud alarm during a car robbery, this device fills the passenger compartment with smoke - a frightening prospect for any health-conscious car thief.