7:40 PM -- The big hit on the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas wasn't HDTV, or IPTV, or MP4, or even 802.11n. Nope, the news of the first-ever "civilian" stun gun, the C2 from Taser International, left the competition convulsing on the show room floor.
The $300 C2 comes in a range of attractive colors -- inlcuding metallic pink and electric blue -- so you can look sharp when delivering a massive jolt of electricity to a perp.
Taser says that is addressing safety concerns with the new device by shipping deactivated devices and requiring users to complete a background check before their little friend gets powered up.
Hey, it worked with assault rifles, didn't it?
"The Taser C2 is the next generation in personal protection," said Tom Smith, Chairman of Taser International Inc., in a statement. "Taser International was founded to create safer personal protection alternatives, while utilizing technologies to maximize public safety and minimize the potential for misuse -- and the Taser C2 continues in that tradition."
Attendees at the CES show, however, still expressed some concern about safety. Particularly after a weekend that saw two reported Taser-related fatalities.
"I never felt like I could get tasered before," joked one well-to-do male attendee in Vegas. "Now I feel like it's more likely."
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung