Video: Electronic Cigarette at CES 2009

In many cities across North America, it is now illegal to smoke indoors. You can’t light up inside restaurants, inside bars, or even inside casinos. At the same time, tons of people are trying to kick the habit and nothing seems to work.

Working as some sort of intermediary is the E-Cig, an electronic cigarette that really mimics a real cig but without the harmful tar and other chemicals. You can still get your nicotine fix by sucking on this electronic death stick, but all you breathe back out is hot vapors. It’s steam, not smoke, so it’s virtually odorless.

The E-Cig is essentially comprised of two components. One part is the rechargeable battery, whereas the filter is where a special chemical compound is located. It is here that you are able to generate the “steam” and retrieve the nicotine by sucking on the filter end.

The starter kit includes a pack of these refills, two rechargeable battery packs, and chargers for the wall and USB. The refills are then available in a variety of flavors and nicotine levels, including some that are fruit-flavored or lacking in nicotine altogether. Check out the video to get a better sense of what this is all about.