The new must-haves from CES
Dear PropellerHeads: I know the annual Consumer Electronics Show just ended. Were there any cool must-have new products announced?
A: Vegas Baby! Just the thought of the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas gets our propellers spinning! The trade show, which debuted in 1967, introduced the world to tablet computers, Netbooks, and Android devices (2010), Microsoft Xbox and plasma TVs (2001), and even VCRs (1970).
The CES features products from over a dozen consumer electronics categories. These include everything from audio and video for the home and automobile, to lifestyle electronics to improve daily living, to emerging technologies. Some manufacturers use the show to display future products while others are available now. Either way, there are lots of cool things to play with.
Curiously, Microsoft and Apple have backed away from using CES to announce their latest and greatest, preferring instead to host their own media events. Still, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer made a cameo appearance during Qualcomm's keynote event this year.
From my perspective, the big news is Ultra High Definition TV (UHDTV). It seems just like yesterday that you upgraded to HDTV that runs at 1080p resolution. 1080p refers to the 1080x1920 pixels (think dots) that make up that clear TV picture we are getting now.
UDHTV (sometimes called 4K TV) has about a 4000 X 2000 pixel map. This is four times the resolution. So, why do you need this? You might not. But most likely you didn't buy a 3DTV and the TV vendors need to get you excited about something you might buy. Still, the higher definition will be beautiful and the prices will drop like they have for past innovations. The show did have an embarrassing moment when the Sony CEO went to show off his 4K TV and the audience saw a Windows Blue Screen of Death instead (http://bit.ly/mW4WOg).
Lenovo (and a few others) have built these really big (39") tablets that are sort of table-tablets (http://bit.ly/UCfwm2). These are definitely not portable. The idea is that you have a table everyone can sit around and use. I guess this might be a gaming device. But I am not so sure this is a keeper.
I like Audi's future self-parking car. You have seen the cars that can parallel park. In a few years, Audis can park in a garage hands-free. As parking spaces get smaller and my glasses get thicker this PropellerHead may consider selling off a couple of my prized Stormtrooper collectables to pick up one of these beauties.
Several innovations in flexible screen technology were presented. This included the introduction of Willow Glass (http://bit.ly/wJChY1) from Corning. These are the same guys that introduced Gorilla Glass a few years ago. This is a thin, bendable glass that will make it more likely you could see displays on just about everything, including light posts and globes.
The coolest of the cool is the $300 Parrot AR Drone 2.0, a recreational drone with an HD camera (http://ardrone2.parrot.com/usa). You pilot this with your iPad to fly the device, record real-time HD video, and scare the neighborhood cats.
Lastly, there has been some good progress on wireless charging systems (http://cnet.co/wdLbjX). These let you drop your phone or tablet on a pad or bowl to charge them at the end of the day instead of plugging them in. I think you will see further innovations on this soon.
I didn't make it to the CES this year, but I'm definitely going in 2014. They are already making plans (www.cesweb.org) for next year's show.
For more, check out CNet's coverage at ces.cnet.com. Happy Nerding!
When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. Email them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions, Inc. 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.