Final thoughts about CES
From a very early age, I was taught that the original Star Wars was the greatest movie ever made.
You see, my dad has a thing for science fiction movies and a love of the genre which he instilled in me from the time he deemed me old enough to watch Terminator (I think I was 6).
Whether it’s the Matrix trilogy, Terminator 2 or Sigourney Weaver in the various Alien sequels, my father and I have a tradition of seeing just about every futuristic, space-age wonderland movie that makes it to the big screen.
We love the predictions and foresight these movies have to offer, no matter how far-fetched they seem. Seeing how others think the future may unfold - the “pitfalls and the possibilities” as Dr. Emmett Brown from Back to the Future would say - always seems to fascinate us, especially the technology that will change the very nature of humanity.
Being at CES was like taking all of those far out ideas and grounding them in the present, in effect, making the future seem real and like it could arrive next week. For a young man who counts Cube and Total Recall amongst his favourite films, covering CES was a week-long voyage into the collective imagination of the electronics world.
It becomes readily apparent as you wander the floor at CES that technology is changing the way we live, the way we interact and our expectations of the world around us.
The days of uber-connectivity have arrived. From cell phones with email functionality to GPS devices that can tell you where to find the cheapest loaf of bread, we are soon all going to know exactly where we are all the time and what’s around us, and so will everyone else.
Parents will be able to know just where their teens are going in the family car, how fast they are driving and when and where they are stopping. It’s going to be a lot harder to lie to your parents about where you were when you missed curfew. These aren’t frills parents are going to find fun to play with, these are things parents are going to demand come standard in new cars within a few years.
I can remember a time when I was growing up that you could tell who the drug dealers were at my high school, because they were the only ones who carried pagers and cell phones. Now just about everyone I know carries a phone of some kind and most of them either are voracious texters or use mobile email. The new frontier of cell phones includes the explosion of the mobile internet and the ability to watch and listen to new media anytime you want, at reasonable prices (eventually).
But connectivity is just one of the themes running rampant at CES this year. Most people still interact with the internet and the social applications it has to offer via their PC, seated in front of a screen, typing on a keyboard and maneuvering with a mouse. But that kind of interface is not really all that fluid, or human for that matter.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just tell your computer what you want it to do verbally or point at what you want to read using your finger rather than a white arrow on a screen?
Technology companies sure think so. Whether it’s Panasonic’s so-called “Life Wall” which instantly recognizes your face and responds to your verbal commands or Microsoft’s visual recognition device prototype which can recognize objects and provide relevant information on them by way of a high-tech camera, the future of computing is changing to a more natural, user-friendly experience. Apple may be leading the charge when it comes to the hippest touchscreen devices on the market - and MacWorld starts this weekend, so who knows what else we’re going to see coming out of that - but this kind of technology is part of a bigger bandwagon everyone is running to jump on.
Our homes are going to go increasingly digital. The family whiteboard on the refrigerator will become a touchscreen computer where moms and dads can leave messages for the kids and each other about where Greame’s hockey game or Kelly’s recital is taking place. Temperature controls will kick in when people come home from work and change at pre-set times. When you start a DVD movie the lights will dim automatically and the drapes will close creating the perfect mood. Again, many of these things are available now at a premium, but it is the dramatic cost reductions of many of these products which will astound you. We’re not talking about a few homes here and there that have these technologies, everyone will have them.
If the LifeWare Nextgen Home Experience model home of the future at CES is any indication, everything from our beds to our drapes will be customizable, digital and hands-free. Beds will have side-specific temperature controls in case one partner is always too hot or too cold - something my girlfriend will enjoy - they will automatically adjust to suit your mood and do just about everything except make themselves. Drapes will alter their length throughout the day to make sure your couches and pillows don’t fade from too much sun and every appliance in your house will have a touchscreen LCD monitor on it.
Maybe it has something to do with C-3PO and R2-D2 blowing my mind as a child - “how cool would it be to have a robot for a friend?!” - or my exposure to Futurama as a teen, but the idea of robots playing an increasingly larger role in our lives is terribly exciting. You’ve seen the robots that walk and dance on the news. But electronics companies are working hard to make the human-robot experience more interactive, creating better responses and laying the groundwork for better and more sophisticated artificial intelligence. Robots are going to be a part of our home security systems, will help out with the babysitting and will be able to go where we can’t or shouldn’t.
One thing I was expecting to see more of at CES was the promotion of green technology. While there certainly were some manufacturers touting the environmental benefits of some of their products while other green-specific companies championed their offerings, the whole environmental awareness thing seemed like a bit of a side show. As consumer technology quickens its pace towards the future, more thought and attention needs to be paid to the toll all this innovation takes on the environment in this reporter’s opinion.
A few more quick thoughts about CES before I forget:
- Everyone makes TVs, and lots of them. This is clear to anyone who has stepped inside an electronics store recently, but when you see just how many TVs each of the big manufacturers had on display, it’s truly incredible.
- There were so many iPod accessories at CES you’d be forgiven for thinking Apple was a sponsor. Docking stations, speaker accessories, gel covers and cleaning solution were all on display, and yet MacWorld doesn’t get underway until this weekend.
I saw the speaker guy from the MTV car show Pimp My Ride walking the floor at CES, and to the auto enthusiasts there, that man is a god. - Toshiba isn’t out of this whole Blu-Ray vs HD DVD battle just yet, but if they’re going to pull a rabbit out of their hat, it should probably happen sooner rather than later.
- Mark my words, when it comes to in car technology, we haven’t even begun to see what’s up the sleeves of those driving the industry.
- “Booth bunnies” - as one PR person described them to me - are a strange phenomenon. These are women hired to help out at the booths, showing products, explaining how things work or just standing around looking beautiful while handing out flyers. I suppose similar hired hands appear at all trade shows, and they’re all terribly friendly - even if they’re not all that knowledgeable about whatever it is they’re shilling - but the whole set up still strikes me as a bit weird.
In case you couldn’t tell from some of my more saucer-eyed posts, not only was this my first appearance at CES, but it was also my first visit to Las Vegas. So you might say I was a bit overstimulated for the five days I spent in the desert.
If you've never been to Las Vegas, it's hard to describe.
Chances are you've seen CSI or Robert DeNiro in the film Casino or even Fergie's boytoy Josh Duhamel in the popular TV show named for the city, but unless you've actually been to Vegas and seen it with your own eyes it just doesn't seem real. But as you walk through the casino floors where overfed Americans sit pumping quarters into slot machines and women in low-cut shirts with flashing lights sell cigarettes to drunk conventioneers wearing cowboy hats and ill fitting blue suit jackets, the place takes on a weird other-worldly feel.
You get to thinking, is this really it? A lot of senior citizens gambling, people handing you flyers advertising escorts on street corners and a Barry Manilow gift shop?
Apparently that is what Vegas is. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many shows here it would take you a month to see them all and some of the most amazing restaurants in the world. The locals are very friendly and everyone generally seems to be in a good mood, which may have something to do with the place stripping away your inhibitions.
As CES wraps up tomorrow and the crowds thin out a little and everyone goes back to their real jobs leaving the bright lights of the strip far behind things in Vegas will return to normal, or at least as normal as a city with a Hooters hotel will get.
As one cab driver told me, if I thought CES was wild, then I should have stuck around until tomorrow when the Adult Entertainment Expo gets underway.
--Matt HartleyScouting the stars
There was a time when I was an active member of the Boy Scouts. Only problem was that as far as scouts go, I wasn't exactly what you'd call a model woodsman. The only knots I know how to tie are on my shoes, they never let me steer the canoes and when it comes to recognizing stars and constellations, forget it.
Let's just say I'm not the guy you want to get lost in the woods with.
That being said, I do find astronomy pretty neat, I just never had the time or inclination to learn enough about it to develop a love for it.
Luckily there are companies out there like Celestron to cater to people like me and other more dedicated budding NASA employees.
Last year at CES the company unveiled the sky scout, a GPS-enabled star finder that can tell you the name of a star as well as other relevant information just by pointing it at whatever twinkling distant ball of gas you're interested in. Because the SkyScout knows where you are, it can also tell you some of the cool things to watch for as you scan the heavens.
This year Celestron unveiled a telescope attachment called the SkyScout Scope which you can attach to the locator device.
While Celestron probably has a winner with people interested in seeing distant stars, the company also makes some pretty cool devices that can get you up close and personal with things right in front of you. First, a handheld microscope about the size of a roll of quarters that connects to your PC. Not only does it magnify things up to 400 times their size, it can also take pictures and videos, turning your computer monitor into a lab screen.
But for actual scientists, the company also is showing a real stand up microscope with a built in digital LCD screen so those who do look at slides all day aren’t always peering through those tiny lenses.
You know, with these things, I bet I would have earned a lot more badges when I was in scouts.
Everything old is new again
Did you know that Polaroid makes TVs? Well they do, and pretty nice ones at that, and you don't need to shake them for the picture to appear, which is great because 42" TVs are heavy.
Polaroid is one of the many companies here at CES trying to reinvent itself as its staple technology is replaced. In addition to the new TVs, Polaroid also offers a set top box service in the U.S. Called Freescape, which the company is touting as a No-fee HD DVR with a lifetime subscription to TV Guide.
Speaking of TV Guide, they're here too, showing off their digital television listings services.
FergaliciouCES
Updated
It's probably as close as I am ever going to come to actually dancing with Fergie. And I loved every minute of it.
Motorola is just one of the exhibitors using celebrity heft to draw foot traffic to within gawking distance of their products. The cellphone manufacturer has set up a booth where you can dance in front of a green screen and they superimpose you into a video alongside the one and only Fergie. You can choose either the song Glamorous or Fergalicious - I opted for the latter - and they email it to you. As soon as it shows up in my inbox, I'll see what I can do about getting it posted here.
Motorola isn't stopping there, hip-hop star Wyclef Jean is coming by their booth to sign autographs tomorrow. But Motorola is by no means the only one. Monster Cable is launching a new line of headphones in association with rap icon Dr. Dre and putting on a concert starring Mary J Blige tonight.
HP has bags at their booth featuring the beautiful visage of Gwen Stefani to promote their relationship with the singer, Slash appeared during the Microsoft keynote and of course Taser had a handful of Playboy Playmates.
And yes, watching me dance is as awkward as it sounds.
Tales from the CES floor
Qualcomm certainly wins the prize for having the most new-wave booth. Their display offers a full gourmet coffee bar, massage chairs all topped off with a cool Feng shui waterfall display.
Then there is Myvu, a company that figures people want to watch TV on tiny screens embedded in Bono-esque sunglasses. Each pair of shades comes with attached earbud headphones and a connector cord to link up toy your iPod or other mobile video player, which begs the question why someone would want to wear the Bono glasses in the first place if you already have a portable video player.
Oh well, they retail for about $200 if you're still interested, or if you really like Bono.
For those about to shock, we salute you
Imagine you are a manufacturer who produces an electronic device that is rather dangerous. Now imagine your product has recently received some bad press – some really bad press – involving a certain incident at a Vancouver airport.
How would you go about building good will with consumers at CES?
Well, if you’re Taser, you start by bringing in Playboy Playmates to sign autographs at your booth.
I am not making this up.
Taser, the company that makes the electroshock stun gun devices of the same name, is actually a regular exhibitor at CES. In fact, this is their 14th year at the show, according to the company’s VP of communications Steve Tuttle. CES was actually the first trade show at which Taser's devices were shown.
So there they were; Miss June 2004 Hiromi Oshima, Miss October 2005 Amanda Paige, Miss October 2006 Jordan Monroe and Miss September 2007 Patrice Hollis, all decked out in Taser t-shirts, signing autographs beside a sign that read: “If you love her, protect her.”
(The Playmates are here because Taser actually sponsors the Playboy racing team – they race cars, not Playmates, I'm told)
What’s new at the Taser booth?
Designer colours on the company’s new C2 device. Perhaps you’re not a fan of the classic black model and would like your stun gun to match your shoes, in that case you can choose from fire engine red, blue, silver or pink – which is actually the company’s biggest seller. Each of those cost $349, but the leopard print model – again, I am not making this up – costs $379.
“It’s purely for fashion statement,” Mr. Tuttle said. “Because this [he gestures towards the Playmates] is our target audience,” Mr. Tuttle said.
He’s expecting the leopard print model to be a big seller in the run up to Valentine’s Day.
In addition to the cute colours, the company also unveiled a new Taser holster which features a built-in 1 GB MP3 player … I’m going to refrain from making a joke about AC/DC here.
By including a music player in the holster, “you’re more likely to carry it, and it will be there when you need it,” Mr. Tuttle said.
In light of the horrifying death of Robert Dziekanski -- the Polish immigrant who died after being shocked by four Mounties equipped with Taser devices at a Vancouver airport in October -- the idea of a stun gun company exhibiting their wares alongside high definition televisions and DVD players at an electronics show might seem slightly disturbing to Canadians. However, one must remember that unlike Canada – where only some law enforcement officers can carry Tasers – most U.S. states allow civilians to carry them for protection. Taser promotes them as a means of self defence and targets women in its advertising.
In some parts of the U.S., the company is even helping to organize Taser parties, which are basically the same as Tupperware parties, only at the end of the night you’re buying a stun gun instead of something that stores leftover lasagna.
According to Mr. Tuttle, Tasers are now being used by more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies in 44 countries. Four thousand of those agencies have put a device into the hands of every officer.
“We are revolutionizing law enforcement,” he said. “Revolutions come with learning curves, they come with pain and they come with lessons learned. The only way to get through that revolution is to fight the good fight, and we’re doing that."
“And we’re winning.”
Skype dials into PSP
Excuse me, I need to make a phone call. Pass me my PSP, please.
Sony announced Monday that it has struck a deal with VOIP service provider Skype to bring phone capabilities to the PSP handheld video game player. The PSP was already WiFi-ready, but now all users need to make calls between games of Grand Theft Auto is a headset and a hot spot.
The deal is good news for Sony as the company struggles to catch up to the market-leading Nintendo DS.
With all the new Blu-Ray devices on display here and Warner Bros. decision to abandon Toshiba's HD DVD format, it has been a very good week for Sony.
Sometimes bigger really is better
So I missed the keynote address by Panasonic president Toshihiro Sakamoto, which is a bit of a drag since I really wanted to see that big TV.
Oh well, one thing I'm learning very quickly is that it's completely impossible to see everything there is to see at CES, while still making time to talk to industry experts, listen to speeches from executives and find time to sleep (and that last item on the list is suffering badly).
But still, I really wanted to see that 150-inch television, even just to imagine for 5 minutes what it would be like to play Halo 3 on a screen where Master Chief is taller than I am.
Anyhow, Panasonic did what everyone expected and unveiled its behemoth 150-inch HD plasma TV, which it is calling its Life Screen -- possibly because that's how long it will take you to save up and buy one. When it hits the market it will be the largest commercially available HD set in the world, and completely out of the average consumer's price range. But that doesn't mean it isn't cool.
If that's not quite big enough for you, Mr. Sakamoto also gave the audience a taste of the Life Wall prototype, a wall-sized screen that features face recognition technology so it knows who is standing in front of it and what pre-programmed features they would like to see. It also incorporates motion-sensing features, which negates the need for a remote control. Can you imagine a room with one of these on each wall? What about a ceiling? Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.
Going from the massive to the mini, Panasonic also announced a razor-thin plasma screen that measures less than one inch thick -- 24.7mm to be exact -- as well as a new wireless 1080p Full HD transmission system that can transmit uncompressed HD content without any deterioration in quality.
-- Matt Hartley
Digital sewing machines and Peter Griffin
Ever wanted to sew monograms onto a shirt or embroider Winnie the Pooh onto a child's blanket?
Me neither, but I have aunts who would love to do something like that.
Brother is showcasing a line of digital sewing machines complete with touchscreen interfaces where you can either upload or draw pictures that the machine then embroiders onto whatever it is you want Simba or Dora the Explorer to appear on.
Speaking about cartoon characters, did you ever see the Family Guy episode where Peter Griffin breaks his TV so he builds a television-shaped frame that he mounts on a belt so that it stands in front of his face and he can pretend the whole world is his favourite show?
Well, that's exactly what went through my mind when I saw the models wearing the Tiffen Steadicam, a belt and vest mounted camcorder tripod.
According to the woman wearing the Robocop-like contraption it is very comfortable and allows the user to operate a camcorder steadily and hands free. Although that sounds great, the company's Merlin stabilizer will run you about $850, while the most heavy duty arm and vest models cost upwards of $60,000.
RIM mum on sliding BB
Since I know some of you out there are itching to know what Research in motion is up to here at CES, I swung by their booth quickly to see if any of those cool rumoured sliding keypad BlackBerrys would make an appearance. But officials at the BlackBerry counter said they had nothing new to show me.
They didn't seem worried though, as the booth was already teeming with onlookers by 9:15 a.m.
Globe_@_CES
Globe technology reporter Matt Hartley blogs from the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada Jan 07-09
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