Content, Content, Content
Portable-media players, HDTVs, and audio systems are great, but without content to consume, they're little more than useless hunks of plastic. Rare was the consumer-electronics-product press conference that didn't feature some sort of collaborative partnership with a content company. For example, Philips announced a deal with online music provider Rhapsody for a whole slew of portable and home-based music devices.
Internet connectivity opened up other avenues for content as well. As noted above, a new Samsung HDTVpulls down content from USA Today via RSS, displaying news headlines, weather forecasts, and stock prices right on your television. Sharp unveiled a similar Internet-based widget technology called Aqous Net, and Ambient Devices showed off several gadgets that display specified weather, financial, and sports information, including an umbrella that will alert you if it's going to rain or snow. (Note that we're not saying these are all good ideas.)
Touch of Gold
You didn't find many iPhone-themed exhibits on the show floor, but Apple's mobile device has clearly made an impact on the industry. Some companies apparently have concluded that making new or existing products that appeal to the populace will be as simple as adding a touchscreen interface, especially when it came to handheld devices.
Logitech unveiled its Harmony One universal remote, incorporating a touchscreen interface for managing your audio and video equipment.
Sony showed off the Mylo 2, the second-generation of its personal communicator, which now incorporates a touchscreen interface in addition to a standard keyboard. Logitech's new Harmony One remote control features a touchscreen that makes it even easier to manage all of your home theater devices.
The LG Voyager and Samsung YP-P2 clearly hope to take some market share from the iPhone and iPod touch by bringing touchscreens to the mobile phone and music player, respectively. And Shogo was rolling out the world's first Wi-Fi touchscreen digital photo frame.
Bluetooth Stereo Finally Arrives
Sure, Bluetooth has been around for over a decade--it's been a common feature in mobile phones, and even computers, for years. But even though the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) for Bluetooth, which allows for the streaming of stereo audio over a Bluetooth connection, isn't new, this was the first CES where we saw a critical mass of stereo Bluetooth products: speaker systems, home entertainment components, portable-player add-ons, and headphones.
Why now? Likely because enough A2DP-capable mobile phones and audio components are out there now that there's a demand for it. Sadly, the iPhone doesn't yet support A2DP, although we've heard rumblings that this could change with an upcoming software update.
It's Not Easy Being Green
While 2008 may not turn out to be the year that environmental concerns came to the forefront of the consumer electronics industry, it's clear that there's a growing movement to "go green," for marketing, personal, and practical reasons. Showing that your company is working to lessen environmental impact is certainly good PR, but as consumers demand smaller and lighter gadgets and look to shrink their individual carbon footprints, lower power consumption becomes a must.
To that end, it was the rare major player at CES that didn't try to portray at least one of its products as somehow energy efficient. For example, Intel CEO Paul Otellini touted faster, more power-efficient silicon. Philips announced an environmentally friendly (or at least friendlier) HDTV that's lead-free, complies with the most stringent environmental standards, and even ships in recycled boxes. And electronics giant Fujitsu showed off a laptop with a casing made from recyclable corn-based plastics.
We also saw efforts to conserve energy at the plug. A company called GreenPlug has the noble, if daunting, goal of standardizing the entire consumer-electronics industry on a single, energy-conserving plug/charger system. Peripheral maker Belkin, on the other hand, took a more practical approach with its new Conserve Surge Protector, which lets you shut off individual outlets on the power strip via a remote button on your desk.
Finally, credit goes to the CES organizers for their efforts to green CES as a whole.
Ad Choices