Worst of CES 2012: What Really Bugged Us About Tech's Largest Gathering

Apple made a tablet that was slim and fairly light, and tapped into the iPhone’s existing app ecosystem with some modicum of interoperability between devices. A year later, Apple made its tablet faster and thinner, and offered another color. It’s pretty great.

Now, look at the competition. Everyone is making an Android tablet--which is fine. But everyone is also making more than one Android tablet. Most of them aren’t very good. And when a well-meaning aunt or uncle buys a $200 slab of plastic for their soon-to-be-disappointed relative, everyone involved will be soured on the idea of Android, or tablets, or both.

Tablet makers: If you’re thinking about following up your 10.1-inch tablet with a 7-incher, or vice versa, or whatever, don’t. Go back to your first attempt, and make it better. Fix the screen. Make it sturdy, and light, and extend the battery life. At the very least, make sure that it can run the latest version of its operating system (and that you’ll be set for the next few versions). Make it really, really good, and it’ll stand out, be purchased, and be enjoyed. Trust me. --Nate Ralph

I get that the Nokia Lumia 900 is a cool phone. What I don't get is how hiring break-dancers to do flips in the monorail station at Harrah's is going to help sell it. --Yardena Arar

We saw a ton of Android phones at CES. However, only two of them were set to ship with the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system (Android 4.0). Let’s hope that carriers and manufacturers make good on their promises to upgrade all their devices to Ice Cream Sandwich in 2012. --Armando Rodriguez

Yes, it's exhausting to cover the show. Yes, it can be more of a circus than a trade show at times. And yes, crowds and lines are everywhere. But come on: If a huge building full of futuristic gadgets, prototypes, and just plain weird stuff doesn't make you excited about technology, I'm not sure anything will. --Tim Moynihan

3D in the home seems to be struggling for a number of reasons, but that doesn’t stop the TV makers. The latest gimmick is glasses-free TV sets. But they have two problems: You suffer reduced resolution, and you can get the proper 3D effect only in a specific position. Move your head around during an action scene or an exciting moment of the big game, and you see ghosting and convergence issues. Would 3D just die already? --Jason Cross

We were expecting quad-core Tegra 3 phones and components from Nvidia. What we got was an appearance by pro-gamer Fatal1ty and a demo of the Asus eee Pad Transformer Prime--which we’ve already reviewed. --Armando Rodriguez

The show floor has quite a few smartphones that U.S. wireless carriers won't sell, and the phones' lack of 4G LTE support is often a reason. I could take or leave LTE in its current battery-sucking state, so it kills me when beauties like the Huawei Ascend P1 S and the Nokia Lumia 800 don't get picked up. --Jared Newman

I played with Sony’s new PlayStation Vita, and frankly, I can’t say I was totally impressed. The bright OLED display was attractive, but images on it had some jagged edges. Also, it’s 3-hour battery life means that you won’t be venturing very far from an outlet--so is it really portable? I’m such a gearhead, though, that I still might buy one when the Vita goes on sale in February. --Armando Rodriguez

Sharp's press conference featured models prancing around holding Aquos Freestyle concept battery-powered displays. I'm sure there's a market out there for people who would love to carry a 60-inch TV with them everywhere they go, but I'm definitely not one of them. --Patrick Miller

Yes, Ultrabooks look great on the show floor, but they won't look so hot in retail stores, next to price tags of $1400 for the most expensive, best-looking models. Intel says Ultrabooks will get cheaper this year, but there wasn't much sign of that at CES. --Jared Newman

Want to create a show-floor logjam? Just put the most stunning-looking TVs you've ever seen near the Central Hall entrance, causing everyone to stop and gape at the pretty screens. We understand the strategy of showing off the most amazing displays near the edges of the show floor to attract booth visitors, but it turned some of the highest-traffic areas of the show floor into transfixed masses of human roadblock. --Tim Moynihan

Smartphones are taking their toll on the low-end camera market, and the way to start bucking that trend is to do something more than just trotting out another high-megapixel compact camera will full automatic operation.

Camera makers can do a lot of things at the low end of the market--such as adding manual controls, wide apertures, rugged frames, wireless connectivity, and downloadable apps--that aren't happening. Instead, every year we see a new slew of sub-$200, megapixel-heavy pocket cameras available in a range of colors. That's not going to sway customers away from using a phone. --Tim Moynihan

I’m not sure that most users want to turn a slim and light laptop into a thick and heavy tablet. Intel’s concept PCs were underwhelming, and I have serious reservations about Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga. --Jason Cross

Several smaller tech manufacturers at CES tried to capitalize on the Internet's obsession with cute fuzzy animals by hanging their products on robotic cats, dogs, and other critters. Unfortunately, the uncanny valley hypothesis applies to robotic cats just as much as robotic humans, especially when said cats stand on their hind paws and wear tiny cameras. Creepy. --Patrick Miller

Someone probably put a lot of time into creating this ice sculpture masterpiece for the January 8 CES Unveiled event. That's time they'll never get back. --Yardena Arar

What's with rappers and musicians showing off and partnering with…non-music-related CES products? LL Cool J demonstrated a new real-time online music editor (okay, that's music-related); but Will.i.am touting Ultrabooks, and Jay-Z praising Duracell Powermats? Kudos to 50 Cent, who kept it real by endorsing SMS headphones. --Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

The I'm Watch is the latest attempt to build a Dick Tracy-style smart watch. You can make calls, see the subject lines of emails, read news headlines, and so forth, on the I'm Watch's curved touchscreen. Despite the goofy name, it seems okay, until you look at the price: As much as $1500 (yes, you read that right), and it also requires you, in most cases, to pay for tethering on your smartphone, since that's how the I'm Watch gets its data. That's way more than I want to pay to talk into my wrist. --Edward N. Albro

We get it: They're birds, they're angry, and if you have them on your set-top box/TV/Android-powered refrigerator, you can advertise that your gadget has games. Personally, I'd rather play Worms. --Patrick Miller

Of the cell networks at CES, some fared better than others, but everyone I spoke to had the same experience: Plenty of times you might have lots of bars, but nothing would load or send. Suffice it to say, the cellular networks just weren’t able to keep up with this many technology enthusiasts in the same place at the same time. --Jason Cross

Honestly, I can't say how may times tethering Verizon's 4G LTE from my phone to my laptop has saved me during CES. It's a great network. So when Novatel Wireless offered me a chance to hop on its network coming from the tiny new Jetpack, I heartily accepted in the hopes of conserving some of my phone's battery life. But the Jetpack must not have great range, because when the representative walked 10 feet away to offer someone else a place on the robust signal, the Jetpack dropped my laptop from the network--and forced me to re-upload a bunch of video that I was trying to get on YouTube. --Megan Geuss

Justin Bieber was here, as were LL Cool J, Justin Timberlake, and Snooki of Jersey Shore fame. CES is crowded enough without the mob scenes that tend to form around visiting celebrities. And don't even get me started on what they must be getting paid to promote whatever. I mean, is a robot really cooler for getting Bieber's paid-for blessing? And when did Snooki become a reputable source of tech advice? --Yardena Arar

Photo Credits: Justin Bieber(Link), LL Cool J(Link), Snooki(Link), and Justin Timberlake(Link).

Both OEMs and aftermarket companies are announcing that they're opening up their communications platforms for third-party developers--but of course, in the interest of safety, these platforms are opening up only to a very few, select developers, who already know that the platforms are open. So, do we really need a press conference? --Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

Every manufacturer of wireless networking equipment seems to want to add home automation to its bag of tricks, and Belkin's no different. But a coffeemaker plugged into the home control switch on Belkin's WeMo Home Automation System--really? My coffeemaker already allows me to turn it on without being present: It's called a timer. --Megan Geuss

Bad enough when I couldn't get a data signal out on my AT&T iPhone 4. But when I couldn't get a voice signal out, well, that's when I threw up my hands and gave up. --Melissa Perenson

I understand it when small companies cut corners by not getting a booth at the convention center, but when major players like Asus and Vizio show their hottest products at remote hotels, I feel like they're just messing with us. Get booths, guys. --Jared Newman

Google’s shiny new operating system (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) looks good; the issue is that the OS will be on tablets of all shapes, sizes, prices, and specs. It's those last two that could lead to problems.

I applaud open-sourcing the OS, but I'm concerned that the wide variance in specs will lead to consumers having unsatisfactory experiences. --Melissa Perenson

I ended up getting lost in the hotel where the PCWorld team was staying. I was trying to get to the Venetian and kept going around in circles on the casino floor. I finally found my way out and made it to the Venetian--after 30 minutes of confusion and with the help of Google Maps. --Armando Rodriguez

It's 2012. Maybe it's my fault for toting around a MacBook Air with no optical drive, but I think it's time for CD/DVD press kits to say adios. --Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

I know, I know. In the world of coffee, Starbucks is king--for quantity that is, but certainly not quality. The bitter, watered-down brown drink was the main source of caffeination at the show. Out of sheer desperation, I guzzled it down, regretting it every time and cursing my coffee addiction. Much better alternatives are out there--can’t we try something else? --Ginny Mies

Top Picks of CES 2012: Just the Best Gear, Gadgets, and Tech