1. CES Is Alive and Well (and Bigger Than Ever)
Running up to the show, some folks were worried about the viability of CES. Microsoft had pulled out and other big names like HP and Dell were absent. Also, a few of the long-time supporters, like Panasonic, had less space than in prior years. But those fears were misplaced.
As the CEA expected, the show ended up setting records. With 1.92 million net square feet of exhibit space (up from 1.86 million last year) and more than 3,250 exhibitors, it stands to be the largest trade show in North America. CES won't have an audited number of attendees for several months, but it was quite likely between 150,000 and 160,000 people. I happened to be trying out a Fitbit One and according to the device, I walked over 50 miles during the course of the show. As Ed Sullivan used to say, that's a "really big show."
2. Android Tablets Are Everywhere
Despite the show's size, no matter where you stood on the show floor, you were never far from a new Android-based tablet. The big name vendors didn't announce much news, although Huawei revealed the largest smartphone I've seen yet, the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate, and that's big enough to be a tablet by some definitions.
What stood out more to me were the hundreds of little companies offering Android tablets, typically in sizes from five inches up to 10 inches. They often have relatively low-resolution screens (800-by-600 and 1,024-by-768) and processors from companies that are mostly unknown in the North American market, including Allwinner, Amlogic, and Rockchip. These companies now offer fast single-core or even dual-core performance, and typically support for Android 4.0 or 4.1. Most are designed to sell for $99 to $199, with some as little as $59.
3. Windows Machines Move Toward Convertible and Hybrid Models
Many of the big names in PCs skipped the main show floor. Even so, Samsung and Sony had a good number of PCs in their booths, Lenovo had a good-sized tent, and at press events such as Pepcom Digital Experience and ShowStoppers, companies like Acer, Fujitsu, Lenovo, and HP were showing off new products.
Almost every new Windows machine I saw had a touch screen, even though I expect most actual sales will be non-touch units because of the added costs. Intel says that it will require touch in machines labeled Ultrabooks that run its next-generation Core processors (Haswell), and that such machines will start at $599 by the holiday season. In the meantime, there were more convertible models in different form factors— tablets with keyboard docks or detachable screens, flip over design, screens that rotate, sliders, and more. Most of these are concepts I've seen before, but there were some new designs.
On the business side, I was most impressed by Lenovo's new detachable solution, the ThinkPad Helix, which has a Core processor and an 11.6-inch, 1,920-by-1,080 display; and by HP's Elitebook Revolve, the latest version of its tablet PC where the screen rotates and can lay flat, with a Core processor and 11.6-inch, 1,366–by-768 display. Both show that business computers, too, can benefit from some of the more consumer trends toward touch and tablets.
I also was interested in some of the new form factors shown, such as Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon (above), a 27-inch "table computer" designed to be used flat by multiple people.Panasonic also showed a 20-inch Windows tablet with a 4K display (above). But despite the "tablet" description, it's really more of an all-in-one computer that makes most sense for markets like architecture.If you don't care about portability and just want a display to plug into your workstation, Sharp's 31.5-inch 4K monitor may well be the nicest monitor I've ever seen. It's capable of displaying 4K content at 60 frames per second (via dual HDMI connections or DisplayPort) and aimed at financial analysts, medical training, and CAD/CAM markets. This is due out next month, with a list price of around $7,000. A variety due the following quarter adds multi-touch and can lay flat, making it ideal for CAD applications.
4. Faster Connections
Another clear trend is toward faster connections, whether wireless or not. The Wi-Fi Alliance and just about everyone who makes wireless consumer networks could be seen pushing the new 5GHz 802.11ac specification which promises faster connections. We've already seen some early products, and the Alliance expects to have the first products "certified" in late April or early May. After that, you'll probably see a ton of new access points on the market, and then start seeing 802.11ac embedded into more devices, usually in combination with support for 802.11n networks on the 2.4GHz band for backward compatibility. Note that some vendors are calling this new standard "5G," which I think is unfortunate, as it makes it sound like wireless LAN solutions competing with wireless broadband solutions (such as LTE and HSPA+, which are both usually called "4G"). Broadcom, Qualcomm Atheros, and Marvell all have chipsets for this market.
Meanwhile, the Wi-Fi Alliance is now getting together with what was the WiGig Alliance to support the 802.11ad standard, which allows for much higher-speed transfers, but over a shorter range, using the 60Hz band. The WiGig solution, which as the name implies hopes to get 1Gbps transfers for such things as wireless docking stations, is already shipping in some early products (including one Dell laptop) and certification should come by the end of the year.
Wilocity, one of the WiGig pioneers of WiGig chips, was showing new chip sets that combine its 802.11ad solutions with 802.11ac solutions from Qualcomm Atheros and Marvell.Eventually, the Wi-Fi Alliance expects chipsets to support all three bands, enabling both compatibility and new uses.
On the wired side, the USB Implementer's Forum was talking about an upgrade to USB 3.0 that would double the theoretical speed to 10Gbps. While you won't really see the maximum speed in the real world, the organization thinks users will be seeing more than double the speed of current USB devices. The specification should be completed in the middle of this year.
5. Health and Fitness Are Driving New Markets
We've seen fitness products at CES before, but this year, the health and fitness arena just seems to be exploding.
Last year, I was intrigued by offerings that measured activity and other variables, and could then wirelessly transmit the information to your smartphone or a website so you could track your fitness and health goals over a long period of time. Such products included a wearable device from Fitbit that measures your steps and stairs walked; the Fit Core arm band from Body Media, which tracks body temperature and perspiration, as well as sleep habits; and the Withings scale, which tracks your weight and connects to your computer via Wi-Fi. There were also the Jawbone Up and the Nike FuelBand, both bracelet-style trackers. This year, all these companies and more were back and it seems like most vendors want to have products across all of the categories.
I'm no expert on fitness, but as I mentioned, I carried the Fitbit One during the show, and it was certainly an interesting experience. Since then, I've been walking a lot less but I have found it motivating. I expect fitness products with wireless connectivity to be even more popular this year.Even more interesting is how this focus on fitness is having a broader impact on health monitoring in general, and in particular for people who face chronic diseases. Several wearable devices now monitor heart rates, and a number of companies such as Masimo were showing portable devices that track oxygen in the blood (pulse oximeters) and automatically record that data on a smart device for easier tracking (above). For diabetics, companies such as Telcare have small portable devices for measuring glucose levels. Again, this makes recording and tracking results much easier.I have high hopes that this could make life easier for those with chronic diseases.
6. 4K Is Not Just for TVs
4K TVs were everywhere at the show, but I was also impressed to see that 4K cameras are becoming available not just to movie directors, but consumers as well.
Both Sony and Panasonic were showing prototype consumer 4K camcorders aimed at the "prosumer" market. Although details were a little light on each of them, they both looked like large, high-quality video cameras for people who really know what they are doing.
But we're also going to see more 4K cameras in real consumer devices, with the combination of application processors and imaging engines that are capable of using the 4K or better camera sensors that are now in most consumer devices and using them for video. For instance, the latest GoPro sports camera, the GoPro Hero 3, can shoot at 4K, though only at 15 frames per second. This will get better as chip vendor Ambarella (whose image processor is in the GoPro and many other sports cameras) announced a new chip called the A9, which is capable of capturing 4K video at 30 frames per second (as well as 1080p at up to 120 frames per second) while still using very little power. Of course, the sensors and lenses on such cameras won't be nearly as good as those on the bigger camcorders, but they should mean we will see more content for the upcoming generation of Ultra HD sets.
7. Continued Innovation Everywhere
Finally, it's interesting to note that in all sorts of categories, even where you think there may not be room for innovation, new things are evolving.
Take keyboards, for instance. You'd think the market was stagnant, but indeed, TransluSense has a new Luminae keyboard that is essentially a piece of clear plastic to which you attach overlays, giving you different keyboard layouts. This seems particularly useful for specific games or perhaps in vertical markets.
(Note that every year I participate in the Last Gadget Standing Competition, and this year, the keyboard won the on-site voting; the Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon won the online voting.)
Brother showed how new technology is changing the sewing machine, with a new model called the Dreamweaver XE (above) that adds features such as a 7-inch touch display and a built-in laser.
And just when I was about to write off stand-alone GPS devices, I saw DeLorme's InReach (above). The device combines a GPS with a satellite receiver so you can track your location and keep in touch anywhere in the world, even in places without cell phone coverage. It's aimed at wilderness explorers and the like.
In short, CES was a huge show, with a lot going on. The consumer electronics industry looks like it will give us lots of new things in the year ahead.
Mare Grace C. Canoy BS Info Tech 2-B
Kimberly F. Careballe BS Info Tech 2-B
Jovellle J. Fuentebella BS Info Tech 2-B
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