Main CES stage at the Venetian.The 2013 International CES was the largest in terms of exhibit space in its 46-year history, covering 1.92 million square feet of show floor while attracting more than 150,000 attendees.
Colorado has always had a strong tie to the annual trade show, but this year featured more announcements covering the Mile High City than in years past. About 40 local companies buy exhibit space at CES each year, with numerous others sharing space or attending the show to catch a glimpse at the latest technology.
Check out my story in Monday’s TechKnow for a look at some of the items that stood out at CES this year. Below is a recap of some of the things I saw, which represents just a small fraction of what was on display at the world’s largest trade show:
Top gadgets
Ultra HD TVs dominated the show floor, and for good reason. The picture is simply breathtaking without the need for glasses. Officially, Ultra HD offers about four times the resolution of standard HD.
The technology shows far more promise than 3D TV, and I think Ultra HD sets will mean the end of 3D TVs on the CES exhibit floor next year. But as with is typical with new display technology, Ultra HD TVs are too expensive for the vast majority of consumers, with a 55-inch set retailing for about $20,000. The video below shows Samsung’s 110-inch monstrosity.
Price will also keep Displair’s air-based computer monitor from widespread adoption. The technology works, but is somewhat of a gimmick at this point, at least on the consumer side. I see a place for the monitors in the corporate world and as a special-events attraction, similar to the traveling photo booth at weddings. Displair said a 30-inch monitor, already available in Russia, will retail for about $10,000 to $15,000 when it is released in the U.S. this year.
Top gadgets you can afford
Sonte’s smart film technology, controlled over WiFi via an iOS or Android app, shows a lot of promise. The film can be applied to windows as alternative to blinds and covers, and owners can use the app to change the opacity. The smart film comes with a self-adhesive backing for easy installation and a wall charger, which powers the embedded WiFi connector.
Sonte plans to sell a square meter sheet, which should be enough to cover a small window, for about $100 to $200. If it’s on the low-end of that scale, I could see high demand for the product when it’s released this year. The coverage Sonte received during CES crashed its site.
The latest generation Smart TVs appear to have much-improved voice commands, which could make the $500 or so price premium worthwhile. LG’s 55-inch GA7900 Google TV shows promise with a magic remote featuring a built-in mic to handle those voice-based searches.
Break-out technology
Qi wireless charging is poised for a break-out year. Several Qi-enabled smartphones were released last last year, including HTC Droid DNA and Nokia Lumia 920, and some automakers, including GM, plan to release vehicles with the charging pads built into the cupholder/armrest consoles. I could see desks and other items incorporating built-in Qi charging pads. This could be the start of the cable-free revolution. With the ability to store files in the cloud, we may no longer need to carry around that USB cable, not to mention the wall charger.
Denver connections at CES 2013
Barry Diller’s controversial live-TV streaming service Aereo made one of the more significant announcements for Denver at CES by disclosing that it plans to expand service beyond New York City. Denver residents are expected to have access to Aereo by this spring.
T-Mobile, embracing its underdog role as the smallest of the four national wireless carriers, made several announcements that directly impact Denver, including the expansion of HD voice, which offers “enhanced audio processing, multiple microphones, speakers and improved echo cancellation.” The company has also started offering unlimited 4G data service to no-contract customers.
Douglas County-based Dish Network had a busy CES, announcing the second-gen Hopper HD DVR and mixing it up with CBS over the top award. CNET disclosed Monday that Dish had won Best of CES, only to have CBS remove the company’s Hopper from the mix because of pending litigation. Meanwhile, a CNET writer quit over the controversy.
As long as Joe Clayton is Dish CEO, the satellite-TV company will have a major presence at CES. Clayton is a showman and a former chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association, which produces CES.
By the way, the Razer Edge gaming tablet ended up taking top honors. I played with the tablet briefly and thought it was a little too heavy and bulky to serve well as a full-time tablet. But its targeted toward gamers because it has enough power to serve as a stand-alone console, and can be converted into a netbook/laptop with a docking accessory.
Best quote
During the Next Generation of Innovators panel, will.i.am went off on how houses and cars – the big-ticket items for most consumers – are the “dumbest things we own.” The underlying message was that more innovation is needed, with the rapper noting some obscure improvement with Toto toilets before delivering this gem of a quote:
“If Toto is rethinking sh*t, we need to rethink our sh*t.”
