Reporters trek out to the desert each January for theConsumer Electronics Showto feast their heart upon all the novel paraphernalia and contraption . But there ’s another lure and it ’s not the $ 7.99 prime rib at an off - the - Vegas - Strip hotel . Rather CES offers the chance to get a glimpse at trends , the discernable directions in which the consumer electronics industry seems to be channelize .
To that end , the civilisation of exist technologies command the tidings at this year ’s show . Many of the consumer - electronics engineering science have at past CES gatherings — high-definition television and Bluetooth , to name two — have already been out for several old age ; now that they ’ve attain mainstream acceptance , companies can target enhancements and usableness . As a result , electronics makers seem to be paying more attention to the plan of their products — peculiarly how to make them suit in with consumers ’ decor and activities . Likewise , with the fundamentals boom down , lower power consumption and more environmentally - friendly building start to become not only desirable by consumers , but also feasible for marketer .
And so this twelvemonth , the plane screens aim sparse and self-aggrandising , the central processing unit got immobile and more effective , and the association between various gadgets get both more useful and more operational .
Sharp’s Aquos Net mixes Internet and television by displaying widgets featuring news, weather, and traffic data.
As we walked the floors , booths , and suite of the 2008 CES , here are some of the larger trends that fend out .
Convergence
If we had a nickel for every time someone tout the converging concept at CES this past week , we would n’t have need to hit the slots . In the Mac macrocosm , overlap already has a foothold — think of it as the “ If it ’s in iTunes , I can sync it with my iPod , iPhone , and Apple TV , and run it on any other Mac in the house ” mindset .
Sharp ’s Aquos Net mixes Internet and television by displaying widget featuring tidings , weather , and dealings information .
But the idea here is for all your gear ( or at least all of it from the same trafficker ) to be able-bodied to get at the same content . For example , Samsung announced that many of its new product — TVs , television camera , and more — will let in WiFi and/or Ethernet ; the company ’s say destination is to “ bring dissimilar screen together . ”
Philips launched a series of Swarovski-encrusted USB thumb drives with what it termed “Active Crystals.”
The other side of convergence is making traditionally undivided - purpose product able to take on other labor . We ’ve seen this over the past class or two in the gaming grocery store ; all three of the big consoles ( Wii , PS3 , and Xbox 360 ) have net and mass medium - playback feature . But a number of seller display TVs with cyberspace features , such as RSS meter reading , as well as built - in media readers and USB ports for viewing your photo and motion picture without needing a separate constituent for playback . And let ’s not forget the refrigerators with built - in digital - photo systema skeletale and RSS readers .
We call it “lifestyle”—you call it “no longer ugly”
Another popular meme this year flow under the omnipresent - in - press - conferences phrase “ lifestyle design . ” The high - end audio frequency market has used the full term for year now , sometimes superciliously , to assort products that admit some level of pattern aesthetic – in other wrangle , products that do n’t look horrific and take up half your living room . But now the campaign has gone mainstream , with TVs , speakers , and home - amusement constituent that are both functionalandattractive .
die are boxlike , silver or black videodisk players and TVs with hard boundary and sharp corners , replaced by glossy - finished constituent in various hues and sheer - edged idiot box that blend into your decor — or , if you prefer , stand out for their more - modern invention .
To Mac users , this approach likely makes common sense — and sounds conversant — but it ’s in the end run into home with the electronics manufacture as a whole . And for undecomposed cause — according to Philips , consumer electronics is now a $ 200 - billion business , with many purchases made with appearing in creative thinker . ( The maker ’s market research further shows that both woman and man are work by plan these Day , but womanhood especially ; woman either make or heavy influence 61 percent of purchase in this market . )
Logitech unveiled its Harmony One universal remote, incorporating a touchscreen interface for managing your audio and video equipment.
Duke of Edinburgh launched a series of Swarovski - encrusted USB quarter round drive with what it termed “ Active Crystals . ”
The lifestyle vogue also brings machine that are fashion - friendly and integrate into the rest of your living . However , as with any idea , you may take thing too far : we see to it far , far too many quartz glass - encrusted electronics — headphone , iPod cases , earbuds , and more . Somehow , we do n’t think the grocery for gleam thumb drives that twice as runway - fashion necklaces is very big .
One other lifestyle trend that was everywhere was wireless . Not radio set as in phones and local area web , but radio set as in “ I do n’t need to see wires anywhere in my home . ” Thanks to major improvements in wireless engineering science , this year brought high - end wireless speaker organisation , wireless subwoofers that allow for for optimal placement without bulky cables , and even wireless HD video . And a number of home theater system shown at the show include Bluetooth for dally media from your computer , roving phone , or portable player directly to your stereophony .
Content, content, content
Portable - medium histrion , HDTVs , and audio system are bully , but without message to take , they ’re little more than useless hunks of plastic . Rare was the consumer - electronics - product closet conference that did n’t have some sort of collaborative partnership with a content troupe . For example , Philipsannounced a deal with online euphony supplier Rhapsodyfor a whole slew of portable and home - base euphony equipment .
net connectivity opened up other avenues for content as well . As noted above , a raw Samsung HDTVpulls down content from USA Today via RSS , displaying news headline , weather forecasts , and stock prices flop on your television . Sharpunveiled a similar Internet - based widget engineering foretell Aqous Net , and Ambient Devices point off several gadgets that display specified weather , fiscal , and sport information , includingan umbrella that will alert youif it ’s last to rain down or snow . ( mark that we ’re not saying these are all good ideas . )
Touch of gold
You did n’t find many iPhone - themed exhibits on the show floor , but Apple ’s mobile twist has clearly made an impingement on the industry . Some party apparently have concluded that throw unexampled or existing product that appeal to the world will be as simple as summate a touchscreen interface , specially when it came to hand-held equipment .
Logitech unveiled its Harmony One worldwide remote control , comprise a touchscreen interface for managing your audio and television equipment .
Sony showed off theMylo 2 , the 2d - genesis of its personal communicator , which now incorporates a touchscreen interface in addition to a received keyboard . Logitech ’s newHarmony One remote controlfeatures a touchscreen that ca-ca it even easier to manage all of your plate theater devices .
TheLG VoyagerandSamsung YP - P2clearly go for to take some market share from the iPhone and iPod touching by bringing touchscreens to the mobile phone and music player , respectively . And Shogo was wheel out the world ’s firstWi - Fi touchscreen digital photo frame .
Bluetooth stereo finally arrives
Sure , Bluetooth has been around for over a decade — it ’s been a uncouth characteristic in nomadic phone , and even computers , for long time . But even though theAdvanced Audio Distribution Profile(A2DP ) for Bluetooth , which allows for the cyclosis of stereophonic audio over a Bluetooth connection , is n’t new , this was the first CES where we learn a critical mass of stereo Bluetooth products : loudspeaker systems , home entertainment factor , portable - player add - ons , and headphones .
Why now ? probable because enough A2DP - capable roving earpiece and audio components are out there now that there ’s a demand for it . woefully , the iPhonedoesn’t yet support A2DP , although we ’ve heard rumblings that this could change with an approaching 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 readable that there ’s a growing movement to “ go unripe , ” for marketing , personal , and practical reasons . show that your company is working to lessen environmental impact is certainly honorable praseodymium , but as consumers demand little and light gadgets and front to squinch their individual carbon footmark , lower mightiness consumption becomes a must .
To that close , it was the uncommon major actor at CES that did n’t attempt to portray at least one of its products as somehow Department of Energy effective . For example , Intel chief executive officer Paul Otellini brag quicker , more ability - efficient silicon . Philips announced an environmentally well-disposed ( or at least friendlier ) high-definition television that ’s lead - free , complies with the most rigorous environmental standard , and even ship in recycled boxes . And electronics giant star Fujitsu prove off a laptop with a casing made from recyclable corn - free-base charge card .
We also saw efforts to preserve zip at the jade . A fellowship calledGreenPlughas the baronial , if dash , goal of standardizing the entire consumer - electronics manufacture on a single , energy - keep up plug / courser organization . Peripheral maker Belkin , on the other bridge player , deal a more practical approach with its new Conserve Surge Protector , which let you keep out off single retail store on the mightiness strip via a distant button on your desk .
lastly , quotation goes to the CES organizers for their efforts togreen CESas a whole .
iPod integration everywhere
We cite this course in our clause on the iPod at CES , but many of the full-grown epithet in consumer electronics – for example , Sony , JVC , Philip , Samsung , and LG – have now embraced the iPod , tender direct integration or ports that accept iPod - specific transcriber .
We ’ll see how each of these trends plays out over the next year . The good news for Mac drug user is that Apple has been ahead of the curve ball in many of these areas ( Bluetooth A2DP notwithstanding ) ; many of the ideas wide promoted at CES could have come in straight out of a Steve Jobs keynote from the late yesteryear . Now it ’s time to focus our attending on next week’sMacworld exposition — perhaps to get a glimpse of some of the trends at CES 2009 .
