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Save This PageThe world's largest consumer electronics show has always been a mixture of fantastic, frivolous and downright practical.
And this year is no exception, with everything from remote-controlled beer coolers and gutter-cleaning robots to a first-of-its-kind service that will let the hearing-impaired read the text of a radiobroadcast.
The 41st annual International Consumer Electronics Show, which ended Thursday in Las Vegas, had 2,700 exhibitors displaying a mind-numbing number of TVs, cell phones, laptop computers and wireless gadgets.
"Some of these surely will fail, but some will succeed beyond our wildest dreams," said Shawn DuBravac, an economist with show sponsor and industry trade group Consumer Electronics Association.
Sales of products such as smartphones are expected to surge as much as 32 percent this year while desktop PC sales will be flat as consumers choose laptops that are smaller, less expensive and lighter, he said.
He also predicted that the current economic troubles will translate into "some weakness in the first half of the year."
. . .
High-definition television sets continued to make a splash at the show.
Manufacturers revealed new sets to stand out with slimming displays as they try chasing each other to zero -- zero thickness, that is.
Apparently, you can't be too thin if you're a TV. Here are some highlights:
It's just a prototype, however. Pioneer said sets that thin would not be on the market this year but possibly next.
But the company is bringing LCDs that are 1½ inches thick to the U.S. market in the second quarter after launching them in Japan in December. U.S. prices were not announced.
It's just 3 millimeters thick, or one-eighth of an inch. The catch -- actually, the first of two catches -- is that the screen area is also minimal, at 11 inches diagonally. The second catch is the price tag: about $2,500.
. . .
Something was missing from this year's show during all the pitches for new HDTVs, digital cameras and other gadgets.
Where'd the geek-speak go?
Instead of focusing on megapixels, RAM and lines of resolution, product makers are trying to remove the intimidation factor by focusing on how their gear can meet people's needs.
It's a "catch-up" moment in technology, with companies realizing their products do a lot more than most consumers want, and often turn them away in the process.
So rather than strictly touting more powerful products, they are removing steps and adding both new design elements and reassuring words to lure everyday consumers.
"The consumer doesn't care about how many megapixels a digital camera has," said Nancy Carr, a marketing executive from Kodak, which introduced "one-touch" photo-editing software at the show. "They just want to know why their photos are blurry and what are we going to do about it."
The trend is visible in the way companies are marketing products and the features they are emphasizing:
Where a consumer electronics company previously might have touted technical standards, the focus is now on how these products fit into lifestyles. One Philips 52-inch HDTV has invisible speakers, which removes bragging rights for the audiophile, perhaps, but gives the set a sleeker profile.
"We will put total attention on what consumers want and need," said Andrea Ragnetti, the chief executive of what Netherlands-based Philips has renamed its consumer-lifestyle division. She said "lifestyle experiences" will be emphasized over price and power.
The point, of course, is to encourage the purchase of matching TV, DVD player, speakers and other products, but the contrast was striking from last year, when Samsung promoted the technical marvel of a 108-inch screen.
"We still want to show the sexy hardware, and it will be sexy, but the message is more about how the phone will solve a problem," said Stu Reed, president of mobile devices at Motorola, which also is changing its pitch. "We're not going to be selling form factors anymore," he said, reverting to tech-speak to describe design style.
Reed also noted that a large segment of the market is not interested in mobile media, such as video and music, and simply wants to make calls.
"We will be focusing on that," he said. "We listened."
The software automatically removes someone's blemishes and uneven skin tones. The alternative is more complex photo-editing software.
Kodak's new cameras also include a feature called "smart capture," which Carr said is basically "autofocus on steroids."
"Cameras already have enough intelligence built in right now, so we can add things like smart capture to make processing faster," she said.
In other words, the feature is intended to keep images in focus and eliminate the problem of shutter lag, the delay between when a picture is snapped and the image is captured.
. . .
Here are some new products unveiled during the show:
No manufacturer has yet committed to bring the technology to market. It is backed by National Public Radio and Harris Corp., a major supplier of broadcasting equipment, as well as a new research center at Towson University near Baltimore.
The text service will rely on HD Radio technology, which allows broadcasters to split their signal into multiple transmissions. Some stations use the extra capacity to broadcast additional music or talk radio channels, which can be heard on HD Radio receivers.
The new scrolling-text service also would use the extra capacity made available through HD Radio, but instead of broadcasting music it would send out streams of data that would be converted to scrolling text by the receivers and then displayed on the screen.
The system from La Crosse Technology uses a broadband Internet connection to gather information, including weather reports and forecasts for up to five cities.
The device also can be used as an alarm clock, with a computerized voice awakening someone by his or her name and providing a customized daily weather forecast and news based on the person's interests.
The device does not require a computer to operate, but it must be within 330 feet of an Internet router, where its transmitter is plugged in.
The Weather Direct system is to be available beginning this spring in several models starting at $49.99, plus a one-time fee of about $10 to receive the weather for four cities. Advanced models cost up to $129.99.
The pack, which runs about $170, is a lightweight rechargable battery pack that can recharge laptops and other portable electronic devices, such as handheld games, MP3 players and iPhones and Blackberrys.
It provides up to three hours of power for laptops and is recharged from the computer's power supply.
The DIY kit takes advantage of the auxiliary input jacks found in newer vehicles and on aftermarket stereos. It comes with a receiver with microphone and 3.5 mm connector.
The kit plugs into a car's cigarette lighter and the auxiliary jacks to wirelessly integrate iPods and Bluetooth devices to play through the car speakers.
With the kit, drivers can play music or hands-free cell-phone calls through their car speakers. Music mutes while the driver takes a phone call and automatically restarts when the call ends.
The $100 Eye-Fi card, which has 2 gigabytes of memory, uses Wi-Fi to instantly zap pictures to computers and photo-sharing Web sites.
The bed incorporates features such as wireless Internet connectivity, an iPod dock, a surround-sound speaker system, LCD projector, dual temperature controls and DVR capability.
Leggett & Platt said the bed also comes with a vibration-detection feature that will elevate that half of the bed 7 degrees if a user is snoring and then return to the original position once the snoring stops.
The company expects the Starry Night to be available in the first half of 2009 for $20,000 to $50,000 depending on which features a buyer chooses.
