I spent Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Attendance was up compared to 2010, which probably signals an improvement in the economy. My thoughts on the show:
- Everybody was showing HD and 3D monitors and TVs. The most interesting technology was a 3D television from Sharp that did not require the special eye glasses and a Samsung monitor that converted a 2D signal to 3D.
- Everybody has a tablet that will be sold in the U.S. either 1Q or 2Q 2011. The best looking tablet was a 10.1 inch device from Motorola which was jointly developed with Google. The Blackberry tablet (7.0 inch panel) was also noteworthy because it does not require a second data plan for connectivity. After seeing many tablets I concluded that the 7 inch tablets are too small for everyday use and that the 10.1 inch devices would be the best choice as a laptop substitute (traveling machine). My guess is that if the iPad comes out with a new form factor it will be a 10.1 inch screen.
- As for operating system, the show was all about Android. The functionality of Android is advancing quickly with Version 3.0 Honeycomb. This functionality gives me little incentive to consider iPhone or iPad as my next devices.
- The biggest exhibitors at the show were LG and Samsung, surpassing Microsoft and Intel in size of exhibit area. The most popular exhibits when I was there were Motorola and Blackberry. Everybody wanted to see their new phones and tablets. The pundits may have written these two companies off but show attendess were definitely very interested.
- Most disappointing part of the show was the lack of attention paid to energy consumption, solar power or battery life. Hardly anything related to any of these subjects. I guess the non-profits and universities are going to solve these problems because show companies appear unconcerned.
- The new business idea that became obvious to me during the show is that tablet computers are going to be the connected family computers for middle class families in the developing world. With a cellular modem, a price of $100-200 and a 24 month payment plan, tablets are going to be a huge business in the developing world and the cellular providers will dominate this market. Localized, branded web storage should be an equally attractive business. That is assuming we can find the power to recharge the tablets.
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