The Consumer Electronics Show is taking place this week and is one of the tech worlds biggest events of the year. Open to those in the industry only, the event showcases products and services that companies hope will make it to consumer homes in the current year- or at least in the near future. Some products do... many don’t. It’s always exciting to see what may end up on store shelves this year.
After attending CES in 2012, there were quite a few surprises I was looking forward to seeing hit the market that year- few did; most were duds.
Here were a few notables:
Nokia Lumia handset with Windows 7.5
Nokia unveiled the Lumia 900 handset with LTE support at CES 2012, and we saw the Nokia Lumia 710 hardware for the first time at the event. The Lumia 900 wound up with the much coveted Best Smartphone award at the show and both handsets went on to become big sellers in 2012.
Lenovo K800 Smartphone
Lenovo sold its mobile phone division in 2008, and then paid $200 million to buy it back in November 2009 in order to focus on smarphones and tablets. The Lenovo K800 was unveiled at CES 2012 running Gingerbread and sporting a 4.5 inch 720P display. The phone was only released in China.
Ultrabooks!
Ultrabooks were BIG at CES 2012. Many of the Ultrabooks you see on store shelves today were unveiled at the show. Many, however, have failed to make a dent in the home with tablets, and the iPad, being the #1 choice for consumers computing needs.
Motorola Droid Razr Maxx
The Droid Razr Maxx was unveiled to the public at CES 2012 sporting 4G LTE on Verizon and a massive battery at 3300 mAh. It promised the longest battery life on a phone at the time and it failed to disappoint in that respect.
Original Galaxy Note
The Galaxy Note was first introduced to the world at IFA 2011 in Berlin and was released to the public first in Germany in late October 2011. The US version of the Galaxy Note made its debut at CES 2012 in all of its 5.3 inch goodness. We either love the Galaxy Note, or hate it. Many loved it and it went on to become a big seller. Its successor, The Galaxy Note II, is on its way to becoming a big seller along side the Note I.
So, what would I like to see come out of CES 2013?
Smartphones
While phones aren't the headliner at CES (most manufacturers hold separate events later in the year) I would like to hear more about innovations in battery technology when it comes to extending the battery life of phones. Also, Corning will surely be showing off Gorilla Glass 3 at the show, promising to reduce visible scratches by 40 percent and retain 50 percent of its strength compared to previous versions.
Home Automation
I believe smartphones and tablets will be at the center of home automation systems. Whether its checking your laundry, or checking off items in your refrigerator to help your grocery shopping, tablets and smartphones will do it all. Although there are many items already on the market to support home automation, I hope to see more of this integrated into homes as they are constructed.
TV and Media Streaming
Hundreds of TV’s will be showcased at CES again this year. I would like to see more options for streaming media, including additional partnerships that can expand content on streamers like the Roku (a personal favorite).
Fitness Gadgets
Being a fitness nerd myself, gadgets that can help log your workouts or day-to-day activities can be of big help to make sure you’re keeping up with your fitness goals. Of course, there is discipline involved to make sure your gadget doesn't end up in the junk drawer. I’d like to see improvements on the technologies that go into fitness gadgets like the Fitbit or Nike Fuel Band.
We hope to bring you more of all the goodies coming out of CES this week, so stay tuned!
Sources: CNet.com, PCWorld
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