whilst in the LVCC north hall (mostly filled with cars and loud in car stereo systems) i also took the opportunity to visit one of the auto seminars. Came across a standards called connect2car which may be extended further to give remote access of various car features and functionality to authorised bluetooth devices.
As with the video content market there are new calls for collaboration and extended standards to increasingly create open access and transportability of devices in this new market.
connect2car
The exisiting product comprises of SoftDash a software dashboard product. A multi-functional controller, it works hand in hand with SoftDash providing you with unlimited possibilities such as engine on/off, door lock/unlock, alarm on/off and the list is endless.
Bluetooth wireless technology communication with the MFC is two way. The MFC will not do anything if it does not see (can not communicate/reach) the controller device, also the controller device will not acknowledge an action response made by the user, unless it gets a reply from the MFC.
Using Bluetooth wireless technology, either the computer or phone can be connected. Both of them cannot be connected at the same time, except if you also have a serial cable connection for one and Bluetooth wireless technology for the other. The industry would like to extend this type of technology further to help manage portable media and interface with more personal devices which may be used in the car.
Friday, 12 January 2007
day 3
today I took the monorail to the Hilton which is next to the LVCC (Las Vegas Convention Centre). this is where most of the big stands are - in one of 6 exhibition halls on a massive site. here are a few items of interest.
i2i mate
Aerielle are planning to launch this in q4 2007. Just connect 2 standard ipods together and transfer files between them – no other equipment required.
Gyration Go 2.4 Cordless Air Optical mouse
Comfortable to use on top of a desk or in the air; easy-to-use software; more than 20 programmable commands. The GyroTools software installs a control panel on your desktop, which lets you program the mouse's command functions.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Gyration_Go_2_4_Cordless_Air_Optical_mouse/4505-3148_7-31428447.html
BumbleBee Wi-MAX Spectrum Analyzer
A rugged, calibrated spectrum analyzer all-in-one system. The handheld receiver measures the popular wireless Wi-MAX frequencies between 2.0-4.0 GHz and 4.9-5.9 GHz.
http://www.bvsystems.com/Products/WLAN/BumbleBee-EX/bumblebee-ex.htm
Compustar Pro P2WSSR
This system operates on 900MHz Spread Spectrum 50-Channel frequency changing technology. Firstech. LLC has spent thousands of hours perfecting the art of radio signal modulation and applying it to vehicle security and remote starts. The Pro 2WSSR has up to 1-mile range to your vehicle. This remote is available in three different systems, Alarm, Starter and Alarm/Starter Comb
HP launches touchscreen Vista PCs
The HP TouchSmart PC features a touchscreen that enables one-touch wireless access to information, communications and entertainment though a customisable front-end, the HP Smart Centre. A new user interface that includes HP's SmartCalendar for family calendaring and HP PhotoSmart Touch to manage digital photos. It has a 19-inch widescreen with adjustable touchscreen display, Vista remote control and personal video recorder with HD and SD TV programming.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39285393,00.htm
iLane
provides you with a hands-free and eyes-free, voice-interactive solution for managing email messages and attachments, phone calls, SMS messages and calendar appointments while in a vehicle. iLane integrates seamlessly with your car's audio system. So as new messages arrive on your handheld device, iLane notifies you immediately, then reads a summary aloud. Using voice commands you can then listen to the entire message; compose a reply; forward an attachment, and more. It interacts directly with existing Bluetooth-enabled handheld devices and vehicle audio systems or headsets.
www.ilane.com
Sony BT5000 Bluetooth wireless CD / MP3, handsfree phone kit.
Drive & wireless: the MEX-BT5000 Bluetooth in-car tuner is meant for people on the move. Hands free phone calls are more convenient. In addition, you can access your music. When it comes to making calls, accessing phone numbers or playing music, the MEX-BT5000 in-car tuner can become the centre of operations.
Parrot CK3100
make and receive calls without touching your mobile phone. The wireless connection between the CK3100 and the Bluetooth phone and its voice recognition system is enabled as long as the phone is turned on. The display of the CK3100 provides information such as caller ID, carrier signal strength, or last calls received, in large well-contrasted digits easy to read at a glance.
Pepper Pad 3
based on the AMD Geode(TM) LX 800@0.9W(a) processor and runs on the Linux Kernel 2.6 OS. It includes features like Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, a built-in Web camera and the ability to browse the Web, e-mail and IM, download and stream music, videos, movies, and photos via the Pepper 3.0 software. It also featuries a seven-inch touch screen, a full QWERTY keypad, a 20-gigabyte hard drive, and built-in speakers.
Via the on board infrared and UPnP capabilities users can control and access any number of PCs, TVs, set-top boxes, CD players, and other A/V devices. The Pad also sports a microphone, jacks for headphones, external microphone and external video display, a direction pad and scroll wheel for navigation.
weighs just around 2 pounds and will be available by August for $699. http://www.pepper.com/
Polar Rose
Polar Rose makes photos searchable by analyzing their content and recognizing the people in them.
The Polar Rose plug-in for Firefox and Internet Explorer lets you discover who's in a picture on any public photo. The plug-in detects people in online photos and places a signature rose approximately where the pinhole of their shirt would be. A click on the rose will bring up a tooltip with relevant information, including name and other photos found of the same person. As a user, you help train our engine by tagging names or verifying the data generated by Polar Rose or by your fellow users.
The plug-in will be released in beta during the first quarter of 2007.
http://www.polarrose.com/
Qool Labs have announced two "new" devices, the QDA Lite and the QDA Icon.
QDA Lite
- Intel PXA270 520MHz processor
- 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
- Tri-band GSM/GPRS
- 802.11b Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.0
- USB
- 2.0-megapixel camera
- SDIO/SD/MMC slot
- 2.8" QVGA (240 x 320) TFT-LCD
- 1240mAh battery
- Windows Mobile 5.0
- Size: 114mm x 58mm x 18.7mm
- Weight: 149g
QDA Icon
- TI OMAP 200MHz processor
- GSM/GPRS
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- 4.0-megapixel CCD camera with flash (!)
- 2.4" QVGA (240 x 320) TFT-LCD
- Windows Mobile 5.0
Ritek
Advanced Media, the US subsidiary of optical media giant Ritek, is launching a 2.5-inch notebook-ready non-volatile Flash solid state disk (SSD) drive. Ritek RIDATA Flash SSD drive lineup will initially be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities. For $169
www.sysopt.com/news/article.php/3650121
LocationFree Base Station and Software
offers a completely new way of watching TV. Instead of going to the television set, the TV comes to you by redirecting your local TV shows to wherever you are, even if you don't have a TV with you. With LocationFree, you can watch live TV, play back recorded programmes and even set up future recordings, all from a PC, laptop or PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. Built-in wireless technology gives you the freedom of your own home (and garden), and the Internet does the rest.
Connect the Location Free Base Station to your DVD/HDD recorder, Set-Top Box or DVD player and it will transmit your TV programmes or video content through your wireless connection so you can watch via your notebook, PC or Playstation Portable from around your house.
£ 229.00 VAT incl.
www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProductCategory.action?site=odw_en_GB&category=LocationFree
Sony NV-U71T handheld GPS unit
NV-U71T offers GPS in a 3.5-inch touch screened unit. The U71T weighs 10 ounces, and has a nifty "Gesture Command" functionality that allows you to operate the device with specially directed finger swipes. It is supplied (in US and Canada) with real time traffic info thanks to a 90-day free trial of RDS-TMC and a built-in receiver in the supplied cradle.
A 6 hour battery and the 2GB memory should provide plenty of space for the included US and Canadian maps. Cost $500
Shure SE420 Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure have demonstrated a prototype SE-series earphones. In a hotel-room test, they did a better job of blocking noise than a pair of Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones.
Likely cost is from $200-350.
iVDR
Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage. Two specifications have been set for iVDR, one for the cartridge type designed with consideration for portability and the other for the built-in type which is mounted inside equipment.
1.The cartridge type realizes ubiquitous applications with transferring of content made possible between equipment in homes, on vehicles, or in portable equipment.
2.The built-in type enables increasing the capacity of built-in hard disks of digital TVs or hard disk recorders easily.
3.Both types while being removable, enable large capacity recording and high speed random access which are possible only with hard disk drives.
4.Interface is based on Serial ATA and copes with a high speed transfer rate of 1.5 Gbps.
5.By using a multiple number of units, the user may easily build up even servers that possess Tera-Byte capacity.
6.For protection of contents of videos, audios, etc., SAFIA (Security Architecture for Intelligent Attachment) is used. iVDRs mounting this SAFIA are called iVDR-Secure.
iVDR-Secure aims to become a standard media for the realization of an ubiquitous society which processes copyright content of image, music and programs etc. in common over a wide field of AV equipment and PCs including home appliances, mobile equipment, and vehicle mounted equipment.
ZigBee Low Power Module
The new compact (only 3cm x 1.5cm / 1.2" x 0.6") design is based on the Texas Instruments MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontroller, Chipcon CC2420 ZigBee-ready RF-Transceiver and 2.4 GHz GigaAnt Comata chip antenna, all integrated on a single board.
MeshNetics ZigBee Drop-In Module is first in a series of Quick-Start hardware components that Luxoft Labs is developing. The drop-in module is designed to help OEM's and system integrators simplify the wireless network development and testing, cut costs and accelerate time-to-market.
i2i mate
Aerielle are planning to launch this in q4 2007. Just connect 2 standard ipods together and transfer files between them – no other equipment required.
Gyration Go 2.4 Cordless Air Optical mouse
Comfortable to use on top of a desk or in the air; easy-to-use software; more than 20 programmable commands. The GyroTools software installs a control panel on your desktop, which lets you program the mouse's command functions.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Gyration_Go_2_4_Cordless_Air_Optical_mouse/4505-3148_7-31428447.html
BumbleBee Wi-MAX Spectrum Analyzer
A rugged, calibrated spectrum analyzer all-in-one system. The handheld receiver measures the popular wireless Wi-MAX frequencies between 2.0-4.0 GHz and 4.9-5.9 GHz.
http://www.bvsystems.com/Products/WLAN/BumbleBee-EX/bumblebee-ex.htm
Compustar Pro P2WSSR
This system operates on 900MHz Spread Spectrum 50-Channel frequency changing technology. Firstech. LLC has spent thousands of hours perfecting the art of radio signal modulation and applying it to vehicle security and remote starts. The Pro 2WSSR has up to 1-mile range to your vehicle. This remote is available in three different systems, Alarm, Starter and Alarm/Starter Comb
HP launches touchscreen Vista PCs
The HP TouchSmart PC features a touchscreen that enables one-touch wireless access to information, communications and entertainment though a customisable front-end, the HP Smart Centre. A new user interface that includes HP's SmartCalendar for family calendaring and HP PhotoSmart Touch to manage digital photos. It has a 19-inch widescreen with adjustable touchscreen display, Vista remote control and personal video recorder with HD and SD TV programming.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/0,1000000091,39285393,00.htm
iLane
provides you with a hands-free and eyes-free, voice-interactive solution for managing email messages and attachments, phone calls, SMS messages and calendar appointments while in a vehicle. iLane integrates seamlessly with your car's audio system. So as new messages arrive on your handheld device, iLane notifies you immediately, then reads a summary aloud. Using voice commands you can then listen to the entire message; compose a reply; forward an attachment, and more. It interacts directly with existing Bluetooth-enabled handheld devices and vehicle audio systems or headsets.
www.ilane.com
Sony BT5000 Bluetooth wireless CD / MP3, handsfree phone kit.
Drive & wireless: the MEX-BT5000 Bluetooth in-car tuner is meant for people on the move. Hands free phone calls are more convenient. In addition, you can access your music. When it comes to making calls, accessing phone numbers or playing music, the MEX-BT5000 in-car tuner can become the centre of operations.
Parrot CK3100
make and receive calls without touching your mobile phone. The wireless connection between the CK3100 and the Bluetooth phone and its voice recognition system is enabled as long as the phone is turned on. The display of the CK3100 provides information such as caller ID, carrier signal strength, or last calls received, in large well-contrasted digits easy to read at a glance.
Pepper Pad 3
based on the AMD Geode(TM) LX 800@0.9W(a) processor and runs on the Linux Kernel 2.6 OS. It includes features like Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, a built-in Web camera and the ability to browse the Web, e-mail and IM, download and stream music, videos, movies, and photos via the Pepper 3.0 software. It also featuries a seven-inch touch screen, a full QWERTY keypad, a 20-gigabyte hard drive, and built-in speakers.
Via the on board infrared and UPnP capabilities users can control and access any number of PCs, TVs, set-top boxes, CD players, and other A/V devices. The Pad also sports a microphone, jacks for headphones, external microphone and external video display, a direction pad and scroll wheel for navigation.
weighs just around 2 pounds and will be available by August for $699. http://www.pepper.com/
Polar Rose
Polar Rose makes photos searchable by analyzing their content and recognizing the people in them.
The Polar Rose plug-in for Firefox and Internet Explorer lets you discover who's in a picture on any public photo. The plug-in detects people in online photos and places a signature rose approximately where the pinhole of their shirt would be. A click on the rose will bring up a tooltip with relevant information, including name and other photos found of the same person. As a user, you help train our engine by tagging names or verifying the data generated by Polar Rose or by your fellow users.
The plug-in will be released in beta during the first quarter of 2007.
http://www.polarrose.com/
Qool Labs have announced two "new" devices, the QDA Lite and the QDA Icon.
QDA Lite
- Intel PXA270 520MHz processor
- 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM
- Tri-band GSM/GPRS
- 802.11b Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.0
- USB
- 2.0-megapixel camera
- SDIO/SD/MMC slot
- 2.8" QVGA (240 x 320) TFT-LCD
- 1240mAh battery
- Windows Mobile 5.0
- Size: 114mm x 58mm x 18.7mm
- Weight: 149g
QDA Icon
- TI OMAP 200MHz processor
- GSM/GPRS
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- 4.0-megapixel CCD camera with flash (!)
- 2.4" QVGA (240 x 320) TFT-LCD
- Windows Mobile 5.0
Ritek
Advanced Media, the US subsidiary of optical media giant Ritek, is launching a 2.5-inch notebook-ready non-volatile Flash solid state disk (SSD) drive. Ritek RIDATA Flash SSD drive lineup will initially be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities. For $169
www.sysopt.com/news/article.php/3650121
LocationFree Base Station and Software
offers a completely new way of watching TV. Instead of going to the television set, the TV comes to you by redirecting your local TV shows to wherever you are, even if you don't have a TV with you. With LocationFree, you can watch live TV, play back recorded programmes and even set up future recordings, all from a PC, laptop or PSP (PlayStation Portable) system. Built-in wireless technology gives you the freedom of your own home (and garden), and the Internet does the rest.
Connect the Location Free Base Station to your DVD/HDD recorder, Set-Top Box or DVD player and it will transmit your TV programmes or video content through your wireless connection so you can watch via your notebook, PC or Playstation Portable from around your house.
£ 229.00 VAT incl.
www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProductCategory.action?site=odw_en_GB&category=LocationFree
Sony NV-U71T handheld GPS unit
NV-U71T offers GPS in a 3.5-inch touch screened unit. The U71T weighs 10 ounces, and has a nifty "Gesture Command" functionality that allows you to operate the device with specially directed finger swipes. It is supplied (in US and Canada) with real time traffic info thanks to a 90-day free trial of RDS-TMC and a built-in receiver in the supplied cradle.
A 6 hour battery and the 2GB memory should provide plenty of space for the included US and Canadian maps. Cost $500
Shure SE420 Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure have demonstrated a prototype SE-series earphones. In a hotel-room test, they did a better job of blocking noise than a pair of Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones.
Likely cost is from $200-350.
iVDR
Information Versatile Disk for Removable usage. Two specifications have been set for iVDR, one for the cartridge type designed with consideration for portability and the other for the built-in type which is mounted inside equipment.
1.The cartridge type realizes ubiquitous applications with transferring of content made possible between equipment in homes, on vehicles, or in portable equipment.
2.The built-in type enables increasing the capacity of built-in hard disks of digital TVs or hard disk recorders easily.
3.Both types while being removable, enable large capacity recording and high speed random access which are possible only with hard disk drives.
4.Interface is based on Serial ATA and copes with a high speed transfer rate of 1.5 Gbps.
5.By using a multiple number of units, the user may easily build up even servers that possess Tera-Byte capacity.
6.For protection of contents of videos, audios, etc., SAFIA (Security Architecture for Intelligent Attachment) is used. iVDRs mounting this SAFIA are called iVDR-Secure.
iVDR-Secure aims to become a standard media for the realization of an ubiquitous society which processes copyright content of image, music and programs etc. in common over a wide field of AV equipment and PCs including home appliances, mobile equipment, and vehicle mounted equipment.
ZigBee Low Power Module
The new compact (only 3cm x 1.5cm / 1.2" x 0.6") design is based on the Texas Instruments MSP430 ultra-low-power microcontroller, Chipcon CC2420 ZigBee-ready RF-Transceiver and 2.4 GHz GigaAnt Comata chip antenna, all integrated on a single board.
MeshNetics ZigBee Drop-In Module is first in a series of Quick-Start hardware components that Luxoft Labs is developing. The drop-in module is designed to help OEM's and system integrators simplify the wireless network development and testing, cut costs and accelerate time-to-market.
Wednesday, 10 January 2007
Day 2 - Mobile Broadband and Content Conference
(see http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/search/session_by_track_list.asp?ID_track=MB)
Attended an all day conference organised by Yankee Group in the Venetian hotel to explore some of the issues related to the future of both the Internet and mobile devices – specifically this conference considered issues related to the recent and much “hyped” Web 2.0 - such as managing the users access to digital media across platforms, access to networked applications and services and voice and video communications across various platforms. Key future requirements such as true Wireless Mobility, the effective handling of live or streaming TV, defining Infotainment expectations, creating and managing personalised content and an enhanced and seamless Consumer experience were discussed. A presentation by Jeff Treuhaft of VeriSign was particularly interesting – his company is already very well connected to many aspects of the existing industry.
For many attending the original technology issues around emerging wireless connectivity are now well understood although the time-frames may still be disputed. The more widespread use of wi-fi in 2007 after early take-up in 2006 and the likely widespread take-up of wi-max during 2007-8 (in developed markets) was generally agreed. There remains a mobile phone paradigm i.e. how much can you fit into a device but still keep it thin, light weight and attractive? This will remain an issue and limited space and power will mean users need to make key decisions when buying their next phone. Some thought wi-max may still be overtaken by other technologies such as 4G or UWB before it could reached full maturity. However two key issues are that the streaming of large volumes of data and live TV over these new networks may still depend upon availability of network bandwidth and the impact this will have upon existing distribution rights. New agreements with existing owners of the original content are now needed as the advertising and revenue business models are likely to change and corporations will want new licensing agreements and partnerships to be consolidated before they allow their content to flow freely over the new networks – this is not just a US problem. The evolution from what people want the new web to look like and how long it takes to get there will depend upon many factors and not all of them are technology driven. Once in place the ability to interact with friends and producers of the content during live broadcasts, the ability to share archived moments with others, and the ability to participate in new on-line communities built around common interests are massive.
This conference also fitted very well with my earlier attendance of a keynote presentation by Robert Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney who was attending the CES for the first time as a participant. His company obviously already has a lot of high quality content and now realizes that there is a new market potential to deliver their content to a new audience in alternative ways i.e. The company is currently investing in creating a new Walt Disney website not just for buying downloads or viewing features but also to encourage more interaction with personalized use of the content, the playing of popular character themed games e.g. the Jack Sparrow lifestyle experience, and the creation of new user communities. So do you want to be a pirate too? Their solution is still fairly vertical with corporate control of the content but goes someway to showing what could be happening once other massive content owners and distributors such as Fox become involved and if a more open market approach is taken – there were a lot of Fox representatives at the conference watching the presentations but they were saying little.
Will be happy to discuss this all further upon my return.
Attended an all day conference organised by Yankee Group in the Venetian hotel to explore some of the issues related to the future of both the Internet and mobile devices – specifically this conference considered issues related to the recent and much “hyped” Web 2.0 - such as managing the users access to digital media across platforms, access to networked applications and services and voice and video communications across various platforms. Key future requirements such as true Wireless Mobility, the effective handling of live or streaming TV, defining Infotainment expectations, creating and managing personalised content and an enhanced and seamless Consumer experience were discussed. A presentation by Jeff Treuhaft of VeriSign was particularly interesting – his company is already very well connected to many aspects of the existing industry.
For many attending the original technology issues around emerging wireless connectivity are now well understood although the time-frames may still be disputed. The more widespread use of wi-fi in 2007 after early take-up in 2006 and the likely widespread take-up of wi-max during 2007-8 (in developed markets) was generally agreed. There remains a mobile phone paradigm i.e. how much can you fit into a device but still keep it thin, light weight and attractive? This will remain an issue and limited space and power will mean users need to make key decisions when buying their next phone. Some thought wi-max may still be overtaken by other technologies such as 4G or UWB before it could reached full maturity. However two key issues are that the streaming of large volumes of data and live TV over these new networks may still depend upon availability of network bandwidth and the impact this will have upon existing distribution rights. New agreements with existing owners of the original content are now needed as the advertising and revenue business models are likely to change and corporations will want new licensing agreements and partnerships to be consolidated before they allow their content to flow freely over the new networks – this is not just a US problem. The evolution from what people want the new web to look like and how long it takes to get there will depend upon many factors and not all of them are technology driven. Once in place the ability to interact with friends and producers of the content during live broadcasts, the ability to share archived moments with others, and the ability to participate in new on-line communities built around common interests are massive.
This conference also fitted very well with my earlier attendance of a keynote presentation by Robert Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney who was attending the CES for the first time as a participant. His company obviously already has a lot of high quality content and now realizes that there is a new market potential to deliver their content to a new audience in alternative ways i.e. The company is currently investing in creating a new Walt Disney website not just for buying downloads or viewing features but also to encourage more interaction with personalized use of the content, the playing of popular character themed games e.g. the Jack Sparrow lifestyle experience, and the creation of new user communities. So do you want to be a pirate too? Their solution is still fairly vertical with corporate control of the content but goes someway to showing what could be happening once other massive content owners and distributors such as Fox become involved and if a more open market approach is taken – there were a lot of Fox representatives at the conference watching the presentations but they were saying little.
Will be happy to discuss this all further upon my return.
Apple iPhone
this much anticipate device from Apple was launched today. Offers wi-fi, touch screen. Being sold exclusively to Cingular.
Tuesday, 9 January 2007
day 1 seminar
Also attended a debate on new technologies for making products easier to understand and use. The CE industry is now focusing on "ease of use" and an improved "user experience" to make products more competitive. This session examined new interface and interoperability guidelines to help create full-functioning products that reduce new return rates and are usable from the box by more than the top 30-40 percent of consumers.
http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/search/session_detail.asp?ID_session=IA11
Vanderheide said that the User Interface Socket could become a standard for improving the user experience. It still however needs wider industry participation if it is to become a true standard. (see
http://www.incits.org/tc_home/v2htm/docs/V2/03-0093/v2030093r.html) It could be the basis of an Intermode consul and maturity of this type of technology is vital for a lot of future devices success. It may also contribute to the successful roll-out of applications such as natural language speech input and output.
Sorenson said the gradual introduction of new interface upgrades or the use of incremental updates mitigates risk i.e. A lot of money is not spent developing a new user interface which relies upon a new technology which may not yet work. He also said that there were still many problems around what devices are called and user concepts of what the device can or is supposed to do. He believed that the symantic web and other existing standards could be useful but the industry needed to sit down “around a table” more to discuss customer expectations and needs.
Rich said the speech interface remains an issue – whilst there are other ways of communicating with devices. Whilst other ways of communicating with devices need to be developed further many users expect truly intelligent objects to understand language – we expect from of peers and siblings.
http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/conferences/search/session_detail.asp?ID_session=IA11
Vanderheide said that the User Interface Socket could become a standard for improving the user experience. It still however needs wider industry participation if it is to become a true standard. (see
http://www.incits.org/tc_home/v2htm/docs/V2/03-0093/v2030093r.html) It could be the basis of an Intermode consul and maturity of this type of technology is vital for a lot of future devices success. It may also contribute to the successful roll-out of applications such as natural language speech input and output.
Sorenson said the gradual introduction of new interface upgrades or the use of incremental updates mitigates risk i.e. A lot of money is not spent developing a new user interface which relies upon a new technology which may not yet work. He also said that there were still many problems around what devices are called and user concepts of what the device can or is supposed to do. He believed that the symantic web and other existing standards could be useful but the industry needed to sit down “around a table” more to discuss customer expectations and needs.
Rich said the speech interface remains an issue – whilst there are other ways of communicating with devices. Whilst other ways of communicating with devices need to be developed further many users expect truly intelligent objects to understand language – we expect from of peers and siblings.
day 1 gadgets
I start with some time spent looking around the massive Innovations Plus exhibition i.e. the latest and award winning gadgets area
(see http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/awards/innovations)
Qool Labs QDA Icon
New PDA / cell phone with 4M pixel camera
http://www.msmobilenews.com/page/1315/
Casio G'zOne Type-V
Rugged + water resistant phone with GPS, LED light + VZ navigator (which is a realtime GPS service available for additional $10/m
http://www.casiogzone.com/
SD Trio Professional
ATP are to launch this device which gives compatibility across the three existing formats for $69
http://flash.atpinc.com/products/view.php?product_id=1365
Pharos iGPS – 500
Plug-in GPS for Windows Mobile Pockets PC , Smartphone or UMPC for $129
USB, CompactFlash, or BluetoothTM wireless connection
http://www.pharosgps.com/news/press/20060309.htm
iControl Networks
Web based remote monitor and automation for home – for $400 + $15/m
http://www.icontrol.com
InGrid
Web based remote monitor and automation for home – for $300
http://www.ingridhome.com/meetIngrid.do
Bio Axxis BD1
Biometric door access systems for $600
http://www.axxisbiometrics.com/index.cfm
Russound Uno TS2D
Desktop Smart touchscreen to control distributed music in home from $150
http://www.russound.com/
Belkin N1
Wireless Router. This high performance network device can manage HD streaming, VoIP and on-line gaming simultaneously for $150
http://www.belkin.com/pressroom/releases/uploads/05_01_06NSeries.html
4HomeMedia
Control Point for home automation systems and entertainment devices from $300
http://www.4homemedia.com/
Logitech QuickCAM
UltraVision 961471 webcam with large lens to deliver twice clarity of conventional cameras for $129
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2204,CONTENTID=11804
Sanyo Fisher Xacti CA6
Water resistant digital video camera offering MPEG4 video / 6M pixel imaging and 5X optical zoom for $400
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/9033/sanyo_xacti_ca6/
Sony HDR – SR1
First 1080i high definition HDD video camera with digital 5.1 surround sound for $1500
http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2007/01/ces_2007_sonys_1.html
Bonica Precision
Weatherised digital cameras
http://www.bonicadive.com/
EVO Phase 1
Launching soon offering convergent PC, entertainment + security system functionality.
http://www.evo-phase1.com/
Cybiotronics CY-S386
Digital cordless DECT / VoIP phone from Hong Kong which offers the ability to handle Skype calls via VoIP facility to one handset and a call via PSTN to another handset simultaneously. Expandable to 4 handsets. 2.4 / 5.8GHz DECT currently available. Range up to 300m. Now in partnership with Horizon and AT&T.
http://www.cybio.com.hk/
Gioelli Telecom (NY)
Based on Vonage technology this company is also seeking to assist other start-ups in creating their own VoIp business service. This is not a francise option but a one-off deal to explain what a new company needs to do in order to set-up a telephone business.
http://www.gioelli.com/services/details.cfm?service=9
Spotwave Z1900
indoor cell telephone booster. gives improved wireless coverage for cell phones, PDAs and laptops including 3G devices. Because the device will get a stronger signal fewer drop-outs will be experienced and batteries will last longer.
Networks covered include CDMA, GSM (1850 + 1990MHz), EVDO + UTMS
http://www.spotwave.com/residential/products/z1900.asp
(see http://www.cesweb.org/attendees/awards/innovations)
Qool Labs QDA Icon
New PDA / cell phone with 4M pixel camera
http://www.msmobilenews.com/page/1315/
Casio G'zOne Type-V
Rugged + water resistant phone with GPS, LED light + VZ navigator (which is a realtime GPS service available for additional $10/m
http://www.casiogzone.com/
SD Trio Professional
ATP are to launch this device which gives compatibility across the three existing formats for $69
http://flash.atpinc.com/products/view.php?product_id=1365
Pharos iGPS – 500
Plug-in GPS for Windows Mobile Pockets PC , Smartphone or UMPC for $129
USB, CompactFlash, or BluetoothTM wireless connection
http://www.pharosgps.com/news/press/20060309.htm
iControl Networks
Web based remote monitor and automation for home – for $400 + $15/m
http://www.icontrol.com
InGrid
Web based remote monitor and automation for home – for $300
http://www.ingridhome.com/meetIngrid.do
Bio Axxis BD1
Biometric door access systems for $600
http://www.axxisbiometrics.com/index.cfm
Russound Uno TS2D
Desktop Smart touchscreen to control distributed music in home from $150
http://www.russound.com/
Belkin N1
Wireless Router. This high performance network device can manage HD streaming, VoIP and on-line gaming simultaneously for $150
http://www.belkin.com/pressroom/releases/uploads/05_01_06NSeries.html
4HomeMedia
Control Point for home automation systems and entertainment devices from $300
http://www.4homemedia.com/
Logitech QuickCAM
UltraVision 961471 webcam with large lens to deliver twice clarity of conventional cameras for $129
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2204,CONTENTID=11804
Sanyo Fisher Xacti CA6
Water resistant digital video camera offering MPEG4 video / 6M pixel imaging and 5X optical zoom for $400
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/9033/sanyo_xacti_ca6/
Sony HDR – SR1
First 1080i high definition HDD video camera with digital 5.1 surround sound for $1500
http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2007/01/ces_2007_sonys_1.html
Bonica Precision
Weatherised digital cameras
http://www.bonicadive.com/
EVO Phase 1
Launching soon offering convergent PC, entertainment + security system functionality.
http://www.evo-phase1.com/
Cybiotronics CY-S386
Digital cordless DECT / VoIP phone from Hong Kong which offers the ability to handle Skype calls via VoIP facility to one handset and a call via PSTN to another handset simultaneously. Expandable to 4 handsets. 2.4 / 5.8GHz DECT currently available. Range up to 300m. Now in partnership with Horizon and AT&T.
http://www.cybio.com.hk/
Gioelli Telecom (NY)
Based on Vonage technology this company is also seeking to assist other start-ups in creating their own VoIp business service. This is not a francise option but a one-off deal to explain what a new company needs to do in order to set-up a telephone business.
http://www.gioelli.com/services/details.cfm?service=9
Spotwave Z1900
indoor cell telephone booster. gives improved wireless coverage for cell phones, PDAs and laptops including 3G devices. Because the device will get a stronger signal fewer drop-outs will be experienced and batteries will last longer.
Networks covered include CDMA, GSM (1850 + 1990MHz), EVDO + UTMS
http://www.spotwave.com/residential/products/z1900.asp
Sunday, 7 January 2007
Bill Gates – Key Note Address
Not surprisingly this presentation was dominated by Vista. Bill did however wish to consider related issues such as “digital lifestyle” in the “digital decade”. In his opinion the key element that is still missing to make digital living a complete experience is links.
Microsoft Vista will be launched at the end of January 2007. He claimed that it it is the most complete OS developed by the company and the most tested. Bill is confident that people will enjoy the experience and together with related technology (such as Office which is also being relaunched at the same time) which will be able to use 64 bit working (where hardware is available) and wanted to use Vista to offer a new user interface and a more connected experience.
Vista features such as PC Search have already been mentioned before but this can now also be extended to search on all PCs connected behind a home hub. The ability for applications to roll back to previous versions will also enable users to recover inadvertently removed or amended content. The image editing application will enable photos to be edited – even within a document. Also the fonts for a document can be previewed before confirming a change. Also watch out for Sports Lounge – an extension to Media Center - which will integrate with a users sports interests e.g. favorite teams (initially US football, baseball, basket ball etc) with future TV schedules, on-line result services and sports news sites and can be set-up to deliver messages when content of potential interest is available.
Xbox360 has been an extremely successful game platform launch targeting an estimated 200 million gamers. New gaming software such as Halo3 and Uno are some of the first high definition games - about 160 which will become available during 2007. This application is now being extended with Windows Earth 3D. Xbox live already offers a new social community to 5 million users – they can see what their friends are playing on line and either join them or invite them to join another game. Using IP-TV via Media Center applications Xbox can now stream TV whilst still enabling users to IM or voice chat on-line. 30 million “Media Center” enabled PCs have also been sold in recent months.
Partnerships were also a key element of the presentation. A number of companies are currently preparing to launch new PCs to take advantage of the Vista OS – some during next few days. Bill later introduced the HP Home Server which will be launched in second half of 2007. This will offer automated back-ups, connectivity, remote connectivity, and terra-bytes of storage. Finally Bill revealed a partnership with Ford motor cars. This is resulting in new standard OS for auto engineering. This OS will offer voice activated phone and data services through the vehicles audio and entertainment system. This will enable synchronization of address book (including ring tone options and diverts etc), IM text to voice translation, entertainment management etc and should be launched in 12 vehicle models during 2007.
Microsoft Vista will be launched at the end of January 2007. He claimed that it it is the most complete OS developed by the company and the most tested. Bill is confident that people will enjoy the experience and together with related technology (such as Office which is also being relaunched at the same time) which will be able to use 64 bit working (where hardware is available) and wanted to use Vista to offer a new user interface and a more connected experience.
Vista features such as PC Search have already been mentioned before but this can now also be extended to search on all PCs connected behind a home hub. The ability for applications to roll back to previous versions will also enable users to recover inadvertently removed or amended content. The image editing application will enable photos to be edited – even within a document. Also the fonts for a document can be previewed before confirming a change. Also watch out for Sports Lounge – an extension to Media Center - which will integrate with a users sports interests e.g. favorite teams (initially US football, baseball, basket ball etc) with future TV schedules, on-line result services and sports news sites and can be set-up to deliver messages when content of potential interest is available.
Xbox360 has been an extremely successful game platform launch targeting an estimated 200 million gamers. New gaming software such as Halo3 and Uno are some of the first high definition games - about 160 which will become available during 2007. This application is now being extended with Windows Earth 3D. Xbox live already offers a new social community to 5 million users – they can see what their friends are playing on line and either join them or invite them to join another game. Using IP-TV via Media Center applications Xbox can now stream TV whilst still enabling users to IM or voice chat on-line. 30 million “Media Center” enabled PCs have also been sold in recent months.
Partnerships were also a key element of the presentation. A number of companies are currently preparing to launch new PCs to take advantage of the Vista OS – some during next few days. Bill later introduced the HP Home Server which will be launched in second half of 2007. This will offer automated back-ups, connectivity, remote connectivity, and terra-bytes of storage. Finally Bill revealed a partnership with Ford motor cars. This is resulting in new standard OS for auto engineering. This OS will offer voice activated phone and data services through the vehicles audio and entertainment system. This will enable synchronization of address book (including ring tone options and diverts etc), IM text to voice translation, entertainment management etc and should be launched in 12 vehicle models during 2007.
some issues seen in magazines today
Universal Hi-definition DVD update
Toshiba's HD DVD and Sony Blu-Ray will not be in a battle according to Electrical Engineering Times (www.eetimes.com) as several chipmakers are now completing microprocessor designs which will cope with both formats
Broadcom, NEC ans STMicroelectronics are all working on multi-format designswith the Broadcom HD/BD decoders were being shipped in late 2006. A NEC chipset which can handle 16 formats including HD-DVD, Bluray, DVD and CD will be available soon.
These universal drives will still need separate optical pick-ups because the different formats store data a different depths on a disc. But it is currently expected that universal hi-def disc players will be available during 2007 with widespread use in 2008 according to iSuppli analyst Chris Crotty.
Wireless audio
A small US start-up, Neosonik (San Fransisco) have developed their own wireless transmission standard for HDMI-encoded video. Reportedly they have recently transmitted signals about 150 feet (50m) from a garage to a trailer using a high-gain direct line-of-sight antenna. The hi-definition TV was accompanied with 5.1-channel audio delivered to five self powered loudspeakers.
Universal remote
The new universal remote control from Nevo (www.mynevo.com) offers a customisable multi-option screen together with a selection of hard buttons.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the device is that it can be supplied with an RF base station with remote IR flashers to help operate remote legacy devices around the home.
Now available for $1099
Netherlands switch to digital TV
The Netherlands became the first country to switch to digital TV in Dec 2006. The move will give the state monopoly, Dutch telecom Royal KPN NV more space for additional digital channels in the now spare analogue broadcast spectrum. They have licensed the bandwidth until 2017.
Stereo Bluetooth updating
Currently in its infancy, this technology is likely to become moe common in 2007. Sales are currently expected in the region of 9 million units in 2007 (compared to 2 million in 2006). Most existing solutions are currently designed for a specific application with either an iPod, USB, LG or Nokia phone dongle.
Future devices are now likely to become more universal and the industry is currently considering various aspects of the future design to enable this to happen. A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) will help to create the stereo stream – otherwise it is just high speed mono. AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Protocol) will let the headset control functionality of the audio device remotely i.e pause, play, skip a track etc. Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) is an upgrade to the original standard which amongst other improvements will remove echo introduced by the Bluetooth error correction.
Toshiba's HD DVD and Sony Blu-Ray will not be in a battle according to Electrical Engineering Times (www.eetimes.com) as several chipmakers are now completing microprocessor designs which will cope with both formats
Broadcom, NEC ans STMicroelectronics are all working on multi-format designswith the Broadcom HD/BD decoders were being shipped in late 2006. A NEC chipset which can handle 16 formats including HD-DVD, Bluray, DVD and CD will be available soon.
These universal drives will still need separate optical pick-ups because the different formats store data a different depths on a disc. But it is currently expected that universal hi-def disc players will be available during 2007 with widespread use in 2008 according to iSuppli analyst Chris Crotty.
Wireless audio
A small US start-up, Neosonik (San Fransisco) have developed their own wireless transmission standard for HDMI-encoded video. Reportedly they have recently transmitted signals about 150 feet (50m) from a garage to a trailer using a high-gain direct line-of-sight antenna. The hi-definition TV was accompanied with 5.1-channel audio delivered to five self powered loudspeakers.
Universal remote
The new universal remote control from Nevo (www.mynevo.com) offers a customisable multi-option screen together with a selection of hard buttons.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the device is that it can be supplied with an RF base station with remote IR flashers to help operate remote legacy devices around the home.
Now available for $1099
Netherlands switch to digital TV
The Netherlands became the first country to switch to digital TV in Dec 2006. The move will give the state monopoly, Dutch telecom Royal KPN NV more space for additional digital channels in the now spare analogue broadcast spectrum. They have licensed the bandwidth until 2017.
Stereo Bluetooth updating
Currently in its infancy, this technology is likely to become moe common in 2007. Sales are currently expected in the region of 9 million units in 2007 (compared to 2 million in 2006). Most existing solutions are currently designed for a specific application with either an iPod, USB, LG or Nokia phone dongle.
Future devices are now likely to become more universal and the industry is currently considering various aspects of the future design to enable this to happen. A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) will help to create the stereo stream – otherwise it is just high speed mono. AVRCP (Audio Video Remote Control Protocol) will let the headset control functionality of the audio device remotely i.e pause, play, skip a track etc. Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) is an upgrade to the original standard which amongst other improvements will remove echo introduced by the Bluetooth error correction.
journey out
A long but largely uneventful journey out to a rather chilly Las Vegas on a plane full of anticipation. Rain and cloud obscured the view for most of the journey but during the last hour a few views of the rockies were stunning. By the look and sound of many of my fellow passengers, a lot of them were also destined for the show. The person in the seat next to me turned out to be the editor of a technical website (www.tech.co.uk) and he said that he was just one of five reporters from Future Publishing Ltd that will be covering the show this year - it seems that there is now a massive rise in interest from the UK compared to my previous visit!
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