CES Superlatives
With CES 2010 over, we thought we’d round up some of the show’s highlights.
Most awe-inspiring booth: Samsung
I’m not sure that this video can quite capture how enormous this thing looks, but it stopped me dead in my tracks as I approached. Bonus points for the clever use of a mirrored ceiling for even more bombast. Also featured in the video is the LG display which was also pretty overwhelming.
Biggest game-changer: Haier’s completely wireless television
I was pretty unimpressed with most of the stuff in the Haier booth, until I came upon this completely wireless television. They’re using magnetic technology to beam HDMI video, Wifi and power to a television from a single box situated a considerable distance away. While the technology won’t be market-ready until 2011 at the earliest, I’ve already got visions of my cellphone and laptop automatically charging as soon as I walk into my house.
Best Glimpse Into Our Dystopian Future: iFairy
The video almost says it all, but I should add that I was the only one anywhere near this thing, making its gestures towards individuals in the nonexistent crowd even creepier. Of course, if it’s your kind of thing, you’re only $70,000 away from making it your own.
The Little Gadget That Could: The Jelfin
Who knew that a simple mouse without any modern features would become one of the standouts this year? The Jelfin is a wired mouse that’s shaped like a ball and is covered in a gel coating. While I’m not an ergonomics expert, somehow the mouse just feels right in a weird sort of way. It has garnered a huge amount of press thanks in no small part to a premiere location in the walkway to one of the main halls. By the time we were led to them by some impressed bloggers, the device had been featured by a full host of major news organizations. The $35 price is a bit steep, but be on the lookout for a wireless version to hit Amazon in a few months.
Best Panda: Changhong
Anywhere else, a guy in a panda suit giving out candy might be arrested on suspicion of nefarious intent. But at CES, this guy totally fit in. Unfortunately, he didn’t work too well as a marketing tool. I never really did get over to the Changhong booth. They should have stuck with booth babes.
Most hyped technology: 3D TV
In some cases – especially with regard to videogames – the 3D displays were incredible. Other times, they were just okay. There were a few different competing technologies, but everyone seemed to agree on one thing…
Most hated technology: 3D glasses
Yes, the 3D has improved considerably since the days of red and blue paper glasses, but most of the 3D displays still need some sort of eyewear. For many people at the convention, the glasses were a deal breaker. While some displays went without glasses, they were limited to very specific viewing angles that would be hard to maintain at home.
Best Gadget: the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid
Much of the buzz I overheard from folks around the convention was about a product that doesn’t even exist yet: the mythical Apple iSlate. But while most salivated over Steve Jobs’ latest brainchild, Lenovo was already packing the goods. The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a fully functioning Windows 7 laptop with a Core 2 Duo processor and a 11.6″ screen. The trick is, that screen actually pops out to become its own fully functioning tablet computer. Packing its own 1Ghz snapdragon processor and a 16GB solid-state disk drive, the tablet runs Lenovo’s own brand of Linux and does everything you could want. Like, um, watching movies and stuff on the couch? Truthfully, I’m still not sure why I would ever need a tablet, but I still really want one. And this netbook/tablet combo might just make it worthwhile.
