There are 180,000 people here at CES and every time I turn around Steve Friedberg, the PR rep Newton Peripherals wants to show me the new MoGo Mouse $69.99 list. I ran, I hid, and finally I gave him two minutes to show me the product. It is really is pretty neat.
The MoGo Mouse is a portable mouse designed to be carried in your laptop's PC Card slot. It uses Bluetooth, so it is wireless, but the really cool thing is that it feels good in your hand.
Obviously, if you don't have a laptop with built-in Bluetooth this isn't the product for you. Still, my bet is you will see similar mouse designs in the coming months. You can check out a full demo of the MoGo Mouse here.
I sat down with Dynamism CEO Douglas Krone just before CES started. If you want to buy the latest technology from Japan, Europe, or just about anywhere else, Dynamism is a good place to start. The company specializes in bringing hot tech that you can't find at your local Best Buy.
Although models are starting to trickle onto the U.S. market, for a while it was the only place you could buy an unlocked Motorola SLVR L6. Doug was also showing off the Panasonic R1, a 2.2 Windows XP laptop (see left). Yes, it is made of plastic, but the hard drive is shock-mounted and having held it I can tell you it is pretty tough.
To get Doug's take on the show, Japanese culture, and the direction of the industry check out my full interview.
Sony is showing off its new Walkman phone at CES. The W810 is quad-band, supporting the two major U.S. frequencies (850/1900) and the two international bands (900/1800). No carriers are signed up now, but Cingular and T-Mobile seem like the most likely takers.
The original W800i was the best all-around music phone last year, with a clean interface and relatively simple music synching. Although the W810 isn't a huge leap forward, if it can get the support of a major carrier it could make music phones a lot easier to get.
Gearlog Radio with David Coursey Guest: Bob Frankston, Co-Inventor of the First Spreadsheet (VisiCalc)
Computing pioneer Bob Frankston says the best way to provide Americans with bandwidth would be to follow the model of the Interstate Highway System: Make it available inexpensively to all. That doesn't mean Frankston, co-inventor of the first spreadsheet and a former Microsoft scientist, wants the government to take over the Internet, but he is serious about people and businesses being able to get as much bandwidth as they desire, almost for free.
One of the first persons to sell a personal computer to an American consumer, Bobby Orbach has followed PCs and consumer technology since “the beginning.” In this interview, Orbach talks about interesting products he’s seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Among them: Video “eyephones” for the video iPod from Icuiti and the first surround-sound system for iPod, from ZVox Audio. Both sell for less than $300, Orbach also discusses the state of the consumer electronics industry and what customers should be looking forward to later this year and beyond.
Note that during the program, the wrong name is given for Icuiti, which is correct here. www.icuiti.com. Ibiquiti is a misspelling of Ibiquity, the HD Radio company.
Guest: Kevin Kutz, Director, Windows Client, Microsoft Corp.
In an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft’s Kevin Kutz says 2006 is the “turn the corner year” for many of the company’s consumer technologies, including Windows Media Center Edition and the forthcoming Windows Vista operating system. Kutz offers an update on Media Center, including new cable-ready hardware due later this year; talks about what’s in Vista that consumers will like; and updates new hardware from desktop to palmtop from several vendors.
Having just written that, so far, none of the major keynotes at CES contained any real news, I stand corrected by John Spooner's report on the Intel keynote, which I was unable to attend.
"Paul Otellini, CEO of the chip giant, outlined plans to bring a wide range of content, from sports to first-run movies, to anyone with a broadband Internet connection and a remote control using its new Viiv PC platform, during a Thursday night keynote at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show."
One of the more interesting people I've met here at the Consumer Electronics Show is Mark Spain, Sr. Director, of Microsoft's Automotive Business Unit.
Microsoft has been designing "Windows" systems for cars for about a decade and is just now starting to gain some market traction. Why? Call it harmonic convergence or whatever, but there is finally a critical mass of technology that people want to use while driving, such as MP3 players, cellular telephones, and navigation systems. At the same time, enabling technologies like USB and Bluetooth have matured, as have Microsoft's own offerings.
(I put "Windows" in quotation marks because this isn't the same Windows you and I use on our desktops. It's more akin to the Windows embedded products that go into industrial devices or the operating systems used by Windows-based mobile devices).
What Microsoft Wants
Microsoft's goal is to make all the digital devices a person uses work together, turning your automobile into a better digital environment than your home or office. It will do that, for example, by interfacing the car with your digital devices, allowing your normal cell phone or music player to use controls and displays built into the automobile. Thus, your digital devices will become hands-free when you get in the car, then automatically reconfigure themselves as soon as you open the car door and leave.
It's hard to make this as exciting in print as it is when some excitable people get to talking about it. But, the concept is for your phone, music player, GPS system, PDA, and other devices to all be aware of one another and to create little ad hoc networks when they are near each other. Over time, this will happen in the home, workplace, and automobile--which is what we're talking about here.
I know this sounds terribly futuristic to people who have trouble getting their existing devices to work properly in just by themselves. How can these devices possibly learn to work with one another without a lot of user intervention? All I can say is that everyone who is working to make this happen--across several industries--understands that if it the end result doesn't look like magic to the consumer, it isn't going to sell.
In Microsoft's case, this explains why the company has taken a deliberate "go slow" attitude, waiting for all the pieces to be "just so" before marketing automotive technology to average consumers. (This is the same strategy Microsoft generally uses with new technology, investing, investing, and investing until the technology is ready for the marketplace--and vice versa).
Making Connections
For cellular devices, this works with Bluetooth built into the cellular handset. For MP3 players, a USB connection is used. Navigation systems might be able to communicate with the vehicle through USB, Bluetooth, or some other connection. One of capabilities Microsoft is bringing to navigation systems will be what amounts to inertial navigation, allowing the system to function even when it cannot receive signals from GPS satellites.
And this, I should mention, is the low-end of Microsoft's offering, a version of the Windows Mobile operating system that's being sold to auto manufacturers. The first company to fully commit to the Microsoft OS is Europe's Fiat group, whose cars are currently not sold in the U.S., except for certain very high-end specialty models.
Microsoft also sells a full operating system designed specifically for automotive systems, largely used to drive the big color screens that are finding their way into almost every "premium model" that's sold today. These vehicles are available in the U.S., but don't seem as mature (or as interesting) as the vehicles Fiat will begin selling its European customers later this year.
There is also Microsoft software inside aftermarket vehicle systems, largely audio/video/navigation systems, such as those shown in the illustration above. Both Alpine and Pioneer introduced new systems here at CES.
For most of us, this technology is still a few years away. And for full functionality may require purchase of MP3 players, cellular handsets, and navigation systems designed with the Microsoft technology in mind. Not that current models won't work, it's just later iterations should offer better features and greater ease-of-use. I am assured you won't have to buy specific devices to work with Microsoft-equipped cars.
Clash of Cultures
One of the interesting things that's going on is the clash between the "hurry up" PC industry players and the "go slow" automobile manufacturers. In the middle, I think, is the consumer electronics industry, which would like to see Microsoft make deals with auto companies and then bring out compatible hardware just before (or slightly after) the autos arrive in dealerships.
Spain said one of the things that differentiates Microsoft from its competitors (QNX and WindRiver) in the automotive OS business is its reputation for hardware neutrality and ability to work with a wide variety of third-party devices. This is particularly important to auto companies who see updates, upgrades, and information/entertainment services for their customer's auto computer systems as a way to build customer loyalty and, perhaps, some added services revenue.
What's At CES?
At CES, Microsoft is showing new Honda models with an Alpine-built entertainment system as well as new aftermarket products from both Alpine and Pioneer. These bring to 61 the total number of automotive systems--from whole cars to aftermarket systems and standalone navigation devices--based on Microsoft operating systems. This isn't a very large number, but Spain said his company is proceeding at a deliberate pace so as to avoid problems created by products released too quickly.
My guess is it will be five years before the average U.S. auto buyer can look forward to their next car being equipped with a full-featured telematics system, connecting phones, music devices, navigation systems, and other devices on a network within the vehicle. There will be a number of intermediate steps, but customers will still need to be concerned about purchasing "first generation" equipment that later they might wish they had waited before buying. Of course, the enthusiast market--I think of myself as being on the low side of the middle of this--will buy the bits and pieces as they become available.
One thing to watch will be how many different devices we end up using. Cellular handsets, music players, and navigation systems are all on a collision course. Regular readers know I am not a huge fan of such multi-function devices, but when connected to a larger screen inside an automobile (compared to the device's own tiny screen) this might turn into an attractive option. I expect standalone devices will still be available and may be the best choice for many applications. I think screen size is a big deal.
My Wide-Eyed Comments
I hasten to add that these comments are those of a wide-eyed customer who doesn't buy a new car any more often than he has to. But, I have purchased a number of aftermarket systems, both entertainment and navigation. And, like everyone else, I own multiple cellular handsets.
It’s Friday morning here at the Consumer Electronics Show. Actually, CES is a quarter-mile to over a mile away from me right now—the convention center is really big. And it’s not even open right now. I just walked down there and the place is deserted, save the security guards hired to watch over all the expensive toys. Now, I am back in my hotel room, hoping to eventually get some sleep.
It’s 1:05 a.m. as I write this. I'll post it before sunrise and after that there is still more work, not made easier by a bad wireless Internet connection at the hotel where I'm staying.
So Far, So Good
This has been a good show. I have mostly been talking to people—I have five Gearlog Radio segments done—and am trying to see as much of the show floor as possible. That’s not nearly as much as I’d like.
CES has become way too large for a single person to cover. It didn’t used to be that way, but this year Ziff Davis Internet has something close to two dozen people here and I doubt any two of them have seen very many of the same things.
As editor-without-portfolio, I’ve been trying to get the big picture. What impresses me is how much technology is becoming both user-friendly and affordable.
There is no single product or even category that really epitomizes the show. In previous years, it’s been possible to say “TiVo vs. Replay” or “Sirius vs. XM” or “home theater” were the big things at the show. It’s not that way this year.
Nothing Earthshaking, As of Yet
None of the big players have made earthshaking announcements, though Microsoft, Intel, Sony, and the other companies whose names you know have all been showing the flag. I’ve spent a lot of time with Microsoft, which is what I generally do since I find myself writing about the company every few days.
I recorded a Gearlog Radio segment with Keith Kutz (pronounced like “coots”), who has recently joined the Windows Client (think “Vista”) group as a publicity director. It’s interesting talking to someone who has spent less than a year at Microsoft, coming to the company from a PR firm that, as far as I know, had none of Redmond’s business. (The segment posts before Noon ET today).
There’s nothing wild in the interview, nor was there in Bill Gates’ keynote, but if you want to hear Microsoft’s current messaging, Kevin does a good job of delivering it. Visit PC Magazine for stories and DigitalLife TV for our video coverage.
We have videos of all the keynotes that have taken place, none of which set the world afire. The best keynote may or may not end up being Google's, depending on what the company actually announces. But, even the rumor of Wal-Mart selling a Google-branded PC hasn’t exactly set tongues wagging here at CES.
Maybe the crowd is jaded, but it seems to take a lot to get people excited, certainly more than in years past.
The Future is Multiple Pieces, Working Together
Speaking of jaded, this is a good show for people who are looking to see the future happening, albeit slowly. Making things work together is a major theme I am seeing across many companies here.
I’m taking about Bluetooth finally doing useful things without user assistance, and at popular prices. We’re also seeing the beginnings of other technologies, like Ultra Wide Band, which could replace the cables in our home stereo and theater systems with wireless connections. None of this is, by itself, a huge advance. None of it is stuff that hasn’t been talked about before, but it’s finally beginning to do something worthwhile.
Walking around CES makes me feel better about where technology is headed, but much of it won’t be really ready for Mr. and Mrs. America for a few years. There are still many challenges, especially in making devices work with one another and simplifying user experience, but I feel better than I have in a long time that real progress is being made.
The nature of progress has changed, however. Progress no longer comes from one person or one company (even Microsoft), but is the result of many groups working together. The lone exception has been the iPod, but I think it goes toward proving the rule. Today, progress happens with many companies work together to meet common customer needs. That means there won’t be as many “wow!” announcements, since this type of progress happens slowly, but it paves the way for some great advances.
Cool Automotive Technology
I am excited, for example, about what is happening with improvements to automobile “infotainment” systems. I’ve written about Microsoft’s plans, but a better driving experience is a theme not just for Microsoft but many other companies as well.
I haven’t heard as much about digital rights management as I expected to. That’s good in some ways—less yelling and screaming—but concerns me because there is still much to be decided.
Speaking of which, I wonder how Blu-ray will fare after the Sony root kit debacle. Blu-ray is Sony’s high-definition DVD format. It competes with the Microsoft and Intel-backed HD-DVD. At one point, Blu-ray seemed almost unstoppable. But, with HP now straddling the fence on what format it will support, HD-DVD has started to look very strong.
My hope is that Sony will be “rewarded” for its root kit shenanigans with a marketplace rejection of Blu-ray. What I think may actually happen, though, is the format that gets the best content quickest will gather significant momentum, perhaps making Blu-ray look like a winner. I don’t think it will be over time, but with the right content, anything seems possible.
Where To Find More
You will find our CES coverage on the PC Magazine site, www.pcmag.com, as well as on DigitalLife TV, www.dl.tv, where you can see Patrick Norton’s video programs, which include lots of new products and demonstrations. These two sites will give you a better sense of what is happening here than I could possibly do alone.
Over the next several days, I am planning to post additional CES-related products and commentary, though the other sites are our main venues for show coverage. Please check them out.
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