ASUS at CES

Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

There are more different types, sizes, and brands of computers at CES than you can shake a stick at, though Apple is always conspicuously absent. In fact the Apple Tablet somewhat overshadowed much of the innovations of the Las Vegas show because clearly the Apple Tablet is going to be the “one to beat”, especially given the lack of any clearly “superb” tablet offering at CES.

Although I have not done enough research to generalize much about the best new PCs I think it’s clear that the mainsteam trend is towards smaller laptops and netbooks with robust features. Costs are going down – features that would have been unheard of at any cost 5 years ago are now standard on even a modest PC. Battery life is impressive and getting better – one of the ASUS PCs shown here had a battery that lasted something like 10 hours.

ASUS also has a new interesting line of *very large* laptops with high quality speakers built into the sides of the chassis to the left and right of the screen. Although heavy, these will offer huge power and a “desktop” feel for your mobile computing. Still, I think weight is the key factor driving down PC size and predict it’ll be the netbooks that dominate the market for the next few years.

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CES 2010 = fewer exhibits but more China?    I haven’t researched this to know for sure, but I think there’s a larger China presence here at CES than last year, especially from “mainland” companies from Beijing and other cities outside of Hong Kong.     The conference no longer has the large exhibit space at the Sands, making it a bit easier to navigate because there is less need to travel back and forth between the Venetian Sands venue and the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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Drew Carey at CES 2010

Drew Carey hosted a short tech trivia contest for CNET this afternoon here at CES.   Carey’s joke during the contest summed up one of the major stories here here at the conference.  Carey joked that the $50 gift certificates from CNET were going to be $100, but CNET  “had  tough year”.       I spoke with CEA briefly and they said the preliminary counts indicate about the same attendance as last year’s which I think they said was 107,000 after the auditing that is mandatory for major shows.    Of course I think that many attendees are from exhibitor groups so it’s not a simple task to determine the year to year trends in terms of the industry at large.    I think the Drew Carey analysis probably sums it up – 2009 was  tough year in tech.      However overall the feel here seems to be optimistic, and I think we’re seeing more from China as “good quality, lower price” may start to define the industry more than it has in the past.

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Lenovo’s clearly out for the win with a  new stylish hybrid  PC that has a detachable tablet weighing 1.6 pounds.   I got to handle the tablet last night and was impressed with the weight (1.6 pounds), how clear the screen appeared, and how well the touch interface appeared to handle navigation, ebooks, and photos.

The show is just beginning in earnest today but so far this is the most functional, best product I’ve seen here at CES.

More:

CES: Tablet PCs from HP, Lenovo‎

Lenovo Unveils Tablet Laptop Hybrid‎

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The massive Las Vegas Convention Center is divided into North, South, and Central Hall. Also, there are usually several exhibits (e.g. a Microsoft Tech Home) located in the parking area for the Convention Center. For CES first timers take a few moments in front of the convention center to familiarize yourself with the layout of the halls so you won’t be quite as disoriented when you dive in:

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UPDATE:   Unlike in past years, the CES Conference is NOT using the Sands Convention Center for the big floor exhibitors so unless you have specific vendors to visit at the Venetian or Sands you’ll probably want to focus your efforts on the Las Vegas Convention Center.   Bloggers and Press note that the Venetian facilities this year are limited to a small lounge,  so you should probably plan on using the LVCC Press Room and Blogger lounges more than the Venetian.

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Print out a map:

Adding to both the fun and the challenge of the massive CES show is that it is … really … big.   This is an excellent map from CES Web:   CES_Show_Map (pdf).    The many different maps they have at the show are – for me – kind of hard to work with unless I have a very specific vendor to find.    I’d recommend that first timers print out This map and review it before arriving.

Targeting plus aimless wandering = success!

With some 2500 exhibitors I’d recommend you concentrate on finding things that really interest you and dig in deeper at those exhibits, and then simply walk the show floors somewhat systematically to take it all in.

Use the Venetian to LVCC Shuttle wisely
Because of the wait times and 10 minutes of travel I’d avoid taking the shuttle back and forth from the Venetian to the Convention Center – rather pick different days to visit each, perhaps lining up the Venetian or Hilton venues with parties or other events you have there since the Convention Center pretty much closes down after about 5 or 6 pm though many people and some exhibitors will linger on.

UPDATE:   Unlike in past years, CES is NOT using the Sands Convention Center for the big floor exhibitors so unless you have specific vendors to visit at the Venetian you’ll probably want to focus your efforts on the Las Vegas Convention Center.   Bloggers and Press note that the Venetian facilities this year are limited to a small lounge,  so you should probably plan on using the LVCC Press Room and Blogger lounges more than the Venetian.

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The two  ”huge” CES Venues are the Venetian / Sands Complex and the Las Vegas Convention Center.    The Las Vegas Hilton is also a major venue and is located “adjacent” to the Convention Center’s North Hall, though as with everything in Vegas you are in for some long walks.

Unlike the Venetian Sands complex, the Las Vegas Convention Center is *not* located on the Las Vegas Strip, so be sure to plan some extra time to get there if you are staying in  a strip hotel.   If you are staying in downtown Las Vegas you’ll want to consider a cab directly over or allow about a half hour to take the “Deuce” bus to the Venetian Sands and then another ten minutes to catch a CES Shuttle from there to the Convention Center Venue.

The Las Vegas Convention Center has three *enormous* halls, North (near the Hilton), Central, and South.   Although you could spend all day in any of these you’ll probably enjoy yourself most by walking a bit faster, stumbling into interesting exhibits and spending time where you see fit.    For first timers I’d recommend you avoid planning many appointments or mapping out your day – rather  simply try to get a good feel for the exhibit halls,  stop in at the interesting venues, and try to find a few CES parties to attend.  If you are a blogger or press this will be easier because the parties are often geared to those who will create some “business buzz” for the sponsors.

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Please note:   The Aria Resort and Vdara Hotel are sponsors of Technology Report’s CES Coverage for the 2010 Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and this post is to thank them for that support.   Disclosure Statement

The ARIA Resort & Casino and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the new Las Vegas CityCenter Project are the first in the USA to debut a spectacular level of technological innovation for their guests.

A WiFi City opens at CITYCENTER Las Vegas:

CityCenter now offers the world’s largest distributed antenna system.   Over 6,500 antennas and over 2,900 wireless access points cover the Las Vegas CITYCENTER complex which is located directly south of the Bellagio on Las Vegas Boulevard, also called “The Las Vegas Strip”.

Aria’s Amazing Guestroom Technologies:

At the Aria Resort and Mandarin Hotels you’ll find  “smart” automation for every guestroom.   Every device is networked via one gigabit of bandwidth.

The room will recognize a first visit and “greet” guests as they enter with lighting and parting of curtains to showcase the  hotel’s spectacular city or mountain views. The TV will turn on to display a list of automated controls for guests to personalize.

The system also provides  one-touch remote control of lighting, room temperature, television/video systems, music, wake-up calls, draperies and requests for services.  A remote control directs devices in the room or the guest can use the nightstand’s  a seven-inch touch panel.

RFID unlocks the door via key card and sensor.

Aria rooms all feature a 42-inch LCD HDTV with laptop and other device connectivity as well as access to room controls.   The TV also acts as a communications center for the room.

The ARIA Resort & Casino opened December 17 and is located in the Las Vegas CityCenter project.

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The Las Vegas Hilton Venue for CES is located adjacent to the Las Vegas Convention Center – which still means a walk of about 5-10 minutes but does not require you to take the free and frequent shuttle bus as you must to go from the Convention Center or the Hilton to the Venetian / Sands complex which is a few miles away.

The Hilton is the smallest and most easily manageable of the three major CES Venues which also include the Venetian / Sands and the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In Las Vegas you’ll want to preserve your strength and take shuttles whenever possible because simply walking from one hotel to another along the strip can take some time in this city of mega-buildings.   Also note that with buildings of this size your mind (and even maps) may tend to fool you into thinking things are closer than they actually are.

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Although the CES Conference pretty much takes up all of the Las Vegas Strip for several days, there are three key venues for the conference. The largest is the Las Vegas Convention Center, a massive and sprawling complex with “North Hall” , “South Hall”, and “Central Hall”. This is where most of the exhibits are located. The second venue is the Las Vegas Hilton which is next door to North Hall, though among the mega-buildings of Las Vegas “next door” often means a shuttle ride or walk of 10+ minutes. The other major venue is the Venetian Hotel / Sands Convention Center, another huge and interconnected complex featuring several large convention halls and hundreds of hotel suites to feature specialized audio and other innovations.

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