Rise of the Ultrabook / Thin Notebook / Hybrid Tablet

Slow but powerful ongoing convergence of internet with electronic devices of all types, especially mobile ones.

Does anybody really care about 3D TV?  Really?

Green tech skepticism is not a crime.

Internet TVs and YouTube keynote packed at the conference that hardly even talked about the social media and the internet 5 years ago.

—————-   More press about CES —————

From ZDNet, January 12, 2012

“CES 2012: 10 Facebook Platform integrations”

From PC Magazine, January 12, 2012
“Great Audio Gear at CES 2012″

From Tulsa World, January 12, 2012
“Thin ultrabooks trend at 2012 Consumer Electronics Show”

From Los Angeles Times, January 12, 2012
“At CES, TV makers show off lighter, sharper sets”

From San Francisco Chronicle, January 12, 2012
“CES’ Eureka Park shows cutting-edge products”

From USA Today, January 12, 2012
“‘Smart’ TVs and other products proliferate at CES”

From The Irish Times, January 12, 2012
“Show time for electronics as record numbers exhibit at CES”

From Forbes, January 12, 2012
“CES 2012: Camera Makers Fight Back With Smart Devices”

From CNET, January 12, 2012
“Post-show report: Big OLEDs dominate TV news at CES 2012″

From Huffington Post, January 12, 2012
“Carmakers Count On Tech To Transform Autos Into Companions “

From BBC, January 11, 2012
“CES 2012: Environmentally sound technology on display”

From The Washington Post, January 11, 2012
“CES 2012: New smartphones, ultrabooks unveiled”

From The Mercury News, January 11, 2012
” inShare Magid on Tech: At CES, a new golden age for cars is beginning”

From The Seattle Times, January 11, 2012
“CES 2012: Gallery of new TVs — big, thin and bright”

From The New York Times, January 10, 2012
“CES Gets Started”

From NY Daily News, January 10, 2012
“CES 2012: Tech companies go ‘All in’ for Las Vegas convention”

From Daily Tech, January 9, 2012
“CES 2012: Samsung’s Series 5, Series 9 Ultrabooks Bow in Las Vegas “

From Las Vegas Sun, January 8, 2012
“2012 CES: Celebrity list includes Bieber, Snooki, 50 Cent, LL Cool J, Overeem”

From USA Today, January 8, 2012
“Yahoo and Tom Hanks to announce Net video project at CES”

From The Huffington Post, January 8, 2012
“5 Big Gizmo Trends for CES 2012 “

From CNET, January 8, 2012
“Leak Week makes CES better (opinion)”

From EE Times, January 7, 2012
“Hot parties at CES 2012″

From TechRadar, January 6, 2012
“Why we’re crazy about CES 2012″

From The Denver Post, January 6, 2012
“CES 2012 preview – robotic blocks and the show’s new spotlight on startups”

From The Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2012
“Big Gadget Show Expecting a Blowout”

From The Huffington Post, January 5, 2012
“Eureka Park And Green Innovation Coming To CES 201″

From Variety, January 2, 2012
“Kudos cornucopia set for CES”

From CNET, December 30, 2011
“Eight things I’m looking forward to seeing at CES”

From PR Newswire, December 28, 2011
“Finalists Announced for Mobile Apps Showdown; Winners to be Announced at 2012 International CES, January 12″

From PR Newswire, December 28, 2011
“Finalists Announced for Last Gadget Standing; Winners To Be Announced at 2012 International CES, January 12″

From Engadget, December 21, 2011
“CES 2012 to feature 94 startup companies in ‘Eureka Park TechZone’”

From CNET, December 20, 2011
“CES setting up its own startup alley”

From TechRadar, December 20, 2011
“CES 2012: what to expect Updated: Phones, cameras, computing, TV, gaming and more”

From CNET, December 19, 2011
“Faster phones and more Ice Cream Sandwich at CES 2012 “

From CNET, December 19, 2011
“CES 2012: The unlikeliest car show”

From CNET, December 19, 2011
“Clouds everywhere, voice control, home integration, and health: How software will bring it all together at CES 2012″

From Twice, December 19, 2011
“Home Audio: What’s Coming At CES 2012″

From CNET, December 19, 2011
“Predictions for CES 2012″

From Spike TV, December 16, 2011
“This Year’s CES Could Be the Year of the Tablet”

From CNET, December 16, 2011
“Better 3D, voice control, more apps: How CES 2012 will advance the TV”

From Spike TV, December 14, 2011
“The Greatest Celebrity Moments in CES History”

From EE Times, December 14, 2011
“CES: USB wall outlets power up consumer devices”

From Spike TV, December 13, 2011
“The Things We’re Most Looking Forward to Seeing at CES 2012″

From EE Times, December 9, 2011
“Top 10 CE innovation gadgets at CES”

From TechRadar, November 29, 2011
“CES 2012: Gary Shapiro talks tech”

From TechRadar, November 22, 2011
“CES 2012: what to expect”

From Mashable, November 18, 2011
“Ultrabooks Get Ready for Their Close-Up at CES 2012″

From PCWorld, November 16, 2011
“CES 2012 Gadget Preview”

We all knew things were moving from offline to online media, but this suggests that online video adoption and usage is happening faster and with more gusto than all but the most enthusiastic online evangelists would have predicted.   In fact YouTube’s  Robert Kyncl noted how they have been constantly revising projections based on higher use than expected.

How will this trend affect us?    Probably in some very dramatic ways.   Heavy capital TV networks may increasingly see advertisers shifting to highly targeted niche markets, lowering the quality of network productions as money dries up.   Meanwhile more and more user generated content is pouring online, diverting more  attention away from traditional media.   The end result in terms of the content landscape?   I’m guessing we’ll see even more of a ” race to the bottom” in terms of content, where low quality lowbrow content will push out the better stuff.  Yet “high quality TV” has always been something of an oxymoron anyway, so nobody should lose any sleep as we watch our watching habits shift from our favorite TV drama to our favorite online personality’s content channel.   In fact I’d predict that we’ll even see some great quality, low cost shows come out as the barriers to entry fall away and millions more clever content producers flood the online landscape with …. more stuff.

We’ll be flying in late tonight and start our live show coverage tomorrow morning the keynotes from the ‘Silvers Summit’ over at the Retirement Information blog, Retire USA.    The Silvers Summit is a showcase of technologies focused on the senior market and will includes health care and lifestyle tech innovations.

Tomorrow afternoon we’ll be on the show floor looking for the “next big thing” and maybe even finding it.   One of the challenges at CES is the sheer size – thousands of exhibitors compete for attention and it’s impossible to give anybody much of your time.   However we’ll also try to send you off to the blogs that have large teams working CES as they’ll do a more comprehensive job of covering the show than we can here at Technology Report.   Some great CES Resources are:

CNET at CES:  http://ces.cnet.com/

Engadget at CES  http://www.engadget.com/

Gizmodo at CES:  http://gizmodo.com/5874370/we-are-liveblogging-the-hell-out-of-ces

—- Press Release from Consumer Electronics Association regarding CES 2012 ——–

Las Vegas, Nev., January 9, 2012 – With more than 100 products introduced at the CES Unveiled event last night and press day opening today, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announces that the 2012 International CES will be the association’s second largest show in history when show floor opens on Tuesday. For a sneak peek at the show floor before it opens, visitCES’s YouTube channel and for a look at the innovation from CES Unveiled, click here.

The 1.851 million net square feet of show floor will open tomorrow, as more than 2,700 companies debut the next generation of innovative products across all sectors of the consumer electronics industry. The 2011 show welcomed 149,529 technology attendees and spanned more than 1.6 million net square feet of exhibit space. The largest CES was in 2008, with a record-breaking 1.857 million net square feet of exhibit space.

“CES is the global stage for innovation,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Every major technology company across the globe is participating in force at this year’s CES. While many exhibit on the show floor, others send key executives to conduct meetings, participate in keynote panels, or hold their own events in Las Vegas this week to take advantage of the braintrust of technology professionals gathered here.” In addition to the 2,700 exhibitors at this year’s show, every major tech company, including Apple, Facebook, Twitter, HP and Dell, is sending significant delegations to CES, the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow.

CEA expects this year’s CES will be the most innovative show on record, with more than 20,000 new products slated to be announced this week. While the doors to the 2012 CES show floor officially open on Tuesday, news has already started to leak highlighting new innovations and products before many of these companies have even held their press conferences:

• TV manufacturer Vizio is introducing a line-up of laptops and desktops, including two Ultrabooks.
• Nokia will debut the Lumia 900 smartphone, a Windows Phone with LTE support, to be sold at AT&T this spring.
• Lenovo enters the television market by unveiling the K91Smart TV running Google’s Android 4.0.
• LG Electronics announced a variety of LED-based TVs with bezels under 5mm in width for a nearly all-picture look, as well as a 55-inch OLED TV.
• Specialty glass producer Corning plans to introduce Gorilla Glass 2, a harder, thinner and more scratch resistant glass that could pave the way for the production of thinner and sturdier tablets and smartphones.
• Intel plans to offer a slew of affordable Ultrabooks in partnership with HP, Asus, LG and others.
• OLPC announced the XO 3.0 tablet, a tablet for the world’s poorest children.
• Tobii Technology showed new eye-tracking technology that allows users to scroll, play and navigate using their eyes and without touching a mouse.
• Parrot AR Drone 2.0, which was first launched at CES 2010, once again wowed attendees at CESUnveiled last night with better location and orientation sensors.
• SolarFocus’ Kindle e-reader case provides 50 hours of onboard reading light powered by a solar panel on the front of the case.
• 3M Touch Systems, a multi-user, widescreen touch table, allows for an impressive maximum 60 touch points and up to four split screens.

With more than 5,000 members of the press covering the International CES, this week is slated to be packed with new announcements from CE companies of all sizes. According to CNET, “this is the most preshow news we’ve seen in years, both in terms of formal announcements and flat-out leaks.” Breaking coverage of all the latest CES news can also be found at CESweb.org/news, and B-roll HD footage can be found at CESweb.org/press/CES-B-roll.htm.  Since 1967, CES has been the launch pad for several major technology innovations.

Below are links to some of the meatiest information at CES 2012 in Las Vegas.   This is from the press kit and offers several facts about the show as well as schedules, venue information, and maps.

If you are a first timer I’d recommend you do NOT try to plan out your day carefully – you can spend hours simply stumbling around trying to find vendors.   Better in my opinion is to start at the Las Vegas Convention center and walk somewhat systematically through the 3 main exhibit halls there – South, North/Hilton, and Central.    Stop at exhibits that interest you but don’t stay too long because there’s always something more interesting around the next corner.

2012  CES Fact Sheet

2012 CES Fun Facts

Pre-Press Events and Shuttle Service

2012 CES  Venues and Map

2012 CES Super Sessions

CES Mobile Apps Showdown – turn your 2 minutes of mobile fame to your new fortune. 

Gary Dell’Abate and Jon Hein are hosting a great CES event on Thursday where competitors will showcase their mobile applications in the hopes of winning the “best mobile application” based on different criteria such as online voting and even audience applause.  A showcase event will follow where you can ask questions and test drive some of the applications you liked in the contest.

It’s encouraging to see a lot more internet centric events at CES in recent years.    In Technology Report’s 2008 coverage we noted that “Web 2.0″ and social media emphasis seemed a bit lacking but CES has made good progress in those areas – especially mobile internet which many see as the most fertile ground for expansion of the online landscape.

Most of those blogger, press, and special parties require invitations so it’s often best to contact folks before or during the conference to make sure you can get into an event.   Also note that some of the best events are “hospitality suites” held after “pitches” by the big players.  These large business sponsors will invite everyone attending their “pitch” event to enjoy drinks and food.

Generally, even if you *should* be allowed into an event you’ll have hassles if you are not on the pre-approved lists, but note that some of the events below appear to be open to all attendees such as the Tweetup and Tao wrap up CES party on Friday.

PDF of the following events at CES 2012 is HERE

PMDA Awards Ceremony and After Party
7:30 p.m. Monday, January 9
ARIA, Haze Nightclub

The PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA),
For information or tickets, contact Michelle Tramantano at michelle@pmda.com.

The 2012 CES Hot Stuff Awards
5 p.m. Tuesday, January 10
Winners Announced Online at www.Stuff.tv
10 most desirable, most exciting and most innovative products to launch at 2012 CES.  Stuff at Stuff.TV
about the 2012 CES Hot Stuff Awards.

Mark of Excellence Awards Reception
5-6 p.m. Tuesday January 10
LVCC, South Hall 1, CEPro@CES
The Mark of Excellence Supplier Awards are joining the International CES
Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program! This new and exciting
announcement allows you to increase your product’s exposure, recognition
and prestige. The Innovations Awards program recognizes the most
innovative consumer electronics products in the industry’s hottest product
categories and has become a hallmark for the best designed products in
consumer technology. The Mark of Excellence System Integrator Awards will
resume in 2012 and will culminate with the announcement of the winners
at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas, but you don’t have to wait until
2013 to celebrate! There will be a reception in honor of the 2011 Mark of
Excellence System Integrator fi nalists and winners during the 2012 CES.

SportsNation
2 p.m. Wednesday, January 11
LVCC, Central Hall, ESPN 3D Booth #13632
Watch Emmy Award-winning SportsNation live as it becomes ESPN’s first

studio program to be telecast in 3D! The show provides an off-beat look
at sports, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and weaves pop culture into a
fast-paced hour like no other.

CES Tweet Up
4-7 p.m. Wednesday, January 11
Las Vegas Hilton, SpaceQuest Lounge
Twitter followers and friends are invited to meet the CES Social Media Team
and other members of our online community at the Offi cial CES Tweet Up.
Meet social media mavens, talk tech and enjoy drink specials. Follow at @
intlCES for more information.

The 2012 What HI-FI?
Sound and Vision Stars of CES
5 p.m. Winners Announced
Wednesday, January 11
The Venetian, Tower Suite 29-326
The 2012 CES sees the launch of Stars of CES – a new Awards scheme
from the world’s leading home entertainment buyer’s guide, showcasing
the music- and movie-boosting heroes – of the world’s greatest tech show.
Centered on the audio exhibits in The Venetian, Stars of CES will highlight
the show’s most impressive debuts – from the latest high-tech streaming
solutions to the very best in traditional hi-fi and AV. Potential Stars of CES
winners don’t need a big booth to impress our expert judges – just a superb
new product launched at The Venetian Tower of the 2012 International
CES, which our global readership of enthusiasts is waiting to be excited by.
Leaders in Technology Dinner
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 11
Wynn Las Vegas, Lafite Ballroom
By Invitation Only
The most distinguished event at CES, the Leaders in Technology (LIT)
Dinner attracts 500 of the most influential industry leaders, including
executive-level government representatives and policy makers.

MashBash
7 p.m. Wednesday, January 11
Mirage, 1 0AK Night Club
The MashBash at CES will be celebrating the best of digital – from the
Mashable Awards winners to the trends and companies joining Mashable
at CES.The MashBash will bring together the Mashable community,
industry leaders and digital infl uencers from the biggest technology and
consumer electronic brands.
From awards programs to tweet ups and everything in between, CES has something for everyone.
Take a look at the awards

Developer University at CES

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday, January 12
LVCC, South Hall Connector, Room S228
Want to know what’s happening in the app world? Attend the first ever
Developer University at CES event brought to you by the Consumer Electronics
Association (CEA)®. Hear directly from product manufacturers and
developers about their platforms, developer tools, sdks, APIs and developer
programs. Sessions will be broken down topically by TV apps, device APIs,
third-party API, web apps, desktop apps, mobile apps and more. Registration
is free but you must RSVP by December 30 in order to secure your
space. Learn more about the event and presenting companies at www.
CESweb.org/events/devu.asp.
Last Gadget Standing
10:30 a.m. Thursday, January 12
LVCC, North Hall, Room N255
A perennial attendee favorite, Last Gadget Standing challenges contenders to
give the product demo of their lives. At stake: bragging rights as the product
“most likely to change the face of technology.” See all the winners strut their
stuff in this inventive, fast-paced competition. Guest emcees Gary Dell’Abate
and Jon Hein from the Howard Stern Show will host the event.

CNET Best of CES Awards
11 a.m. Winners Announced, Thursday, January 12
LVCC, South Hall 3 Lobby
CNET hosts the official Best of CES Awards live on the show floor. A team
of expert editors scour the International CES to find the most buzz-worthy,
category-defining, innovative, and promising products at the show.

Mobile Apps Showdown
12:30 p.m. Thursday, January 12
LVCC, North Hall, Room N255
Are you ready for a showdown? Pit your mobile app against the competition
during the Mobile Apps Showdown at 2012 CES! Apps producers will have
two minutes to demo their app, and an applause-o-meter will measure audience
enthusiasm to determine the winners. Judges will select 10 finalists
for the apps competition, which will take place live at the 2012 CES and
online. Two winners will be selected, one based on a live vote at the 2012
CES and the other based on online voters at the site.

CES Edition of Friday Night Fights
1:30 p.m. Thursday, January 12
LVCC, Central Hall, ESPN 3D Booth #13632
Let’s get ready to rumble! Join ESPN 3D for the best seat in the house during
Top Rank boxing matches staged live on the show floor. This event will
also be telecast live on ESPN 3D.

IAWTV Awards
6-8 p.m. Thursday, January 12
The Venetian, Level 2, Venetian Showroom
The International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV) will hold its inaugural
IAWTV Awards at the 2012 International CES. The Awards will serve as an
annual event, and will be the first award show within the industry to be
presented by content creators for content creators. For its inaugural gala,
the IAWTV Awards will consist of 33 categories honoring web series and
talent, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

Technology & Engineering Emmy® Awards
6:30 p.m. Reception; 7:30 p.m. Dinner
Thursday, January 12
The Venetian, Level 4, Delfino 4101
Launched in 1948, The Technology and Engineering Emmy® Awards honor
development and innovation in broadcast technology and recognize companies,
organizations and individuals for breakthroughs in technology that
have a significant effect on television engineering. The Emmy Awards will
be presented at the International CES for the sixth year in a row. For ticket
and sponsorship information, contact Lauren Saverine at 212-484-9440 or
by email at lsaverine@emmyonline.tv.
TAO: The Official CES Closing Party
10-11 p.m. Friday, January 13
The Venetian, TAO Nightclub*
Join us at one of Vegas’ hottest nightclubs, TAO, for the Official CES Closing
Party on the last night of CES, Friday, January 13. Enjoy expedited access
into the night club and an exclusive wristband for service to their well open
bar from 10-11 p.m. For bottle service/table reservations in advance, email
Bob.Shindelar@taogroup.com.
* All guests must be 21+ w/ ID and compliant with dress code for admission.

CES 2012 Press Releases

Here are some nice travel tips from the CES Official Website, CESweb.org :  CES Travel Tips

Although CES conference buses do NOT serve the downtown hotels (at least I’ve never seen that in my several years at the conference), you can catch “the deuce” bus pretty much any time which will take you down the strip to the Venetian where CES has a very regular shuttle back and forth to the Convention Center.   Taxis are more expensive but also a quick way to get to the Convention Center. I’d recommend you avoid trying to take the city bus from downtown to the Convention Center or to the Monorail station at the Sahara because the transfers can be tricky and they don’t run nearly as often as “the deuce”.

The Deuce costs $3 per ride (a bit ironic, since I believe the name originally referred to the $2 fare), or you can purchase a daily pass for $7 or a 3 day for $15.      There’s also an express strip bus that runs a similar route to the deuce.     Information about that is here and you should print out this route map to orient yourself between the strip and downtown, a distance of a few miles:  http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/transit/route/stripdowntown/stripdowntown(09-18-11).pdf

Ford’s Alan Mulally Talks Technology
Copyright Technology Report , use with credit.

The CES Innovation Power Panel  happens at 9am on January 11 in the Las Vegas Hilton Theater.    The panel will feature three top American CEOs who will discuss the roles that innovation has played in the success of their respective companies.

At the 2009 CES Mulally impressed the crowd with Ford’s technology and forward looking corporate world view.    I asked him then if Ford would be “needing bailout money” and he answered that he didn’t think so.    Impressively, Ford never did take any bailout money.    In fact some sources suggest that Mulally recently had pressure from no less than the President Obama to pull an advertisement that mentioned how the other car makers took bailout money.    The format was  the Ford “press conference” where a Ford buyer mentions he did not want to buy a “bailout” money car.     Here’s more on that issue:   http://www.autoblog.com/2011/09/27/ford-yanks-bailout-ad-amidst-controversy-w-video/

Biographies of the Innovation Panel CEOs at CES 2012 from CES Website.

Ursula Burns, chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation, has been with Xerox since 1980. She began her career with the company as a mechanical engineering summer intern before working her way up to lead various organizations including Xerox’s global research as well as product development, marketing and delivery. She was named CEO in July 2009 and has since been instrumental in driving the acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services, which has transformed Xerox into the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management. Burns has been recognized for her leadership by both Fortune and Forbes magazine’s “Most Powerful Women” lists.  Also, under Ursula’s watch Xerox has been named to Bloomberg Businessweek’s ”The World’s 25 Most Inventive Companies.”

Lowell McAdam was named president and CEO of Verizon Communications in August 2011, having previously served as the company’s president and COO. He also held key executive positions at Verizon Wireless since its inception in 2000, and built the company into the industry’s leading wireless provider, with the nation’s largest, most reliable wireless voice and 4G broadband data network. Additionally, he has served as vice president of international operations for AirTouch Communications. McAdam currently serves as chairman of the Verizon Wireless Board of Representatives, and on the board of directors of Verizon Communications.

Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company, joined Ford in 2006, after serving as executive vice president of The Boeing Company and president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He is known for his innovative and focused industry leadership, while working to transform Ford into a lean, global enterprise. He has served as a past president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and is a former president of its Foundation. Mulally was named Chief Executive Magazine’s “CEO of the Year” in 2011, “Businessperson of the Year” by the readers of Fortune Magazine in 2010, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2009 and “Person of the Year” in 2006 by Aviation Week magazine.