Day 1 at
CES 2007 has just about finished in Las Vagas, and I apart from a few blips here and there, it pretty much flatlined for me. Sure there were all the bigger-than-big TVs, blu-ray & HD-DVD players (including a one that can play both thank god), slightly improved phones, iPod-ed hifi systems and MP3 players, but nothing really stood out. Most weren't surprises either, as they either leaked out before, or companies tried to steal the spotlight early.
The blips included:
- Microsoft's Windows Automotive platform finally making it into mainstream cars with Ford in the form of 'Sync'. Its great that there is now a significant force pushing computers in cars - people have been doing it for years, but it never really caught on with the rest of the world until now. Its a Ford-exclusive though - I'm not sure whether they're referring to the 'Sync' software or the platform however. Of course, we won't be seeing it here any time soon...
- Microsoft announcing Windows Home Server (Quattro). This was expected, and given the amount of expected integration, it'll be a good boost to getting the various new connected devices into people's houses. The video shown for this was blanked out over the webcast though, spoiling the fun.
- HP's TouchSmart PC officially announced. Finally, here's something that breaks the boring PC mould. For everyday tasks, this PC would be a lot more efficient due to the touchscreen, and there's always a keyboard and mouse to fall back on to when doing more complicated tasks. The inclusion of FM radio and a TV tuner cements it as an entertainment device too, so it is a jack-of-all-trades in many respects. Not sure where they're targeting it in people's houses though - kitchen or dining area? I'm guessing somewhere central.
- Demo of Windows Live 3D Maps using the Xbox controller to fly through. Flight-sim without needing to know how to fly.
- WowWee's new robots. Nothing really new here (all covered before, even in print magazine T3), but hey, they're cool.
- Sling Media's new SlingCatcher. Yet another device to connect your PC to your TV, but its got an interesting design, and an untapped hard drive; plus these guys usually do some pretty cool stuff with your media content so it'll probably be worth keeping an eye on.
- Gates' ramming home 'connected experience'. I'm with him - that's definitely where we're all heading and the sooner the better. Be even better if I could be part of those who bring it to the masses.
P.S. Is it just me, or is Gates really quite a crap speaker. I haven't watched any of his speeches before, and maybe he's getting old, but he doesn't sound very interesting or exciting at all. All the other people he pulled out were more interesting, including the clueless auto exec (does anyone actually use
ZIP drives anymore? I know they exist, but still...). Let's see how Jobs go at
MacWorld tomorrow...