Reflecting on the Best of CES 2010 - Page 3

Wi-Fi on your lap

Among the 100+ e-Readers making a major splash at CES 2010 were the 11.5" Skiff Reader, the 11" Plastic Logic QUE ProReader (from $650, left), the 6" and 10" Samsung e101 (from $400), the EnTourage eDGe Dual-Book ($490), the Android-based Spring Design Alex ($359), and the 6" and 9" DMC Copia (from $199).

Virtually all of these e-Readers come standard with 802.11bg and Bluetooth; upscale products offer embedded 3G as well. Today's e-Readers are thin monochrome "e-ink" displays that are easy on the eyes. Jockeying for market position, many e-Readers had unique angles – for example, the QUE ProReader (below) can pull email and calendar data from Outlook, while the enTourage eDGe includes both a conventional LCD and an e-ink display in a single clamshell.

Last year's burgeoning crop of netbooks was joined this year by smartbooks and tablets, the latter energized by Apple's iPad, launched just this week. The most innovative products in this crowded field included:

• The Freescale Smartbook Tablet ($199), a 7" touchscreen running Android or Linux that can be docked with a keyboard base. For connectivity, the Freescale comes standard with 802.11bgn and Bluetooth 2.1, with optional 3G and Zigbee RF4CE.

• The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid with Skylight ($999, right), an ultra-thin 11.6" clamshell with 3G, Bluetooth, and 802.11bgn that runs Windows 7 (on an Intel CULV CPU) or Lenovo's Skylight Linux OS (on a Qualcomm Snapdragon). The latter is used when the 1.6 lb display is detached to become an independent multi-touch tablet.

During his keynote, Microsoft's Steve Balmer demonstrated a trio of Windows 7 "slate PCs" from Archos, Pegatron, and HP – basically, touch-screen tablets received by the audience with little enthusiasm. Not to be outdone by purpose-built e-Readers, Balmer also demonstrated Blio eReader software, freely-available for Windows XP/Vista/7 PCs.

Using Wi-Fi to unwire your home theater

The biggest audience draw at CES 2010 was 3D HDTV – yes, sitting on your couch wearing those silly plastic (formerly cardboard) glasses to view stereoscopic effects. Every TV manufacturer at CES announced a 3D-capable line-up – in most cases requiring 3D content (of which there is now precious little), but in some cases up-converting 2D content to 3D. Beyond 3D and display improvements like LED backlighting or Sharp's quad-pixel (4-color) technology, next generation TVs also differentiated themselves by being unusually well-connected.

According to In-Stat, Wi-Fi-enabled entertainment device shipments will grow from 108 million in 2009 to 177 million by 2013, with the shift from 802.11bg to 802.11n starting in earnest this year. For example, the Samsung UNC9000 is paired with an iPod-like touchscreen remote control that communicates with the TV over Wi-Fi, as does the Wii-remote-like "Magic Wand" controller paired with the LG LE9500. The Panasonic VT25 Plasma 3DTV and Sony Bravia LX900 HDTV both offer Skype video-calling.

App stores have also begun popping up on Internet-connected TVs to bring consumers their choice of content, from streaming Netflix and Rhapsody to browsing Facebook and Twitter. Case in point: the Vizio XVT Pro series of HDTVs includes dual-band 802.11n to support Vizio Internet Apps (VIA) – widgets that connect to the above services, plus Amazon, Blockbuster, Showtime, and Vudu.

Perhaps the most impressive Internet-connected TV announced at CES was Toshiba's CELL TV. Part 3D HDTV, part DLNA-enabled media server, part high-performance PC, Toshiba's new top-of-the-line integrates numerous home theater components into a single device. This (display + server + soundbar) sports a 65" (3840x2160) high-luminance self-dimming LED screen, 2D-to-3D up-conversion, integrated media server and Blu-Ray player, 1 TB HDD, multi-room and USB playback, wireless HDMI and 802.11n interfaces, and a built-in IP video phone. Media can be streamed directly to the CELL TV over Wi-Fi from Windows 7 PCs and mobiles running proprietary Toshiba apps.

Internet-connected, 802.11n-enabled home network media servers and set-top-boxes were also plentiful at CES 2010. Last year, Internet streaming was in. But this year's products are making the process easier, customizable, and interactive. For example:

• D-Link's oddly-shaped Boxee Box (~$200) is a plug-and-play appliance that easily delivers Internet-based or PC-stored video and audio to consumer TVs. The Boxee Box is a turn-key alternative to do-it-yourself Boxee software, which sophisticated consumers can already install for free on Windows, Mac OS, and Unbuntu platforms.

• The Syabas PopBox ($129) is a 6x8" set-top-box designed to "play everything" on your big screen TV. In additional to local media, the PopBox can be customized with widgets for third-party content. To do so, users download apps to the PopBox from a Popapps Portal, selecting them from a library that currently includes Netflix, Photobucket, Shoutcast, Revision3, Weatherbug, Twitter, and FunSpot.

Increasingly, these value-added services require not just the ability to stream media, but to support full two-way Internet communication with apps on set-top-boxes, satellite TV receivers, and Blu-Ray players. To this end, Alticast demonstrated its Java-based middleware platform which makes it easier for manufacturers and service providers to quickly deliver their own custom interactive Internet widgets.

Most of the home network entertainment products at CES focused on enabling Internet delivery of commercial content – giving consumers more choice and control over what they watch and listen to, while creating new revenue opportunities for content suppliers. But many products also delivered freely-available content, from purpose-built Internet radios and YouTube-streaming DVRs to smartphone apps that cache IP radio for offline replay.

One example in which Wi-Fi plays a role: The Open Mobile Video Coalition, an association representing over 800 local TV stations, plans to broadcast mobile-optimized HDTV channels for receipt by Mobile DTV-enabled devices. Over a dozen DTV receivers for laptops, netbooks, cellphones, and portable TVs have been announced – including a mobile Wi-Fi adapter. The Tivit Mobile DTV receiver ($120, right) is a battery-powered 2.8 ounce 2x3.5" receiver that relays DTV signals to any one 802.11bg client. The Tivit will support iPhone/iPod, BlackBerry, and Win32 player apps this spring.