Don’t forget the tablets
18 January 2011
The technology extravaganza in Las Vegas that is the Consumer Electronics Show is over for another year. So what did CES 2011 teach us?
Well for a start, tablet computers were the hot topic of the show, and with so many companies vying for the attention of the show’s visitors, the plethora of models available with their own unique functionality seem to blend into one ‘super device’.
But one that stands out is Motorola’s Xoom running on Google’s Android platform. In particular it stands out for not being an iPad, and for not running Windows. The Xoom is the first tablet to use Android Honeycomb (also known as Android 3.0); software specifically designed for tablet computers. Up until now, Android-based tablets were running software that was essentially designed for mobile phones, and on anything with a screen beyond 7in, it struggled. So Google went back to the drawing board to develop Honeycomb, and whether other manufacturers follow Motorola’s lead remains to be seen.
At CES, Microsoft announced that the next version of Windows will support SoC architectures, including ARM-based systems from partners NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments. On the x86 architecture, Intel Corporation and AMD continue their work on low-power SoC designs that fully support Windows, including support for native x86 applications. Microsoft says that ‘SoC architectures will fuel significant innovation across the hardware spectrum when coupled with the depth and breadth of the Windows platform.’
“Windows on ARM represents a seismic shift for the computing industry. ARM is already the largest and fastest-growing CPU architecture in the world, and this major news of Windows will only accelerate its adoption. We look forward to working with Microsoft to create amazing new computing devices with Windows,” said Jen-Hsun Huang, President and Chief Executive Officer, NVIDIA.
Remi El-Ouazzane, Vice President and General Manager, OMAP Platform Business Unit at TI commented: “Texas Instruments is pleased to collaborate with Microsoft to make Windows on mobile devices a reality. TI has long believed that low power is the fundamental of fundamentals when it comes to mobility, and we look forward to taking our OMAP platform, with the ideal balance of high performance and low power, into exciting new mobile computing devices.”
“We are entering a new era of computing where HD content and 3D user interfaces are commonplace, from high-end gaming and content creation to video playback and web browsing. Together, AMD and Microsoft enable these vivid and engaging PC experiences on x86-based devices, ranging from high-resolution, multi-display desktops to ultra-thin notebooks, netbooks and tablets, and we look forward to a new wave of innovation made possible by Windows and AMD Fusion APUs,” concluded Manju Hegde, Corporate Vice President, Fusion Experience Program, AMD.
Interestingly, the most talked about company wasn’t even there. And yet, Apple managed to steal the spotlight by launching the Mac App Store and announcing the Verizon iPhone just before CES.
However, one company that was there, perhaps surprising to some, was Ford. Interesting that it chose to launch it’s Focus-based electric car at CES, rather than the concurrent Detroit motor show, but it perhaps hints at the overwhelming amount of electronics present on modern cars.
This new model is expected to be on sale in the US by the end of the year and available in the UK by early 2012.
Of course, without a network of charging stations, the whole concept of a nation of drivers travelling to and from work in an electric car is, at best, flawed.
But Ford has an answer. In fact, it has an app for that.
By using apps for Apple and Android smartphones, future owners of the electric Focus can plan their routes and find charging stations before the car runs out and comes to a halt.
Via the phone and the dashboard of the car, the app will tell drivers if they are driving efficiently or not, which highlights the fact that new cars are becoming mobile databases aware of its own status, its surroundings and how it is being driven.
In fact, Venkatesh Prasad, Technical Leader of Ford's infotronics group, said that in the future, our cars will know huge amounts about the lives of their drivers, the routes they take, their music tastes and where they go to shop and eat. They were going to be able do this because of the huge amount of social network information people are happily sharing. Including a car in the circle of friends who are party to this data could help the vehicle prepare itself for the each journey.
So not only can modern cars avoid obstacles, apply the brakes, and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front, but they can now be our Facebook friends. Perhaps the cars of the future will even have their own Twitter account. ‘Gng 2 the shops 4 bread. Lol!’
There’s no denying that we are now merely steering wheel attendants, seated in the helm merely so that if it does all go wrong, the insurance company knows who to blame. But the reality is that we are superfluous to the whole operation.
Talking of taking intelligence out of everyday living, an idea that has been around for a while is looking closer to becoming reality, courtesy of LG.
Imagine a Monday morning like this. You’ve overslept, you’re running late, it’s raining, and you’re in traffic. Then your mobile phone bleeps, and when you check it to see if it’s the girl that you took out for a date on Saturday night, your heart sinks because in fact you’ve received a text message from the fridge. It’s informing you that the milk is running low, or about to exceed its best before date, so you’d best buy a replacement bottle on your way home.
I’m not sure if we are ready to be enslaved to our kitchen appliances in quite the way that would make LG’s fridge a success; particularly if it came with a hefty price tag. But it was another interesting exhibit at CES this year.
What are your thoughts on CES 2011? Send an email to paul.wolfe@imlgroup.co.uk and let me know.
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