CES 2007 Preview: What I Expect to See

Despite the crowds and the long cab lines (I usually rent a car), CES is a big blast for this trade show dork. It's the one time of year when I really get to see where the consumer electronics industry is headed, which makes my job easier, of course.

How does this happen? In my case, it involves spending about eight hours a day walking the show floor and viewing demo after demo of new products (TVs, cameras, MP3 players, and the like) until I see some patterns emerge. Then, after the show floor closes, I usually hit a reception or a dinner or two with other journalists and industry folk, and we talk about what we've seen, what we like, what we don't like, and how or if a newly announced technology might actually work (it's not always clear). At any rate, I'll be blogging as much as I can from the show floor with as many cool new items and trends I see. Here's a short list, as of this minute, of some areas I'm looking forward to exploring (more to come as it comes).

Vista-enabled laptops and desktops: Microsoft's new operating system will be getting a wide consumer release in February, so I'm expecting to see plenty of new desktops and laptops that take advantage of Vista's enhanced media and entertainment capabilities. We might see a glimmer of Microsoft's other synergistic plans (many involving Zune and the Xbox 360) at the Sunday keynote featuring Bill Gates and Robbie Bach.

Sexier computer peripherals: Given the sexy new look of Seagate's new FreeAgent Pro portable drive (thanks, Wall Street Journal) and a bunch of peripherals from La Cie (thanks, Engadget), I'm guessing that style is finally hitting the computer peripheral arena. After all, if the computer does become the center of your networked, media-rich home, you'll want some storage drives that blend in nicely with the furniture.

New TVs: From thinner rear-projection models courtesy of Samsung and JVC and the oft-promised SED models that were supposed to be out by now (but apparently won't be shown by Toshiba this year), new TVs are pretty much the essence of the consumer electronics show. I'm also expecting a multitude of 1080p-capable sets making their debuts with every manufacturer from Philips to Vizio.

HDMI 1.3 and all that: This next generation of the HDMI connect is supposed to deliver better audio and crisper, more colorful pictures—I plan to see some of it in action at this year's CES.

Car GPS and telematics: In-car PCs made a big splash at last year's show. I'm expecting the trend to continue, with on-board computer systems that can handle everything from email and entertainment to directions and weather.

GPS in everything else: With geotagging and other location-based activities and services set to take off this year, expect to see (at least) more camera phones and possibly even some cameras with GPS-tagging capabilities.

More iPod peripherals: I'm not sure what form these will take, but presumably the new generation of peripherals (many of which debut at the concurrent Macworld Expo in San Francisco) will be more video-centric.

HD-DVD versus Blu-ray: I don't think the battle will be won by either format this year, but at least Warner Bros. is aiming for a solution with the hybrid Total HD, and LG and Hewlett-Packard are unveiling some dual-format players. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing if I can even remotely try to call a winner by the end of CES (it's a 50/50 chance).

Live TV on your phone: Rumor has it, Verizon Wireless will imminently launch some sort of live TV capability using the MediaFLO platform (which is smooth and clear, not grainy and freeze-prone like the already available MobiTV). The carrier usually makes a big announcement at CES (last year, it was the V Cast Music store, the year before it was EV-DO on your phone), so I'm hoping live TV is it.

HDTV and on-demand: From satellite companies displaying new set-top boxes capable of showing more HD channels to new Internet and fiber-optic based solutions from AT&T and Verizon, new options for HD and on-demand (like HD movies) are sure to make some waves at this year's CES.

Portable video: PMPs are going on year three, while the newer video iPod continues to take off. But we'll likely see new developments in the portable media player space that involve more video options. See also "Live TV on your phone."

Anybody out there looking for anything particular out of CES? Questions about the latest CES announcements in TVs, portable media players, cameras, GPS, cell phones, and the like? Let me know below and I'll see what I can find.

Related links:

Yahoo! Tech: CES 2007

CES 2007: Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

All About CES 2007