CES Trend #3: High-def displays seek differentiation to avoid commoditization
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: If you've been following our CES 2008 coverage since the few days before our team arrived in Las Vegas, you probably found yourself asking an interesting question: Has BetaNews forgotten how to count?
After all, we had a Top 10 countdown, and we ended up at #4. Well, we do have a bit of an excuse for you: First of all, we had some material already planned about the high-definition format war. That material became quickly outdated after the events of last weekend, and with the crowd at CES starting to see Blu-ray as the front-runner, if not the outright leader, for the first time.
CES 2008: What have we learned this week?
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: It's the end of our full week of coverage of the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show, so one last time, I'd like to call in our Senior CES Analyst, Sharon Fisher. Sharon, here's what I'm wondering tonight, and I'd like to see if you agree:
Usually CES is a gadget show. We walk away from it talking about the coolest thing you can hold in your hand. This time around, I got the distinct feeling that it was a platform show.
Former OLPC CTO: $75 laptop will run Linux and maybe Windows
The co-designer of the original OLPC now has plans for its chief competitor, including integrating low-cost cameras and top-notch displays. Her goal is for the Pixel Qi to be as technologically and aesthetically compelling as an iPod Touch.
Her new ultra low-cost laptops will not be "Dells on a diet," said Mary Lou Jepsen, designer and head of the Pixel Qi project, in an e-mail exchange with BetaNews. Jepsen's Pixel Qi also has plans for low-cost cameras, display screens, and other consumer electronics goods that she hopes will be as technologically and aesthetically compelling as Apple iPods.
Big search company shakeups at Ask.com, Microsoft
As another indication that the already big stakes at play in the search technology market are sliding higher, Ask.com has announced the departure of its Jim Lanzone as CEO, only a couple of days after Microsoft made its controversial $1.2 billion bid for search technology firm Fast Search & Transfer.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's own acquisition chief, Bruce Jaffe will now be leaving that company, too, as of February 29.
CES 2008 'Better Questions' contest winners
After culling through over 300 entries, we have selected the best questions from our CES contest and attempted to find the answers. Winners will be contacted via e-mail next week regarding their prize.
Without further ado, in no particular order:
XStreamHD is the real deal, but challenges lie ahead
Instead of taking a cursory peek at XStreamHD and writing it off, we actually sat down with the company's CEO to dig deep into the new satellite-based video delivery service.
On display for the first time at CES but in development since 2002, XStreamHD sees itself as a "transport network" for content providers. The platform is built on a simple premise: the Internet isn't fast enough to do broad distribution of high-definition video and existing hardware boxes like TiVo aren't able to handle full 1080p HD.
AMD delays more CPU rollouts, this time quad-core Phenoms
A further indication of trouble for AMD in its effort to catch up with Intel in the quad-core field, as the company has delayed rollouts of its higher-speed enthusiast level quad-core CPUs for at least one quarter.
In a statement to BetaNews this afternoon that makes it sound as though its customers actually asked for this, AMD confirmed it is delaying shipments of more of its latest Barcelona architecture CPUs: specifically its consumer-grade quad-core Phenom processors.
Network Solutions under fire for domain registration practice
The Internet registrar is being criticized for its practice of putting holds on domain names that searchers on its site may not look for but not immediately register, although it since has backed down.
The company was removing the name from the pool for about four days. During that period, the customer could come back to register their name with Network Solutions for $35 per year, but it would be unavailable from other registrars.
DeepRockDrive offers live streaming, interactive concerts
Are you the kind of person who hates having to go through the trial and tribulations of attending a popular concert? The Las Vegas-based DeepRockDrive hopes to eliminate all headaches and hassles by allowing concert-goers to pay a flat fee to watch artists perform live streaming over the Internet.
During a special "second release event" at the BlogHaus booth at CES, co-founder Jeff Henshaw spoke about why music fans should care about the service.
Aesthetics plus noise cancellation make the Jawbone headset stand out
More handsets today are Bluetooth-enabled, with the result being that there is now a burgeoning side-market for Bluetooth-oriented devices. Headsets today range from as low as $30 to more than $125, with each model having different features and comfort levels.
Even though we walked the show floor and were offered the opportunity to test various Bluetooth headsets, Aliph's Jawbone headset really caught our attention. Instead of just recycling similar ideas and giving users a "new" headset, Aliph's technology was designed for use by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Up Close: Kaleidescape's high-end media servers
Kaleidescape is a name few consumers have heard, and probably for good reason: its home media servers start at $5,000 and reach upwards of $100,000. But the company had its wares on display at CES and we took a gander at the hardware and its user interface.
The Kaleidescape system works well; the UI is fast and it's surprisingly easy to navigate and load up a full library of content, whether audio, video or other. In addition, only one server is required per home, while movie and music players simply relay content to other rooms. But is it worth 20 times (or more) the cost of a TiVo or DivX Connected device? Only for a very select few.
Does Comcast have the recipe for re-making television?
Scott Fulton, BetaNews: You know the flavor of CES is changing somewhat when one of the bigger announcements of the week comes not from a CE manufacturer per se, but from what a big chunk of the nation thinks of as their local cable company. Comcast's plan, as outlined Tuesday by CEO Brian Roberts, has the opportunity -- if not yet the likelihood -- of literally changing television, one-upping TiVo and converting the high-definition display into the biggest consumer of data in the world's wired telecommunications system.
But is this all just a science fiction story? With the US converting to digital broadcasting in just 13 months, and with perhaps fewer people knowing that's going to happen than know about Britney Spears' custody battles, we have to acknowledge the fact that in just a very short time, the whole direction of the television industry could become a "jump ball." So we asked Sharon Fisher, former Gartner analyst and our CES analyst this past week, to figure out whether Comcast could really pull this off. Sharon?
Sling Media shows off new hardware, software player
Sling Media continues to grow its catalog of Slingbox hardware, this week adding a model that can stream content in HD and a new device called the SlingCatcher.
The Slingbox is a piece of hardware that connects to your television and Internet connection in order to let you view and control your TV from wherever you are. Programs are streamed to the SlingPlayer software and quality is adjusted depending on connection speed.
Xilisoft releases new iPod, iPhone ripping tool
While there are several tools already out there that do the same thing, this is the first ones to actually allow iPhone users to perform the same function.
The iPhone and iPod Touch use a completely different operating system than their predecessors, which likely had a lot to do with why it wasn't possible. However, Xilisoft has apparently figured out a way around that issue.
Microsoft president to retire, former Macromedia CEO to take his place
In a sign that Microsoft will indeed be marching to a new and different drum after Bill Gates exits the scene, its Business Division President will step down, and the former head of the company that created Flash will take his spot.
He was not President of Microsoft for all that long, but Jeff Raikes has easily been as much a part of the character of his company as Steve Ballmer. Having joined the company 27 years ago to forge what today could be considered its most successful and powerful product line after Windows, Microsoft Office, Raikes helped bring the "suits" into Microsoft.
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