Super Bowl of Electronics Shows Lights Up Las Vegas

By Don Fernandez, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jan. 4–Tim Hall hopes his suite on the Strip won’t be too lonely this week.

While electronics players such as Sony, Samsung and Toshiba hawk the latest and greatest from the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center, Hall, CEO of Marietta-based Digital Blue, will be pumping his wares within the walls of a hotel room.

Although Digital Blue lacks the cachet of the big boys that have invaded Glitter Gulch this week, Hall — along with thousands of others — plans to promote his goods with equal enthusiasm. After all, this is technology’s biggest party. If nothing else, he wants to watch.

“It has gone from a huge trade show to a spectacle,” said Hall, who produces digital cameras and other items for the teen and ‘tween market.

“Technology products are celebrities. It’s like the Academy Awards.”

The Consumer Electronics Show officially begins Thursday in Las Vegas with more than 145,000 attendees — and countless new products — from around the globe.

As personal tech has evolved from the province of geekdom into mainstream appeal, the show has risen to the level of electronics extravaganza. The edgiest technologies and prototypes are debuted.

A-list celebrities abound, with artists such as Stevie Wonder and the Foo Fighters holding private performances. Announcements are awaited with nail-biting anticipation, while companies spend millions for the flashiest and most formidable displays.

For gadget lovers, and those quick to embrace new technology, it’s an unparalleled opportunity for information.

“It’s the Super Bowl of all gadget events,” said John Lumpkin, associate publisher of Stuff magazine, which devotes a significant amount of coverage to new technology. “From a consumer angle, never more than today are men living up to the adage ‘whoever dies with the most toys wins.’ Guys are all about the discovery of new technologies. Everyone loves to come to this conference to be aware of what’s coming out next year.”

Why so much fuss?

The products and new technologies announced here often define the digital lifestyle for the next 12 months. At least.

And whether it’s music, video or cellphones, digital is a word that now pinches everyone’s ears.

“What’s happened over the past six years is technology has become more of a part of people’s everyday lives,” said Joshua Weinberg, president of Digital Life PR in San Francisco. “People like to hear the buzz and get the feel for what’s the next hot thing.”

Some announcements are so eagerly anticipated that manufacturers such as Pioneer will be releasing new product info on its Web site — basically blogging — concurrently with CES announcements.

“[Consumers] know there’s an event, they know technology is released, and they’re actively searching,” said Russ Johnston, senior vice president of Home Entertainment Marketing for Pioneer Electronics USA.

“We wanted to make our home the place to tell the story.”

Part of the energy behind CES is that it has no real competition.

Comdex, a show that focused on computer technologies, held its last exhibition in 2003. Many of the exhibitors then moved their wares into CES. As the digital lifestyle continues to flourish in homes and businesses, the weight CES carries has increased.

“We’re in a point in life that we can have entertainment anywhere — at any time,” said Karen Chupka, vice president of events for the Consumer Electronics Association, which hosts the show. “We’re so incredibly lucky to be in an industry that touches people in so many ways.”

And the industry will be touching people in a new way this year: robotics.

“What used to be considered consumer electronics has expanded and morphed,” Chupka said.

Among the more mainstream — i.e., non-robotic — products expected to churn the most interest this year:

–Flat-panel television displays: The technology has not only become more sophisticated but affordable as well. Expect plenty of new entries into the plasma and liquid crystal display market as well as an intriguing new category from Toshiba and Canon — SED (surface conduction electron-emitter display) — which offers the same basic technology as a tube television in flat form that can be hung on a wall.

–Portable media devices: The iPod has wrought a slew of competitors eager to bite into its market share and popularity. New and upgraded media players that incorporate music and video capability will be on display.

–High-definition DVD: This successor to current DVDs was supposed to appear in 2005. But a major format war between two rival technologies — Blu-ray and HD-DVD — delayed the launch of either. The competition, however, is far from over, and both camps have elaborate presentations planned for CES.

–Convergence: Products such as cellphones with limitless capabilities, streaming media that turn a computer into a home entertainment hub and, of course, HDTV, could experience a breakthrough year in 2006.

“What we hope to see is a gadget that can do it all,” Lumpkin said.

Those looking to see the latest offerings from Apple will have to wait a week. The computer and personal entertainment company will be holding its own expo — Macworld — in San Francisco next week.

And don’t be fooled into believing that all CES watchers are brimming with testosterone.

Women now make more than half of today’s tech purchases, accounting for $55 billion of the near $100 billion spent on consumer technology in 2003, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. The same study found that more than 58 percent of women would prefer an HDTV to a one-carat diamond ring.

“A lot of these companies are trying to figure that out,” said Dr.

Natalie Petouhoff, a consumer technology and lifestyle advocate who runs the Web site www.drnatthetechnocat.com. “It’s been marketed more towards men. It will be interesting to see if they’ve created a welcome mat for female consumers that hits their sweet spot.”

Hey, Digital Blue’s trying.

Among its offerings is an “American Idol” digital camcorder that allows aspiring vocalists to create their own music videos.

Forget an 80-inch flat-screen TV. This should at least warrant a glance, right?

Right?

“For us to make a noise at CES,” Hall said, “is like ‘Horton Hears a Who.’ “

—–

To see more of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ajc.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

SNE, 6758, SSNLF, TOSBF, 6502, PIO, 6773, CAJ, 7751, AAPL,