Previewing future technology at CES 2006
Published: January 31, 2006
There's no place a technologist like me would rather be during the week following the New Year's holiday than the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Every type of home theater electronics component, MP3-enabled cell phone, portable music player, and gadgetry of every type was on display. The real sizzle at CES is a first look at upcoming electronics offerings that are on display for the first time. Many of these devices are prototypes that are expected to hit the market by the end of the year. Software and software Web services that work with these devices also contribute to the excitement of the CES event. Microsoft's upcoming Windows Vista operating system (also due for release in the second-half of the calendar year) was on public display for the first time and drew large crowds at Microsoft's huge pavilion in the Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Over 150,000 people attended this year's show from nearly every country in the world. CES covered four venues and it was spread over 1.6 million square feet. Over 2,500 exhibitors displayed their products. My feet are still complaining! CES is a jaw-dropping experience.
I was one of a small group of community leaders from The Hive and Featured Communities invited by Microsoft to attend the show and related activities. I participated in a private "Windows Vista Mini Lab, where Microsoft presenters demonstrated key features of Windows Live, Internet Explorer 7, and a beta build of the Windows Vista operating system. We viewed the keynote as a group and attended a special private presentation in a special Windows Vista tent.
Introducing Windows Vista to the public
Various Microsoft presenters gave standing-room only crowds public briefings and demonstrations of some of Windows Vista's new features. They also showcased the Windows Vista user experience in a theater-like environment at the entrance to the Microsoft Pavilion.
Inside the Microsoft Pavilion, the kiosks were packed with show attendees. Microsoft staff answered questions and provided hand- on demos.
Members of the press and other invited groups were treated to additional smaller and similar demos inside the Windows Vista tent, which was located just outside the Central Hall. Microsoft's Windows Vista tent was a showcase for three main Windows Vista experiences, Memories (digital still images and videos), Music (Windows Media Player 11) and TV/PVR (Media Center).
Microsoft's main pavilion included kiosk areas with demos of Windows Vista, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, Windows Media Center Extenders, Windows Vista with Media Center, Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, Xbox 360, MSN, Windows Mobile, Plays for Sure, and Microsoft Communities.
Inside the Microsoft Pavilion, the kiosks were packed with show attendees. Microsoft staff answered questions and provided hand- on demos.
High-Definition Cable TV arrives with Windows Vista MCE
One of the single most asked for Media Center feature enhancements in the Media Center 2005 newsgroup has been the ability to watch and record high-definition television. During the CES opening keynote, device support for cable cards was previewed. Cable card technology will enable HD viewing and recording in Windows Vista with Media Center for users in the United States. See the two insets (these photos were taken during Bill Gates' keynote address) in the composite image below for front and rear views of an external USB device that enables cable card support.
Live HDTV feed from COX, Las Vegas at CES 2006.
In the Windows Vista tent, I actually saw a high-definition television displayed on a Windows Vista with Media Center computer for the first time using Cable Card technology as shown in the preceding composite image.
The ten-foot experience in Media Center has changed dramatically from Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Transparent menu overlays now enable you to make menu choices while your current media experience runs full screen in the background. In the following image, the movie "The Aviator is playing from Starz HDTV while the Music menu is being invoked.
Preview of the-ten foot user experience in Windows Vista Media Center.
I'm very much looking forward to being able to use this technology in my own home and sharing the experience with readers here.
New Portable Media Centers and Content Services Announced
During the opening keynote, next generation Portable Media Centers were announced, along with a service from Vongo that provides preformatted content for computers and portable devices. Vongo is a new content offering from Starz TV. If you've ever been stuck in a hotel room with limited and expensive hotel entertainment choices, the ability to watch a downloaded top-rated recent movie on your laptop could be a nice option. (Be sure to carefully read the license before signing up during the install process so that you know the limitations on downloads and viewing.)
Note: You can enjoy the Vongo beta now on Windows XP. Just visit the Vongo website and download the client. Requirements are that you live in the U.S., have a 100kbs+ connection, Internet Explorer 6.0+, and have Flash 8 installed.
Unfortunately, the Vongo beta client would not install on my Windows XP Pro 64-bit laptop so I can't provide first-hand impressions at this time. You can follow a discussion on this issue in the Windows Media Center newsgroup. Currently, the downloadable content is VHS quality but I understand DVD quality is coming soon.
The new Vongo service website.
Next generation Windows Mobile Portable Media Centers were announced and working prototypes were displayed as part of the CES 2006 keynote. LG will be offering a wide-screen format, 30 gigabyte PM70 Portable Media Center this spring. Interestingly, this device may have some synchronization capabilities with Microsoft Outlook, according to the Microsoft website. I'm hoping that a larger capacity model will also be available.
LG's new PM70 Portable Media Center running content downloaded from Vongo was displayed during the keynote.
Toshiba's Gigabeat S Series Portable Media Center looked enticing with a feature to switch from portrait to landscape mode on the fly. Availability for 30- and 60-gigabyte models is projected for Spring 2006.
Toshiba's Gigabeat Portable Media Center was previewed during the CES Keynote.
Microsoft also announced a new digital music service, which will be seamlessly integrated with Windows Media Player 11, called Urge. Urge is a new product from MTV and Microsoft that will offer some two million audio tracks and downloads of individual songs, entire albums, or an "all you can eat subscription service. Speaking of Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11), it's been optimized and is now blazingly fast at handling well over 10,000 tracks. This is a huge improvement and addresses a top user issue in the previous version of Media Player. You can read more about WMP11 and Urge in Joli Ballew's Windows Vista community column.
Unveiling the Windows Vista desktop and User Experience at CES
The new Windows Vista desktop was on display everywhere. A small number of computers were running a newer build than the December Build 5270 CTP as they sported the new Aero-enabled transparent Sidebar with gadgets, as shown in the image below.
Look for the return of the Windows Vista Sidebar, as shown here in Windows Vista Beta 2.
The Windows Vista user experience is visually stunning. In one of the private mini-lab briefings, I learned about the work that has gone into designing the new icons and Live Icon experience. In the composite image below, you can see a sampling of this experience. Compare these icons to those in older operating systems and you'll immediately see a difference. Over 125 new icons are included in Windows Vista. Note that as you resize a Windows Explorer window in this view, and that as the icons change size dynamically, they scale up or down beautifully. Say goodbye to jaggies! Live Icons for folders graphically display the content inside. You can read more about Live Icons in my Windows Vista User Experience column.
Last summer, I attended a Windows Vista Lab on the Microsoft Redmond campus and previewed an early version of the user experience. We gave feedback to Microsoft on the need for a more customizable Aero interface. The result was an applet (which is present in CTP build 5270 and higher) that offers the ability to tint the glass color, saturation and more. More details on this feature are available in my Windows Vista User Experience column.
This composite image shows gorgeous scalable icons and a Live Icon folder view.
Better Browsing coming with Internet Explorer 7
In a private mini-lab session prior to the official show start, Microsoft staff showcased many of the new features in Internet Explorer 7.0. Internet Explorer 7.0 is being developed for Windows XP concurrently with an enhanced version that takes advantage of new Windows Vista operating system features. There's been a lot of great information on Internet Explorer 7 released since CES, covering many of the features that we were briefed on. Following is a short list of informative sites:
I've also covered some of the niftier Internet Explorer 7 enhancements, such as Quick Tabs and multiple home pages, in my Windows Vista User Experience column.
Previewing a WiFi network-enhanced digital imaging experience
As an amateur photographer, I was interested in the latest crop of digital cameras and camcorders, some of which were on display at CES. While I saw nothing revolutionary, Kodak was showing their newest Easy Share Wifi-enabled camera at their booths and Microsoft was showing Easy Share Wifi demos in the Windows Vista tent and in the pavilion.
Kodak's Easy Share application running in Windows Vista allows transfer of images from the camera to the computer over a wireless connection.
I found the Wifi-enabled camera and Easy Share software application more interesting than the Sanyo camcorder that won Best of CES. In the Windows Vista tent, the demo that showcased moving content from the Kodak Easy Share camera to the Windows Vista desktop through wireless networking was impressive. Unfortunately, Kodak is still using old 802.11b in their cameras and not the faster 802.11g wireless technology.
Tip: You may want to wait for 802.11g-enabled cameras, which are just starting to appear. Be sure to verify that they also have certified Windows Vista drivers for TCP/IP use over WiFi networks.
I was hoping to see a demo of Nikon's WiFi-enabled cameras but Nikon was noticeably absent from CES 2006. Nikon recently launched 802.11g-enabled Coolpix P1 and P2 cameras. They will also be offering a wireless 802.11g transmitter for their newly released D200 Digital SLR.
Immediately following CES, Nikon announced a drastic reduction in their line of film cameras. (Following that, Konica-Minolta announced they were leaving the camera business but would work with Sony on a lens mount system that would enable Maxxum/Dynax lenses to work with upcoming Sony digital SLR's)
Nikon's Picture Project software is compatible with Windows Vista as I've used it myself on versions of Windows Vista that I've been testing. Nikon's PTP/IP (WiFi networking enabler) driver does not currently work with Windows Vista (or with Windows XP Professional x64). PTP/IP is an abbreviation for Picture Transfer Protocol over IP. I'm hoping that Microsoft includes an in-box driver in Windows Vista for MTP/IP (Media Transfer Protocol over IP) that enables support for these cameras.
Best of CES 2006 Awards
While Microsoft had by far the largest exhibits and the most new product announcements, there were more companies with new products to see at the show. Be sure to see C|Net's Best of CES winners (10 to 14 major categories are awarded yearly). Some of their picks were pretty interesting to me, such as the 30GB Creative Zen Vision:M that won best of show and in the mp3/portable video device category. The Creative Zen Vision M carries the Plays for Sure logo and is available now in limited supplies.
As a Windows Networking and Security MVP, I'm always looking for devices that are designed to simplify and secure residential home networks that I can evaluate and recommend. I was extremely impressed with the D-Link Secure Spot All-in-One security solution that won the award for best Networking product.
The D-Link Secure Spot looks to be the integrated simple solution for home users to stop SPAM, spyware, pop-ups, viruses, and more. I'm hoping to write about my experience with this device in a future column. I can't wait to try this on my mixed network of Windows Vista (beta) machines, Microsoft Windows Media Center Edition computers, and my Windows XP Professional x64 computers and other devices (Xbox 360, Internet cameras, etc.).
Find More Info on CES2006 and Discuss Emerging Technologies
You can read transcripts of keynote addresses, learn about exhibitors and more at the official CES website. C|net.com had a huge presence at the show and provides excellent coverage of CES on their website. Microsoft's Bill Gates' keynote video is available from the Microsoft website and includes a glimpse into the future and briefly showcases several new devices and services. Announcements during Bill Gate's keynote included new versions of portable media centers and more.
You can discuss the features of Windows Vista in the Windows Longhorn General Newsgroup. If you're interested in discussing the new technologies introduced at CES 2006 or technology in general, Microsoft's The Hive offers targeted Technology Talk forums. You'll want to register for access to these features. See you there!
 | Barb Bowman enjoys sharing her own experiences and insights into today's leading edge technologies. She is a product development manager for Comcast High-Speed Internet, but her views here are strictly personal.
|
