Apps are big business at this year's event. Hundreds of exhibitors at the show are pitching them along with their other new wares. There's even a separate area called the iLounge.
Now that 3D versions of movies have proven to be cash cows at the box office, the entertainment and consumer electronics industries are hoping to cash in on the experience in people's homes.
The company has been putting the pieces together for a soup-to-nuts approach to all kinds of technology, starting with the network, focused on video as an entertainment and communications medium, and offering devices up and down the food chain.
The Consumer Electronics Show officially opens today and though attendance will be slightly down, hopes are higher than ever that the gadgets and technology here will rev up the media business.
Despite a power problem that delayed the kick-off to the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show by 25 minutes, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer delivered the show's opening keynote, proclaiming "screens" everywhere.
Seems like all things wireless will own CES this year - for example: Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard will unveil a tablet PC during tonight's keynote, and the race is on to release this device before Apple's tablet hits the market.
You know a technology has truly arrived when you find it in the Central Hall at CES. And this year, that's where visitors will find the Mobile DTV TechZone, dedicated to all things mobile television.
As attendnace continues to decline at the tech extravaganza, the buzz here is that the show itself is fighting for relevance and three- and four-day visits by attendees are now more likely overnight affairs. In short, attendance is no longer mandatory.
For many people, media is no longer about ownership, but about access. And that means a shift is in order for the next generation of consumer electronics devices.
The life span of the couch potato's magic wand may be drawing to a close, with the dawn of 3D gesture-recognition devices. e the couch potato's magic wand may be drawing to a close, with the dawn of 3D gesture-recognition devices.
With the home medical equipment market expected to expand at a steady clip over the next few years, consumer electronics companies are eager to expand their minimal presence.
A desire to cut household operating costs while being green, along with a government push for energy efficiency, may power this new consumer gadget market.
You'll see far less greenwashing at CES in 2010 as marketing-driven, green-themed products or brands for people with fat wallets take a backseat to less sexy incremental improvements.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage in Las Vegas Wednesday night to kick off the annual Consumer Electronics Show, the first time he has delivered the prestigious opening keynote address, a role filled by his colleague Bill Gates for the last 14 years.
Here's the thing about technology and the technology industry: pioneers and visionaries like Microsoft, Intel, Sony and so many others didn't make their fortunes focused on today and tomorrow. They're all about the future, which is particularly important in today's current economic climate.
Since 1967, CES has been the place to show off new technology and products. This year experts are expecting 3-D TVs, e-readers and netbooks to be hot topics.