Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010

It's b-a-a-ck! CES is here again. All the products any slave to media, entertainment, computing, gaming, communications and even small business technology could possibly want. Las Vegas, Nevada — January 7, 2010.

Here's what we'll be tracking this year, and why we think you and your small business enterprise will be interested in this particular CES:

• (Added/updated January 5) Look for a boatload of USB 3.0 products. That's right - just when you finally got all your USB 2.0 hi-speed peripherals playing nicely together, along comes a newer, faster standard. Why? Tell me why? Please.
  
• Netbooks and laptops. We'll be looking for new models of our favorite netbooks to show up with some really powerful processors and higher capacity hard drives. Now that I've learned to type on a smaller keyboard, and now that I've really gotten used to the smaller screens, I want some serious horsepower. I also want it at a low voltage that allows me to run the thing six hours straight. At the same time, expect to see the smaller notebooks and laptops (12.5"-15"), lighter in weight and with longer battery life, with even more power and more storage capacity.
  
• Auto tech is all the rage. If Ford's SYNC technology (in partnership with Microsoft) that's been showing up in all sorts of for cars and trucks is anything to go by, all the automakers are going to be shortly doing the same thing. Sync/play/update your iPod and library, voice activated turn-by-turn GPS with maps updating over-the-air, integrated WiFi hotspot module for all your connected devices in the vehicle, and lots more. It's about time. Look for even more robust, integrated offerings from Audi, GM, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen. How many miles to the gallon please, and does it come with 3G?
  
• eReaders and more eReaders. Sony eReader, Amazon Kindle DX, Plastic Logic QUE, iRiver Story, Bookeen Cybook Opus, Interead Cooler, iRex iLiad (what's with all the "i" names?), Barnes & Noble Nook, and the Hearst/Sprint Skiff which is a large format ereader scheduled to debut at CES. All-new models are coming on which you'll be able to read your daily newspaper, review business documents, read books, make notes, and so on, all on those highly readable e-ink touch screens.
  
• TV, TV, TV, TV, and more TV. Big TV. OLED screens (still too achingly expensive), lots more LED-backlit LCD models (bye-bye plasma I guess), and maybe even the first 3D integrated product lines (3D data player + 3D TV + optical quality 3D glasses even better than the ones at Avatar + 3D A/V decoder in new A/V receivers), along with a Logitech Harmony remote to control it all. Great. Where do I sign up?
  
• New mobile and desktop operating systems. We said it here a couple of years ago. Google is aiming to put an operating system into the mainstream. Well it's happening now. The Google Chrome OS is heading for a desktop near you and we're predicting that lots of hardware vendors will be showing it off at CES. At the same time, Google's successful release of its Android mobile operating system is spreading rapidly. The main reason is that it's a terrific alternative to the major players, it's extremely well-supported now, and beyond anything else it works really well. Ask any HTC user — they're raving about Android.
  
• Apple's rumored Tablet. We're not totally sure that CES is the best venue for Apple to release a major new product. On the other hand, people have gone broke predicting what Apple won't do. An Apple Tablet computer of some sort (combination ereader and netbook perhaps?) is surely in the offing, and we're guessing CES is a dandy spot to preview the thing. We'll see.
  
• Gaming platforms - console vs. PC. As far as we can tell, it's status quo for Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony. No new gaming consoles this year. That's okay though, because we're just starting to see how good the existing hardware is with some of the new titles hitting the shelves. But as console games get even better, PC releases such as the incredible new Call of Duty 4 are taking advantage of incredibly powerful CPUs, videocards that are more powerful than many CPUs, huge desktop monitors and thunderingly accurate sound systems, all pushing the state-of-the-art even farther out. More to come.
  

Stay with us throughout the coming week for all the interesting stuff coming out at CES 2010.

UK - US Pricing Divide

There has been a lot of discussion about the disparity in product pricing between the UK (where I am based) and the US for the same items. In many cases products cost twice as much (and even more in some cases) as they do in the US. So why is that? Do the products incur local costs such as support offices, distribution warehouses and so on? Or is it just a case of greed.

Rock Band is one example of a product which is markedly more expensive than the US version. Where the US retail version costs about $150 (equivalent to UK£75), the UK version will retail for around £180. How in hell do you justify charging the UK equivalent of $360 for this toy?

Translation costs? I dont think so.

Support? Maybe ... but what with all the outsourcing going on probably not.

Greed? Quite likely.

There is some excellent coverage of this particular product and the issues at the RockBand.com forums. We've covered this issue before with respect to how Microsoft and Adobe have followed similarly outrageous sorts of pricing strategies in the UK. It's quite shocking that the British consumer keeps paying prices so far above other, similar western markets for so many products including games, electronics, optics and much more.

Sure we have high sales taxes and import duties, but twice the price? Come on. Get real!