Tag: ces

Intel CES 2013 Announcements

Posted on by Lab Team

Marketing and quad-core processors don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but Intel’s chips actually power many of today’s smartphones, tablets and computers which allow us to enjoy the high-tech media experiences of today. Intel enables robust gaming on tablets and is responsible for the shrinking computers as processors get smaller and smaller. They’ve also forged an interesting partnership with Comcast to power second screen viewing. Needless to say, we were at the press conference to take some notes.

Smartphones: Intel is taking a crack at the emerging smartphone market in developing nations with their new Atom chip, Z2420 which is 1.2 GHz and optimized to run Android apps speedily. Acer and Lava will develop the hardware for these phones in the future.

Tablets: The first quad-core Atom chip, dubbed “Bay Trail” comes to Windows 8 and Android tablets later in 2013. Better battery life, cheaper prices and twice the performance of the previous generation.

PCs: Releasing new 7W Core processor shipping to manufactures today. Allows for devices to be 20% thinner with superior performance. Also releasing 4th generation Core for ultrabooks which can accomodate 13 hours of battery life and an ultrabook that’s less than a half inch thick. Wow.

Perceptual Computing: Intel is developing a package in partnership with Nuance that allows for more natural interfaces incorporating voice controls, facial recognition security systems, eye tracking and more.

Comcast Partnership: Intel will be partnering with Comcast to let customers view live and on-demand TV on Intel-powered device via Intel Puma 6MG-based XG5 multiscreen video gateway. 

Realizing The Connected Car

Posted on by Lab Team

The auto category is expect to shine at CES. Ford has set the pace for the new connected car and we should see competitors jostling to keep up. There’s been talk of 4G-equipped cars, tons of in-vehicle apps, and even some APIs that lay the groundwork for a truly open source vehicle. From a marketing perspective, there are very tangible possibilities for how brands can interact with drivers as cars become another hub for media.  Right now it’s still a realm dominated by radio ads and road-side billboards, but that should all change in the near future.

CES Health And Fitness Trends

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Health and fitness innovation is poised for major growth at CES 2013. We’ve seen wearable devices like Nike Fuelband and Fitbit take off and we anticipate more companies will get in the mix at this year’s show. Actually, over 220 to be exact. From measuring glucose levels to REM sleep, the amount of trackable data seems endless and marketers can certainly benefit from reaching health enthusiasts on these platforms.

TV Tech: 4K And OLED Showcases At CES

Posted on by Lab Team

CES has always been about jaw-dropping TV tech and this year will be no different. While Samsung’s $9,000 55 inch OLED TV made a big splash in 2012, we might see less innovation and more focus on “semi-affordable” products for existing technologies like 4K ultra HD along with OLED.  It is also great to see CES hosting a full-day Second Screen Summit with executives from major networks, tech companies, and agencies including UM¹s Michael Barrett.  We’ll be sure to fill you in on details of that event, which has a special panel dedicated to opportunities in the advertising world.

CES Through The Years

Posted on by Lab Team

CES has grown from a small trade show in 1967 to the largest technology event of the year with approximately 150,000+ in attendance since 2005. Take a look at event photos through the years in a special feature from The Verge. The Lab will be covering the 2013 event starting Sunday, bringing you breaking news, featured interviews and product demos from the floor.

Gracenote To Bring Personalized TV Ads In 2013

Posted on by Lab Team

Gracenote is expecting to release a TV targeting platform later this year that would bring a level of precision comparable to online. The new service would support targeting based on gender, income and more by replacing ads run by broadcasters with those picked by Smart TV and set-top box providers. Additionally, there will be more transparent reporting associated as well.

Primesense To Debut ‘Capri’ Camera At CES

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Primesense, the 3D technology provider behind Microsoft Kinect, is set to launch a smaller, more sophisticated camera debuting at CES. Named the Capri, the 3D motion sensing device is expected to be 10x smaller than the Kinect making it capable of embedding in laptops, tablets and smartphones. It will also boast improved algorithms and sensing capabilities. With more devices being powered through gestures, Primesense’s Capri could be a breakthrough for media, gaming, healthcare industries among others. Take a look at their most recent YouTube demonstration to see some of the more common applications.

Reports of CES’ death greatly exaggerated

Posted on by Lab Team

The techie masses at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show seemed burdened by a general sense of disappointment. Minds were not blown. The digital firmament was not torn asunder. Wallets were not gripped tightly in fearful anticipation of the imminent need to drop a paycheck’s worth of earnings on the new must-have, show-stopping electronic object of lust.

Of course, there was still plenty to see and much technical wizardry on display, but we are a furiously jaded audience. The escalating pace of innovation has created an expectation that each new generation of products will create both terrified awe and wondrous delight. For example, it was a few short months ago that Microsoft started promising the future of gestural control via Kinect, a new peripheral for the Xbox 360. A completely new interface went from the pages of sci-fi to the pages of a Toys-R-Us sales circular overnight. Just four months after its release, few people seemed to crowd the Kinect booth. CES attendees don’t want amazing. We want new amazing.

Continue reading “Reports of CES’ death greatly exaggerated”

The new age of media distribution

Posted on by Lab Team

The new age of media distribution Being a veteran attendee of CES, it is inevitable that each year someone asks me what I thought was the most amazing thing I saw at the show. And each year, I can usually point out one interesting piece of tech that fits into that category. Year after year there are invariably a few items that cause we merry geeks to circle around them ooh-ing and ahh-ing with avarice in our eyes.

This year, however was different. What struck me most this year was not to be found in a piece of super-slick technology (though there were a few), but rather something surprising. The industry as a whole seems to have undergone some radical rethink and rallied itself around a few core technologies and concepts. Rather than the chaotic grab-bag of offerings that we are usually presented with, something has galvanized the industry to get their products into some sort of alignment.

Could it be the sudden revelation that what really matters is the content? Continue reading “The new age of media distribution”