1. Magic Jack
Of course, the Magic Jack that provides with cheap landline long-distance service has been around for years, but the Magic Jack featured at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show is special. As the Christian Science Monitor explains:
“MagicJack, the device that promises next-to-free long-distance calls by creating a way to plug landline phones into Internet-connected computers, is set to release an updated gadget that will do the same trick for wireless phones.”
In case you were wondering, yes, that means the not-yet-released Magic Jack uses radio frequencies that cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars to get licensed. Don’t worry, says company CEO Dan Borislow, “wireless spectrum licenses don’t extend into the home.” So I am sure that is the last we will hear about that. And there won’t be any debate about
2. 3D TV technology
For several years, the Consumer Electronics Show has brought the promise of amazing 3D imaging devices to come. It appears CES 2010 might just mark the year when it really got started. Discovery, Sony and Imax signed a deal saying by the end of the year they’d create an all 3D channel. Sony says the 3D TVs at CES 2010 will be available by Christmas this year.
3. AR.Drone
This device about twice the size of a Frisbee, that hovers a few inches above the ground. You control it with an iPhone, and you can use it … to spy on people? It has a camera that sends live video feed of what it sees to the phone. Considering the size and creepiness factor, I don’t think it has a lot of practical applications, but it has certainly gotten a lot of attention.
4. Phones, phones, everywhere
New smartphones, or super phones, or whatever we are calling them now, were a huge theme at CES 2010, even though many of the products getting the attention were not revealed nor displayed at CES 2010. AT&T’s recent announcement that the Dell Mini 3 will soon be available in the U.S. created a lot of buzz in the electronics world, and the Google Nexus One is still at te top of the list of items that people are itching to see/use/learn about.
5. Elephant in the room?
InformationWeek says there was a “virtual elephant in the Las Vegas Convention Center.” Apple’s impending release of a “tablet device,” which supposedly will do everything. It’s supposed to be ” an all-in-one device that is half-iPhone, half-Macintosh computer,” says CNN, and it’ll wipe all other computers and cellphones off the planet. So, I’ll just be holding my breath for that.
