What’s Hot in the Consumer Technology Space in 2011?

Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2011

Last year I had the opportunity to visit for the first time the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas and it was such an eye opener I returned in 2011 to see what is the next big thing.

This year’s CES had more than 130,000 attendees and 2,700 exhibitors. It was impossible to see everything so I focused on the TV suppliers, plus a number of other major suppliers to the consumer industry as I tried to figure out how this new technology will impact on the hotel industry.

My observations on CES are as follows:

  • Last year’s hot item was 3D but it is yet to gain traction in the market.
  • After the huge success of Apple iPad - where they have sold 7.5 million units since it was launched - over 80 new tablet computers were on show at CES with major suppliers HP, Lenovo, NEC, Motorola, Microsoft, LG, Asus and Research in Motion (Blackberry) all launching new models running either Windows 7 or Google’s Android software.
  • These new tablets will be video friendly with high resolution screens that will enable users to watch movies or shows in HD that they download from the internet.
  • The next generation of smart phones are now 4G and operate close to 10 times faster than current phones, allowing users to watch video via a mobile connection.
  • The catch phrase at CES was Smart TV or internet connected TVs where many TV makers are adding Smartphone and tablet style “apps” to their new TV designs. These small limited purpose apps are designed to perform a variety of functions such as:
    • Renting online movies
    • Checking the weather
    • Displaying traffic
    • Networking feeds from sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • The challenge now is that the regular TV remote control is proving inadequate to control these new apps and wireless keyboard and mice have not been a popular alternative. As a result, TV makers are now looking at new ways to control their sets such as gesture based controls made popular by Microsoft with their new Kinect on the Xbox 360 games where the console is controlled by waving their arms and legs in the air and by talking to their TV.

For the entertainment industry, internet video’s migration from the PC to the TV is going to provide both challenges and opportunities for all parties. How this translates in the market place and then ultimately affects the hotel industry remains to be seen.

What must be understood is that the hotel industry is a very small player in the overall consumer technology market, which this year is predicated to be close to $964 billion, up 10% on last year.

The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas

The other highlight of my visit to Las Vegas was the chance to have a guided tour of the new 3,000+ room Cosmopolitan. This new resort casino opened in December and has raised the bar yet again in terms of in-room guest technology compared to the Aria Hotel that I wrote about last year.

Features in the room include a custom built touch screen based phone which can control lighting and temperature in the room, and a custom built user friendly TV remote control unit that is also backlit enabling guests to use the TV for a variety of functions merely by accessing a range of icons at the bottom of screen. Using these icons guests can do the following:

  • Access room service
  • Book entertainment services
  • Check local attractions
  • Check airline departure times from McCarron Airport
  • Turn room lights on and off
  • Change the temperature in the room
  • Check current and future weather reports
  • Watch a large array of free to air, cable and movies on demand

The rooms also have the new Samsung Galaxy touch screen tablet that guests can use to access internet or other services like the Apple iPad.

In a future article I will write a more detailed story on The Cosmopolitan as I was very impressed with the technology that has been deployed there.

The future of consumer technology is exciting. With the plethora of new technology being released, hotels that are upgrading their TVs or undertaking major refurbishments will need to ensure they are future-proofed sufficiently to accommodate the technology that consumers embrace moving forward. At the moment, as with 3D TV last year, it is probably best to adopt a cautious approach and see what becomes industry standard.

Ted Horner

View other Ted Reports:

Cloud Computing – what exactly is this cloud?

Ted Horner is a hotel technology consultant. You can contact Ted at ted@hornertech.com.au