CES 2012: Samsung Upgradable TVs

Today was the pre-launch event of CES 2012, the last year of Microsoft’s presence as they follow suit a while after Apple felt they’d grown bigger than the event – which to a point, they have. Their announcements are important but, it’s easy for them to be swallowed up with the hype of the show around gadgets that you never knew that you’d need until today, (remote control spy helicopter from your iPhone/iPad).

This brings me onto Samsung's latest product line of TVs. Packing a primitive Xbox Kinect style interface into a TV whilst adding apps called “smart content” including Angry Birds. This sounds like a great mix of technology, but at the same time leaves me thinking whether it’s really necessary to have basic games on your TV when you’ve got games consoles for that. But what’s really intriguing with the new Samsung line is the consumer’s ability to upgrade it further down the line with “Smart Evolution,” which appears to be swapping the TV’s hardware out with a few expansion slots. This sounds like a great idea allowing the consumer to improve the TV keeping it future proof for longer. However, I’m not sure of its actual effectiveness as when you factor in the cost of potential upgrades versus a new TV with hopefully a better screen.