CES 2011 Wrap-Up

I was lucky enough to attend CES 2011 this year in Las Vegas, Nevada. I got the chance to see numerous amounts of gadgets from all perspectives including getting one on one demos with some of the latest gadgets soon to come in the year 2011. Although I felt overwhelmed with the amount of 3D Televisions and tablets, I witnessed . It was overall a great experience; I also was able to meet lots of well-rounded individuals. 

Day 1 started with keynotes from Verizon CEO, Ivan Seidenberg introducing Verizon’s new LTE network which could be the new home of the iPhone later this month. CEA President and CEO, Gary Shapiro also gave a speech addressing the current state of the CE (Consumer Electronics) Industry. Later on Audi AG Chairman of the Board of Management, Rupert Stadler, gave a speech on leadership and Samsung President, Boo-Keun Yoon demonstrated the new portfolio of Samsung.  I also got hands-on with various companies. 

Day 2 was filled with a slew of keynotes during the morning; including various CEOs. I got a lecture on the newly announced Yahoo Connected TV; similar but not better than the Google TV. Yahoo Connected TV has one special feature that Google TV doesn’t it allows you to interact with your television with quizzes about the segment your currently watching; don’t it would be a use of most consumers. I also got hands-on with one of the very few 4G MiFi’s, Clear Spot 4G, only $45 dollars a month for service including unlimited data; a good deal. Also you have two options; first option you can either purchase (for $199) or lease (for $6/month) device and pay the monthly plan for $45/month or the second option you can receive the device for free of charge and pay your monthly fee of $45/ month but your bound by a 2-year contract; neither option offer a pay-as-you go option. 

Day 3 I got the opportunity to test ride in a concept car of General Motors, the en-v, which is an all electric vehicle specifically designed for the Shanghai Expo. There has been no set date/year for production of the en-v for the public. I also got a very well presented demo of the BodyGuardz which is a screen protector designed for the whole body of your device. Another one on one demo I received was with the Blackberry Playbook, something that can really compete with the Apple iPad; contains a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, a 5MP rear-facing camera and 3MP front-facing camera. 

  Day 4 I found a really cool backup service, clickfree, very unique from the other backup solutions that I’ve used, not only does it backup on schedule without hassle. Another feature that most of us run into is that when you do a backup its wipes current information on your hard drive with clickfree it doesn’t alter any of the current files on your hard drive. 

I really enjoyed CES 2011, it has been a great experience for me and the TekSocial website. This CES  was certainly the year of the tablets and 3D televisions. Hopefully I will be fortunate enough to attend next year and provide more coverage for TekSocial.com. For your enjoyment I’ve included all the coverage of my CES Experience below. An lastly I uploaded all the pictures’ I took at CES 2011 to my Flickr. 

70% Chance of Verizon iPhone in 2010, Analysts Say

Gene Munster, from Piper Jaffray, has gone ahead in giving the iPhone a 70% in ending up on Verizon's network in 2010. Also, he is predicting a longer battery life, as well as an RFID reader (Early Rumor: RFID). The following is Munster's reasoning:

- Because Verizon is the biggest U.S. carrier, and could help Apple sell millions more phones per year.
- Because Apple is no doubt aware that AT&T, its current iPhone partner, is majorly flaking on network quality in big markets like New York and San Francisco.
- Because Verizon would otherwise continue to invest heavily in Apple rivals like Google Android and RIM BlackBerry.
- Because the smartphone market is a platform land grab and Apple can't afford to lose ground -- even at the risk of complicating their product line or back-end systems.

Are all of these points solid? Well, it is all opinionated. Personally, I believe Apple is almost completely obligated to launch an iPhone on Verizon's network in a foreseeable future. As pointed out briefly by Munster, RIM has always had a solid home on Verizon, and now Android handsets are beginning to make their way over.

In the ever evolving world of cellphones, the iPhone's OS is beginning to get staler and staler. This mostly comes from the stiff competition from Google, with their more fresh Android. Also, Palm has entered the mix with WebOS. Plus, it has already been confirmed that the Pre will make its way over to Verizon early next year!

So, Apple may want to jump onto Verizon's boat before all of these other big name handsets sink it (if you get my metaphor). Though exclusivity restrictions may indeed cease Apple's Verizon iPhone in the first half of 2010, I am betting with Munster in saying that in the latter part of 2010, there will be a CDMA iPhone running on Verizon's network.

Unfortunatley, by then Verizon's network will most likely be clogged with the above mentioned handsets, making it hard for the iPhone to breath.

-Majorginge

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