What Does CES 2011 Have In Store For Us?

According to CNN's Mark Milian (love that name) we can expect Tablets, Tablets, and more Tablets, as well as Smartphones, 3D TVs, connected appliances, and of course video gaming. Some 80 new tablet devices will occupy the booths which is no surprise. The most interesting concept for me, one that has been around for some time but only now seems to be maturing, is the connected appliance. It seems that cell carriers are behind the latest push along with the more traditional Wi-Fi offerings. I am anxious to learn of the ways in which the industry choses to employ this technology. It's apt to be an easing in process where we get alerts via sms or twitter, but there are possibilities here that go well beyond  "the toast is burning"...  look for a wrap up post after the news starts hitting the wire.

Self Driving Cars In 10 Years - CES Attendees Hear

The CBC is reporting that GM CEO, Rick Wagoner, in the last keynote address at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show made some big predictions for the not so distant future. "It is critical to our business destiny and our obligation to society to develop alternative means of propulsion to meet the world's demands for our products, which is growing at a very rapid pace." said Wagner. According to the report "GM's OnStar in-vehicle communications and monitoring system will soon introduce applications that can be activated over a cellphone. In the "very short term," subscribers to the service will be able to unlock or even start their vehicles remotely with their mobile device." In addition, Chris Urmson, Carnegie Mellon's man behind "Boss" the DARPA Urban Challenge winner said "we expect a fully autonomous, self-driving car to be on the road in the next decade."

I expect that this prediction is fairly safe. Ten years ago I read of a semi autonomous vehicle that drove across country and managed nearly, I believe, 90% of the driving. With the success of "Boss" and other contestants in the completely autonomous DARPA driving challenge, it stands to reason that another decade will mean enough advances to bring the technology to the masses... think I'll call Johnny Cab!

CES 2008 Best of Show Contenders

CNET runs down their top 30 picks for the "Best of CES" award at the Computer Electronics Show (CES). Check out the Belkin FlyWire,Alienware curved display, and Bug Labs Platform!