CES Session Preview: Smartphones, Netbooks, Laptops/Notebooks

The biggest problem with tablets I've seen over the years (aside from the limited resolution and accuracy issues) has been battery life. They last 1/3 as long as their laptop equivilants because of the extra power required to utilize the digitizer matrix underneath the screen.

Even the venerable Iphone lasts just a few hours of constant use. Add into that the drain a wifi card has, and give that sucker a 11 inch touch screen, and you could literally watch the battery drain like sands from a hourglass.

The other problem is that tablets are niche items, just like you said. They lack the multipurpose functionality for businesses to justify purchasing them when a laptop will do almost as well, but it will also do a variety of other things that a tablet can't.

Now IF we're going to go crazy and yank all different sorts of patented ideas from other companies to make a super tablet (IE my tablet wishlist)

- Intel Atom Processor

- Unbuntu Operating System

- 11.5 inch capacitive touch screen with auto rotation (and manual override) w/ digitizer pen

- slot load mini DVD reader (ala PSP)

- 64 gb solid state hard drive

- 3 usb ports

- min 2 gb RAM

- picture frame style stand with charging port on the bottom (then I would sell the charger docks to starbucks at a discount, so they're built into all of the tables. No need to bring your chargers!)

- LED emitted keyboard matrix with digitizer recognition (ala Palm)

- Wireless N networking

-minimum 6 hours of battery life using a wide and thin LION design (essentially the bottom 2/3 of the device would be the battery)

- 3.5 mm earphone jack (YOU HEAR ME HTC???? )

I'd pay for that. Probably relegate my laptop to use at home too.

I would like to see a 9-inch screen with atleast a 4 hour battery capacity in a tablet.

Although the topic you are addressing may be an area of focus at CES, there will be I believe much bigger ones. You might want to include new devices in your list of devices competing for supremecy in the area of your focus. For instance, the introduction of electronic readers and their change to internet communication devices being led by the likes of Google, Sony, Amazon etc.

GREEN: How electronics can be part of being better stewards of our environment. New regulation in California for Flat Panel manufacturers is a major topic in the industry today. Complaints exist that this may actually result in a reduction of creativity although I doubt it. You will find a green pavilion and seminars as well.

3D Television: Television is still the primary driver of the CE industry. 3D is viewed as the next major development in television although I suspect real implementation will take much longer than some folks think. HD television has been in the discussion in the industry for over 30 years and has only recently come to major fruition. An interesting part of the discussion on 3D is how to avoid the medical related issues.

Mobil Television: How it will be delivered and to what kind of devices. The standard has just recently been approved and CE manufacturers, broadcasters etc. are beginning to increase focus in this area. Delivery of content continues to be an interesting area of where the future will go. Your topic is actually in my mind a subset of this bigger issue (content). One recent development in the content issue is Comcast's purchase of NBC and the potential ramifications this has. Broadcasters are still trying to figure out what is the best use of their spectrum (monitizing it). Mobil TV is just part of that topic along with utilizing digital subchannels. Recent FCC attacks on broadcast spectrum also provides interesting and potentially future changing ramification.

One area of technology that has been around a long time but may finally be becoming more usable is in voice control of devices. This is a small issue but interesting. We've started to see it in showing up in products like GPS etc. It may work its way into really functional control of all devices which would greatly simplfy electronics for everyone. We are back to where I started with universal remote controls where I would simply say to my younger brother; change the channel and he did. I've seen companies who are working on thought control for devices. Not very advanced at this point but really interesting.

If you have never been to CES, you will find it fascinating. Unfortunately, it is losing and has lost some of its luster. Major technology players are downplaying CES; companies like Philips and Sony for instance are dramatically limiting or eliminating their presence.

I look forward to reading your posts and insights.

@ Brian -

Your response of;

Is it really any surprise that something that wasn't really on the market in any significant way a year ago so a huge rise in sales now that it *is* on the market, and that it's performing "well" in a down economy when they tend to sell for a lot less than the thing they're being compared to?

That really is no argument at all. When there is a demand for a product, that point of up sales happens - netbooks not withstanding. Sure, it may be a "betwixt" product - in between a smart phone and laptop - but the netbook has found its way into the business and consumer world simply because of its convenient side.

While most computer makers are coming to terms with a lighter weight notebook, their price points are still not cost effective when there is always new and improved mentality to justify raising the cost of the new model Mac or Windows laptop. While laptops are getting cheaper as new models come out to replace the old, that still does not address the matter of ligher, easier to carry, and easy to use netbooks.

Your "Is it really any surprise" comment for justification of the sales of a product simply because it is new does not hold true. The iPhone and new iPod are classic examples of this. It is not because they are new (not really the case now) that makes them have appeal to consumers. It is because they have usability and functionality in every day life. In other words, the demand for the product is there in any market to warrant the further manufacturing and sales to meet the consumer demand.

Until all makers of laptops can concoct a MacAir, the netbook will find its way on the commuter's train/plane ride or insertion into an easily managable sized sac or carry on bag.

For once, perhaps the computer makers are getting it right - asking the consumer what the consumer wants.

I'm learning a lot about consumer electronics here ... thanks everyone for all the different opinions and insight. I hate to sound stupid, but technology travels faster than I can keep up. May I ask what the difference is, exactly, between the laptop and the netbook? I considered buying a netbook because of the smaller 10" size (for portability reasons). I don't do as much as a lot of people do ... I use a wordprocessor (for writing papers), and I like to just surf the web reading the news, facebook (but not religiously!), reading email, etc. No gaming, not much music or video use.

I do not want a phone that does all of this, because phone screens are too small for me ... certainly there is a HUGE population of people like me - in their 40's - and a HUGE number of ALL the baby boomers, whose eyesight is not that great anymore, and who have a ton of trouble reading those very small phone screens. I wear contacts and only need reading glasses to read small print - a category that the "viewing of cell phones" fall, for me. I do a fair amount of texting with friends, in between all the other activities of daily living that do not require my use of reading glasses, and it is nothing but a HUGE annoyance to me to have to constantly be putting on and taking off reading glasses!! That is why I was considering a netbook for use when I am not in front of a 19" or 20" monitor. I have a new 17" laptop, which I ordered online so I did not actually see it in-person when I bought it, and it turns out that it is not very practical for carrying around. It's a bit too large for easy portability. I figured a netbook, with it's approx. 10" screen, would be the perfect "in-between" device for me.

Do you agree with me - that there is a huge population (and growing) of people who find these small cell phone screens difficult to see, making it difficult for them to utilize all this great stuff that cell phones are capable of (and thus, may be discouraging them from buying them) ? And that there would be a really good market for devices that are "in-between" in size? Am I wrong? Are there not a lot of other people who have this complaint? Maybe I am in the minority here, and just being lazy (for not wanting to constantly put on and take off reading glasses) ... maybe I'm just trying to resist the inevitable ... and most "aging" people are just "sucking it up," not complaining about it, and doing whatever they have to do to in order to keep using the technology that cell phones are increasingly offering?? If it's just me ... sorry for all my rantings here!!!

Thanks for listening, and for everyone's input and insight here ... I am enjoying the reading (on my huge 17" laptop screen!!!)

Mr Ford I was interested if you heard at the show why the University of Hartford student pulled his booth at CES. FENOM llc I was tracking his ex-poser with his smart phones and heard he was talking to some big players Dell, Microsoft etc. I was impressed with the projection aspect not like that clunky LG clip on thing. A kid in college it was probibly cash flow!