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by Lori Cunningham
So many products, so little time. Even after spending six full days at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas, I still didn’t get to see everything. Nonetheless, I summarized our top 5 products for moms (and bloggers) from the show. Be sure to see our top mom gadgets from CES in 2011 and 2010 as they are still very much pertinent to moms today. And just in case you missed it, don’t miss the Top Six Product Tech Trends of CES 2012 and CES in Pictures as well.
Top 5 Products for Moms from CES:
1.) Grid-IT! The Ultimate Organizer – When I saw this Grid-IT!* in the Cocoon booth, I immediately knew it would be on my top products for moms list. When you travel do you end up with a mess of cords and adapters? One for your phone, one for your husband’s phone, one for each of the kids’ phones/hand-held devices, one for the DVD player, one for your camera, one for your camcorder…the list goes on! I usually wrap each one up nicely and throw it in a bag, but then it’s still unruly going through the bag to find the right charger. With the Grid-It!, your cord chaos can be greatly diminished. Grid-IT! features a bunch of rubberized elastic straps going horizontally and vertically to accommodate different sizes of items. But the organization doesn’t stop at your tech items! You can also use the Grid-IT! for your art supplies, first aid kit, tools, office supplies, a catchall for the back of your car’s sun visor…and one of my other favorite uses…(drumroll please!)…YOUR PURSE! I’m sure you have a purse full of stuff, just like me, that you can never seem to find. My purse is like a bottomless pit. Once, it took me 3 days to discover my son’s leftover pizza was still in my purse!!!! Ugh!
With the Grid-IT! you can buy just the right size for your purse to house your lipstick, makeup, anti-bacterial spray, mints, gum, pens, coupons, sunglasses, camera, important notes…you name it! Just take the grid out of your purse and all your stuff is neatly organized right at your fingertips. Slick, huh? Grid-IT!’s come in all sorts of different sizes and in different organizer formats (laptop cases, backpacks, iPad cases, etc.). Grid-IT!’s range from $9.99 and up.
2.) Sony HDR-CX580V Flash Memory Handycam Camcorder with Projector – I am a big Sony camcorder fan. I have owned a Sony camcorder since 1999. I down-scaled (much smaller size) to my second one around 2005. I love how camcorders are getting more powerful and smaller. I had heard about Sony’s camcorders with projection but I’ve never seen one before CES. Can you imagine how cool it would be to instantly project your movies and pics right there on a wall after you take them? Sure, that would be cool, but how big would the screen size really be? To my amazement, I found out the diagonal screen size can be projected up to 100 inches! That’s twice as big as my TV! Wow! And Sony didn’t just tell me about it, they showed it to me. They set up a dark room with a movie running from the camcorder. The picture had such great quality that I had to swipe my hand across the projection on the camera just to ensure they weren’t pulling my leg. I was sold right then and there. Not only is the projection great, this model features 1920×1080 full HD 24p recording and boasts a 20.4 megapixel camera! AND, finally, Sony has allowed for Flash Memory (32GB included) which means you don’t have to use their proprietary memory stick any longer. You can switch out your cards as needed. The Sony HDR-CX580V Handycam has tons of other features as well. This Handycam will be available in March and retails for $800. Sony has other projection models available soon for less money (and less features), namely the HDR-PJ260V for $650 and the Sony HDR-PJ200 for $440.
3.) XPrintServer – LANTRONIX introduced the xPrintServer wireless printing solution for iPad, iPhone, and iOS devices. Do you have a lot of pictures/documents/webpages/even email’s on your iPhone or iPad that you wish you could easily print? There’s no need to link up to your computer anymore to print them out. Just plug in the xPrintServer into your network and you can easily print to up to 10 connected printers (wireless or wired). No apps or software to download. The xPrintServer automatically discovers the printers for you. What a great device for home or the office. the xPrintServer sells for $149.95 and will be available soon.
4.) Simple.tv – Simple.tv is a new product that acts as a DVR and allows you to watch your favorite broadcast TV shows anywhere and on any connected device. This is the solution you have been looking for if you would like to cut your cable but can’t live without a DVR. All broadcast channels, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, even ESPN are available over the air for free. Depending upon your antennae, HD channels are also available for free. Simple.tv allows you to watch, pause, and record live TV. And after you download the Simple.TV app from your device’s app store, you can start watching your recorded shows on nearly any device. Love it! Simple.TV will cost $149 when it launches later this year. There is no monthly cost for basic service. If, however, you would like to record shows automatically, use an enhanced electronic program guide, receive more info. about your favorite shows, and be able to remotely stream to up to 5 users, you’ll need the premier service, which costs $4.99/mo. Simple.TV is a great complement to Boxee and ROKU as well.
5.) TP-Link Mini Pocket Router - OK, I know a router doesn’t sound like much fun. But the TP-Link TL-WR700N is a handy little device. Do you have a room in your house that just doesn’t seem to have a strong enough signal from your wireless router? I do. My office is too far away and the signal is weak. Have you ever gone on a trip and noticed that the wireless access in your hotel room is as slow as molasses? I have. My hotel at CES had terrible wireless service. The TP-Link Mini Pocket Router is the solution. Just plug the ethernet wire from your wired room or hotel room into your Mini Pocket Router, which plugs into the wall, connect your router, and your set. The Mini Pocket Router amplifies and makes wired the wired connection you have in a room, providing you with instant wireless access. As long as the room you’re in has a wired Ethernet port, you’re good to go. Another great TP-Link product is the Portable 3G/3.75G Wireless Router (TL-MR3020) which allows you to share your 3G connection with other phones wherever 3G service is available. It can be powered by a laptop or power adapter, which means you can use it camping, on trains, at conferences or wherever! Cool!
The TP-Link Mini Rocket Router sells for $31.99 and the 3G Router sells for $44.32 at Amazon.com.
Well, there you have it – our top 5 products from the show. There were plenty of other products I’d love to tell you about…and many of them I will throughout the year. Don’t forget to check out our top products for moms from CES 2011 and CES 2010 too. Which of these products would you love to try?
* Upon my request, I was provided with a Grid-IT! pouch and TP-Link mini router to review. I will be writing reviews on both of these products. However, I liked them so much, I wanted to include them in my favorite mom products from CES this year.
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by Lori Cunningham
Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Sadie Beery of Frankfort, OH on winning the cool Striiv pedometer! We had over 400 entries – she’s one lucky lady!
I had another fun, exhilarating, and exhausting year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year. As always, CES does not disappoint. With over 20,000 new products launched just that week, you can imagine there was something new to see around every corner. On the other hand, there was nothing that stands out as a super “wow” as in year’s past. There was a lot of excitement around the new tablets in 2009. In 2010, 3D was all the rave at the show. I would say the most exciting thing this year were the 55″ OLED TV’s. We were all amazed at the super thin 20″ OLED’s last year so seeing the technology expand to 55″ was pretty incredible to see…but of course, the technology isn’t new.
There’s no doubt that the trends I identified in 2010 continue to grow strong. Smart TV’s are quickly becoming the norm as manufacturers are dramatically increasing the percentage of Smart TV’s they produce. Smart Phones and tablets are remotely controlling more things – TV’s, cable boxes’, music, home surveillance, door locks, etc. Apps Everywhere continue a strong presence and are part of the category trend I list below for this year under Multiple Platform Experience. The Connected Car continues to take off as more car manufacturers are building computers into their cars to help consumers maintain their connected lifestyles. And of course, will Green Energy ever go out of style? Let’s hope not! To learn more about last year’s trends see the Top 6 Tech Product Trends of CES 2011 (and of 2010 for further ongoing trends).
Onto the trends stemming from CES 2012:
1.) Ultrabooks – Ultrabooks were introduced at the end of last year. Ultrabooks are the next class of laptops in that they are very thin (20mm or less), weigh less than 3.1 lbs, have a long battery life (5-8 hrs), have an ultra-fast start-up from sleep (similar to a tablet), and are priced right at $1,000, though the price will get closer to the $500 mark as more ultrabooks are introduced. There were 30-40 ultrabooks launched at CES this year. Expect to hear a lot about ultrabooks this year. Sometime later this year it is likely they will include touchscreens so the ultrabook can be used like a tablet as well.
2.) Multiple Platform Experience – Today, people have 1-3 smartphones, one or more Smart TV’s, 1+ tablets, connected gaming consoles, PC’s, Macs, connected Blue-Ray players, connected cars, connected smart alarm clocks, you name it, people have it! Most of these different devices have apps. Now that consumers are more connected and more savvy about the apps they use, they are expecting their app on their smartphone to utilize the same info. of the same app they use on their TV. Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and many others have already been doing this. No matter what device (platform) you log into, your information will be there. Storing user information in the cloud enables this process for your information to follow you to each device. This trend continues to grow as new devices and apps are created.
3.) Connected Home – I’m thrilled to see a much bigger presence and focus on home automation this year. Home automation is no longer for the elite who can afford to have their lights turned on and their air conditioned controlled by the press of a button. Home automation is becoming mainstream. I have been studying this trend for a while and in fact, it’s the impetus for our new website, TheWellConnectedHome.com. Using certain protocols (Z-Wave or Zigbee), a consumer can install and program (it’s now user friendly) lights, thermostats, door locks, cameras, draperies, and more to turn on or off with your smartphone, PC, Mac, tablet, and more. I know because I have done it myself. Find out more on theWellConnectedHome.com website as I begin posting my experiences.
4.) Connected Health – it’s been fun to see fitness and measurement products grow every time I go to CES. Pedometers have really taken off and include social elements (see the new Striiv pedometer social enhancements in this CES video). Pedometers are built-into fitness watches and devices…as well as accelerometers (which measure the change in acceleration), galvanic skin response (measures how active you are), heat flux (the rate of heat leaving your body), heart rate, sleep tracker, and more! A number of devices even allow you to enter in your food intake to get a complete look at matching your dieting or fitness goals. Absolutely remarkable.
In addition, home medical testing devices are getting smarter. I remember oooo’ing over the Withings Digital Scale three years ago when I first discovered it at CES. It tracks your weight, muscle, and fat…and sends it via Wi-Fi to your computer, smartphone, or tablet. Wow. Love it. Some of the new digital scales even have a social element where you can post automatically to Facebook. Uh, no thanks. I suppose if you have a private support group, this might be helpful. Withings also has a new Wi-Fi enabled baby scale coming out that is a much needed home device for parents with underweight babies. Ideal Life also had a number of connected products to help seniors (and others) keep connected to their doctors such as a glucose monitor, blood pressure monitor, Sp02 oxygen monitor, and scale. With these devices and devices like the Sonamba, keeping track of your health and that of your aging parents is becoming easier.
5.) 3D TV Content – If last year was the year of the 3D TV, this year is the year of 3D content…finally! Sales of 3D TV’s are progressing well due to the end of year discounted prices of excess 3D TV inventories. Many people bought 3D TV’s because the price was right, so, why not? Unfortunately, besides some movies, there is not a lot of 3D content out there to watch. This is changing. ESPN now has a 24/7 3D channel showcasing football, basket ball, boxing, the X Games, and more. Discovery has created
a new 3D channel, as well as other content carriers like Comcast and DirectTV. But the biggest 3D news of the show was Panasonic’s announcement that this year’s 2012 London Olympics would be filmed in 3D. Talk about one event that will get a whole nation talking about 3D.
6.) OLED TV’s – Thin is in. As I stated above, the new 55″ TV’s are pretty remarkable. So incredibly thin. Your finger is thicker than these screens. With a contract ratio of 100,000,000, you can imagine how beautiful the display is. The colors are vivid and vibrant. Models will be available in 3D as well. Can you imagine 3D coming out of such a thin screen? OLED’s do not use backlight so transmission of the pictures is clearer and more colorful. Also, as a result, they have a faster response time, enabling up to a 100,000 Hz refresh rate. Today’s LED TV’s only go up to a 240 Hz refresh rate. Plasmas typically have 480-720 Hz refresh rates. A faster response rate means less ghosting when a person or object moves. Pricing is not set yet for OLED’s. The materials themselves are actually cheaper than for plasma or LCD TV’s. It’s the fabrication process that is so costly. The price will drop as more manufacturers begin producing OLED TV’s.
Although over 20,000 products were introduced at CES this year, many of them are not fully functioning yet. Most will be produced and in stores by the end of the first quarter, although some will not be ready until the Fall. To get a birds eye view of CES as a whole, be sure to check out The Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2012) in Pictures. Next week we will publish our annual CES Great Technology Products for Moms for 2012.
Have questions about CES or interested in a particular product or type of technology? Leave a comment and I’ll reply with any info. I have to update you, stemming from the show.
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by Lori Cunningham
This is my third year covering CES, the largest Consumer Electronics Show ( 2011) in the US. Executives from every major industry attend this show to find new ways to keep connected and conduct business. This year’s show was the largest show ever since its inception, with over 3,100 exhibitors and over 153,000 attendees. Over 20,000 new products were launched during CES. Phew!
Exhibits and press meetings were spread between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Venetian hotel and Sands Convention Center, located at the Venetian. As many of you know, I love my Striiv pedometer. I was curious to see over the course of the week, how long I actually walked. To my surprise, I walked the equivalent of a full marathon – over 26 miles in five days. No wonder why I’m so tired.
I wish I could say I’m resting all week but we are in the process of moving into my dream home…the WellConnectedHome, a home I’ve decked all out with the latest home technology – much of it DIY. Be sure to subscribe to theWellConnectedHome.com to find out about the latest cool home tech for home automation, entertainment, and more.
Anyways, back to CES. I’ve included some pictures here to give you the sights of the show and some of the parties I attended as well.
Press Day starts a couple days ahead of CES. Most of the larger companies “wow” the press with their latest innovations at this time. Panasonic surprised the crowd at the end of their conference when Justin Timberlake made a presence to talk about MySpace.com’s latest venture, MySpace TV. MySpace TV allows mySpace friends to communicate on their TV as they are watching sports and shows on their TV’s. Timberlake took on an ownership stake in MySpace.com in June, apparently after seeing the possibility of future ventures after appearing in the movie, The Social Network.
Panasonic also announced that this year’s 2012 Olympics in London will be filmed using Panasonic’s 3D cameras…which means we will be able to watch the Olympics like never before. Due to the discounted prices and bundling of TV/Blue Ray or TV/Video Console packages this Christmas, 3D TV’s are increasingly becoming a part of home life. I recently purchased a smart TV with 3D — not because of the 3D but because of the TV itself. I for one am THRILLED and can’t wait to see the Olympics in 3D with my family.
Sony was another fun press conference to attend. Upon arrival, we were all given 3D glasses. Sony introduced their new line of products initially through an interesting 3D video. It was great to see their products “come alive” so to speak. Sony introduced their new S tablet with enhanced entertainment features – what you’d expect from an entertainment company.
 One of the entertainment aspects of the tablet is called PlayMemories. PlayMemories allows you to share content from your tablet, camera, PS Vita, PlayStation 3 console, TV’s and smart phones to your other devices enabled with PlayMemories. PlayMemories is included with many of Sony’s 2012 product line and is available for download as a free app through iOS and Android now. PlayMemories works by allowing you to save pictures/video to the cloud and accessing it from different devices.
Sony sported a number of guest appearances during their press conference featuring Will Smith from Men in Black (MIB3) and Kelly Clarkson, who sang a song live for us. I will post these on on our WellConnectedMom channel on YouTube later.
 SHARP’s press conference was interesting. I never realized that SHARP is a vertically integrated company, meaning they make all the components for their TV’s themselves. Being vertically integrated allows them to lower their costs and go to market faster. There’s no doubt SHARP’s Quattron yellow color produces rich colors in their TV’s. New this year are a more developed platform for their Smart TV’s and a beautiful 85″ Quattron TV. Aquos Live is built-into all new Aquos TVs – meaning you can call into their support line and they can log into your TV to assist you.
I loved their Freestyle TV’s which promote mobility. Want the kids to watch TV in another room, but you don’t have a TV there? Just move your SHARP Freestyle Wi-Fi-enabled TV in there. They’ll be watching shows off the Net in no time. Take the TV out to the pool with you, it’s no problem. All you need is a plug. What a novel concept, moving your TV with you instead of buying a TV for each room.
While walking around at one of the press events, I ran into Bob Marley. Marley was showcasing off his new audio equipment which is sold at the HouseofMarley.com. I’d say all of his jammn’ has served him well. At age 66, he looks great!
 The showroom floor was packed as business execs, buyers, and the press (reporters/bloggers) roamed the floor. Having a hands-on experience enables a better understanding of a product’s features.
 LG’s booth was pretty impressive, as usual. As attendees entered the hall, they were handed 3D glasses to take advantage of LG’s 3D video showing the possibilities of 3D in filming. I have to say, 3D videos are fun to watch.
LG showcased a number of 55″ OLED TV’s which were no thicker than a pencil. Absolutely incredible, with a contrast ration of 100,000,000. Last year, OLED TV’s were on display, but they screen size was not very large. OLED TV’s will be pricey, probably in the $2,500 range, but expect the price to drop as more manufacturers jump on board to produce them.
 Ever wanted your picture with the ViewSonic birds? Attend CES next year, they’re there every year!
Samsung’s booth did not disappoint. Samsung debuted their 55″ OLED TV’s as well. Samsung’s model boasts a dual core processor and the ability to process “smart content,” which will be introduced at a later time.
IGN and Qualcomm hosted a hip party at the Surrender Nightclub at the Encore. The drinks were good and the drink ice sculpture was cool. The nightclub had a great vibe and a photo booth provided extra entertainment for the night.
Other interesting products on the CES showroom floor included Xi3 modular computers. These computers are so small, you can carry it in your hand. They come in a variety of colors and can actually be hooked up to the back of your monitor so you don’t even see them.
Xi3 differs from other computers in that it separates its motherboard into three distinct components 1.) the processor and memory area 2.) display and power options 3.) I/O or special connectivity options.
This means you can swap things out such as hard drive space, RAM, and more as technology advances. They have a separate external storage drives as well that you can add on as your fill up your memory in your Xi3. Pretty slick.
One of the many things I like about CES is the opportunity to meet the people behind the ideas that make it to the marketplace. I met Adrian Mirando, Chief Creative Officer at Poldera.com. Adrian came up with the concept of putting a retractable chain on his iPhone after leaving it behind at a restaurant establishment last year. The phone disappeared quickly. He vowed to not let that happen again.
He created the iKeep retractable cable clip that attaches to your iPhone and then clips to your belt, purse, backpack, etc.. Having lost phones myself before, this “leash” would have been most helpful. I could also see this helpful in tethering your iPhone or iPad to your purse or child’s belt loop, so s/he doesn’t leave it behind when you let him/her borrow it for a few moments.
Another item I like even more is the iKeep Charger which is the iKeep with an included charger. I have been to many conferences where I borrow a plug somewhere to charge my phone. Clipping the phone to my bag will help secure it better and ensure that I remember to unplug it when I grab my bag. Love it.
I loved meeting 13 year old, Taylor Burghard, the Chief Design Officer TekChick Designs where “smart is cool.” Taylor recycles used Apple laptop keyboard keys to create fun messages on earrings and necklaces. Messages include:
I-CTRL-U
LOVE
YME?
and my favorite, GR8-MOM - among many more.
Her dad was on hand as her official Involved Parent, as his card read. Taylor really impressed me with her candor and how well she related her story to buyers and members of the press. Right now Taylor’s factory is in her basement, but she is hiring “staff” as her business grows. Great job, Taylor, you’re an impressive young entrepreneur!
Well that about “wraps up” my CES in pictures, though I have hundreds more to share! Stay tuned for the WellConnectedMom’s 6 Trends of CES 2012, and my top favorite products for moms from CES this year.
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