Some Bonnier R&D Thoughts from CES 2011

Tabletpalooza.

Nearly 100 tablets flooded CES, primarily built on the Android platform. The most popular size seems to be 10.1 inches (as the Xoom) but also the BlackBerry PlayBook got very positive reviews. It will now be interesting to see how these somewhat long and thin devices (16:10 aspect ratio) will be perceived compared to the Apple iPad's 4:3 aspect ratio. From a developer's point of view, it will be a very fragmented market to target with different platforms, different app stores and different aspect ratios. The question is whether we will see more developers selecting a few devices to target and possibly also designing for only one orientation (portrait OR landscape).

The Android tablets will be based on the new Android Honeycomb. See here for further details. 

The Super Phone.

Starting to compete with smaller laptops, the new phones launching this year will be more powerful and multifunctional. For instance, the Motorola Atrix is a high-end dual-core 4G Android phone that doubles as a laptop computer. By snapping the phone into the back of an ultraslim new laptop dock, it powers a 13-inch screen and keyboard using just one data plan. The laptop dock will also contain a WiFi hotspot and a 6-hour battery—potentially useful for workers on the go. For application developers though, this results in yet another challenge as the phone applications with the smaller screen assets will have to work on a large screen as well.

3D Backlash?

Even though 3D took CES 2010 by storm and CES 2011 featured even more 3D solutions—including glasses-free TVs, games and mobile phones—3D consumers have yet to embrace the expensive technology. The new TV screens, without 3D, are gorgeous and consumers will possibly find them more attractive both from an experience and price point of view.

Connected TVs.

Much more interesting in the TV arena are all the connected TV solutions. Forrester expects that by 2015, 58 per cent of all TVs sold will be connected. Samsung expects "2011 to be a revolutionary year for Smart TV, just as smartphones revolutionized the mobile phone business”. Samsung promises that “almost all” of its 40-inch and above range released in 2011 will come with connected features.

Other interesting connected TVs were introduced by Toshiba, LG, Panasonic and Sony. Video conferencing via web-connected TVs was also a big trend at the show. LG and Samsung lead the charge with Skype-enabled displays with add-on cameras. It is clear that this is the direction that the market is heading.

Now, the question is what will be the main app stores and what kind of consumer behavior will we see using TV screens. Will we see even more narrowly targeted channels in small widget formats? Will people start to read short pieces of text (making it possible to build digital magazines/newspapers for TV screens)? Will people use the TV widgets as short breaks during their normal TV viewing sessions to get things done (making utility apps will be very popular)? Or will they continue to multi-task and use their computer/smartphone instead while watching TV at the same time?

Connected Appliances.

The Internet of things has been hyped for a long time. Still, it has felt more like something everyone wants to happen rather than a trend evidenced by real innovations. But this year, there were some interesting developments. Internet connections were being built into TVs, ovens, refrigerators and even cars by BMW, Ford, Toyota and Tesla. We are excited to see what next CES will deliver in this area… There is certainly a lot of buzz going on.

Apple not there but still present.

There's no question that iOS is still a dominant force. So many ideas were based on all the things you can do with an iPad or iPhone that this CES show included an entire "iLounge", twice the size of CES 2010, featuring Apple-certified accessories (or not certified)— everything from battery-powered iPad cases to music devices like a full-sized piano keyboard to the "head" of an autonomous telepresence robot.