The theme of last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show was a familiar one: the blurring of computers and consumer electronics in the home.
CES, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and neighboring hotels, is the largest annual gathering of consumer electronics exhibitors and buyers, spanning more than 1.5 million square feet of exhibit space.
Within the cavernous convention center were displays of giant TVs, invisible audio components and a controversial stun gun for the masses.
And there were business deals, most of which centered on making the home more convenient.
At the booth of Irvine-based SmartLabs Inc., the buzz was about creating a futuristic home in which a router from Fountain Valley-based D-Link Systems Inc. controls everything from the air conditioning to the Xbox.
SmartLabs also outlined a pact with Best Buy Co. to install the home control router.
Best Buy essentially acts as a general contractor for installing electronics, SmartLabs spokeswoman Michelle Laird said.
Convenience isn’t cheap. It costs about $15,000 for a fully integrated home, Laird said. SmartLabs is working with Lennar Corp. to offer the tech package to new homebuyers in Sacramento, she said.
“These are not million-dollar homes, these are starter homes,” Laird said. “It’s for the iPod generation who grew up with this technology, know how to use it and expect it.”
At the booth of Irvine chipmaker Broadcom Corp., there was lots of talk about high-definition TV, wireless networking and next-generation DVD. The company announced a slew of deals during the show for chips that go into set-top boxes.
Broadcom showed ways it said could make high-definition TV more affordable without sacrificing quality. It also showed how its chips can wirelessly link a TV to cameras and printers to see pictures from your Vegas vacation.
A big buzz at the show was created several hundred miles away in San Francisco, where Apple Inc. unveiled its iPhone.
Broadcom saw its shares jump on the news. The company is expected to provide the controller chip for iPhone’s touch screen.
The iPhone also sparked a lawsuit by Cisco Systems Inc. The company’s Irvine-based Linksys unit makes a phone for placing calls over the Internet that goes by the same name.
Fountain Valley-based CarMD.com Corp. got a lot of attention for its handheld device for diagnosing auto trouble. The device evaluates the cause of a check engine warning and estimates repair costs.
Cypress-based remote control maker Universal Electronics Inc. debuted three products at CES: A remote made for kids; three remotes for controlling various household functions; and a remote for satellite radios from Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
“You’ve got a remote control for the audio/visual platform, so the next natural platform is the home and light control,” said Ramzi Ammari, vice president of product development for Universal Electronics.
With the push of a button, Universal’s household remote started playing a DVD on a video screen as table lamps around it dimmed, just as lights might in a movie theater.
“We’re creating that kind of entertainment experience,” Ammari said. “We’re not just controlling the movie, but the environment.”
In another corner of the booth, Michael Hirsch, director of product management for Universal, was talking about linking camera phones with a PC and an iPod using Universal’s Simple Center software.
Universal also talked up its Cricket remote control, which features just 10 buttons, one for each of the top kid cable networks and TV channels.
The remote, due in the second quarter, lets kids surf Disney Channel, Discover Kids, Cartoon Network and five other pre-programmed channels and up to two others parents might want, such as a local PBS affiliate.
