Orange County technology companies played their part at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where exhibitors debuted a slew of products that are expected to shape the industry landscape this year.
Lighter, sleeker designs, a push to affordability for the masses, syncing devices and an influx of smart phone and tablet accessories ruled the four-day event.
Irvine-based Vizio Inc. stole some thunder before the show opened when it announced its first foray into the PC market with two desktops and three notebooks, including a slim laptop, also known as an ultrabook.
“We’re getting a lot of publicity for our PC, and I’m pretty excited about that,” Vizio cofounder William Wang said during a demonstration of the company’s lines of tablets, TVs and Blu-ray players. “We’re going to do whatever we can to distribute the best entertainment to the consumer.”
Vizio rented out one of the largest suites at the Wynn Casino and had it reconfigured with white lighting that showcased the company’s product lines.
Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. in Irvine helped its Tokyo-based parent Toshiba Corp. introduce more than 20 new products at CES and demonstrate them for industry executives and customers.
Toshiba America, the U.S. marketing and sales arm of the parent company, pitched Toshiba’s latest sleek TVs, laptops and what the company is billing as the lightest and thinnest 10-inch tablet on the market. The Excite X10 tablet is 7.7 millimeters thin, weighs just over a pound and features front- and back-facing cameras with HD capabilities, faster performance and durable, scratch-resistant glass.
The 16-gigabit version will sell for about $530 and 32-gigabit version for about $600.
Ultrabooks
Toshiba joined numerous competitors in debuting ultrabooks, which might end up as the defining product at this year’s show.
Other brands that launched models included Intel, Acer, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung and Lenovo, which garnered some buzz with its smart TV and plans to launch a smart phone with Intel’s highly touted Medfield processor later this year.
Toshiba also introduced a line of smart TVs, a glasses-free 3D TV, three camcorders including versions offering 3D and Wi-Fi connections, and a mobile monitor and docking station.
Fountain Valley-based Kingston Technol-ogy Co. introduced three storage devices geared for tablet, notebook and smart phone users.
The top maker of memory products for computers and consumer electronics introduced two USBs: one is a thin, stainless steel stick with a built-in key ring. The other, dubbed DataTraveler Micro, is one of the smallest flash drives on the market and doesn’t interfere with other USBs clustered together, according to Kingston. Both versions are available in 8 and 16 gigabits.
“Lighter, Thinner”
“We’re trying to make storage devices that are lighter and thinner,” spokesperson David Leong said during a private demonstration at a suite at Caesar’s Palace.
Kingston also debuted a portable, wireless storage device with Wi-Fi for Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire and Apple Inc.’s iPod, iPad and iPhone. The product is available in 16 and 32 gigabites.
Accessory makers in-troduced hundreds of products at CES, with OC-based companies well represented in that segment.
Joy Factory
The Joy Factory Inc. in Irvine introduced several mounts for the iPad 2, including a head set ideal for entertaining kids in the back seat, a tripod for photography or related uses, and mounts suited to hold iPhones during exercise or bicycling.
The company demonstrated its rugged, waterproof case for iPad 2 in an aquarium at a hotel suite.
It also showed a mini, magnetic charging station for powering up most cameras, smart phones and eReaders.
Joy Factory took aim at satisfying customers facing colder climates or crisp California nights with an acrylic-fiber glove that keeps users’ hands warm while swiping a smart phone, tablet or eReader. It also debuted a power switch, slated for a second-quarter release for about $150, that lets users turn off lights and other household devices via an app.
CES drew a record 3,100 exhibitors that showcased some 20,000 products, but critics bemoaned the lack of a “wow factor” that typically marks the world’s largest gadget fest. More than 150,000 people were expected to attend, up from 140,000 a year ago.
Personalities
CES, in typical form, featured plenty of interesting and influential personalities from the technology and entertainment industries. Keynote speakers included Intel Corp. Chief Executive Paul Otellini, and Paul Jacobs, chief executive of Broadcom Corp. rival Qualcomm Corp. in San Diego.
Rapper 50 Cent marketed his new company, SMS Audio LLC, and chatted up his new line of wireless headphones.
Former basketball player, Newport Beach resident and recent Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman pitched for Paltalk, a service that allows users to explore the online world of chat sites and webcam videos. Rapper and TV actor LL Cool J demonstrated a track made by the Boomdizzle music label and social website he created, playing the song on a Dolby-powered laptop connected to a home-theater surround-sound system.
