Mobile Highlights at CES 2010

If you’re interested in content on mobile devices, visit CES (Consumer Electronics Show) January 7 to 10, 2010. Mobile content will play a major role in numerous areas on the show floor as well as in the international_ces_2010-1 conference portion of the show.

The Consumer Electronics Association is a top 15 trade association representing international electronics manufacturers. The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is one of the biggest shows hosted there and, says, CEA senior vp Karen Chupka, the biggest electronics show in the world. This year over 2,500 technology companies will show their wares over 1.4 million square feet.

What makes CES 2010 of particular interest is the prominence of entertainment on mobile devices, as well as an expansion of the kinds of mobile devices we’ll be seeing in the near future.

According to CES business development executive Dan Cole, “content will play a large role at this CES.” In addition to the return of companies including NBC Universal, CBS Interactive and Sony, CES will showcase specific technologies in concentrated areas, including one for the Open Mobile Video Coalition, the 800-broadcaster consortium that is developing mobile distribution of their broadcast TV offerings. The Open Mobile Video Coalition will sponsor the Mobile DTV Tech Zone, which will focus on mobile devices that will carry the broadcasters’ mobile ATSC signal. LG Electronics, Samsung, Harris and Dell will demonstrate devices and equipment in this Zone.

Another new area is the iLounge, in which 70 companies will show everything Mac-related in a 20000 square foot area. Another zone, Living in Digital Times, will show products aimed at every consumer category from kids to seniors.

Also of interest to mobile aficianados are two new programs launching this year. The first was developed in collaboration with ETC, the Entertainment Technology Coalition. ETC has identified the major trends this year as mobile distribution as well as 3D TV for the home and over-the-top TV systems. Click here for more information on ETC’s findings regarding trends we’ll see at CES.

ETC CEO/executive director David Wertheimer described how this organization works with all the major studios and many technology companies, looking at how technology is changing entertainment. ETC’s other projects include the Anytime/Anywhere Content Lab (covered here in MobilizedTV) and a 3D Consumer Experience Lab. ETC also talks to young consumers about what they’re doing and are excited about, to keep their finger on the pulse of growth areas.

Gary Arlen and Arthur Greenwald introduced Up Next at CES, a new program that brings content and electronics together. The event, which focuses on traditional TV, wireless, mobile and enhanced TV, begins Thursday and ends on Friday.

“This is a great opportunity since Hollywood is already there at CES to look at new forms of distribution,” said Greenwald. “But no one knows how they’ll make money. One things we’ve tried to do is short-circuit the conversation. There will be a strong emphasis on getting to the nitty gritty of new business models.”

“We’re seeking to avoid the “build it and they will come” mentality,” added Arlen. “We’ll only focus on what’s happening and is likely to happen in the near future. We’ll talk bout leveraging cross-platform partnerships among creative community, distributors and manufacturers.”

The two keynoters are Ben Silverman, who will talk about his new venture with Barry Diller, and the famously outspoken Stephen Chao, who will talk about who’s making money–and how much. Speakers at the event include industry luminaries Illeana Douglas, Thomas Schlamme, Dick Glover, Ken Howard, Vivi Zigler, Laura Martin, David Poltrack, and Tom Wolzien. Also in attendance will be heavy hitters from CTAM, Nielsen, Sony Pictures Technologies, 4As, CBS marketing and the New York Times.

There will also be a big mobile apps showdown at 12:30 pm on Friday Jan. 9 in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s North Hall stage. Ten top applications will go mano-a-mano with live demonstrations and the audience will vote for the No. 1 app.

Speaking of apps, CES attendees will be able to take advantage of FollowMe, available on iTunes and the Blackberry store, which is designed for trade show attendees. Users will get breaking news and announcements from the companies they want to follow, and the app will show where company booths are located and the best route to get there. For anyone who’s attended a huge trade show at Las Vegas, this app sounds like a must-try!

If you’re interested in finding out more about the 330 new exhibitors at CES 2010, CNET is producing a countdown to CES, profiling 30 new innovative companies here.

More analysis of trends came from CEA economist Shawn G. DuBravac, who broke down four key trends, all of which related to content on mobile devices in one way or another.

1. Beyond HD: Tomorrow’s TV experience will include a new interactive environment with access to content, movies, music, widgets. How consumers manage content across screens will be one of the things we’ll see solutions to at CES 2010.

2. Content: Connecting and corralling content includes mobile TV, packaged media, software, etc.
The idea here is that content options are multiplying. How consumers will discover and then manage content is another trend to watch. We’ll also see content in cars and other non-traditional places.

3. New screens find the sweet spot: We’ll see a new crop of portable devices that will highlight innovations. DuBravac noted that up until CES 2010 there has been a void in screen spectrum from the 5-inch maximum mobile devices to 15-inch laptops. “E-books have entered that space as well as netbooks and they’ve both done really well,” he said. “We expect to see the first smart books, a mix of smart phones and netbooks. Netbooks will move to mass market and come to extreme innovation.”

4. Consumers control their own experience. “You will see more apps at CES than anywhere else,” said DuBravac. “Everyone is building apps into their products. They’re not making remote controls, they’re making apps.”

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