International CES 2008 puts Latest Technologies at Centre Stage

With a record 1.85-million net square feet of exhibit space – the largest in the show history–– featuring more than 2,700 companies launching their latest innovations, the world’s largest trade show for consumer technology called International CES 2008 wrapped up four full days of technological innovations. Organized by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the 2008 International CES was held from 7th to 10th January, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Major trends sweeping the show floor and defining the future of the consumer technology market included digital entertainment, HDTV, green technology and free trade. This year’s celebrity-packed CES included such entertainment industry figures as Jerry Seinfeld, Dr. Dre, Ryan Seacrest, Will.I.Am, Natasha Beddingfield, Kevin Costner, Michael Douglas, Mary J. Blige, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, David Ortiz and many others.

“The 2008 International CES succeeded spectacularly, and will help fuel the growth of the consumer technology industry throughout 2008 and into the future,” said Gary Shapiro, President & CEO, CEA. “This year’s International CES was a show of firsts:  the first leaders from the automotive and cable industries to deliver CES keynote addresses; for the first time the president of a country spoke at CES; and the first year a television station broadcast its entire nightly newscast – NBC Nightly News –live from the show floor.” 

More than 130,000 industry professionals were in attendance, with a final audited number available in May. “Our attendance numbers are consistent with our efforts to ensure qualified attendees, to improve logistics and reduce the pressure of hotel rates,” said Shapiro.   

In addition to the hottest consumer technology gadgets, the 2008 International CES featured a dynamic line-up of keynote speakers. Microsoft’s Bill Gates delivered his 11th and final pre-CES keynote address sharing his vision for the next digital decade. CEA’s Shapiro opened the 2008 show with a focus on free trade, and issued a call to action for all CES attendees to urge their elected officials to support free trade policies.

Panasonic’s Toshihiro Sakamoto delivered the opening keynote address and unveiled a 150” plasma HDTV, the largest in the world. Intel’s Paul Otellini spoke of his vision for the future of information technology, and Comcast’s Brian Roberts unveiled the first portable DVR. In addition, General Motors’ Rick Wagoner unveiled a new car model during his CES keynote address and unveiled energy-efficient innovations, including advancements in fuel cell technology and electronically-driven propulsion systems.

The CES industry insiders Series featured leading technologists, retailers and government leaders, including Yahoo!’s Jerry Yang, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and leaders from the world’s largest retailers like Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, China-based Gome and UAE-based Al Futtaim.

The inaugural Industry Insider programme, “Technology and Emerging Countries: Advancing Development Through Technology Investments”, brought together government leaders and technology innovators to explore technology’s role in economic development. Speakers included His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda; Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the One Laptop Per Child Project and MIT’s Media Lab; and Dr. Paul Jacobs, CEO, Qualcomm, as well as leaders from AMD, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft and Voxiva.

Here is just a sampling of the new technology and devices unveiled this year that captured the attention of the world:

1. The Eye-Fi SD card that wirelessly sends photos to a PC or any of the online photo sites, 

2. GM’s Cadillac Provoq, which uses GM’s fifth-generation fuel cell with a lithium-ion battery to produce an electrically-driven vehicle that uses no petroleum and has no emission other than water, 

3. Toshiba TDP-EW25U (wireless DLP projector), 

4. Philips’ Eco TV, which won CNET’s top Best of Show award for its ecofriendly features, 

5. Motorola’s Moto Rokr E8 phone, which shifts from music player to phone to imaging device at the touch of a button, 

6. Sony’s 11 inch Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) HDTV, 

7. Panasonic’s record setting 150-inch plasma HDTV, 

8. Mitsubishi’s Laser TV, 

9. iRiver’s GSM Phone, 

10. Intel and Monsoon Multimedia’s Wireless HD Technology, 

11. Bug Labs’ open source modular gadgets, 

12. Comcast’s AnyPlay portable DVR, 

13. Sony’s Rolly speakerbot, 

14. Intel’s 2-way Wi-Max Technology, 

15. Samsung and Motorola’s next-generation portable TVs, 

16. iRobot iLooj (robot to safely clean your gutters), 

17. WowWee’s Rovio, a Wi-Fi-enabled home-surveillance robot equipped with a video camera, 

18. Casio’s EXILIM Pro EX-FI, a new camera offering the world’s fastest burst shooting performance at 60 frames per second, 

19. NEC and Alienware’s curved gaming DLP gaming displays, and’ 20. LG’s MPH handheld personal DTVs.