NPR has debuted an app designed specifically for Ford SYNC AppLink, the voice-activated platform that works by connecting smartphones to vehicles.
The deal is interesting on two fronts: as a case study in how traditional content “networks” might make their products available a la carte — and for Ford’s hands-off positioning as third-party technology enabler that is facilitating cool uses for smartphones while leaving it largely to the handset manufacturers to upgrade and maintain the platform environment.
Ford AppLink allows developers to create in-vehicle mobile applications that assume unique functionality when Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices are docked to the dashboard via USB. Android devices also work via Bluetooth.
Ford’s apps feature a variety of sports, information and financial programming.
NPR is “one of the most popular features on iTunes, accounting for 7 out of 10 downloaded podcasts,” according to the network’s Kinsey Wilson.
Ford’s SYNC Services launched in 2009, providing voice-activated access to a cloud-based network of information including traffic, news, sports, weather and more. In 2010 Ford added SYNC AppLink — allowing smartphone-equipped customers access to a growing number of popular apps.
Where to see it: North Hall, Grand Lobby, Lower Level 2230
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang focused Monday’s CES press conference on the new line of devices utilizing the Tegra 3 processor, stressing the variety of mobile solutions companies have to offer individual users with different needs and expectations.
Billed as a quad-core device, the Tegra 3 actually has five CPUs. The fifth processor, or “ninja” core as it’s affectionately called by its creators, provides the key to the new variable symmetric processing.
Huang said the processing makes it possible to maintain or increase computational power while maintaining low power consumption.
The company also demonstrated its prism display technology that enables devices to maintain image fidelity as backlights are dimmed to save power through a reprocessing of each individual pixel’s brightness and color.
The company unveiled another new feature of the Tegra 3, Direct Touch, where the ninja core is used to directly sample data at roughly triple the rate of a traditional capacitive touchscreen.
Huang highlighted Tegra 3’s support of Android Ice Cream Sandwich as well as the new OS’ ability to unite the development process and user experience across platforms, from mobile phones to tablets and ultrabooks.
Half of Samsung Smart TVs will offer 3D in 2012. Product line highlights include a 55-inch Super OLED TV and ES8000 LED TV.
TVs will come in sizes as large as 75-inches with thin bezels. The company also previewed voice control and a gestural interface for its display technology.
To future proof its TVs, Samsung announced plans to offer an evolution kit that would allows users to add new features and increase performance.
New feature “All Share Play” is designed to allow content to move seamlessly across devices.
Samsung Mobile launched the Galaxy Note 4G-enabled smartphone with 5.3 inch HD AMOLED screen and “SPen” control; and 4G LTE-enabled Galaxy Tab 7.7, a new tablet that the company suggested could be used as a universal remote.
In digital imaging, the company launched Samsung Smart cameras and camcorders with Wi-Fi.
Samsung will also offer a technology demo of a 4K TV.
Wormhole Switch from J5create is a single USB cord that enables Windows and Apple computers to exchange files. There is also a version that connects Windows machines with Android platforms.
No software is required; the cord — priced at $24 to $39 — does it all.
Data transfer rates are USB 2’s standard 4.8 gigabytes per second, “so file size is limited only by the size of the hard drive. You can drag and drop a 1 terabyte file,” a company rep explained.
The Wormhole Station accomplishes the same thing via a docking device that also enables multiple units (like tablets and iPads) to share a keyboard.
Where to see it: Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase, LVCC Grand Lobby
Tobii Technology’s eye-tracking system enables you to control your computer with just a look.
After calibrating on your eyes, the Swedish company’s “gaze interaction” technology moves the cursor to the screen location where you are looking.
However, you still have to press the touchpad or click the mouse to trigger an action.
At CES, the company is demonstrating software connected to Microsoft’s Windows 8 so that attendees can demo its capabilities with games, Word documents and more.
Tobii plans to make the system available to the professional market — CAD, artists, etc. — in a year, and to the consumer market in two years. The company also has medical applications in mind for the technology.
Samsung’s new inTouch enables wireless Internet connectivity for HDTV sets at 1080p, allowing users to view YouTube, Hulu and other online content in big screen splendor.
The tiny Android device connects to a TV via a single HDMI cable (no software required) and syncs to the home Wi-Fi network.
It features a built-in camera and microphone for multi-user 720p Skype videoconferencing on a grand scale.
Comes with mini keypad that company reps are touting as a much easier browser interface than a remote control.
Expected to ship in March, priced at $199.
SlashGear has a 1-minute video demo from CES Unveiled.
Where to see it: Central 12004; Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase, LVCC Grand Lobby
At CES, Broadcom will demonstrate system-on-a-chip components to build an Android-based set-top box that would feature DVR functionality from EchoStar and wireless “place-shifting” from Sling Media.
The new system would deliver OTT services alongside cable channels and, according to ReadWriteWeb, “could be the formula behind the phrase, ‘Goodbye, TiVo.'”
STB features expected to be demonstrated at CES: Android-based apps ecosystem enabled through a partnership with Myriad Group (maker of the Alien Vue), 3D environment for graphical on-screen program guides, built-in videoconferencing, interactive supplemental content (“similar to the BD-Live content on Blu-ray movie discs, by way of Adobe AIR for the Digital Home”), the ability to utilize expanded bandwidth to receive up to six simultaneous HD channels, and faster channel changing and scanning ability via a Broadcom standard called FastRTV.
“Existing OTT program services such as Google TV and Roku are already being integrated into Alien Vue; and to that end, Roku today announced its own partnership with premium channel Showtime for a kind of ‘previewing app’ for premium content,” notes RWW.
Netflix is expected to face significant challenges in 2012, as its customer-satisfaction ratings have fallen below those of Amazon and new competitors continue to emerge with original video plans.
“There’s many more digital players that will command the attention of studios and consumers in 2012, from would-be Netflix rivals to those sporting entirely different business models and aiming to deliver TV programs and movies to every screen in U.S. homes,” reports Variety.
The success of the Netflix model has led to a new category known as subscription VOD, which is expected to spawn imitators. “Hulu, for one, built an SVOD component, Hulu Plus, off its massive ad-supported base that has nabbed 1 million subs in over a year,” notes the article. Both Netflix and Hulu have commissioned original content and continue to secure exclusives on catalog fare.
Amazon’s SVOD spinoff could present a challenge to Netflix, as Amazon Prime is also closing catalog deals. And Verizon “may enter the space in conjunction with Redbox.” We may also see SVOD models from Walmart’s Vudu and Dish Network’s Blockbuster.
The article cites the possible impact of a la carte digital rental options, such as iVOD offerings through Apple’s iTunes, and the one-off movie offerings Facebook has been testing.
Variety notes an additional possibility: “Microsoft’s Xbox Live was the first to try a third digital-distribution model for video that everyone from Verizon to Sony has been reported considering: the virtual MSO model, which bundles a bunch of linear channels akin to how a cable operator does, but with much fewer channels at a much lower price point. All the while, Xbox stays in the iVOD biz via its Zune marketplace.”
The migration from Internet Protocol version four (IPv4) to Internet Protocol version six (IPv6) has already been underway for over a decade, reports TVTechnology.
“The current system, which uses 32 bit IP addresses, is being replaced with a system that uses 128 bit IP addresses. IPv6 also uses a completely different packet header than IPv4,” indicates the article. “These differences mean that IPv4 devices cannot communicate with IPv6 websites and vice-versa. Fortunately, both protocols can work over existing Ethernet and other low-level networking technologies, so there is no need to replace the physical infrastructure of LANs or carrier networks.”
Content providers, including broadcasters that run websites, may one day need to address users who only have IPv6 addresses. “To support these users, many websites are employing a ‘dual-stack’ approach, where Web servers are configured to have interfaces for both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic.”
Additional challenges for broadcast facilities include “the added overhead of the larger IP packet headers,” and “the cost in both time and support fees that could be required to update and verify all of the specialized equipment used inside a broadcast facility, including video file servers and editing workstations.”
The transition to IP V6 will be like a slow Y2K event. It will enable major opportunities in tagging content and devices, but it will not be fully backward compatible with existing Web data, formats, and metadata.
Onkyo has announced that its 2012 line of AV receivers will include InstaPrevue technology from Silicon Image and HDMI ports leveraging Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) technology.
“When consumers connect an MHL-compatible smartphone or tablet to an MHL-equipped AV receiver or directly to an MHL-equipped TV, they can stream 1080p HD video and 7.1-channel surround sound from the mobile device to their home theater system,” reports TWICE.
“The HDMI port of the AV receiver or TV will also charge the portable device, and consumers will be able to use their TV or AVR remote to control the playback of content streamed from their MHL-enabled mobile device.”
According to the MHL Consortium, 23 smartphones currently feature MHL technology including the Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Infuse and HTC’s EVO 3D. In terms of tablets, the HTC Flyer and EVO 3D View 4G also feature MHL.
“Silicon Image’s InstaPrevue technology will be demonstrated at CES in a private booth in South Hall 2,” notes the article. “Onkyo will demonstrate both technologies at a public suite at the Venetian.”
CNET speculates what trends will emerge at January’s CES regarding networking and storage technologies.
Wireless: “Just a while ago, Broadcom, one of the major makers of networking chipsets, showed me a preview of the new 802.11ac standard that brings the top speed to up to 1.4Gbps, almost 50 percent faster than a Gigabit connection, that is. And if that’s not fast enough, Velocity also recently introduced the first chipset based on WiGig Alliance-backed 802.11ad 60Ghz wireless standard that offers up to 7Gbps ceiling throughput speed.”
“Networking will also be available in more home appliances, such as TVs, refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, and even cars,” adds the article. “Broadcom said it will also be demoing for the first time a new Ethernet-based solution for the rear-view camera, which not only enhances the quality of the image but also makes the whole solution more affordable and lighter.”
In terms of the Cloud, expect to see routers that come with mobile apps for control from smartphones, and personal cloud developments from hard drive and NAS server vendors.
CNET also predicts: “In terms of data transfer speed, hardware vendors will introduce their versions of Thunderbolt-enabled storage solutions.”
At next month’s CES, Myriad will demo its new Alien Vue, which allows TV and set-top box manufacturers to bring Android apps to their existing products.
Alien Vue also brings a branded app store, Web browser and portable device control to your TV.
Myriad enables Android apps on other non-Android devices such as iOS and MeeGo.
“This new release supports apps designed to run on GoogleTV and HTML5, including YouTube, Netflix and Twitter,” describes the press release. “Apps, content and services appear and function as they would in their native environment with no disruption or loss of performance.”
Lantronix has developed an iPhone-sized box called xPrintserver that enables printing from any iOS device. The $150 device supports more than 4,000 printers.
“With automatic printer discovery and no configuration, printing is easy and hassle-free. Simply open the box, plug in the xPrintServer anywhere into the network, and print wirelessly from the iOS device,” explains the press release.
“The proliferation of iPads and iPhones in the corporate world has yielded a potentially tremendous opportunity for providing an easy printing solution free of hassles associated with today’s work-around solutions,” said Kurt Busch, president and CEO for Lantronix. “With more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies slated to deploy iPads by the end of 2011, this is an ideal time to expand into this market.”
The xPrintserver will be available in January 2012 through Lantronix.com as well as resellers such as Amazon, NewEgg, Buy.com, and MacMall.
The company is expected to showcase xPrintServer at Digital Experience during CES in Las Vegas.
Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps reveals the consumer electronics computing form factors that she expects to see at CES 2012, as reported in eWeek.
First is wearable devices, including current technology like the Lark sleep tracker or biometric bracelets that connect wearers with their devices.
Next, embedded devices — “gadgets that include computing processors and sensors, such as refrigerators, coffee machines, and other Web-enabled devices” — are expected to become more popular, allowing the remote use of devices.
“Epps also sees ‘surfaces,’ or larger interactive displays that rely on multi-touch, voice and gesture input, facial recognition, near-field communication (NFC) signals and any other manner of wireless technologies and sensors,” explains the article.
Screens will be reinvented, made flexible to be folded, rolled up or flexed and will come in all shapes and sizes.
Lastly, Epps predicts mini-projectors to make advances, allowing users to manipulate interactive projections in 3D space.
“The most successful products will work with other products — for example, wearables that talk to smartphones and TVs; surfaces that are activated by the presence of your smartphone,” Epps said. “We’re living in a multi-device, multi-connection world, and the best experiences will be those that work across devices and platforms.”
Plexus Entertainment has launched a beta-version of its new movie-bookmarking service called “Watch It” that allows users “to keep track of movies they’re interested in, where those movies are playing, and to be proactively notified of all the different ways to view those films,” reports TechCrunch.
The post describes the service as “a Netflix queue for movies on the Web.” In addition to being a stand-alone site, Watch It buttons have launched on film sites, social media pages, industry trade publications and more.
“From theaters to streaming movies on demand from Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, and iTunes, the Watch It button enables users to create and maintain personalized queues of movies they want to see, with a range of tools for sorting and filtering those movies that they’ve queued. Watch It is also leveraging social networking by allowing users to share their movie choices with friends via Facebook Connect,” TechCrunch explains.
The service also has the ability to provide valuable analytics for movie marketers and promoters and can be used for reader engagement and a source of commerce with the easily embeddable button.
NPR has debuted an app designed specifically for Ford SYNC AppLink, the voice-activated platform that works by connecting smartphones to vehicles.
