Dianne Kennedy's Blog

Standing in line at the Las Vegas Monorail as I headed for CES on Jan 10, I lacked the sense of expectation and excitement that I held in 2011.  Perhaps it was because I am no longer a freshman delegate.  Or perhaps it is because this year's offerings generated comparatively little hype about new technology.  Either way, I can report that while there was no earth-shaking new technology unveiled at CES 2012, there were plenty of small gems.

Two descriptors for this years technology showing are:

• Refinement
• Hybridization

Unless one is very connected or a diligent researcher and analyst, it is tremendously difficult to track technology trends as the year winds on.  Yet this show snaps its delegates to attention and brings it all together in an environment of almost hyper-overload that enables me to formulate a thoughtful and considered technology snapshot to drive my strategies throughout the year.

My picks of this show, no matter the importance for publishers, were Google TV and the new Pixel Qi (pronounced "chi") display technology.  And of course, who can ignore the Plustek mouse shapped like a Porsche 911, the Koala computer speakers or the glam, bling cases for the iPhone 4S?
Now I need to get serious about reporting the impact of today's newest consumer electronics on the publishing environment!