Wireless, Digital Video Shine At CES

By Joseph F. Kovar and Kristen Kenedy, CRN
iApplianceWeb
(01/13/03, 08:17:10 PM EDT)

Las Vegas, Nevada -- Wireless and digital video, along with the continuing crossover between the consumer electronics and IT industries, were major themes at the International Consumer Electronics Show, held here last week.

Sony President and COO Kunitake Ando discussed in his keynote presentation a future world in which connectedness is key. He unveiled the Clie NZ90, Sony's first wireless handheld, which includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking capabilities and a 2-megapixel digital camera.

Ando also demonstrated the EQ, a concept device measuring about the size of a person's hand. Ando called the EQ "a sensing computer" that can recognize speech and faces. EQ uses an Intel chip and the Microsoft operating system, and Sony expects to launch a version of the product within 12 months, Ando said.

Dell Computer President and CEO Michael Dell said during his keynote presentation that about 5 percent of his company's Precision series of PCs currently ship with Linux, and that Dell plans to offer a version of its Axim Pocket PC with built-in wireless capabilities.

Dell said his company is also trying to persuade leading carriers to drop the price of broadband access. "We are encouraging carriers to make the pricing more reasonable," he said.

Dell will maintain its direct-sales focus, but it is willing to work with nondirect partners who can add value to the products, Dell said.

Tyler Dikman, president and CEO of Cool Tronics, a Tampa, Fla., solution provider that exclusively resells Dell systems, said Dell likes the fact that companies like Cool Tronics are opening new markets for the vendor. "Customers like the face-to-face contact we provide," Dikman said. "They like to see the same person taking care of problems with their Dell products. Because we buy [in] quantity from Dell, Dell will listen to us. We give customers a voice."

Several vendors demonstrated products based on Microsoft's Smart Device technology, which combines an LCD panel that has touch-screen and pen-input capabilities with an 802.11b wireless transceiver to allow the screen to be used anywhere within a home.

While new Smart Devices for consumers should ship this month, business applications for the channel are coming soon, said Jeff Volpe, vice president of sales for the Americas at ViewSonic, Walnut, Calif. Volpe said his company plans to start shipping its version, called the AirPanel, to the channel in the second quarter.

Jeff Davis, vice president of sales at D&H Distributing, Harrisburg, Pa., said his solution provider customers are starting to push into the consumer electronics space, and that many new products shown at CES are moving into business applications.

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