The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is in full swing. My CradlePoint colleagues and I are in the Enterprise Zone of Verizon Wireless booth (Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth #30259). While this is a tradeshow that emphasizes "consumers," I will note that year after year, enterprises are finding their way to CES to hawk their B2B solutions. Businesses after all are run by consumers, right?
CradlePoint actually has the distinction of connecting 13 solutions that are being demonstrated in the Verizon Wireless Enterprise Zone. These are solution providers serving industries ranging from healthcare to entertainment to security to retail. Just one more example of how CradlePoint defines excellence in 3G/4G connectivity.
Speaking of connectivity, outside the realm of CradlePoint, I did observe some cool products on the trade show floor:
- Phones: AT&T announced a slew of phones that boost their portfolio of 4G LTE enabled devices. Nokia's Lumia 900 is the big one, literally. Specially designed for photographers, it uses the Windows Phone platform, AT&T's 4G LTE network, and has a 4.3-inch screen, which is huge. It seems like it's somewhere between a phone and tablet.
- Cameras with Wi-Fi: I love this concept. Shoot and upload while on the go. Samsung has integrated Wi-Fi into four of its cameras, including one with GPS for geotagging. Sony also introduced the Bloggie Live, a full HD mini-camcorder with a 3-inch touch screen and built-in Wi-Fi. Of course what better way to connect your Wi-Fi camera than with a 3G/4G CradlePoint router? Wired lines and hotspots aren't always convenient. So why not take one with you?
- Going green: I enjoyed the Envision Charlotte eco-kiosk, which is powered by Duke Energy's Smart Energy Now, a program that uses digital grid technologies to display real-time energy data throughout uptown Charlotte – creating awareness and driving behavioral change. The goal: cut energy use by up to 20 percent by 2016. It tracks homes/businesses to show how much energy they are using in an effort to raise awareness and reduce energy consumption. They are using a CradlePoint COR IBR600 in the kiosk.
- My favorite thing at CES was this Emperor Workstation. If someone wanted to double my productivity, they could just put me in one of these with a never-ending supply of coffee. Seriously comfortable and the sound system was awesome. I think they debuted it a couple of years ago at CES, but it was new to me. 2 thumbs up.
- There is major headphone craze at CES. Seriously, when did headphones get to be in such high demand? Do we have Dr. Dre to thank for this?
- There were also a surprising number of iPhone accessory – specifically case – vendors. Another surprise to me. One booth literally had walls and walls of iPhone cases – and that’s it. It was a huge booth too. There must be serious margin in these products.
But wait! There's more. CES will be going on for several more days. We'll keep you posted on our latest discoveries and observations. Stay tuned by following @CradlePoint on Twitter.