CES Consumer Electronics Show Session Notes

Overview  “Long term” is now months  Battle for control of the Connected Consumer is really the theme of the show – although the consumer is driving the industry by voting with purchase decisions.  The goal had been “owning the space” i.e. living room, car, etc. Now is “owning the consumer”  There is no longer an independent device. Each device relies on a content producer, a content provider and on a provider of content delivery

Convergence  Devices do more than one thing.  How many devices can you carry in your pockets?  Most devices still do only one thing well.

What I took with me

Laptop Power Cord Wireless Adapter Ethernet Cable (you never know)

PDA Charger

MP3 Player Earphones Charger

Phone Charger

Camera (not shown) USB cable Rechargeable Batteries (plenty) Battery Charger Phone-TV cable (you never know)

Convergence: The USB Cable can be used with… PDA Camera MP3 Player Not the phone. It needs its own (which I have but didn’t take)

Connectivity/Interconnectedness  The big issue had been time shifting – now it is both time shifting and place shifting.  Sling box – connect to your content and distribute it to a mobile device.  Users now have data on lots of places. A goal is to update personal data between devices wirelessly and automatically  Mobile-meets-home must be seamless

Connectivity/Interconnectedness  Wireless devices to be direct recipients of content rather than download to PC then move to device. Sidestep the ‘tyranny of the PC’  Intuitive but versatile interface that can be applied to several devices is important. Many vendors marketed the interface almost independently of the product.

Community  Connected=Connected to the Internet AND connected to each other.  Wireless device is one thing that all people take along – and the one thing they always go back for if they’ve forgotten it.  Connectivity with friends/community is important  Focus on young & YA who look for new versatility and connectivity

How to Power?  Most homes now have a battery drawer just to maintain the ability to power devices.  Stores like Battery Warehouse now exist in many cities.  Batteries will some day outperform other components of a device - We don't have a drawerful of displays, keyboards, etc. - batteries will outlast life of device.  batteries self recharging - integrated into product - animated/powered magazine ads

How to Power?  Power Plastic - External case of device can capture/harvest energy - maybe even from indoor light.  Could be used inside the home  Textile - based power capture  Instant charging and long run time critical  Environmental issues getting better  Wireless power? – Speaker ducked this issue.

Implications for libraries Customer Service:  Best Buy is transforming to an educational model. Focused, personal, knowledgeable service at time of purchase is VERY important to the consumer. Consumer is NOT one big mass. People buy for a purpose. Purpose varies depending on user variables. Service and configuration is a big part of their business now (Geek Squad).

Implications for libraries Market Influence:  Best Buy believes they have an important role in listening to customers and communicating their needs to product producers. This drives product development.  Libraries should play a similar role for our customers.

Implications for libraries Media indexing:  More and more information being created and now delivered via non-text means.  Before, users of mobile devices were able to get information on mobile devices only through text. Audio/video content could be received through text transcripts.  Now it is easier to deliver information in its original content – video, audio direct from producer to user’s mobile device.  We need to observe this trend and explore the options to index/retrieve audio/video content.

Implications for libraries Providing access:  With wireless technology integrated into mobile computers will we lose the niche of being a freebie wireless connectivity option?

Implications for libraries Digital Rights Management:  ZZZZZZzzzzzzz  DRM issues critical to our industry.  Producers are very concerned about piracy.  Meanwhile, consumers are intolerant of restrictions that keep them from using purchased media when they want it, where they want it, and on whatever device they choose. Users don’t want to have to re-purchase content for each device  DRM is what is keeping us in the market with downloadable media such as ebooks and audiobooks. We need to work as much as possible to be sure that any DRM developments include options that are compatible with the library’s lend-and-return model.