Events

Kreese's CES 2010 Wrap-Up is now ready to watch in our videos library - head on over to enjoy his humourous look at this years Consumer Electronics Show. First up is a look at 3D as Kreese ponders the long-term potential for the technology, taking the time to reflect on an excellent point raised by adster in our forums. Next up we try to take a look at eReaders vs Tablet PCs, but we're overwhelmed by phone cases. The video closes with a look at the difference between the software and hardware trends apparent at the show.

Head to our videos library to watch it right now, or download it from our files library so you can remix Kreese's soothing Aussie accent into a tech themed lullaby.

Some technologies are safe bets. And others...not so safe bets. We already have supplied our thoughts on music gaming peripherals and the wisdom of pouring money into a softening market.

Now we'll listed three trends - emergent and otherwise - which we've seen at CES which we believe to be high risk for the companies investing in them. Or to put it another way, if you work for someone who makes these, it might be prudent to prep that resume. Just sayin'

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Heard of Light Blue Optic? We haven't either. But they have made a pretty impressive stab at stealing the CES show this year with a touch sensitive projector, the Light Touch.

The Light Touch beams a touch sensitive 10 inch picture onto any flat surface, and runs Adobe Flash Lite 3.1, meaning there's distinct gaming possibilities for savvy developers, not just social networking and productivity apps.

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If there's one takeout people are getting from CES 2010, it's that 3D TV has become a reality. And there's no doubt in time to come 3D will be considered as monumental a shift in how we consume entertainment on our screens as the respective introductions of color TV, VHS, DVD, and high def were and are.

However amongst the excitement and hype, it's already clear that 3D TV as it's being realised by the majors is a long way from Star Wars-style holograms being projected onto your living room floors.

Here's our mini list of definitions (and anti-definitions) to help put you in the, er, "picture":

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One of the key functions of CES in the past has been a harbinger of change. Whether it's launches from tech companies with the financial will to make new markets a reality or can't-ignore newcomers with a sure-fire hit, CES has historically held a place as the spawning ground.

We've compiled a list of the big pushes coming out of the show - some obvious, some not so. Check it:

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As a way of capturing what it's like to mill amongst an estimated 100,000 people in confined quarters, we thought we'd put up an assortment of images from the event.

Check out some of the snaps taken so far - page might take some time to load:

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Remember Nintendo's Power Glove? It was an awesome idea - on the Nintendo idea scale just a step behind the U-Force and several ahead of letting Sony make the PlayStation.

When we first caught sight of the Peregrine gaming glove, we thought "right, some kind of fatal1ty-meets-Michael Jackson wankjob marketing gimmick gone astray". But boy, were we wrong. The Peregrine is Power Glove: The Empire Strikes Back. Power Glove Reloaded. Power Glove: The Two Towers. Power Glov- (you get the idea).

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Wow, just wow. The organisers of the CES promised a more expanded games presence at this year's CES - possibly to account for the dearth of motherboard, CPU or video card love from the component sector - but to date it's been pretty so-so.

And while the Wiimote ripoff levels have subsided, one of the big "me-too" trends from last year is back stronger than ever - music game peripherals. The amount of money some manufacturers are gambling investing in music gaming can only be described as "optimistic". As a typical example, take this little setup:

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Thrustmaster, we've had our differences in the past. There was that forgettable attempt at a skateboard controller, and every now and then you'd put out a steering wheel controller which cost a ridiculous amount of money and still manage to be broken in a couple of years.

We admit, we haven't put as much into the relationship as we could have. And yes, there have been others we've been attracted to, with their force feedback and bold licensing. But we always held the hope you'd return annd we could hook up once more.

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Okay, so it looks like a styrofoam version of a broken 6-pack holder, but rather than strangling dolphins the Parrot AR Drone (nominated in the best of show "wireless handset accessory" category) is ideal for menacing coworkers, small children and doorknocking fundamentalists.

It's actually a quadricopter - complete with cameras mounted on it. You control it via wireless from your iPhone (or iPod touches). The flight unit features a stabilisiing system preventing you (sadly) from going too haywire.

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