CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is one of the calendar events in every techno-geek’s diary as we get to see the technology that is coming our way in the near future. Some of these never make it onto the marketplace of course, but many do even if they are short-lived at times.
The following is an extract from an article from CES that is pertinent to our industry;
And, of course, as Bill Gates announced in his traditional CES keynote address on Wednesday night, there’s Microsoft’s determined effort to tie every room in the house together using its new Windows XP Media Center PC software. The idea is to have all the entertainment screens working off the same central computer powered by the new operating system, so if you’re watching a DVD in one room and want to continue watching in another, for instance, you can do so without stopping or moving the DVD itself.
The demo house displays more than 100 “innovative” features and is loaded with more than $400,000 in technology, said iShow.com President Paul Barnett. Most of those, though, are actually such mundane features as Cosentino USA’s new brand of scratch-resistant quartz used for kitchen countertops or the tankless water heater by Seisco that promises to eliminate the suddenly cold shower.
The concept for the demo house actually originated as part of the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, which starts later this month, so many of its innovations are thrills to the home-building crowd, not CES’ tech-geek audience.
Still, a few of the technological innovations showcased offer genuinely new concepts. In the kitchen, a new Cleveland-based company called TMIO is displaying an oven that will refrigerate food, then cook it when you tell it — using the Internet — when you want to eat. TMIO, which stands for Tonight’s Menu Intelligent Ovens, won this year’s Best Kitchen Appliance Innovation Award at CES. TMIO’s oven will be available for $2,500 near the end of 2004. A double-wall version will sell for $4,000.
“You’ve got oven timers, but when you can sit there and tell your oven what to do from somewhere else, that’s when it’s super cool,” said Diane Valachovic, TMIO vice president and COO. “How many times did you think you’d be home at 7:30, but then you get caught up?”
From Wired News
Of course I wasn’t invited to CES this year which I’m a bit miffed about…ah well, maybe next year.
kwatt wrote: Of course I wasn’t invited to CES this year which I’m a bit miffed about…ah well, maybe next year
You’re welcome here anytime 🙂
Dave.