Gearing Up in Las Vegas

Cars
Consider them ultramobile devices. General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will be delivering a keynote address this year, the first time a Detroit chief will be headliner at the gadget bonanza. GM may be dethroned as the world's largest automaker, but it's still a technology leader. "They've been getting it for a long time," says Brian Moody, an analyst at Edmunds.com. "Their OnStar was introduced in 1996!" Now the company is fast-tracking the Chevy Volt, a 150 mpg plug-in electric car, for production as early as 2010 or 2011. But GM is hardly the only automotive innovator. Last year Microsoft teamed up with Ford to introduce Sync, a voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system. Next, Hughes Telematics will debut an OnStar competitor in the United States in 2009. "You can get a state-required smog check from your driveway, download music without having to connect the car to anything and upgrade the software in your car without having to take it to a dealership," says Moody. "It's not like 20 years ago, when the decision of what car to buy was driven by the fact that these cars were reliable and these cars were not. There's a thinking now that the playing field is fairly level when it comes to antilock brakes and traction control." So the next time you buy a car it might boil down to whether the model you want has connectivity, Bluetooth integration, Internet navigation systems and multiple video screens. And of course, you can't have content-on-the-go without…

The Content Industry
For the first time this year major content providers have reserved exhibitor space in the hall. Sony Pictures-Television will be exhibiting right along with Sonyelectronics, and the CEO of Comcast will be delivering a keynote address. NBC Universal will have two studios in its exhibition space as the first "official" CES broadcasting partner. "As digital technology evolves, you're going to see this closer connection between content and tech companies," says Beth Comstock, president of NBC Universal Integrated Media. Their booths will showcase digital content and serve as a hub where, Comstock vaguely promises, "some partnerships will be announced." Sounds as if we can soon hope for more good stuff to watch in…

High-Definition
Usually, when it comes to cutting-edge technology, it's all about making things smaller—smaller phones, smaller mp3 players, smaller 802.11n Wi-Fi cards. But when it comes to television, big is where the buzz is. Rumors are flying that Samsung will unleash the largest-ever, 40-inch organic light-emitting diode TV—a new, energy-saving alternative. Not to be outdone, Panasonic will unveil a monster 150-inch plasma screen, the largest of its kind. A cute trick, perhaps, but who has room for a screen that big? "We've already gone beyond the maximum capacity that most customers can embrace," which, according to Gartenberg, is 42-to-50-inch screens. Still, 2007 was the first year sales of LCDs outpaced the old-school cathode ray tube sets, and you can expect that number to climb: broadcasters will be required to phase out their analog signals on or before the Feb. 17, 2009. Second-tier companies like Olevia have already benefited from this trend by offering excellent sets at competitive prices. Mitsubishi may announce widespread availability of the laser TV it debuted at CES last year. And a group that calls itself the High-Definition Audio-Visual Alliance will demonstrate how to fling high-definition content around the home through a multiroom networking solution that uses a single wire to connect an array of HD sources and TVs. Clearly, not for the faint of heart whose VCRs (remember those?) still flash 12:00.

Want more? Check in throughout the week as NEWSWEEK blogs from Vegas, enduring the blinding glare of shiny new toys so you don't have to.

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