But I’ve got terrible news for all those companies: there is only one Apple. Tempting as it may be to start up your own ecosystem of apps and content, you need something truly compelling to make people sign up to it in the same way that tens of millions of people have signed their lives away to Apple.

Apple customers sign up to a brand with values they believe in, to a name that they will be happy to associate themselves with.

For a start, you need trust. Apple customers sign up to a brand with values they believe in, to a name that they will be happy to associate themselves with. You also need staggering amounts of content: from apps to movies to TV shows to music, Apple has this sewn up.

You need sexiness: if I’m going to buy your phone, it needs to look damn good. Finally, you need phenomenal ease of use. If you have to spend a minute explaining what your service does, or how you connect to it using your devices, then you’ve lost three-quarters of your potential customers.

Like them or loathe them, no other company can match Apple in these areas.

So when I look back at CES, despite all the excellent technology on show, I do so with a mix of fear and despondency.

The issue is typified by the likes of Samsung and Sony. Both made big plays at CES that suggest they think they could be an all-encompassing rival to Apple, whether it’s Samsung talking about the fact you can play Angry Birds on their TVs or Sony pointing out that its customers can watch movies a month earlier on their movie-download service. Sorry Sony, sorry Samsung: but it’s not enough.

Instead, we need either open standards or a compelling play by a company that can work with different partners. Obvious examples of the latter are Microsoft and Google, but even this has hints of idealism: think how difficult Microsoft has found it to make anyone else sign up to services such as Passport.

Nevertheless, I can’t see any alternative. Sony and Samsung both produce great hardware, and Sony – through its subsidiaries such as Sony Entertainment – own some phenomenal content. But they are light years away from the position where a critical mass of consumers sign up to the Sony or Samsung ecosystem in the same way that Apple customers do.

So, please, stop trying and start working with Google, Microsoft and Amazon to ensure that the products we buy from you work with all the different content providers. Focus on what your company is good at, not what Apple is good at.

The Lytro has been kicking around for a few months — we covered its launch in issue 207 of the magazine — and it picked up an award at CES last week, but the camera has yet to actually ship. However, the company had a few pre-production models to let us try out the intriguing new camera technology.

The Lytro is a light-field camera, also called a plenoptic camera, and the result of research from Stanford University — the company’s website even links to the CEO’s dissertation. The idea is that the Lytro’s special sensor captures everything in the “light field” — essentially all the data about light’s intensity, direction and colour, with nothing omitted.

Shots are focused after, rather than before, the photo is taken via software on a computer (or previewed on the camera itself). This not only offers the potential to re-imagine photos and create intriguing images utterly abusing depth of field, but also means they’re snapped almost instantly, without the photographer or the hardware having to ponder over where to focus. The sensor captures so much information, it can create 3D images and slightly shift the vantage point from which the picture was taken, although it seems to work better in some photographs than others, so there is a bit of learning curve.

A light 214g, it’s small enough to hold in one hand — and I have tiny, child-sized hands. There are only two buttons, the on switch on the bottom and shutter on the top. See a shot you want to snap? It powers on in a flash, and your picture will be snapped in what feels like an instant. It is ridiculously fast.

This makes the Lytro perfect for snapshots; it’s easy to imagine it being handy as a point-and-shoot, especially after a few weeks over the holidays spent chasing my sisters’ children around with a DSLR, trying to focus on quick-moving toddlers.

The Lytro features an f/2 aperture and 8x optical zoom, which is controlled via a touch-sensitive ridge on the top of the device. The screen is also touch-sensitive; tap on the screen to zoom in or focus on any spot of the image directly in the camera. We weren’t given the desktop software or copies of our photos to try focusing after the fact on a computer, but it was clear from tapping around the images on the camera that it was indeed  possible to pick out faces or objects to sharpen up and focus on after the fact.

The camera can take pictures from as little as four inches as way from the subject, with the ability to focus on anything in the image past that point. The cameras we were handed had an experimental creative mode — which may not make it into the first round of cameras — that boosted the Lytro’s macro abilities. Put the subject directly in-front of the lens and tap the touchscreen, and the Lytro can automatically focus on the up-close object.

The bright, colourful form-factor looks like a toy, and was certainly eye-catching; twice in the hour-long trial with the camera in the lobby of the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, I was stopped and asked what exactly was in my hands, and could they try it out. (The answer, according to watching PRs, was no.)

Half of it is made up of the camera lenses, with the sensor sitting around the the midpoint. The front is made from aluminium, while the back half is rubber.

One compelling aspect of the Lytro is that the firm is constantly working to update the camera’s firmware — and upgrades such as the creative mode will be offered free.  One feature in the works is the ability to hit a button in the desktop software to put everything in focus, rather than having to pick a single point.

There are of course downsides. The Lytro is limited in what it can do. There’s no flash or any way to adjust ISO or other settings, meaning you have to work with the light you’ve got. The resolution doesn’t appear to be particularly great, and the company tries to get around this by pitching it as a device for online sharing. The company says the photographs can be exported to a 1,080 x 1,080 pixel JPG, advising users they won’t be able to cleanly print larger sized versions of their images.

Another major downside is that the desktop software, necessary to edit the light-field photo files, only works on Macs. A Windows version is in the works, however.

All in, the Lytro is an intriguing little camera that’s surprisingly fun to use. It’s no replacement for a DSLR, but at first glance the ease and speed of shooting could make it a handy point-and-shoot, for those willing to do a wee bit of post-production on snapshots to pick a focal point and export their images to standard file types.

A 16GB version, which the company says will hold 750 pictures, costs $499, while an 8GB version costs $399. The Lytro is available for pre-order now and shipping next month, but sadly initially only in the US.

I spent last week in Las Vegas, which is always a bit strange for women, surrounded as you are by very pretty ladies, in very little — and often very sparkly — “clothes”. I’m speaking, of course, not of the casinos or bars, but of CES and its numerous “booth babes”.

The BBC did an excellent piece on the subject — if you haven’t seen it yet, the video is here, and it’s well worth watching — interviewing female tech journalists, marketing staff, booth babes and CES head honcho Gary Shapiro.

There’s one line in the video that stuck with me. One of the so-called babes suggested that female journalists wouldn’t be dissuaded from visiting a company’s booth because scantily clad models were present. That’s patently wrong; I avoided stands because of such marketing tactics.

On what felt like day 497 of CES, I was looking at robots. One stand had some rather silly looking robots, one of which danced and the other drew pictures with a pen and paper.

Why or how that was, I don’t know, as the only obvious staff on hand were hired models. I actually attempted — optimistically, I know — to ask one of the pretty ladies a bit about the robot she was smilingly demonstrating, and she merely shrugged, probably ruining the dozen photos snapped of her and her stupid robot that second.

To me, the use of such women to run a stand smacks of desperation. If I walk up to a booth manned by models, I know I won’t be able to find out anything worthwhile about the product. I’ll have to dodge the bikini-clad, stomach-baring ladies, push past their ardent admirers, and then attempt to have an actual conversation with whoever is actually in charge of the stand, which is inevitably marketing a product so bad that it needs cleavage and naked legs to gain attention.  This is a massive waste of my time.

Do I also find it uncomfortable? Of course. To me, it’s gross and it’s insulting. The constant reminder of the objectification of women isn’t ideal when I’m already hideously grumpy from trekking through the crowded, massive halls at the Las Vegas Convention Center, either. It’s also rather confusing: why would anyone choose to do this as work? Do men not find this insulting to their intelligence? And how the heck does she stand in those shoes all day?

I’m no prude (ask my co-workers if you don’t believe me) and at a certain level, booth babes are inevitable: some stands require a few pairs of hired hands to help show off kit.

If you insist they dress in bikinis, low-cut shirts, or short skirts, you will certainly get more eyeballs on your stand — but such punters aren’t looking at your laptop, gadget or headphones. And if that’s the only way you can sell your device, it sure as heck doesn’t entice this journalist into taking a second look at the products you have on display — the tech, I mean, not the women.

There’s a sense of 3D printing coming of age here at CES 2012. A section of the South Hall is devoted to 3D printing, and there are several working models on the show floor – all with a healthy, fascinated crowd gathered around them.

3D Systems Corporation is, for example, showing off its new Cube personal printer (shown in the video below). It’s mesmerising to watch as, layer by layer, a 3D object slowly emerges before your eyes: a chess piece, a bracelet or a plastic figurine. But for $1,299 (around £850), I’d want it to print something more useful than an over-sized Christmas Cracker toy.

3D Systems is working incredibly hard to spark innovation. It’s launching tablet apps that allow you to draw your own 3D models, and the option to create 3D models out of objects captured using the Kinect camera. It’s also launched the Cubify.com website to allow people to upload and share their 3D models, and a set of APIs to allow developers to create apps for its printers. The site was only launched last week, but so far I can’t see myself shelling out $15 to print a 5in model of a bull or $5 for a shirt button. The app store is currently bare.

One 3D printing service that’s already in Apple’s App Store is French firm Sculpteo. Its iPhone/iPad app allows you to create a selection of bizarre bespoke objects, which the company then prints out and despatches to your door.

You can, for example, take a photo of yourself or a friend on the iPhone’s camera and have their profile turned into a ceramic vase. (A copy of the new issue of PC Pro for the first person to identify the member of PC Pro staff whose profile is supposedly reflected in the vase below.)

You can also design your own cup, etch social networking data into the side of a mug or create a customised iPhone case. It’s all very clever, but little more than a novelty and frighteningly expensive – the vase costs in excess of £300, for example.

I’m intrigued by the possibilities of 3D printing – many of which were discussed in our recent feature – but right now it feels like this amazing technology desperately needs a killer app to help it take off.

The compact camera market is fascinating: on one side it’s being savagely attacked by smartphones and their ever-improving cameras, and on the other by affordable DSLRs and hybrids.

But there’s still a place for compacts – taking snaps indoors in low light being one obvious example – and companies such as Samsung continue to deliver fresh ideas.

For example, there’s Mobile Link: a way to wirelessly transmit photos from your camera to any Wi-Fi equipped phone, tablet or computer.

Admittedly, wireless in itself isn’t new. We saw this in the SH100, which I blogged about from last year’s CES. However, Samsung says that it’s “doubling down” on wireless, and there are now five wireless-enabled cameras and camcorders in its line-up.

What else can you do with them? Here’s a video from a Samsung spokesperson who I spoke to at CES:

So, you don’t need to upload photos to your PC and then to Facebook (and other social-networking sites); you do it straight from the camera. That’s convenient if you’re at home, but even better if you’re abroad and at a wireless hotspot.

There’s also a nice little feature where you can use your Android smartphone or tablet as a viewfinder for the camera; with a remote control shutter, that could be a real boon.

Then there’s the capability of backing up to SkyDrive; with 25GB of free storage, it’s a potentially brilliant feature.

I’m less convinced by the ability to wirelessly back up photos to your PC – it’s simpler to remove the card and place it in your computer’s media slot, surely – and the idea of emailing photos to friends directly from a phone seems an unnecessary hassle.

But that’s just me. I’m curious what other people think. Will your next camera be wireless, or will you simply cut out the middle man – and accept some loss of quality – and use your smartphone’s camera instead?

I played the piano, lost a strange game involving multiplying insects (don’t ask) and then showed my considerable skill at losing by being heavily defeated at an excellent multiplayer game in the mould of Guitar Hero. Who needs dancing girls, cocktails or casinos?

The reason is a piece of innovation that’s bound to be copied quicker than the speed of my colleagues’ ears pricking up at the sound of dancing girls: a folding arm.

In this instance, a video is worth at least a thousand words:

The rest of the spec is almost irrelevant. Yes, it’s got a 27in display, an Intel Core processor, Nvidia GeForce graphics and up to 1TB of storage – but what matters is that arm!

Perhaps that simplifies it a little bit. Another key technical inclusion is support for ten-point multitouch. That means you can play sophisticated games with multiple players, plus any number of other applications: photo and video editing, maps, music creation to name but a few.

And it isn’t just for home use: the A720 would be absolutely perfect as a “front of office” PC for a trendy company. The A720 will be released with Windows 7, but the version I played with was running Windows 8 Developer, and it’s undoubtedly the best showpiece yet for Microsoft’s forthcoming OS.

Then we come to the Android TV

Now this one is a little more of a concept piece; it’s a 55in TV that will be released in China this year, along with a 42in version, and it looks terrific.

Its headline feature is that it runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich, and Lenovo has done some clever interface work – as seen by the photo.

Nor is it just a pretty face, with some equally clever work going into the remote. Want to perform a search? Then speak into it. Want to swipe left or right? Then sweep away with your finger using the remote’s built-in touch-sensitive area.

There’s also a 5-megapixel camera to bring in some interaction, and the inevitable tickbox of 3D.

Unfortunately the Lenovo rep was guarding the remote quite closely, so I couldn’t actually play with this one. But if and when this machine arrives in the PC Pro Labs, I’ll be asking for first dibs.

Here in Vegas, CES is overflowing with computing embedded in devices of every kind — cars, home appliances, booth girls (I’m assuming, anyway) — but one stand is touting a way to cut the computer out of your life, while still receiving email.

The Presto Printing Mailbox is the antithesis of Martha Lane Fox’s digital divide plans: it’s for people who simply can’t understand — or can’t be bothered to understand — how to get email off that infernal computing box.

It’s essentially a cut-down printer, made by HP, with its own email address. Send an email to the Presto’s inbox, and it reformats the message, stripping out the header details and reflowing the text and images into a nice, easy-to-read style.

It can also be setup to print news headlines, a photo of the day, Sudoku puzzles, comic strips, a collection of Andy Rooney columns (I’m not making that up) and reminder messages — basically, it’s the internet printed out on paper for tech-baffled seniors (and to be clear, I don’t think most seniors actually feel this way — my own remaining grandparent certainly doesn’t).

The Presto doesn’t even require a broadband connection; it will pick up messages over dial-up on a standard phone line five times a day

The Presto doesn’t even require a broadband connection; it will pick up messages over dial-up on a standard phone line five times a day. Only approved senders’ messages will get through, so your parents won’t be found buried under a pile of paper spam.

There’s no scanner or other method of input, so the device is useless for sending a reply — which may be a good thing for some. The company’s spokesman noted his firm’s research suggested people who don’t get — or like — PCs prefer to reply by phone, so the Presto is set up to print contacts’ phone numbers at the top of the sheet.

The most intriguing use of the Presto is sending automated reminders, such as for appointments or to take medications. However, it’s hardly telemedicine: there’s no way of knowing — short of a phone call — if your ancient, tech-fearing great-grandmother got the message and popped her pills as told.

Simplicity isn’t cheap: the device is $99, and the Presto service costs $14.99 a month — it might be cheaper and easier to set up a fax machine, although the photos wouldn’t come out so nicely.

Arguably, it’s time to stop assuming older folks are incapable of learning new tricks; email isn’t the hardest skill to learn, and touchscreen smartphones and tablets are designed to be intuitive to use.

However, Presto’s apparently proving popular, with sales of tens of thousands globally over the past few years — while such a device isn’t necessary for readers of this website for obvious reasons, some people will doubtless find a use for it. Indeed, Presto is starting to be sold in Best Buy stores in the US, and is also available over Amazon.

Despite such popularity, it’s hard not to find the marketing a bit sad. The brochure quotes Sherri, from Chicago, who says: “My mother LOVES it! She is 84, and has never touched a computer and has no interest in learning. She says that getting her Presto mail is like someone coming to her house for a visit.”

Sherri: go visit your mother. And, while you’re there, set up a Gmail account for her.

You might ask, “so what?” And that’s a fair argument. I’ve never heard an iPhone 4 owner moan about the speed of the interface, or anyone who’s bought a recent Android phone for that matter.

But there is something psychologically satisfying about using a phone that jumps in response to commands; going back to my usual phone afterwards, things seemed to be in slow motion.

There are practical benefits too. Watch the clip below and you’ll see how well the K800 copes with complicated HD video.

HD here means 720p, with the 4.5in display having a 1,280 x 720 resolution. This makes the video look crisp, but with the addition of an Intel Wireless Display adapter (WiDi for short) you can even watch movies directly on your TV; no wires required.

This phone also includes an 8-megapixel camera capable of shooting HD footage, but the limitations of the small lens and sensor were obvious in my test shots; then again, light conditions in the Lenovo stand at CES weren’t exactly favourable.

Other things to note about the K800 itself: it’s not the world’s most attractive design, with a square-jawed black finish and none of the slimness we’ve come to expect from modern phones, and it includes all the wireless radios you could ever hope for – including WCDMA HSPA+ for 21Mbits/sec downloads.

To a large extent, this is all moot: unless you happen to live in China, you won’t be able to buy the K800 (and even then you’ll have to wait until sometime between April and June). It should be seen, more than anything, as proof of the ability to squeeze an Intel Atom processor into such a tiny chassis.

So let’s get to the specs. Inside there’s a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2460 CPU with 512KB of Level 2 cache; this is Intel’s Medfield smartphone platform, which has been long talked about but never previously seen in a proper product.

Note there’s just a single core inside the Z2460, with dual-core Medfield chips likely to debut in Motorola phones later this year. Nevertheless, according to benchmarks performed by Anandtech, this is a darn quick phone: a third quicker than the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark, and almost 20% faster in BrowserMark.

To put that into perspective, the Galaxy Nexus was previously the fastest phone Anandtech had tested, including the Apple iPhone 4S.

According to Intel, it’s also highly competitive when it comes to power consumption:

If those power graphs are to be believed (and we’ll hold off on that until we see some Medfield-based phones that we can actually battery test), the K800 is a definite victory for Intel, and a signal to ARM that it won’t have things all its own way in the coming years.

And going back to the question I asked right at the start – why does this matter? Because it opens up big possibilities for phones of the future, as they edge closer and closer to being what we used to call computers.

Dell doesn’t have a stand here at CES in Las Vegas, but it does have its name up in bright lights on the Strip – although not in a good way.

A Dell Precision WorkStation 300 Series is clearly used to power one of the giant signs just along from our hotel, but instead of displaying details of Celine Dion’s Vegas Warblefest or some such nonsense, it’s currently displaying nothing but the BIOS screen.

Our colleagues at Micro Mart used to urge readers to send in photos of BIOS screens and Blue Screens of Death in public places. I think we may have just found the biggest… unless you know better.

“Just put your signature there,” said the ioSafe rep. “It’s nothing to worry about. Oh, but one thing. Whatever Dr Megavolt says, do it.”

I didn’t argue, merely noted from the indemnity document I was about to sign that it would be a very, very bad idea to place my fingers outside the Faraday cage I was stepping into.

A few minutes earlier Dr Megavolt had explained what was going to happen: a million volts would be sent through an ioSafe Thunderbolt external hard drive, which was protected by a titanium cover.

Everything would be fine, right? Well, as we were about to discover, things weren’t necessarily that straightforward.