CES 2007: Industry prepares for CES and Macworld duel

 

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By Ross Burridge in Las Vegas

Posted on 7 Jan 2007 at 18:07

Starting on Monday, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas comprises of 2,700 companies, all trying to outdo the glitz and glamour of The Strip to wow attendees with the latest in cutting-edge personal technology.

This year, the focus is on the transition of traditional media to digital. There'll be plenty on the high-definition battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray, as well as a whole new generation of large LCD TVs - we're told that Samsung will be showing off its latest 103in version.

We also expect a whole rash of new devices promising to bridge the gulf between the media providers, your PC and your TV - with everything from set-top boxes, media extenders and new download services.

Elsewhere, Microsoft CEO Bill Gates is expected to try and ressurect interest in the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) concept in his opening keynote speech on Sunday evening. And, with the streets of Las Vegas already teeming with cabs covered in the Windows Vista livery, we wouldn't be surprised if there was plenty on that too.

We'll also be looking out for Vista-related hardware: Asus has promised us Sideshow laptops, Samsung, among others, is rumoured to be debuting hybrid flash hard disks, and some ground-breaking new PDA/Smartphone handsets should also emerge.

Simultaneously, Macworld kicks off in San Fransico. Rumours are rife on what exactly could be introduced, with Apple's legendary secrecy giving off little. It could be the iTV set-top box that Steve Jobs mentioned last year, a new iPod or even the long-speculated 'iPhone'.

Whatever happens, we'll be bringing you the latest from both shows at it happens. Keep checking back, or add the PC Pro news service to your RSS readers now (click here).