3DTV and Internet TV: 2010's Hot Gadgets
Petrie Hosken spoke to Martin Stanford, Sky News Presenter and Technology Expert, live from the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas, where all the best new gadgets for the next 12 months are unveiled. Martin picks his top tips for 2010.
3D Television
We all thought 2009 would be the year for 3D TV, but it never took off. However, this year, it really is going to kick-off. The sets that can do this in your home are here and the 3D content will be available. Sometime in 2010, there will be 3D channels on satellite TV. In the US, ESPN will be showing the World Cup in 3D this summer.
Obviously, you’ll need a new TV set to watch 3D at home. They work in two different ways. In the cinema, you use the polarised glasses, which makes the light enter your left eye at a different angle to your right eye, creating the depth of image. That system will be used at home, but there is a rival to it which is very clever.
The picture on the TV will change 240 times per second, 120 for the left eye and 120 for the right eye. To watch it, you need a pair of glasses, that look like sunglasses, but actually have a bit of electronics in them that closes the right eye 120 times per second and the left eye 120 times per second. So you get an “even better” 3D experience in your home.
The worry is that this could be a VHS/Betamax-like battle on our hands for which technology dominates the market.
Google Phone: Nexus One
Google launched their new “super-phone”, their attempt to capture some of the market dominated by the iPhone – and it’s a subtle change of gear.
It’s very similar to the HTC phones, such as the Hero, but the difference is that it has the word Google on the back. But you can buy it direct from Google, instead of from a mobile company.
It’s a great phone, but it’s probably not a real game-changer like the iPhone was. It is more an incremental improvement. My favourite piece of functionality in it allows you to receive voicemails as text messages.
Projected Keyboards
About seven years ago, four brilliant young Cambridge Graduates decided that for some applications, you didn’t want a keyboard, as it gets dirty and grubby, so they formed Light Blue Optics. These have been around for years, as little infrared keyboards and they worked reasonably well, but you had to get the angle of dangle right.
This takes it to a whole new level. Imagine you are in the changing cubicle of your favourite clothing store, but the size doesn’t fit and the colour isn’t quite right. So projected on to the wall is the whole range of that item and some matching shoes the computer has chosen for you. You just tap on the wall on what you want and the shop assistant brings them to you.
In healthcare or in kitchens, why not have the screen and keyboard as your worktop?
Internet on TV
This is the trend that has dominated this show. As if we don’t have enough to watch, with satellite, cable, Freeview and DVDs, manufacturers are determined to get us to watch on-demand content via internet services or a broadband connection on your TV set.
A lot of the TVs here are internet-enabled, so you can watch YouTube videos, movie downloads and on-demand content from things like the iPlayer.
But it takes it one step further as the apps that we are now used to on phones will also be available via your TV as well. There is an app which will allow you to tweet using the remote control on your TV and Twitter will be overlaid over the side of your set!
I’m not sure about this – if I’ve just bought a 50inch TV, I want to watch it, not have lots of other things overlaid over it. But the manufacturers think that this will be a winner for them.
Apple iSlate
This is the big one that isn't at the CES Show. Rumours of the new Apple tablet have been growing, but Apple are expected have their grand launch on 27th January.
If reports are to be believed, this launch could be as significant for the tablet market as the iPhone was for mobiles.