Monday January 12, 04:28 AM
Glitz stripped from Consumer Electronics Show
By Glenn Chapman
LAS VEGAS, (AFP) - A back-to-basics version of the historically glitzy Consumer Electronics Show ended after four days of deal-making and gadget-hawking.
Lacking were the lavish parties, frenetic crowds, and seductively clad "booth babes" of years past.
In their place were low-key networking soirees and hot product showcases with names such as Digital Experience, ShowStoppers, and Unveiled.
A circus-like tent city that traditionally handled overflows of exhibitors from packed Las Vegas Convention Center halls was mostly deserted this year.
Also gone was the frenzied crush of people on showroom floors.
Preliminary estimates placed attendance at slightly above 130,000, which would be 10,000 fewer people than last year.
The number of exhibitors in the cavernous 1.7-million-square-foot space dropped to 2,700 from 3,000 a year ago.
And those in attendance weren't in Las Vegas to play. They were under pressure to make deals and win fans for new products on which their companies' fortunes hinge.
"Our world, our nation and our industry face some really big challenges," Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT - news) chief executive Steve Ballmer said in a CES keynote speech.
"All of us, we are all feeling it, and its impact will likely be with us for some time. At the end of the day, it is the power of ideas and innovation that drive us forward regardless of economic environment."
CES seemed part pep rally as Ballmer, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) president Gary Shapiro and others urged device makers to believe that technological innovation can heal the world's ailing economy.
"After a tough 2008, I'm ready for some optimism," Shapiro said.
CES was rich with new products, most of them improvements on previous models instead of revolutionary creations.
Ballmer used the CES stage to reveal details of a Windows 7 operating system being readied to replace Vista software.
Microsoft computers were overwhelmed on Friday by people rushing to download a test version of Windows 7 that will be available until January 24.
CES was also a coming out party for Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO - news) ! software that allows televisions to access the Internet.
Sony (Munich: 853687 - news) , LG Electronics (066575.KS - news) , Toshiba (Berlin: TSE1.BE - news) , Samsung (000830.KS - news) and Vizio showed off attention-grabbing new flat-panel television models embedded with the Yahoo! "TV Widget" software offering links to popular websites.
Yahoo! has built 20 widgets to link television viewers to Web destinations including YouTube, Twitter, eBay, MySpace, Amazon, CBS (NYSE: RBV - news) , and The New York Times and expects that number to grow to 50 by June.
Flat-panel televisions were once again a major theme at CES, with designs incorporating wireless connectivity, 3D imagery, or Blu-ray high-definition DVD capabilities.
Blu-ray DVD hardware and disc sales have boomed despite the recession and Blu-ray technology was rife in new-generation televisions, computers and DVD players touted at CES.
The show also abounded with touch-screen mobile telephones aimed at competing with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL - news) 's popular iPhone.
A Palm Pre smartphone was declared the best product in the show.
"Palm (NASDAQ: PALM - news) is on the comeback trail, it would seem," said Brian Cooley, an editor-at-large at Internet news agency Cnet (NASDAQ: CNET - news) , which jointly handed out the awards with the CEA, host of the CES.
A Computer and Hardware category award went to the Sony Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC, as "netbooks" turned out to be CES darlings.
The small laptop computers designed primarily for accessing the Internet and tending to light tasks typically sell for only a few hundred dollars, making them attractive items in tough economic times.
A green theme that took root last year continued to grow. Global makers of electronics touted recycling programs along with cuts to the amount of power used by devices and toxic materials in components.
LG Electronics had pyramid-shaped SkyCharger tents where sunshine and wind were converted into electricity to charge LG (003550.KS - news) mobile devices. Motorola (NYSE: MOT - news) touted a Renew mobile phone made of recycled plastic water bottles.
A Sustainable Planet zone on the show floor featured creations such as fuel cells and ELV electric bicycles.
Looking towards next year, the CEA announced that there will be special area at the 2010 CES for manufacturers of Apple-related products.
The announcement comes after Apple said last month that it would no longer participate in the MacWorld Expo of Apple products held simultaneously with CES in San Francisco.
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