The second floor in the back of the convention center is always my favorite place during any tradeshow. It’s where you find the startups, the dreamers, the companies working the margins of an industry. Here at CES it is no different. Cheap radios, funky lighting systems, low voltage muscle massagers. It’s a 21st century flea market. I love these guys taking a break in the muscle massage chairs.
Green technology is seeing very little visibility at CES. I expected more but perhaps the green movement is falling by the wayside with the current economic turmoil. An expensive “convenience” for consumers. That is for everyone but Panasonic. They have devoted a significant amount of floor space to emerging green technology and it was great to see. 
But interestingly Greentek is green only in name.
The companies that are traditionally the big technology drivers are only putting a careful toe into social networking. It is very hard to find evidence of social networking technology on the floor. It appears evident most of the big tech companies don’t know what to do with it. Sony has created a walled garden for gaming and media distribution, but so far I have only seen Microsoft show how all the parts fit together.
Who is missing from CES? As always there is no Apple. But I was surprised that technology leaders Phillips and Pure Digital (makers of the Flip Camera) are no-shows. And I would have thought Adobe would have been here touting their flash media player and online media solution. Real is here in a big way.
I can’t wrap my head around 3D television. To me it smacks of a desperate ploy by broadcasters to stay relevant as distribution models change. It is just like Cinemascope in the 50’s when television first appeared in America’s living rooms. The super wide screen was a gag, and ultimately didn’t change the storytelling experience enough to survive. It feels like broadcasters are worried about how internet distribution and channel creation makes them largely irrelevant. Besides, who other than a couple of 15-year-old gamers want to wear those dopey glasses while watching television?
Finally, my room at the New York New York hotel is an epic dump. But at least I have a room. Be happy for the little things.
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