英闻天下——88 2013 CES Kicks off

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　　It's the latest gambit from an industry struggling with a shift in consumer spending from televisions, PCs and single-purpose devices such as camcorders to small, portable do-it-all gadgets⁴ like smartphones and tablets.

 

　　Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the annual event, expects to see the number of visitors this year nearly reach the 156,000 who turned out last year.

 

　　Shapiro says there are certain gadget³ themes that will be in evidence this week.

 

　　"The video screen is rapidly changing. We have Ultra-HD, which is four times the resolution of high definition. Plus we have connected smart TVs, as well as new types of TV technology like LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon). So many things are happening here in a big way; audio is great, safety technologies and of course, health care. There is a 25-percent increase in health care at the show because health care is something where you don't always have to go to your doctor with technology."

 

　　The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that device shipments to US buyers fell five percent in dollar terms last year, excluding smartphones and tablets, but rose six percent to 207 billion dollars, including those categories.

 

　　The trends suggest that the International CES is losing its stature⁵ as a start-of-the-year showcase for the gadgets that consumers will buy over the next 12 months. It started out as a venue⁶ for the television and stereo industries. Later, PCs joined the party.

 

　　But over the last few years, televisions and PCs have declined in importance as portable gadgets have risen, and CES has failed to keep pace.

 

　　It's not a major venue for phone and tablet launches, though some new models will likely see the light of day there when the show floor opens.

 

　　The biggest trendsetter in mobile gadgets industry, Apple Inc., stays away, as it shuns⁷ all events it doesn't organize itself.

 

　　But electronics giants Sony, LG, Westinghouse and others will be at the show with huge flat-panel televisions retailing⁸ for about $20,000.

 

　　While this sounds extreme, you've probably already been exposed to projections⁹ at this resolution, because they are used in digital movie theaters. While the sets are eye-catching, they will likely be niche¹⁰ products for years to come.

 

　　In 2013, reports point to several super-sized smartphones with screens bigger than five inches diagonally, making their debut¹¹ at the show.

 

　　China's Huawei Technologies have unveiled two new smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

 

　　The Chinese phone maker¹ unveiled "the world's biggest smartphone" Ascend¹² Mate ,and the Ascend D2, calling it "most powerful smartphone", in a way to challenge rivals, including Samsung and Apple.

 

　　The company says it is hoping its latest smartphones will offer an alternative for people who have to carry around their tablet computer, laptop, smartphone and camera all at once.

 

　　CES has been a showcase in recent years for technologies that free users from keyboards, mice and buttons.

 

　　Swedish company Tobii Technology is at CES to demonstrate its REX product, which, as CEO Henrik Eskilsson explains, is its "latest eye-tracking sensor¹³."

 

　　"So, basically, this is an eye-tracking sensor that allows a computer to know exactly where on the screen you're looking. We integrate that concept of eye control together with the keyboard, mouse or touchpad to create a revolutionary new user interface¹⁴ for the computer."

 

　　CES runs until January 11th.

 

　　For CRI, I am Li Dong.

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