Electronics show in transition

LG Electronics’ 84-inch Ultra HD Signage is displayed at McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas to welcome visitors to the Consumer Electronics Show, which will kick off today and run through Friday. / Courtesy of LG Electronics

Smartphones rule 2013 Las Vegas show

LAS VEGAS ― Despite its uncertain future, the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (ICES), which will kick off today in Las Vegas and run through Friday, is attracting huge attention from technology industries with leading tech firms displaying their specification-focused gadgets.

Although the annual exhibition still primarily focuses on home appliances such as TVs, smartphones will be one of the key agendas this year amid blurring lines between telecommunications and consumer electronic gadgets, according to show organizers.

While the world’s biggest consumer electronics giant Samsung Electronics is appealing to visitors by setting a huge booth that gives a unique experience with its gadgets, more smartphones and phablets featured with large-sized and highly improved viewing qualities are heating up the exhibition.

“Smartphones and tablets are essential lifelines at home, work and while traveling these devices will become even more central to our lives,’’ said officials from Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the show organizer, said during a brief interview.

They said smartphones and tablets are becoming command centers, and they are getting “smarter’’ through using powerful processors that can access a wealth of information.

“Mobile devices are on a growth trajectory and will control TVs, home appliances, thermostats and security systems. It’s no surprise to see major technology companies display their strategic converged mobile gadgets in this year’s show,’’ said the officials.

Seven-inch screens seem to be the tablet minimum these days, but phones with screens over 5- and 6-inches may just cross the line because they are not practical as handheld devices anymore, according to technology experts in the show.

Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone maker, and its rival LG Electronics as well as leading Japanese and Chinese firms agreed, but Samsung plans to just show off its latest 5-inch Galaxy S4 in a closed meeting with its top clients such as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.

But Sony Mobile Communications displayed bigger-sized ― 5-inch ― Xperia-dubbed smartphones based on full high-definition (HD) viewing quality together with speedier quad-core mobile application processors. China’s rising smartphone maker Huawei exhibited 6.1-inch phone also with full-HD technology, followed by ZTE with its 5-inch full-HD smartphone.

“Over the last few years, CES has been the right venue to better understand strategies mostly for TVs. But the show is itself changing its previous such trends and welcoming the new trends,’’ said Jeff, from South Africa.

“Because consumers want, it means major players should match the growing consumer needs for speedier, bigger and clearer handheld devices such as smartphones,’’ he said

Skott Ahn, the chief technology officer at LG Electronics during a separate brief meeting.

Strategy Analytics (SA), a leading market research firm, expects the total demand for “phablet,’’ which means a combination of phone and tablet, will rise to 95 million units by 2017 from last year’s estimated 17 million units.

On a related note, ultra HD (UHD) televisions are regarded as striking technology at this year’s biggest trade exhibition.

“What we are seeing is that these new screens will substantially enhance the viewing quality of content and even programs that consumers love as they move to really big screens,’’ said Bryan Burns, ESPN’s vice president of strategic business planning and development.

“It’s a natural part of the trend toward larger screens. Many consumers thought three dimensional (3D) wasn’t a sufficient incentive to upgrade from HDTV, but that ultra HD is getting attention,’’ said Frank DeMartin, vice president of retail and distribution sales at Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America. <The Korea Times/Kim Yoo-chul>