As we bid farewell to the 2011 International CES, we close with some general observations from the ETC reporting team…

Las Vegas was crowded – really crowded. If the national economy is slow to recover, there was little evidence of it in the Nevada desert. CEA estimates that about 140,000 people attended the show (more than last year and on par with pre-recession levels), and the state of the industry is showing strength. CEA’s Gary Shapiro estimates that consumer electronics spending will show a 6% increase for 2010, to $180 billion, and will rise an additional 3% this year, to more than $186 billion.

If we had to sum up this year’s show in 10 words, they would be: smart, connected, apps, 3D, 4G, gestural interfaces, tablets, tablets, and tablets.

The word that appeared around every corner of this year’s show floor was ‘smart’ – from banners and new product lines to marketing slogans and more. There was no escaping it, as it seems manufacturers now recognize the need to simplify consumer control over the dizzying array of available devices and services.

‘Connected’ everything was another star of the show, especially in regards to television and related services: search, discovery, VOD, and way too many apps to fathom. In fact, it was a challenge to spot a TV that wasn’t connected to Hulu, Netflix, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, Yahoo! – you get the idea.

CES presented the connected TV as the center for our new multimedia-driven homes. We saw Hubs, Dashboards, Media Links – all designed to address these needs.

This CE connectivity is reliant upon high-speed networks and we heard a lot in terms of 4G and LTE. Verizon, T-Mobile, and others showcased their recently launched networks and collection of tablets and smartphones designed to leverage new speed and efficiency. We found the Motorola Atrix 4G compelling, an Android-based phone featuring NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 chipset, support for AT&T’s 4G network, and a very interesting laptop dock.

We saw 3D in record abundance – from 3D mobile and 3D gaming to new autostereo displays and a wide selection of prototype and market-ready 3DTVs and laptops.

Sony and Panasonic are sticking with active-shutter, while others – including LG, Toshiba, and Vizio – are touting the benefits of new passive 3D models. Passive displays are being produced at a more reasonable cost and many find passive polarized to be more comfortable. Additionally, the weight of the glasses is an improvement, and they work better over eyeglasses.

For those who believe donning plastic glasses may become the primary obstacle to consumer adoption, a number of autostereo displays were on hand, some that showed real promise and others that were less than impressive.

In terms of gestural interfaces, Microsoft Kinect is already breaking sales records, but the real story here is how gesture technologies will be used beyond video games. PrimeSense showed a system that wirelessly links the PC and TV, enabling access to content from a controller-free 3D system. Imagine what ‘connected’ TV will be like with set-top boxes featuring gesture recognition.

If there was a single breakout star this year, however, it would be tablets.

The Motorola XOOM turned a lot of heads in Vegas. The Android-based device (CNET’s ‘Best of Show’ winner) is one in a growing number of tablets targeting the burgeoning iPad market. Reactions were also positive for the 4G BlackBerry PlayBook which, unlike most of the iPad competitors, does not use Android, but will run on the BlackBerry Tablet OS.

Another tablet not using Android is Samsung’s Sliding PC 7. It runs on Windows, and is a touch-screen device with its own slide-out keyboard. Larger than an iPad but smaller than many Netbooks, it could be the hybrid that many have been hoping for.

We have much more to discuss, especially in regards to cloud-based content hosting and delivery services (i.e. UltraViolet), connected TVs and Blu-ray players with 2D-to-3D conversion capabilities, and more – but we’ll save those thoughts for our post show report which should be available within the next week.

Thanks for reading the blog for this year’s CES coverage. A special thank-you to ETC’s sponsors who make our work possible. Until the next show…

KC Blake, Sarah Blake, George Gerba, Carolyn Giardina, Bryan Gonzalez, Bob Lambert, Michael Lei, Phil Lelyveld, Jack Lerner, Edie Meadows, Nick Nero, Paula Parisi, Adrian Pennington, Rob Scott, David Wertheimer, Joyce Yi

LG presented a new approach to television and board controls with its LG Pen Touch Multi Board, essentially a large widescreen LCD with stylus touch controls.

The LG board is distinct from similar computer-driven boards currently on the market (such as the Smart Board) in that it allows image manipulation via multiple controls and supports more than one user at a time. Imagine using two pressure-sensitive stylus controls to manipulate the screen, similar to how you’d use two fingers on the touchscreen of an iPhone or iPad. This advancement enables multiple simultaneous users, which really opens up new possibilities.

The Pen Touch Multi Board is being promoted for classroom applications, but could also be an interesting resource for kiosks, theme parks, museums, and more. Notes taken during a meeting or presentation, for example, can be saved to a PC to be accessed at a later time.

LG anticipates Q2 availability. (Los Angeles Times has an interesting online video demo.)

Winners of this year’s CNET Best of CES Awards were announced Saturday morning in the lobby of South Hall. With all the buzz surrounding tablet PCs taking over Las Vegas, it’s apropos that a new Android-based tablet would take ‘Best of Show’ for 2011.

Motorola’s XOOM turned a lot of heads this week – from its appearance in the opening keynote to crowded demos in Central Hall at the Motorola booth. The XOOM is one in a growing number of tablets targeting the burgeoning iPad market, but as Bob Lambert wrote in his CES event coverage, Motorola’s solution is compelling, “with Android’s refreshingly thoughtful user interface, growing range of applications and high-speed LTE-based wireless connectivity.” Additionally, CNET reports some interesting distinctions: “(XOOM) comes standard with front- and rear-facing cameras, including one that can record in HD, compared with none in the current version of the iPad. It also boasts a larger screen with a higher resolution, supports Adobe Flash, and uses Verizon’s network instead of AT&T’s.”

We’ll be watching how this potential competition will play out in 2011.

This year’s ‘People’s Voice Award’ went to the Razer Switchblade – an Intel Atom-based, concept design for a Netbook of sorts, designed to bring PC gaming to a portable form factor. Razer has taken the familiar keyboard and redesigned it as a tool for mobile gaming controls (CNET has a great online video demo). By combining a multitouch screen with a tactile adaptive keyboard (the keyboard actually changes on-the-fly based on which game you are playing), Razer presents a compelling solution for portable gaming.

Whether the Switchblade takes off or not, we expect the form factor is something we’ll see with future interface technologies.

Our audience should also be interested in some of the category winners, including: Nintendo 3DS (Gaming), a portable system in which gamers have the option of adjusting the 3D intensity or shutting it off; Toshiba 3D eyeglass-free technology (Prototype), a proof of concept design for 3D laptops that leverages eye tracking software; and the Motorola Atrix 4G (Smartphones), an Android-based phone featuring NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 chipset, support for AT&T’s 4G network, and an interesting laptop dock.

For the complete list of winners and related articles, visit the CNET Best of CES page. Other awards presented during CES worth noting include:

— The CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program (sponsored by PCWorld)

— The 61st Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards (NATAS)

— The 4th Annual Mashable Awards (formerly the Open Web Awards)

— The 2011 CES Mobile Apps Showdown (created by Robin Raskin of Living in Digital Times)

— The 2011 CES Hot Stuff Awards (sponsored by Stuff magazine)

Facebook and Twitter had a strong presence at CES … in the form of apps on connected TVs, Blu-ray players, set-top-boxes, and just about any connected device. Samsung even announced that its new connected refrigerator could display your Twitter feed. The popularity of social networks have forced CE manufacturers to include them on their products’ feature specs, irrespective of how appropriate the application truly is. Unfortunately, this knee jerk reaction to include social networks clearly demonstrates the lack of imagination or understanding as to how social networks are really used by people.

Social networks go beyond just being able to see what your friends are saying as you open up the refrigerator. Rather, social networks should be viewed as sources of information that can reveal deep personal connections. Re-imagine the connected refrigerator using social networks to suggest meals that have been successfully cooked by family and friends. Or suggesting new drinks or other edible delights that were just mentioned in a friend’s status update. The key to appropriate usage of social networks is … context. What is the device and how is it being used?

CE companies should realize that the device itself gives the user context and should guide the usage of social networks on the device. True, in the end, CE manufacturers will always pick the lowest hanging fruit first. But as social networks become more ubiquitous, the industry needs to determine what about social networks will help them to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Ultimately it’s not just about adding Facebook, but instead, asking “What can we do using social networks to maximize the appeal/utility of our products for our consumers?”

On Wednesday Cisco introduced its new content management platform Videoscape to address the needs of service providers looking to manage assets across the entire consumer experience. Utilizing Cisco’s expertise in cloud computing, network architecture and client services, Videoscape is an end-to-end solution that ties social networks, advertisers, content providers, unmanaged network/Internet and managed access networks into one cohesive system that allows service providers to seamlessly manage the consumer experience across multiple screens.

Cisco is touting Videoscape as an “open platform” and is working with several major service providers including Telstra, the largest provider of telephone, mobile DSL and cable Internet access in Australia, to enable next-generation video experiences.  This is a massive undertaking that, if successful, could enable a host of new business models and opportunities for content owners.

Cisco has obviously made a concerted effort to incorporate technologies from across its entire organization into the Videoscape platform.  This includes everything from content ingestion utilizing Cisco enabled IP networks, through delivery through cable networks using Cisco set-top boxes.  All of this is wrapped with management tools to track the flow of content, rights and payment.

(Cisco has an interesting online video that illustrates Videoscape.)

The CE industry made great progress on the green front in 2010. Green technology is more sophisticated and practical, and green initiatives have transformed from gimmicky fringe products to important corporate strategies for the biggest global manufacturers.

Even Greenpeace, which publishes a famously critical report on the electronics industry every January, had good things to say about the progress this year.

Every major manufacturer devoted booth space to green goals and products. The Sustainable Planet TechZone featured the usual range of small companies showing solar panels and chargers and “vampire energy”-preventing power strips.

Some other key developments at CES 2011:

— Improved battery life: Mobile devices are boasting significantly longer battery life, thanks largely to the improved efficiencies of chips like NVIDIA’s Tegra2, Intel’s “Sandy Bridge,” and AMD’s Fusion.
— LED lights the way: LED continues to allow for brighter displays with lower wattage. A few months ago, Philips claimed they had a 42-inch LED display using only 40 watts in a special “eco” mode. On the floor, Westinghouse was showing the 46-inch LD-4655 with LED backlighting using 80 watts in regular mode. Dozens of companies also showcased LED light bulbs for consumer and industrial markets.
— Automotive: Ford announced its first all-electric car, the Focus Electric, and Audi showcased its E-Tron series of hybrid cars.
— Home energy management: Home energy monitors (both devices and apps) abounded at CES. Critics note that greater efforts are needed to enable these “smart” monitors to manage appliances from different manufacturers.
— Energy Star ratings: Despite more stringent regulations in the voluntary Energy Star 3.0 and 4.0 specs that became effective in 2010, there were more Energy Star-rated products at CES than ever before.

Greenpeace and other environmental watchdogs still urge continued collaboration toward solutions in materials sourcing and product lifecycle.

Panasonic leads the way in electronics recycling, having opened 800 US collection sites since 2006, with plans to double that by 2013. The company is a founding member of MRM, the Electronic Manufacturers Recycling Management Company, which includes Mitsubishi Electric, Sharp, Toshiba, and Vizio. They’re hoping to persuade LG, Sony, Samsung, and other giants to jump on board and make e-waste management financially viable for all.

“The value of the materials does not yet cover the cost to recycle them,” said David Thompson, director of Panasonic’s Corporate Environmental Department. “We need to offer real consumer convenience in order to achieve economies of scale to make electronics recycling work.”

HDMI cables have obviously been around for a few years and consumers have had loads of buying options — a stiff cable the size of a thick rope in whatever color you choose. However, with some fancy engineering a few HDMI cable manufacturers are really pushing the envelope on thin and flexible cables.

RedMere makes active HDMI cables that are mind-blowingly thin and flexible (pictured right).

RedMere uses active signal boosters on the source end of the cable, eliminating the need for bulky sheathing to prevent signal degradation. Whatever they’re doing it’s working because the cables look more like dental floss than anything you’ve seen with the “HDMI” label on it before.

Then there is KCD who makes HDMI cables bent at right angles or even hinged connectors (pictured left). And, yes, I already introduced KCD to RedMere so they could make the perfect thin and hinged HDMI cable…

But if what you really need is a cable that is up to 55 meters long, but can be run under carpet or along the baseboard out of site, you need to step up to Hentek’s flat HDMI.

No matter where you are trying to mount your AV equipment, rest assured someone out there is making an HDMI cable that will connect to it.

AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime), the popular app development platform for Internet and mobile devices, has extended its reach to include support for connected television.

Adobe announced that Samsung is supporting AIR across their line of Smart TV’s and it is safe to say that you will see other manufacturers follow suit. With over three million Adobe Flash developers who can use Adobe Creative Suite 5 to author content for AIR for TV, the platform already has a large built-in user base.

AIR 2.5’s cross-platform technology is especially good news for content companies who can re-purpose existing assets to quickly create an app for a movie property that can then be delivered across a spectrum of devices from Internet to mobile to TV.

Qualcomm promoted its partnership with Mattel on a new line of game products that utilize a vision-based Augmented Reality technology (see the online video demo). The partnership was announced last year; beta appeared in the fall; and cross-platform, peer-to-peer demos have recently taken place. The first product out of this partnership is the Android smartphone-based version of the iconic 1960s game, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.

The product is a two-piece system, with a game board that is embedded with Augmented Reality-ready images and a smartphone app that uses the phone’s camera system to recognize the game board’s images in order to produce a 3D image viewable on the phone. So instead of playing with the plastic figures of the original game, participants compete via their smartphones with 3D character models.

Using the phone as a control, players are able to engage in a fully-realized game that exists through their phone but is unseen by the human eye on the board. The technology holds interesting potential for gaming, especially if it works across different platforms (watch peer-to-peer video samples on Engadget).

In addition to gaming, Qualcomm sees Augmented Reality as a potential for travel, entertainment, education, and other applications.