Alvarez Talks Jan. 11
Luis Alvarez President and CEO of the Alvarez Technology Group
Rebecca: It’s time to find out what’s new in technology from everybody’s favorite technology guru, Luis Alvarez. He’s on the line, he’s going to give us an update on CES. So, welcome to the program.
Luis: Well, welcome. Thank you very much and hope you’re Friday’s doing well.
Rebecca: It’s been a crazy Friday. So what do you have for us today?
Luis: Well you know as you know as you mentioned it was a week for tech geeks to celebrate. It was all because of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. CES as it’s known is the premier event for unveiling new and interesting technology gadgets. They had over 200,000 people attending and about 3,000 exhibitors from over 150 countries. China was really well represented there, and this year didn’t disappoint, there were a lot of really cool consumer products that you’ll soon see on the store shelves.
Rebecca: Well I’ve been to CES many times and it is overwhelming. That’s all I can say. It’s a festival for ADD.
Luis: It is, there’s no way you can take it all in so you have to pick and choose your battles while you’re there.
Rebecca: What was the biggest impression that you had when you were there. Were there some products that just stood out more than others?
Luis: As the name implies, the show is really focused on consumers, so you can only imagine the number of audio-visual devices that were being showcased, and there was a new kind of TV that generated a lot of buzz and got a lot of press. Manufacturers including Sharp and Samsung showed off their new 4K TV screens. 4K which is also knows as ultra HD, is the next evolution of the HDTV we’ve all come to know and love. It offers 4 times the resolution of HD so you can only imagine the clarity of the picture. And you really need to have a much bigger screen to appreciate it. Ultra HDs are generally huge, 70 to 100 inches or bigger. If you get one you really need a big chunk of real estate to put it up on your wall or whatever.
Rebecca: I have to tell you HD is good enough for me right now, but if I did want to go out and buy an ultra HD is there anything to watch it on? Isn’t HD finally becoming the standard?
Luis: Ahhh, as Hamlet said, “Therein lies a rub.” Right now only movie theatres, yes, Hamlet we’re quoting now. Right now only movie theatres are showing content that’s shot in ultra HD. And there are a few UTube videos you can download just to play with, but, no one has announced plans to broadcast in ultra HD anytime soon. Plus these things start at $10,000 so they’re really only for the noveau riche, Dr. that wants bragging rights in their neighborhood. My opinion? We might see ultra HDs starting to become widely available and used in about five years.
Rebecca: Oh, that’s too bad. I had the perfect wall to mount one on. So what else made your list of interesting toys.
Luis: With Windows 8 just being released by Microsoft there were a lot of laptops and tablets and laptops that can be converted to tablets that were using the new operating system, especially the touch screen capability that the Apple iPad really pioneered. People like being able to use their fingers to move stuff around on the screen, and Windows 8 has that functionality baked into it. So manufacturers are rushing out new devices that take advantage of that touch-screen capability. You’ll start seeing these things in stores and online in the next few weeks. And I think a lot of people will seriously consider dumping their old laptops and replacing it with a new Tablet computer that makes them even more portable. We’re a mobile society now and we like our gadgets small and light, and Tablets fulfil that.
There was also a lot of health-related stuff gadgets to help us exercise and keep track of our vital signs and calories, and the auto manufacturers were really well represented too and they showed off a lot of new technology that’s going to make easier, safer and even more fun.
Rebecca: Well, you know, unfortunately that is almost all the time we have and I know you have more to tell us about things from CES so lets be sure that we continue this discussion next week. Because I know there were so many products that you got your hands on and can’t wait to tell us about, but thank you so much for coming back today, and I’m sorry we got short on time.
Luis: No worries, Rebecca. This is Luis Alvarez of the Alvarez Technology Group reminding everyone that when it comes to technology, forewarned is forearmed.
