12/01/2013 Click

before he died in 2011. The which technology would you put

your money on this Bolon Yokte' K'uh televisions, tablets, ordered

dented robot spiders? -- this year? Balkan to click. This is the

programme that eats tomorrow's technology like no today. That

means that there is no better place to be that the start of the year

then right here in Las Vegas. One week only, you'll find a hi-tech

oasis in the middle of the desert. This year, we are at the first the

TEC show of 2013 to seek out the big trends of the year. We have

that big, small, curved, then be, and a huge robotic spider. -- bendy.

And we have the best of the weather. The tech world has a pretty cool

way of shaking off at the new year blues. Every January, it hops on a

plane or any other form of transport and jets off to the

massive consumer electronics show all the way across the United

States, in Las Vegas. It is a place that promises so much. A place that

can make your dreams come true. C S is the show whether the players

come to make a big splash and spake -- -- CES. -- shake it up a bit.

The in order to do that, you have to take some big risks.

We have seen some massive winds and huge losses in recent years.

Sometimes these guys bet against each other, gambling huge amounts

that their product will beat their rivals. As with the war between

Blu-ray NAHT DVD, there is only one winner. -- and HD-DVD. Many

television manufacturers have a decided to have a little flutter on

3 D. This has turned out to be a long shot. Some guys seem to have

all the luck. Apple that the lot on music, then smart phones, then

tablets. This seems to be on a winning streak for now. These

numbers are coming up this year? The numbers are all in here. There

was Vegas Convention Centre. The time to hit the show floor.

Throughout the craziness of the halls, there is something you'll

always guaranteed to see here - lots and lots of screens. After a

few years of three be madness, manufacturers have found something

new to shout about. -- 3D. Plenty of 4K screens this year. Hirer fit

-- definition than the usual high- definition. Billed as better than

plasma and LCD, they are still too pricey for the high rollers. They

are flexible and therefore braggable. Here is the world's

first curved OLED screen from Samsung. Who is the world's other

first, from algae. Defensive screen at all? How about the laser

projector. It projects a 100 inch image from just a few inches away.

What is the one to watch? Let us ask a player. Let us put up one

thing first of all. 3 D, non starter? Television manufacturers

needed an excuse for everyone to buy a new TV. They needed to buy TV

again if you wanted to keep growing. They thought that he was the answer.

People were not interested making that investment again. Along comes

4 K. Lot of talk about this. Do we think it is still a little too

early and? This is the kind of opening gambit. We have a

technology and hardware that presents beautiful imagery. There

is no way to get their imagery at home. We have four times the

traditional resolution and the pictures are beautiful but in order

to see that at home, you need television channels or Blu-ray

discs that can produce that. Nothing is this right now that can

give you that content. It could be years before we actually see that

content easily available. For 2013, the display that is going to win

the biggest? You could be OLED. They are beautiful quality and very

expensive. They will be greater than $10,000 here in the US for the

entirety of 2013. In 2014, we may see those costs drop. People may be

other get them in their own living rooms. Don't let gambling control

your life. That is the job of your smartphone. These things are

becoming the centre of everything. They can control your television.

Replacing the directional menu navigation buttons or by being the

conduit between internet content and an otherwise dull screen. They

can control your entire house. A lot of home automation used to

involve all the controllers but controlling a light and locking the

doors and setting alarm can all be done with a tap on your smartphone

or tablet. Applications had even made it into a plant pot. Flower

power in -- Parrot's Flower Power allows you to deliver everything

you know that may need to know to keep your plants healthy. Are the

It is very easy to take a manufacturer and build a piece of

hardware and add an app. Whether that abbeys for controlling it or

having the latest update, it makes a lot of sense there are different

operating systems up there. But it seems to be a two-horse race now,

Android and the Apple iOS. What happens to Windows Phone 8 and

Blackberry? There is a lot of duality. An ils app is on the bill

for an and row at his one the bill for either straight away or after a

slight delay. With Windows Phone 8, there is a delay and it is not

coming yet. This is because eyeless -- there a lot of Apple iOS devices.

There are not many Windows eight devices. There are no Blackberry

devices at all. Before placing bets, a seasoned gambler may like to

study the form. Devices of every shape and size. Phone so big that

they are almost Abbott. 6.8 inches, seriously? Tablets so big that they

are almost tables. 27 inches is a table. Windows eight, touch

friendly. It continues to inspire the new breed of touch-screen

laptops with those highway keyboards. The price of those once

expected touch-screen is coming down. -- expensive. If you enjoy

having many documents but then at once but prefer something old

school, Plastic Logic wants to bring back paper. Sort of. You can

move data between the sheets by touching these flexible e-paper

tablets. Maybe to attach a photo to win him now before sending. Could

this be the shape of your next games machine? A surprise

announcement from in the year. I hand-held gaming device called

Project shield with a flip-up screen powered by the Android

operating system. He has form? Here is a cool customer that likes to

play his cards close to his chest. There are loads of new Windows 80

form factor notebooks, one more than laptops er it's, it's a shock.

You think that Microsoft has achieved the goal of taking back

the portable computer market? unusual proposition for a lot of

customers. I still think it tees and Nis proposition for a lot of

people. Especially as everyone is getting so used to a tablet and an

on-screen keyboard. Nvidia has pulled a portable game device out

of its pocket. I think it is an interesting idea. I think they're

trying to say that they make the hardware and that this is what you

can do with the hardware and with Android. It runs a standard version

of Android. There are so many apps and games and pieces of software at

low-cost that there are already full Android and here is a device

that is basically built to be the most powerful in a block for these

higher and applications and games. It is very interesting. It is a

product that needs to exist. million-dollar question. Which form

factor is going to win 2013? As the boring and say that the traditional

outlet, touch form only, that is going to win over next 12 months.

It is dull but probably true. of the runners and riders to keep

your eye on this here. Here is another really interesting thing.

This used to be Microsoft's booth. After many years of being here,

Microsoft is not here this year. Book who has taken over one of the

most common stance. But one of the most famous Tech names but Hisense,

a Chinese brand. Possibly a shape of things to come. Time to look at

some of the other big take stories of the week.

Microsoft Arian Shabanzandeh big stand may have been missing but the

big man made an appearance. The Co, Steve Ballmer, invaded the stage

during a keynote speech. He wanted to boast about the new range of

Windows 8 Mobile devices and the growth of the Windows App Store.

10,000 applications were added in the last month alone. If you're

wondering that is questionable timing, they used different chips.

The French government is exploring ways of charging internet giants

for using large amounts of bandwidth. The French diesel

economy minister says that the on- demand TV services from these

companies creating increasing demand on the infrastructure and

therefore they should pay for the improvement. Google argues that it

pays billions of euros per year and provides a major incentive for

people to sign up for high-speed services in the first place.

A student in Texas who opposes radio frequency ID badges in her

school has lost a federal court appeal. This student refused to

whether badgers on religious grounds, calling them the mark of

the beast. The school used the RFID tax to track attendance. The ruling

means that will have to choose to wear the badge or transferred to a

different school. If he thought it was fiddly to play

games and a smartphone, check this out. The world's smallest arcade

machine. A computer engineer from Canada took six months to design

and build the diminutive device. It has now been immortalised in the

King its walls -- dinners for There are over 2,500 companies here.

So how do you get your new gadget to stand out? One solution is to

get to a self fake celebrity. -- it yourself a celebrity.

Some things do not need celebrity endorsement. Here are a few that

caught our eye. This is a phone ready battery is

the star. So much so they have actually put it through the screen.

It is the only phone in the world that runs on a double a battery.

They tell me that this can last up to 15 years. That is if the phone

is turned off. It has got a 30-day standby time. It has got a ten-hour

talk time. It uses the GSM network. It lets you make a free emergency

call to the emergency services. This is without the use of some

courage. -- without the use of a Sim card. You can just use it when

needed. There are only 10 numbers inside this phone. But they have

released an application that would allow you to track this phone. You

can have a rough idea of where the person is. Given the fact the

battery is supposed to last about 15 years and networks are being

switched off, it may well be that his phone outlasts the network that

supports it. My mother always told me that if I

ate too fast it would be bad for me. Apparently she was right. You can

develop weight and digest it problems. Here we have found what

is being billed as the perfect solution. This is the fort that

tells you if you're eating too quickly. You halted by the silver

part of the handle. Every time your mouse closes over-rate, you

complete and tiny electrical circuit. Do it too many times and

the phone will vibrate. You can connect before that your computer

to monitor your progress. The only thing it can't do is tell you what

to -- whether you decided to eat healthily fast or Las Vegas-style

fast. Let us see if we can find some

decent food around these parts. Is there a French restaurant nearby?

OK, there are 15 places fairly close to you. It is about a half

mile north. Have to go and check it out. This is the Martian Watch. It

is pretty red hot. It uses Bluetooth, the wireless technology

that has been around for some time, to talk to your phone. It can stay

in your pocket. Unlike some other Bluetooth smart watches, this one

actually contains a microphone and speaker. You can make and receive

calls. The other thing it can do is display it on its LCD.

Notifications for things like Facebook updates and text messages.

You can ask it to read them out aloud. Read a text message. I hope

you have not done anything naughty. That would be the wife. This will

work with and Road and Dido S. It will also allow you to remotely

control your smartphone's camera. It leads to avoid having to do all

of those snaps. This some of the technology that we

have found, if I'm honest, I would have to say is the coolest. This is

the gigantic Mondo Spider. It is made by an art outfit based in

Vancouver. One of the purposes, apart from looking stupidly cool,

is to raise awareness of sustainable energy. It is powered

by lithium-ion batteries. It has gotten small enough and light

enough to put into Europe giant robotic spider. It was about 750

kilograms. The turning circle is acceptable. You drive it like a

tank. You just pull them backwards and push them forwards. Anyway, I

am going to hit the highway. I'll hand you over to Kate Russell with

Webscape. No mechanical spiders here. But I

can make thunder. With the help of the first website that lets you

recruit social media supporters to shout about a good to have caused

your championing. -- could cause. The idea is that you create a

thunderclap, set a duration or finish date, and the number of

people you would like to take part. Then you wait for the situation to

be approved. Once it is clear it, you can share writ and encourage

people to sign up and spread the word. On the designated date, it

will go live. It will send a message out in simultaneous social

messaging post across the Web. This means that everyone who signed up

will have their support for your message posted to Facebook. At the

exact same moment. Hopefully this will get more information for your

course. You could also take a look through the existing ones to see if

there are any cause as he would like to support. -- causes you

would. Planning a city break can be quite

complicated, especially when you consider how many online tools

there are. This one provides a solution with a trip planning was

it. It provides suggestions for hotels and restaurants you might

want to taking when you are away. There are five simple steps took

such a destination, date, the type of activities you would like to do

and being run a budget. The planner will come back with suggestions.

The destinations covered a limited right now. The service is quite new

and the developers are adding to which all the time. Drawing from

sources I Wikipedia, to the adviser, Yahoo! Travel and more, it takes

sorts of other useful details, like directions and suggested

restaurants. Losing a pet can be really

traumatic. But one clever developer thinks you're iPhone might be able

to help. Lost Petz lets you alert everyone with the application in a

ten-mile radius, showing them a picture of your pet and details

about where and when it went missing. It is the equivalent of

taking posters to the trees all around the neighbourhood. I love

the idea behind this application and I am sure that any pet owners

watching will feel the same way. It is awful when you lose a treasured

animal. I accept that those of you who do not go crazy over their

furry friends probably think we are all a bit potty. To add your pet,

you will have to pay the annual subscription. It is not a lot, but

if you are the only one in your area with its installed, it is a

pretty useless investment. If you just want to be alerted about

animals lost in the area, it is free to download.

The new year is now well under way, and let us hope it is filled with

special moments. Moments that you could capture one second at a time.

This lets you record a snippet each day and automatically stitches them

together. It creates a highlights real, with a haulier of one second

bursts. Life In seconds is the name of the application. It is free to

download, but on my and set it is currently body. It does not stop

recording and there is no preview. That said, I like the idea. It is

brand new. I am sure they will store can at the edges soon. --

they will straighten out. An entry could create something like Where

The hell Is Matt?. -- I am sure we could create.

If you are more of a traditionalist, a new series of Antiques Roadshow

has a brand new synchronous app that listens to would you choose to

know where you are in the show. You can guess the price. It's you put

it in an auction, its pre-sale would probably be between �600-�800.

It is free for Apple and Android devices and can be used to watch

the episodes. For less than about �4,500.

Kate Russell's Webscape. If you missed any of those, you will find

them all on the BBC website. That is also where you will do if you

would like to watch this programme again. Go to the front page. Next