The 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) featured a startling series of announcements and briefings that had enterrpise IT content.
Perhaps a many engaging was Panasonic’s. The association settled it would be bucking a “consumer is everything” trend. They are already changeable their vital efforts some-more to business, led by their ToughBook multiplication and their new ToughPads.
In addition, Microsoft supposing briefings on a Surface Pro, and NVIDIA launched a new server category during a event.
Because there isn’t a Comdex anymore, CES competence be picking adult some of a business calm that a Comdex uncover mislaid over time. And Jan competence indeed now be a improved time for a business launch than a consumer launch.
Panasonic Business Tablets
Panasonic led during CES with a many assertive business presence, seeming to advise that now accessible consumer tablets are crap. They done a constrained argument.
While consumers use tablets for movies, reading, Web browsing and games, companies use them for mission-critical activities. Hospitals and a troops use them in life-threatening situations. Failure in business for any record comes with high dollar signs, and that typically justifies a product that is distant some-more robust.
Much of Panasonic’s enlargement over a final decade has been in areas like in-plane entertainment, blurb electronic signage and in projectors. But during a uncover they showed off a line of tablets, adding a 7” Android-based product to a 10” in marketplace and a 10” Windows 8 inscription with 8 hours (best in class) battery life and troops spec continuance with outside ocular screens.
The products aren’t inexpensive though conjunction are a business and lives they protect.
NVIDIA Graphics Server
We’ve been articulate about GPU computing newly mostly since of NVIDIA’s graphics record efforts in a supercomputer market. With an augmenting importance on diversion streaming and companies like OnLive relocating into that space, it was usually a matter of time before someone denounced a graphics server.
NVIDIA launched one, called a GeForce Grid Server, during a show, and it is an considerable beast. But many as OnLive changed to yield business hosted applications on their technology, NVIDIA is formulation to pierce these servers into a business marketplace to residence concentration hosting. They could be quite useful as an engineering workstation alternative.
Granted, we doubt NVIDIA will offer them alone. Instead, it will expected partner with Dell, HP or Lenovo (my gamble is Lenovo since they are being a many disruptive during a moment), suggesting a mid-market initial focus.
Graphics server record could also significantly strike adult a kind of opening we can get from internet use providers during low costs. Smart IT managers competence wish to get forward of this before they find a good cube of their rarely trusted RD is going on during some unofficial Web use provider.
Table PCs
The supersized inscription space is where Lenovo is being a many disruptive. They launched a 27” list PC during a show.
A list PC is one that lies prosaic on a table. Users work on it from a top. 3M indeed showcased a discussion list (looked to be about 60” or 70”) that unequivocally pushed this envelope. It showcased how profitable this record could be for artistic organisation meetings, operative on GANT chart-like logistics activities or for personification implausible house games (not that any of a employees would EVER consider of doing a latter).
I consider this is one of a some-more poignant business technologies we’ll see this decade. Bigger will always be improved in a box of this technology—fighting a trend toward smaller and smaller products.
As a side note, Lenovo also seemed to have a many absolute participation of any of a top-tier PC vendors during a show.
In-Car DVR
The uncover was scarcely overshoot with Chinese vendors I’d never listened of before. And their products seemed to be of comparatively high quality.
One of them from a association called ThinkWare held my eye. They offer an in-car DVR that runs constantly, and then, like an aeroplane black box, captures a information about an collision automatically.
This could be an ideal resolution for law enforcement, smoothness companies or any use where a jury competence make a large endowment opposite a deep-pocket association unless that association could uncover an collision wasn’t their fault.
Wrapping Up: CES Isn’t Just About a Consumer
BYOD, or move your possess device, is now a fact of life in business.
I recently had a tip assembly with a Microsoft Surface team, and they clearly have listened behind from their craving advisory legislature about craving needs for a improved inscription solution. As a result, initial with Surface Pro subsequent month and afterwards with Surface RT, craving IT will be saying a series of focused improvements targeting their needs. And where Microsoft goes with Surface, a lot of folks, maybe even Apple, will expected follow.
So BYOD competence indeed be removing a lot improved shortly. If we weren’t already formulation to, I’d make certain we get a lecture from Microsoft on Surface during your initial opportunity.
CES isn’t only about a consumer anymore.