LIVE UPDATES: CES 2013
3:42 p.m.: The Consumer Electronics Assn., the organizers of CES, kicked off the annual technology convention Sunday afternoon with a discussion of technology trends to watch in 2013.
Among them: the growth of connected devices; the increasing importance of data; better screen resolutions for TVs, smartphones and tablets; and improvements in gesture and voice control.
Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the electronics association, also singled out the “post-smartphone era,” in which 65% of mobile use is now for non-communication -- a swift change from just a few years ago, when talking on the phone was the main purpose of having a mobile phone. Now, smartphones and tablets are less communication devices and more hardware hubs for “peripheral services,” he said.
“We’re spending a bulk of our time on those devices doing other activities,” DuBravac said. “The smartphone is literally becoming the viewfinder for your digital life.”
Later Sunday, throngs of reporters will attend CES Unveiled, a media-only event showcasing new technologies and gadgets from a select group of companies.
--Andrea Chang
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