Bitcoin hopefuls stepping off the fringe at CES


Dollars go in, Bitcoins come out.

Bitcoin’s global buzz notwithstanding, virtual currencies are a niche commodity. Compared to even a minor national currency, the volume of economic activity that flows through these peer-to-peer media of exchange is infinitesimal. To move from the fringe to the mainstream, Bitcoin and its brethren have to be useful to and useable by ordinary consumers, not just geeks and cranky libertarians.

So it was with great pleasure that I toured the first “Bitcoin Pavilion” at CES this evening.… More

Keep it simple Schwinn

5 January 2014 by Steve Blum
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Follow the arrows.

To go along with its uncomplicated bicycles, Schwinn is introducing the CycleNav, a simple bike navigation display that pairs with your iOS or Android phone (check the minimum specs before you buy, though). It sits on your handlebars and speaks to you, telling you to turn left or right and backing it up with big green flashing arrows. No detailed maps or screens or routes to distract your attention. That’s a very good thing, because letting your attention wander while you’re riding a bike can have fatal consequences, usually for yourself.… More

Global tech market slips after peak geek in 2013

5 January 2014 by Steve Blum
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Rising volume can’t keep up with falling prices.

Global consumer technology sales hit $1.1 trillion last year, but will slip back a few billion dollars in 2014. That’s the top line forecast from the Consumer Electronics Association, which represents the industry in the U.S. and organises CES, which is getting underway now in Las Vegas.

Smart phones and tablets have driven the market for the past four years, and are expected to account for 43% of global technology sales in 2014, dwarfing televisions and personal computers.… More

De facto M2M protocol might be decided by appliance makers

4 January 2014 by Steve Blum
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Popular standards flow from the lowest common denominator.

From Ericsson’s 50 billion node mobile universe to Qualcomm’s 1,000X meme, there’s been no shortage of grand vision for machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity at CES. Meaningful standards are lacking, but at least a consensus seems to be building around what to call it: the Internet of things – IoT.

Since it’ll be using the same, old Internet, there’s no particular worry about how to deliver data from point A to point B, and back again.… More

CES needs to bring global partners to the dance

3 January 2014 by Steve Blum
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The “global technology event” which is officially – whatever that means – called “International CES” isn’t living up to its name even as well as it did (or not) last year. Exhibitors from Africa, South America, South Asia and Southeast Asia are even thinner on the ground in 2014, judging from the pre-show floor guide.

Last year, 23 companies from ASEAN nations exhibited products, this year the total is only 18. Hanoi-based Tosy is thankfully back – nothing like a dancing robot to perk up the day.… More

Three trends to spot at CES

2 January 2014 by Steve Blum
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CES needs Bitcoin more than Bitcoin needs CES.

The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show opens next week in Las Vegas, with preview events beginning on Sunday and the exhibit floor opening on Tuesday. The show lacks last year’s changing-of-the-guard fascination, when mobile kingpins and rising giants held prominent places in keynote and featured sessions. Instead, it’s about reviving the brands that were shouldered aside in 2013.

But there’s always something new to see at CES, with three trends looking particularly interesting…

Wearables – CES exhibit halls promise to be packed with smart watches, eyeglass mounted video displays and cameras, and various other small, wearable devices – health and fitness related in many cases – that serve as smart phone peripherals or substitutes.… More

CES looking more like That 90s Show

1 January 2014 by Steve Blum
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“I just applied to Google’s internship program”.

Silicon Valley’s A-list companies of 20 years past are showing renewed enthusiasm for CES, which begins next week. It opens with a keynote presentation on Monday, 6 January 2014 by the new CEO of Intel, Brian Krznanich. I’m particularly interested in seeing if he’s still calling tablets and phones “ultra-mobile PCs”.

Last year, when the young and sexy mobile industry’s interest in the show was peaking, the lead off slot was taken by Qualcomm’s Paul Jacobs, who knows the difference between saying odd things to memorably drive home a point and just saying odd things.… More

Santa Cruz becomes the place Silicon Valley wants to be

31 December 2013 by Steve Blum
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Sticking out like a surfboard in a cubicle farm, Santa Cruz has risen to the top of Silicon Valley’s hot spots for 2014. It’s a top 5 tech mecca for the coming year, according to Silicon Valley Business Journal, and the only one of the bunch with local culture that rises above strip malls, fast food and bad haircuts.

According to author Lauren Hepler…

Hippie beach enclave no more? A gaggle of politicians, entrepreneurs and deep-pocketed investors want to diversify from Santa Cruz County’s $500-million-a-year reliance on summer tourism.

… More

Watsonville growing economy and cash with muni dark fiber

“We want to be able to service other business”, said Bob Berry, public works project manager for the City of Watsonville. “We think we want to turn this into an enterprise fund”.

The city is installing dark fiber between key public buildings and, incidentally, through core business areas of Watsonville. The project was launched after Charter Communications raised the price it was charging for similar connections from free to $150,000 a year, a move made possible by its shift from local to statewide cable franchising.… More

Layers of regulation: CPUC maintains grip on telecoms infrastructure

29 December 2013 by Steve Blum
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Kicking down barriers to competition, progressively.

There’s always a danger of reading too much into a single, seemingly routine decision by the California Public Utilities Commission, but I’ll risk it. Earlier this month, the CPUC granted a certificate of public convenience and necessity to Schat Communications LLC, which is a sister company of Schat.net, an Internet service provider in eastern California. In doing so, the commission determined that Schat is a “telephone corporation” under Californian law and can be regulated as such.… More