Jeremy Hobson: Now to news from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Samsung and LG Electronics have gone organic. They unveiled a 55 inch TV that uses organic light-emitting diodes. Kinda cool — but so far, doesn’t seem like any earth-shattering ideas have come out of the Consumer Electronics Show so far.
John Moe, who hosts the Marketplace Tech Report, has been reporting from CES and he joins us now from Las Vegas. Good morning, John.
John Moe: Good morning.
Hobson: So John, we’ve been waiting a couple of days now for some huge product to come out and really blow our minds. You haven’t called me to tell me that that has happened. What gives?
Moe: Yeah, this year seems to be more about tweaks to existing technology. You have Samsung and LG showing off motion controls for a TV — which is really cool, but it’s not that different from Microsoft Kinect. Now Microsoft announced motion controls for watching Sesame Street, but it’s not really a bombshell. There’s no real bombshell, amazing new inventions here.
Hobson: But is there precedent for that? Should there have been a bombshell?
Moe: Yeah. I mean, this year, we’re seeing cool stuff but nothing really compares to like 1970, the VCR comes out; 1981 the compact disc; 1996 the DVD; 1998 HD TV. This year, it’s just more about adjustments to things we already have.
Hobson: All right, well John, I just want to finally ask you: what have you seen that you know will not be a hit this year?
Moe: Well, I saw this stick. It’s a metal rod that you’re supposed to put a camera on the end of and then you hit the timer and take a picture of yourself. It was described this way.
Worker: It’s like you have a telescopic arm that goes all the way up to three feet.
No more asking strangers to take your picture now that you have a metal stick.
Hobson:Very useful. John Moe, host of the Marketplace Tech Report. John, thanks so much.
Moe:Thank you.
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