CES 2012 starts on Sunday, and it’s sure to bring a ton of new gadgets and gizmos that will dazzle tech fans. But it’s important to keep your expectations in check. There are plenty of things we’re hoping for from the tech world that we’re unlikely to see at this show.

1. January 9, 2012
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012 : 10 Impossible Dreams by
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012 : 10 Impossible Dreams by change the game to some extent, but Google and
batteryfast.co.uk Android tablet manufacturers need to show that
people will be able to get terrific apps on their ta-
CloudTags: CES , 2012 , batteryfast.co.uk , Dell gw240 blets. While we’ll surely see great tablet hardware
, Toshiba pa3395u-1brs , Hp pavilion dv7 batteries at CES, I’m betting the app part of the equation will
still be missing.
BlackBerry 10. RIM needs a new smartphone ope-
rating system. Even the BlackBerry maker itself
acknowledges that. So the company is working on
BlackBerry 10, its brand-new, QNX-based OS for
phones. At least, we trust RIM is working on it, be-
cause it hasn’t shown it to anyone in public yet.
While RIM will be at CES, the insiders at Crack-
Berry.com are reporting that we’ll have to wait a
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/ces-2012-10-impossible-dreams-by-batteryfast-co-uk/
little longer to see what BlackBerry 10 brings to the
smartphone table.
CES 2012 starts on Sunday, and it’s sure to bring a
ton of new gadgets and gizmos that will dazzle tech A DRM-free video service. DRM-free music has
fans. But it’s important to keep your expectations been around for years now—even from Apple!—but
in check. There are plenty of things we’re hoping the process of renting and buying videos online is
for from the tech world that we’re unlikely to see still very frustrating. Wouldn’t it be great if someone
at this show. could make a breakthrough where you could buy
a video once, and then play it on all your devices
I may be wrong, of course—in fact, I hope I’m wrong, without using buggy, proprietary software? That
because each of the 10 things on this list would be would be a great CES innovation, but dream on: it’ll
exciting news. But as we page through our stack of happen over Hollywood executives’ dead bodies.
new HDTVs and quad-core tablets, let’s keep an eye
out for any of these long-awaited developments. A usable “connected TV.” TV user interfaces are
Don’t be too disappointed if they don’t show up. awful. Whether you’re trying to connect your TV
to other gadgets around the house using DLNA, or
A smash hit Android tablet. Android tablets were to online services such as Netflix and Yahoo, only
supposed to sweep the world after last year’s CES, passionate techies can work their way through all
mirroring the success of Android phones. But Google the menus and buttons to figure out what to do with
Android Honeycomb devices turned out to be too these things. Do you remember that Google TV re-
expensive, with a lousy app selection, poor deve- mote control? It was a horror. I don’t think anyone
loper outreach, and a somewhat confusing UI. The will be able to crack the TV UI problem this year,
new version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, could
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2. January 9, 2012
batteryfast.co.uk
CES 2012 : 10 Impossible Dreams by batteryfast.co.uk
though, so look forward to more “connected TV” more power than an iPad. That might happen this
solutions that nobody can use. year, but it won’t happen next week.
Quality 3D TVs. 3D TV—in fact, 3D anything—was A new Xbox. Microsoft hasn’t released a new ga-
the most hideous gimmick of CES 2011, sending ming system in a while. Sony will be showing off
thousands of CES attendees’ heads spinning. 3D TVs the PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo has the Wii U
offered poor viewing angles or clumsy, expensive coming up. So what’s next from the house of Halo?
glasses. 3D phones reduced the “viewing angle” Most speculation has a new Xbox coming in 2013,
idea to a single viewing point. The entertainment so I doubt we’ll see any major Xbox action at this
industry is hoping that 3D will cause a new wave of show. Microsoft’s CES plans will probably be more
buying stuff, but not if it continues to be this poor focused around Windows 8, which is also a big, big
quality. I don’t see it getting any better at this show. deal for Microsoft.
A long-term future for T-Mobile. T-Mobile should Anything from Apple. A new Apple product at CES
be rejoicing in its $4 billion “break-up fee” from would be huge news. But Apple will never come to
AT&T, including cash and much-needed spectrum. CES. A new Apple product announced during CES, at
But there’s a cloud hanging over the carrier because a location hundreds of miles away (like the original
its parent, Deutsche Telekom, still seems to want iPhone was) would be an organizational nightmare
to flip it. I’d love DT to either come up with a new for those of us who have to cover these things. I am
suitor quickly or to double down and invest in its desperately hoping that nobody hears a peep out of
http://www.batteryfast.co.uk/battery-technology/ces-2012-10-impossible-dreams-by-batteryfast-co-uk/
U.S. carrier, but it may be too soon after the collapse Apple until at least two weeks after CES.
of the AT&T deal to hear a new plan.
Read More:
A new paradigm for 4G service plans. For years
now, we’ve been hearing how you should be able
to share a bucket of data between several devices
you own. We’ve also been hearing how 4G should Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment
increase network capacities so you’d be able to get below and continue the conversation, or subscribe
more data for your money. But that isn’t the case: to my feed and get articles like this delivered auto-
every gadget still needs a separate subscription, and matically to your feed reader.
4G doesn’t cost any less than 3G (in some cases, it
costs more.) We’ll probably hear a lot of meaningless
platitudes about new service plan paradigms, but
I’d be very pleasantly surprised if we see radical
new service plans at this year’s CES.
Cheap Ultrabooks. The massive economies of
scale in the PC industry aren’t helping the price of
Windows-powered ultrabooks, which can’t manage
to squeeze down much below the price of Apple’s
MacBook Air. A $500 ultrabook would really shake
things up, capturing the laptop shopper who’s dis-
satisfied with the inelegance of netbooks, but wants
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