CTA Confirms CES 2021 Will Be A Digital-Only Virtual Experience

To much concern all across the global technology industries, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced CES 2021 – January 6-9, 2021 – will be an all-digital experience. Meaning, there will be no CES 2021. There will just be more webinars and online "things," which no show promoter has found out until now what they are, who they are for, and how much are they worth. Certainly not for a strong B2B show like CES. Anyway, given the global pandemic situation, it was all predictable.

Intel revealed new details about Thunderbolt 4, the next generation of its universal cable connectivity solution. delivering increased minimum performance requirements, expanded capabilities, and USB4 specification compliance. This means that even though USB4 remains the good-enough universal solution for all consumer devices, Intel intends to ensure Thunderbolt will remain on its own path to offer the most powerful and reliable alternative for power users - professional users, corporate and media applications. And that enables Intel to sell hardware, while keeping control of at least the certification processes.

While on the one hand, we experience the benefit of having communication possibilities anytime and anywhere and use all types of communication platforms allowing us to interact in virtual conferences without being present physically - we also experience significant variations in communication quality, especially when being involved in virtual meetings. The question is: What is communication quality and which factors distinguish good communication quality from poor communication quality?

Alexa! OK Google! Hey Siri! Did we get your attention? If we were to have read that aloud most of us would have our favorite robot voice asking us what we want. Whether it is Amazon Alexa, Google Home, or another assistant, voice commands are the logical next step in user interfaces (UI). The uptake in the market has been extremely good for these devices. However, deployment has exposed some major issues with this technology. In this article I'm going to discuss the Syntiant NDP 10x processor and how it solves the aforementioned challenges.

Event and trade show promoters still have a business - and it has nothing to do with media, content, or education. They are not supposed to try and do what companies should do themselves, much less become a sort of "closed-circuit broadcaster," social media booster, or podcast promoter. Talking to a closed circuit is exactly the reason why companies need a trade show: to break the loop. That is also the reason why companies need media - to amplify their messages and reach new buyers and markets.

This is temporary. Anticipate changes. Plan for different rules. Remember, as with the virus hit, everything can change in just a few days. This global effort to contain the virus will require a six-month effort at a minimum, but things will gradually return to normal and at different paces. Things will start changing after just two weeks. You want to be ready to respond to the markets that recover first. The last problem you want to face is things returning to normality and not being prepared for it!

While waiting for the end of the COVID-19 outbreak, follow the relevant authorities' reports and wait. Use the available time to reorganize, focus on product development and other essential bench and back office activities, and get ready for a full-force return at a later date. In short, keep doing your job. Yes, we're all staying put for a while. But let's use the time to work and make sure we can go back to the next trade show and we can all hug and greet one another without fear.

This year, I was really looking forward to meeting with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, and discuss their projects for the USB4 Specification, the really big, gigantic update story on that front (at least in consumer electronics) since CES last year. The USB-IF announced the publication of the latest and greatest USB4 specification in September 2019, offering a major update to the USB architecture that complements and builds upon the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. This article was published originally in The Audio Voice 264 newsletter, February 6.

This article from Vincent Nallatamby, CEO of Tempow, a Paris-based startup discusses the potential of Bluetooth LE Audio to improve true wireless stereo applications. Tempow is a research and design lab focused on pushing the limits of Bluetooth technology. The company's first product, the Tempow Audio Profile (TAP) is an updated Bluetooth protocol allowing any Bluetooth chip to stream audio on multiple Bluetooth audio outputs simultaneously. The company also released a Bluetooth Software Stack for LE Audio, the next generation of Bluetooth audio.

Post-CES 2020 Impressions. "CES is over but we’re just getting started!" That’s the optimistic vision propagated by many companies who just attended the gigantic Las Vegas event and they leave without really knowing if it was a success or not. Because this is no longer the old days when audio companies would leave CES with their order books filled. Currently, all you have are “contacts” and “great meetings” and little else to backup the promises of future business. And that’s the most important game after all at a show like CES. That and the media hallo effect that new product presentations might have caused.