CNN news 2012-01-17 加文本

cnn news 2012-01-17

AZUZ: So ohms apply to pretty much all of the products on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show. The CES convention is happening this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. It`s usually a big draw in the tech world, but some folks are starting to question the convention`s importance. Dan Simon gives us a preview of this year`s event.

DAN SIMON, cnn REPORTER: We are in the heart of the convention center, where you`ll find more than 30 football fields of gadgetry. And here`s a taste of what you`ll see.

As always, televisions make the boldest statement at the show, and this year you`ll see more of what are called OLED televisions. These are ultra-thin and offer the best picture on the market. And pretty much every TV you see has 3-D functionality and connects to the Internet.

To appreciate just how difficult it is to put on this show, just come outside and check out all the crates. This is the stuff from Mitsubishi right here. Behind us are the crates from Microsoft. And this is just a tiny fraction of the overall amount of equipment here in Las Vegas.

One of the big themes of the show is seeing all the accessories for smartphones and tablets. This is one of the more unusual contraptions we`ve seen. This turns your iPad into a guitar. This is a product from Ion that will retail for $99 when it comes out this summer. And it teaches you how to play the guitar.

Panasonic is trying to give us a sense as to what cars might look like in the future. This is not a video game, but a vision to make driving safer and easier.

People may think of CES really as a place to unveil TVs and computers, but it`s really a lot more than that. It`s really for any product that requires batteries or electricity and is available to consumers. We are at the Inada booth. And as you may have guessed, they sell massage chairs.

In computers this year, it`s all about ultrabooks, thin, powerful laptops with long battery life. Virtually every computer maker is coming out with their own version.

Companies like Google and Apple don`t come to CES. Instead, they hold their own events throughout the year. Microsoft has decided to go that route, and says this will be its last year at the show, which has some wondering whether CES is losing its clout.

BRIAN COOLEY, CNET: The big companies don`t want to be on this show`s schedule, to say, OK, early January every year, we have to have the big product for the year. But I haven`t seen one new product that is a thing that we`ve never seen before, a behavior we`ve never seen before, and that`s what everyone looks for. And this show gets a knock when it doesn`t have one of those.

SIMON: But for smaller companies and startups, CES is still perceived as a must. Xybotyx is making its debut this year, and it makes a product that turns your iPhone into a robot.

DANIEL MCSHAN, XYBOTYX: Well, we`re just interested in being here and getting exposure, and I think, you know, the less other products` announcements there are, the better off for us.

SIMON: Despite the changes in the industry, CES still remains a very powerful draw, with more than 2,700 companies coming to the event -- Dan Simon, cnn, Las Vegas.

AZUZ: All right. Before we go, we have for you the latest round of man versus beast --

AZUZ (voice-over): -- the staring contest. Three-year-old Sophia (ph) went face to face with this lion at a New Zealand zoo. Unfortunately, she started the contest during his feeding time, and it looks like he wants to add her to the menu.

Look at Sophia (ph), though. She barely flinched, and she never backed away from the glass. It might be that Sophia`s superior staring skills scared him, although if the lion gets intimidated by a three-year old, we guess he`s just a fraidy cat.

AZUZ: Or maybe he was made that she was hogging his attention because, after all, he`s probably used to being the "mane" event. Thankfully, we have video. Otherwise, if we told you a little girl stood up to the king of the jungle, you`d think we were "lion."

We`ll be back tomorrow with more cnn Student News. See you then.