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The Best and Worst From CES 2013

CowboyRobot writes "InformationWeek has collected what it considers to be the five dumbest ideas presented at this year's CES. The list includes: 'The HapiFork is an electronic fork that tracks how many mouthfuls of food you consume during a given meal, how many seconds pass between bites, and how long the meal took to complete.' Also on the list is the iPotty, which is about what you would guess from the name. And for balance, the list of the seven standout technologies includes 3M's 84-inch touchscreen display and Parrot's $300 'AR Drone 2.0, a gravity-defying spectacle that puts yesteryear's remote-control helicopters to shame with its ability to dive, spin and whirl through the air.'"

32 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. The 4K tablet. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    That 20 inch tablet is NOT one of the worst, its presence on that list really reduces the credibility of the list.

    It's not one of the best either, but it being mentioned alongside the 'HapiFork' is disgraceful.

    1. Re:The 4K tablet. by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm a little confused by the list to be honest. Apparently a novel food tracking device to help dieting is a terrible idea, but an 84" tablet is way cool and a huge advance for everyone.

      --
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    2. Re:The 4K tablet. by vlm · · Score: 2

      The "worst" part is you make a giant glass cockpit device and FAA/DOT/USCG/Area51 won't approve it for vehicular use, so you stick a battery in it and call it a tablet.

      The first thing I thought of was Steve Jobs yacht or whomever it was, where the whole boat was run by computers. A waterproofed marine version would of course quintuple the price but would make a pretty awesome UI if you installed 3 or more in a boat (3 or more identical ones, so when you crack screen #2 you can bring the weather radar up on screen #7 instead or whatever)

      Would make a great component for a project artemis bridge, too, if you can buy about six of them and mount them to plywood somehow.

      http://www.artemis.eochu.com/

      --
      "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
    3. Re:The 4K tablet. by Tx · · Score: 2

      Agreed. It's obviously not meant to be used in the same way as an iPad or Nexus 7, as the author's comments seem to imply that he thinks (" it's way too big to easily handle" - duh), it's more a portable 20" all-in-one PC. I can think of uses for a 20" 4k tablet, whereas beyond "does it blend?" I'm coming up blank with the HapiFork.

      --
      Oh no... it's the future.
    4. Re:The 4K tablet. by 0xdeadbeef · · Score: 5, Funny

      But that's bigger than the iPad! Nothing can be different than what Apple does, that is the surest sign of failure. I mean, look what happend to 7" tablets. They did not succeed until Apple made one.

    5. Re:The 4K tablet. by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 2

      I just want to know when they will invent pockets on a normal pair of blue jeans large enough to comfortably hold these giant phones.

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
    6. Re:The 4K tablet. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      I'm coming up blank with the HapiFork.

      Perhaps you are not in the target market. I was a skinny kid in a large family, and learned early to wolf my food down quickly before someone else grabbed it. When I hit age forty, I started to put on a few pounds. One of the things I did to lose those pounds was slow down and pace my eating, so that the hunger would fade before I was already stuffed. But it was difficult to break a lifetime habit of eating quickly, and something like HapiFork may have helped.

      We have a major obesity problem in this country, and it is spreading worldwide. If HapiFork can help a few people, and be a small part of the solution, then we should not be so quick to ridicule it.

    7. Re:The 4K tablet. by AuMatar · · Score: 2

      Or someone who doesn't carry a backpack/purse/briefcase. If it doesn't fit in my pocket, it may as well be a desktop- I'm not taking it anywhere.

      --
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    8. Re:The 4K tablet. by David_Hart · · Score: 2

      I'm coming up blank with the HapiFork.

      Perhaps you are not in the target market. I was a skinny kid in a large family, and learned early to wolf my food down quickly before someone else grabbed it. When I hit age forty, I started to put on a few pounds. One of the things I did to lose those pounds was slow down and pace my eating, so that the hunger would fade before I was already stuffed. But it was difficult to break a lifetime habit of eating quickly, and something like HapiFork may have helped.

      We have a major obesity problem in this country, and it is spreading worldwide. If HapiFork can help a few people, and be a small part of the solution, then we should not be so quick to ridicule it.

      I ate fast as a kid too. Not because we were competing for food, but because there was always something more interesting that I wanted to do. I still do. I never went back for seconds, though, just ate the relatively normal portions on my plate. Today, I could stand to lose some weight as well. However, that has little to do with eating fast. It's due more to sitting behind a keyboard all day instead of running out to play baseball with my friends... Anyone want to throw a baseball around? (grin)

  2. According to whom? by Barryke · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Some things, like the 20" tablet are ideal for some situations. Just about anywhere a wacom monitor is used on the road, for example.

    Back in the days i have seen artists lug around with bulky CRT's because they where the only thing that had both high resolution and proper pen support.

    I just hope the MS Surface Pro has touch sensitive pen, and it'll be done. If only it where 18" and had a resolution of 2560x1400! All todays modern devices are made for mice and Chinese fingers.. I'm 2 meters tall for crying out loud i don't mind carrying anything not wider than me. With a fullsize keyboard if possible.

    Its all relative. What sucks for the author, may be the ideal product for others.

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  3. oh good... by phil_aychio · · Score: 3, Funny

    my USB-enabled smart enema bag didn't make the top 5

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    obvious redundancy is obvious
  4. Re:Silly names... by Skiboy941 · · Score: 5, Funny

    From wikipedia: "He is typically depicted as a man with a large belly wearing a loincloth, having long hair and having pendulous, female-like breasts." So the fork is to prevent you from getting fat and getting man-titties?

  5. The Worst? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Clearly it was the Keynote

  6. 20" 4K display is dumb now? by carlvlad · · Score: 2

    I dont get it, Why would the 20" 4K display be considered dumb? As a tablet it may not be seen as ideal to MOST of the people out there, but I'm more impressed that they managed to cram those pixels into 20" display. I'm not sure if they're the first to manufacture such hardware, but I've never seen anyone made that level of display at that small size. (not to forget as a tablet those includes the processor and the rest of the electronics.)

    1. Re:20" 4K display is dumb now? by Vanderhoth · · Score: 2

      The reason they listed it as "dumb" was because there's no content optimized for a 4K display, which is a "dumb" reason to have it listed on the "dumb" list.

      For the 84" 4K TV, there's no content optimized for it yet, but some how it made the good list. The distinction seems to be one is a TV so higher rez is awesome, even with out the content, the other is a tablet so higher rez is dumb, because there's no content.

      I pretty much agreed with them up to that point.

    2. Re:20" 4K display is dumb now? by h4rr4r · · Score: 2

      Isn't it normal that displays become available before content is widely available?

      We are just getting to the point were HD is the dominant format. HDTVs have been affordable to pretty much everyone for years now. The same will happen with 4K. Once a 55"-60" unit is under $5000 then content will be more available.

    3. Re:20" 4K display is dumb now? by carlvlad · · Score: 2

      I do believe that at this early point of time, 4K (or other higher than "HD" resolution) displays would be targeted at content creators, instead of content consumers. I do freelance videography, I would love to have high density display in small size. I keep hearing the same consensus from my peers within the same field that the display market had been stagnant at atrocious "FullHD 16:9". (Yes there are a lot of professional grade displays but they are financially out of reach from us mere freelancers :) )

  7. Why didn't the second list make it onto the first? by DeathToBill · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, a 20" tablet is one of the five dumbest ideas at CES, but a tablet measuring seven feet is one of the standouts? Hmmm.

    Another "standout" technology is MyLink, which... well, its a wireless hands-free kit for your phone. You know, like Bluetooth, only, um, well, about the same, actually... No wait! With a button on the steering wheel! That's right! A button to activate the voice-activated features on your phone!

    Stuff all that free-culture-open-hardware-3d-printing-for-the-masses crap, you can print YOUR OWN FACE ON YOUR iPHONE CASE! And DRONES! Alright, the same drones as last year, but WITH A BIGGER BATTERY!

    That's not all, there are VPNs! VPNs for smartphones! Yes! The innovation - can you feel it yet? And did we mention bigger batteries? Bloody expensive ones, too.

    If this is the best innovation in electronics has to offer, I think I'll go find a cave and some rocks to bang together.

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  8. Re:Why didn't the second list make it onto the fir by c · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this is the best innovation in electronics has to offer, I think I'll go find a cave and some rocks to bang together.

    Be careful with that rock banging thing. If anyone hears your rocks, there's a good chance that you'll be infringing on a mobile communications patent.

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  9. Entirely missed the market - Architects by Overzeetop · · Score: 2

    Anyone who doesn't "get" the appeal of the 5lb, 20" tablet is clearly not an architect (or a related engineering discipline, like structural engineer...me). A 10" screen is too small to do almost anything on that really matters, and if you have a capacitive-only input it's doubly useless. I've tried 3-4 different styli on my iPad, only to usually give up after writing whiteboard-sized letters to accommodate the 1/4" tip diameter of the finest point reliable stylus. You can't even write a full line of text.

    And you needn't worry about us finding a case for it. We've been toting around 11x17/A3 physical pads forever. In fact, that's the preferable format for taking a set of personal-sized drawings to a meeting, also known as a 1/2 size set (1/2 of an ANSI D, or 22x34). We've got a dozen folios in the supply closet that would fit this tablet perfectly.

    This tablet, I suspect, has a wider audience or practical usability than making an imprint of your face on an iPhone cover, a $300 charger you can only get from Brookstone, or a $300 quadcopter.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:Entirely missed the market - Architects by NatasRevol · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yeah, a market of 80,000 in the US is a great market.

      http://www.aia.org/press/AIAS077761

      At that that run rate, I'm sure the tablets won't cost more than about $50k a piece.
      At which point, the market goes down to 8,000 and the price goes up to $100k.

      See how this works? Or doesn't?

      --
      There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
    2. Re:Entirely missed the market - Architects by Overzeetop · · Score: 2

      You missed the entire engineering market that goes with them, which is several times bigger - and that's if you exclude the entire civil engineering field. It also excludes every architect who decides not to pay the AIA to be a "member." Don't forget all of the large general contractors out there doing hundreds of billions of dollars of construction projects every year who are utilizing building information modeling. Which, funny enough, is EXACTLY the market these have been made for - to the extent that one of the biggest players in the software size of technical drawing markups (Bluebeam) is working with them to make it happen.

      And that ignores the entire photography and graphics art market, where something like this would be quite useful, as Wacom is keenly aware. (though without a pressure sensitive pen, you'll lose some of them)

      The potential application extends to any field where large-format (in other words anything that uses Letter/A4 or larger pages) access to pages is necessary. That's a bit more of a stretch, but this will display two A3 pages side by side - just like a regular technical manual - in color, and with real time data connection to a local server. The KindleDX never really took off, but Amazon also never pushed it and never upgraded it because tech manuals don't sell well on Amazon.com.

      --
      Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  10. What I don't understand... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why are all these '4k' displays being introduced as TVs, rather than marketed as monitors(possibly in slightly smaller sizes, ~36 inches, say) that just happen to have a bunch of types of video input?

    On the TV side there is zip, zero, zilch, nada, fuck-all available at that resolution. An entire ecosystem of foot-dragging broadcasters, STBs, impractically high demands for streaming, no disk format, etc. stands in the way. As a monitor? Even relatively proasic PCs should be able to drive the thing(and a video card that costs more than a couple hundred bucks can probably even keep the frame rates up) and 'retina' is all the rage these days.

    Obviously, unless they specifically break the connectors in some way contrary to spec, these "TVs" will work as monitors; but why aren't they being sold as such?

    1. Re:What I don't understand... by amorsen · · Score: 2

      Most TVs show 60fps quite well. Some of them pretend to go way higher, but the afterglow from LCD typically limits effective frame rate to something in the 60fps range.

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  11. Re:Standout vs Dumb by NatasRevol · · Score: 4, Funny

    Capacitive nerf gun bullets for those who won't (or can't) be bothered to get up.

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  12. High resolution computer screens back? Please? by IndustrialComplex · · Score: 2

    I realize that a lot of tech writers have forgotten what it is like to use computers, but I really miss the high-resolution monitors that we USED to have.

    I'm glad that one of the big things that the companies are pushing now are going to be 4K displays for TVs because that means that (due to the shared manufacturing lines), the screens for computer monitors are going to get 4K screens eventually as well. I hate that you have to go out of your way to find a monitor that exceeds the 'television' format of 1080p.

    So, I'm really excited to see this be the new push, because I have little use for '3D'.

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  13. Re:CES is to Electronics Pros as by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    Christmas is to Christians and Earth Day is to Environmentalists.

    Over-commercialised, bereft of its original meaning, and just a big pain in the arse for the rest of us?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  14. Re:Standout vs Dumb by azalin · · Score: 2

    Capacitive nerf gun bullets for those who won't (or can't) be bothered to get up.

    Couple that with a fancy bullet hole app and watching daytime television suddenly got interesting again.

  15. Don't laugh at the iPotty by Frankie70 · · Score: 2

    Some days down the line, there will be photographs of Angelina Jolie, Madonna and Beckham's kids using an iPotty. And then all the hipsters will make sure they buy one and will also post photos of it on twitter and facebook.
     

  16. The sad thing... by gweilo8888 · · Score: 2

    ...is that the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 being labeled as a standout was released getting on for a year ago now. Was this year's CES really so underwhelming, with so few interesting products, that the best we can cite are products that aren't even new?

  17. Re:CES is to Electronics Pros as by serviscope_minor · · Score: 2

    Bereft of it's original meaning?

    Christmas derives from yuletide (the puritans wanted to disband Christmas), and such celebrations are common in civilisations from high latitude. It's basically a "long winters are miserable let's have some fun" celebration in essence. Generally such a celebration had the religiosity du jour wrapped around it.

    I think Christmas is pretty much spot on to its original meaning.

    --
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  18. 20 tablet? How about a 8.5x11" one? by xtal · · Score: 2

    Peferably with E-Ink, that I can write on, in similar DPI to a fine engineering pencil?

    I want one for specification sheets and notes. That's it. Doesn't really even need much of a OS. I have a desk full of paper. I will gladly pay $$$$$ for this device.. and I am sure that others will too.

    The retina ipad is good, but it's not paper.

    --
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