Consumer Reports: Five Trends to Watch for at CES 2012

YONKERS, N.Y., Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Reports today announced its list of trends to watch for at The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, which gets underway this week in Las Vegas. The full article can be found at www.ConsumerReports.org.

CES offers an annual preview of the technologies that could come to consumers' homes, cars, or pockets in the near future. Key trends that Consumer Reports will be following across the show's many categories and products include:

• Thinner yet stronger. In just about every category, hardware will be getting thinner—and likely lighter, with a bigger screen and beefier processor.  The prime example: more examples of so-called ultrabooks, 11- to 14-inches thin and light laptops
• More cloud connections. As in a greater multiplicity of options to store—or pull down-- content or applications stored on remote servers to mobile devices, including cars.
• More computing power in just about everything. In phones, that will mean the first models with quad-core processors, but also expect more and faster processors in appliances, cars, and even toys.
• More voice activation. More phones are likely to ramp up their voice activation, and also expect to see TVs that allow users to simply say the show they want to watch and more apps to let consumers use smart phones or tablets to control their TV, home, or car.
• Less 3D, more enhancements to 2D.  Three-dimensional imaging was arguably the technology of the 2011 CES. It will still be ubiquitous this year, including more demos of 3D TVs that don't require those geeky glasses.  But the buzz will probably be more about new ways to deliver better 2D images, including 4K super-high resolution TV sets.

"This year's CES promises to introduce products and services that allow easier access to content as well as some notable enhancements to make that content better, notably in in visual quality," said Paul Reynolds, Consumer Reports' Electronics Editor.

In addition to ultrabooks, he added, the hot categories at the show promise to include tablet computers, smart phones, and automotive electronics.

For all the latest CES 2012 news and analysis, visit www.ConsumerReports.org.

Consumer Reports is the world's largest independent product-testing organization. Using its more than 50 labs, auto test center, and survey research center, the nonprofit rates thousands of products and services annually. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has over 8 million subscribers to its magazine, website and other publications.   Its advocacy division, Consumers Union, works for health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other consumer issues in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace.

JANUARY 2012

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SOURCE Consumer Reports