While we were at the International Consumer Electronics Show, we took the time to connect with several of our vendors and manufacturers. You’ve probably already read about what we learned from our friends at DISH and weBoost, but we also visited with several other vendors and while no one else really had a huge amount of product to show, I have to tell you that I’ve never seen our existing product lines displayed so nicely. Across the board, there was just such a high quality of polish and presentation out there.
You’re probably aware of TP-LINK through our daily deals and they are really trying very hard to compete with established brands but at a lower price point. Their line of Wireless-AC products were really impressive and they seem really committed to the technology.
I’m a little disappointed to say that TiVo had nothing new to show in their large booth this year. I had really expected a new product announcement having to do with a possible non-cableCARD TiVo, but they seemed confident that cableCARD technology would be around for years to come even though as of January 1, cable providers are not required to offer cableCARD rentals.
Makerbot, everyone’s favorite 3D printer, showed a new filament that had some metal in it so that your projects can become magnetic. No word on availability yet.
I got to meet with the folks from Flyover Innovations who make the Blumoo Bluetooth remote control system. This has been a favorite product of mine and looking at what we can expect in 2015, it’s going to get even better. We’ll see the ability to migrate remote setups from device to device and also an upgraded user experience.
If you squint and look at the sky, you’ll see the only official DIRECTV presence at the show. The DIRECTV blimp was hovering near the Trump International h
Hotel and folks, that’s all there was other than a DIRECTV logo in the Samsung booth. There have been some press releases but DIRECTV retreated from CES several years ago after taking a shellacking over the R15 DVR (which was not terribly stable when it came out.) In past years they’ve at least had a hospitality suite but this year, not even that.
Finally, we spent some time with VOXX, who you wouldn’t know from their name but they’re one of the biggest vendors we have. RCA, Audiovox, DIRECTV remotes, and many other brands are all part of the VOXX family and they had a massive booth filled with everything from karaoke machines to tiny Bluetooth speakers. We’re proud to offer their products.
