A View from CES 2015

Ok, they got me at “hello”, my first ever Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Photo | Phil Fabrizio

I must first confess that I work for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) this week at the 2015 show as an Information Assistant and “background” photographer. My posts to this blog are my own opinion and I join in a conversation about this event that is covered worldwide as centered here at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and multiple venues across this desert city.

The “they” is my daughter and daughter-in-law who both work full time for CEA and a CEA program that is called “Share the Love” that brought me to my first CES – #CES2015.

I liken this program to – “Bring Your Daughter to Work” day but for me it’s really Bringing Dad to Work Week. In reality their “Share The Love” program is a great bonding experience for family members or friends and a means for assisting the CEA in the great service they provide.

The kids work hard – very hard and they are good at what they do. A benefit is that I get to meet their co-workers, bosses, associates and executives as well as their clients – all in the short order time frame of the massive collaboration effort of what’s new and wonderful for – us the Consumer.

So what’s hot at #CES2015? Two things standout immediately:

1. Autonomous Vehicle Technology (AVT) as displayed by both Mercedes Benz and Audi
2. Smart Home

First, on Monday evening I was working at the Cosmopolitan, Chelsea Theater helping with directional guest control at the Keynote address by Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the BOM, Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. I was there for the unveiling of their autonomous vehicle – a car that drove itself onto the stage. Basically the car guides it and passengers using technology that is just now becoming available.

Impressed? Yes!

Am I willing to let that vehicle drive me and three other passengers with our backs to the traffic flow out on I-270 in rush hour – well let’s just say that I am not an early adapter to all technology … but I could be.

Second biggest trend that I saw was the avalanche of technology that is coming down hill at us as called – Smart Home.

Yow. Where do I begin?

Everyone is in this game. All are applying analytics to answer the question of how do we make living in our homes more comfortable, more safer, more energy efficient.

I listened today (after working directional guest control) to a panel of executives about how Mobile is Fundamentally Changing our World. The panel moderated by Jon Fortt, Co-host of Squawk Valley on CNBC gave time to Jan Brockmann CTO and SVP of Electrolux (2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world) to describe how data from within our home appliances will be used to reconfigure how and when we use appliances efficiently in the future and how it can be controlled easily from mobile devices.

As long as my beer is cold – and automatically chilled to 45 degrees as directed by a “beer-me” iPhone app – by the time I get home after a long photo shoot I will be a happy man Mr. Brockmann.

So as I sit here writing this blog and comforting my swollen feet (the LVCC is many city blocks long) I look forward to another day and a glimpse of investigating the wonders of the Central Hall at LVCC and all the Digital Imaging masters who now live there.

Stay tuned for Philly Wonka in the Photo Factory.

Here are a few photos from the past two days.

Phil Fabrizio
@Photoloaf
#CES2015

About Phil Fabrizio

Phil Fabrizio is an event, news and sports photographer in the Washington D.C. Metro area. He lives in North Potomac and has operated Sugarloaf Photography since 1985. He is a member of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of the Glen Echo Partnership for Arts and Culture, Inc in Glen Echo. Stop by Phil's PhotoLoaf site or follow him on Twitter @Photoloaf. Find Phil's blog on MyMCMedia here.

View all posts by Phil Fabrizio