Searching for 'WOW factor'

LAS VEGAS - The world's biggest innovation trade show will feature razor-thin laptops, powerful new smartphones and fancy flat-screen TVs, nevertheless talk in the cavernous halls of the Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off on Monday night, may focus on whether the show itself has a long-term future.

Apple Inc, which has set the agenda in consumer electronics for the past decade, does not even attend the show. Microsoft Corp, desperately trying to catch up, is making this show its last. It has been a few years since Las Vegas-based CES had the "wow" factor.

Lot of hype

"There's a lot of hype. The promise exceeds the deliverable a lot," said Todd Lowenstein, portfolio manager at HighMark Capital Management, which owns several innovation stocks. "I take an interest in it only to the extent that there's market-moving information that comes out of there, which I find is rare."

"A lot of companies are trying to imitate Apple's success in a lot of areas, and one area where Apple has been in the extreme successful is in controlling its message by controlling the event and the timetable of its announcements," said Avi Greengart, technology director for consumer devices at Current Analysis, a business intelligence firm.

Microsoft, which is trying to win back its innovation crown from Apple and newcomer Google Inc, has long said that CES in early January does not fit its product release timetable, meaning it has little new to share in the opening keynote, which has for years been given by Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, and earlier him by co-founder Bill Gates.

"Microsoft can do this on their own, they don't need CES," said Hanson Hosein, a specialist in research and media at the University of Washington in Seattle. "It's a lot of money. These shows are as a rule declining in popularity at any rate."

This year, the buzzwords look similar to last year, including "connected," "always on" and "voice recognition," whether in new, more powerful phones and tablets or in cars or even watches.

The other side of the floor

On the other side of the floor, the latest high-definition, Internet-enabled TVs from Sony Corp, Panasonic Corp, Sharp Corp and LG Corp will as well draw crowds.

Wireless carriers AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless are expected to unveil devices to take advantage of their new high-speed networks, and phone-maker Nokia is preparing to reintroduce itself to a US audience with new handsets running Microsoft's latest Windows software.

Backseat afterwards dominating the show last year

Tablets may take a backseat afterwards dominating the show last year, as hardware makers lick their wounds afterwards failure to match Apple's all-conquering iPad.

Some suspect tablet makers are not fully committing to Google's Android as a tablet platform, knowing that Microsoft's tablet-friendly Windows 8 system is likely set to hit the market in the then 12 months. Microsoft showed off a flashy Samsung Electronics tablet running a prototype of Windows 8 in September, and more up-to-date demo versions are expected to be circulating at CES.

Somewhere in between the phone and tablet is the "phablet," the tag applied to Samsung's new 5.3 inch- screen Galaxy Note.

So far available only in Europe and Asia, there is talk that AT&T will announce plans to launch the Android-based device in the United States at CES.

Sensor-laden, low-power devices with a constant connection to the Internet -- whether a phone, or smaller device hidden in your car or on your wrist -- will be the theme of the show, tech-watchers seem to agree. That allows users to move digital content around or get real-time feedback on where they are and what they are doing.

It has been a during since CES showcased such game-changing inventions, nevertheless it is after all popular with innovation exhibitors and buyers, even though it may suffer a dip in overall attendance this year.

The best venue to debut cutting-edge hardware

"CES is hands-down the best venue to debut cutting-edge hardware and software to the world," said Michel Tombroff, CEO of Softkinetic, a Belgian firm which designs motion-sensing research for controlling TVs and computers with your hands.