January 5, 2007; 02:50 AM
After ten years away, IBM (NYSE: IBM)
returns to the 40th Annual International Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) in Las Vegas, with the integral technologies behind many popular
gaming, medical, and cellular consumer electronic devices of today and
the future on display.
The last time IBM was at CES, IBM showcased
products such as IBM PCs, 56K modem Internet kits and its own line of
flatbed scanners. Since then, IBM has moved away from developing its
own consumer products to providing the innovative technology building
blocks -- such as the Power Architecture™, the Cell Broadband Engine™
and Code Name Secure Blue -- that consumer electronics makers are using
to invent, design and manufacture imaginative new products and get them
to market faster.
"It's been a decade since we last had a huge presence at CES. Since
that time, we've made dramatic changes in how IBM reaches the consumer
market," said Hal Lasky, Vice President, Consumer Industry, IBM.
"Today, we are collaborating with clients in highly targeted industry
segments like consumer electronics, medical, aerospace and defense, and
next generation networks, to give clients access to the intellectual
property, engineering expertise and industry know-how that will enable
them to bring better products and solutions to market more quickly."
IBM's skills, technology and innovation are behind many of the
consumer electronics products on the market today and those that will
be in the future. The pace of innovation at IBM has accelerated in
recent years thanks to the opening of its laboratory network in an
effort to collaborate with clients, blending emerging technologies with
real-world requirements that stand to benefit future IBM clients,
business partners, collaborators and end-user consumers.
"Consumer electronics makers today are under incredible pressure to
innovate at a faster pace while protecting margins against
commoditization," said Lasky. "IBM sees a tremendous opportunity in
helping those companies tie together many key elements -- even beyond
technology alone -- to create a real competitive advantage and
transformation in the marketplace."
At the IBM Pavilion # 36631 Las Vegas Convention Center - South 4,
the company will showcase a variety of client products and technologies
throughout four zones including:
- Experience the Science of Gaming: IBM engineers, designs
and manufactures the customized chips and processors for all of the
next generation gaming consoles. IBM's booth will have the Microsoft
Xbox 360™, Nintendo Wii™, and Sony PLAYSTATION®3 on display for
trialand fun. IBM executives, who were responsible for collaborating
with all three companies, respectively, on developing the brains of
these gaming platforms, will be present to provide insight and analysis
into the science behind gaming today.
- Explore the Virtual
World: This exhibit offers a hands-on opportunity to experience the
possibilities for business growth and efficiency in virtual worlds,
including viewing IBM's own presence there. 3D Internet,'Second Life'
and Virtual Worlds are growing technology platforms that more clients
are investigating, bringing virtual reality to life. Attendees can
interact in a virtual intra-world and view the progress of multiple
virtual 'Second Life' worlds.
- Encounter Designs of the
Future: More than a dozen different client examples of cellular
handsets, medical devices, speech recognition and speech translation
solutions built on IBM innovation, technology and engineering will be
showcased. The more unusual products to be demonstrated at the booth
include the Xing karaoke devices and a cell phone clipping service.
- Hear
From IBM - Innovation, Expertise, and Everything In Between: The IBM
Theater will provide regularly scheduled presentations about how IBM
innovation leads the way in consumer electronics -- from 'smart homes'
to smart consumers. Speakers will talk about how IBM collaborates with
its clients to enable them to gain market leadership.
Throughout CES, IBM will also be taking part in keynote and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics including:
- A keynote address by George Bailey, IBM General Manager
for the Electronics Industry, about "Demand-Driven Supply Chain for
Growth and Profitability"
- A panel moderated by Steve
Canepa, Vice President, IBM Global Media & Entertainment Industry,
about "The Massively Multiplayer Gaming Explosion -- from the PC, the
Console and Mobile"
- A panel discussion about "All
Video-All the Time" with Norman Liang, Business Development Executive
for Consumer Electronics, IBM.
For a complete list of the IBM speaking topics, times and dates at CES, please visit: http://www-03.ibm.com/industries/media/doc/content/event/leaf/1738178111.html
About IBM
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