WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 technology Smart gadgets take center stage at CES LAS VEGAS: Imagine a world in which your garage door opens automatically as you pull into the driveway. The living room lights and heater turn on - perhaps the oven starts warming up, too. In the so-called “smart home,” cars, appliances and other devices all have sensors and Internet connectivity to think and act for themselves, and make your life easier. We’re not there just yet, but we’re getting closer. The smart-home concept is known in tech circles as the Internet of Things. Current iterations primarily include our ability to control gadgets such as lights and security alarms or view data remotely through a smartphone app. At the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas this week, manufacturers will promote more devices and functionality. Some gadgets will be able to talk directly with one another, not just to an app. The four-day show opens to the public Tuesday. That garage door? Mercedes-Benz would like people to imagine their luxury car of the future pulling in all by itself, without a driver behind the wheel, to bring its passengers home. The carmaker unveiled the sleek concept car that it is calling F 015 Monday night when it turned a stage inside The Cosmopolitan on the Strip in Las Vegas into a scene usually reserved for annual car shows, attracting a swell of people on stage afterward wanting a closer look. The car’s futuristic look belies some historic inspiration in its design. Dieter Zetsche, head of MercedesBenz, said the wheels were pushed to the outer edges much like a horse carriage, giving ample room inside for seating rather than wheel wells - in this case four modern swivel chairs that can face each other. And much like those horse carriages, the passengers inside the car of the future can chat, read a newspaper, or even take a nap while their car would ferry them home. “Mankind has been dreaming of autonomous cars since the 1950s,” Zeetsche said. He said his company has been working to make it a reality, albeit still a concept and not in production yet, since the 1990s. “It’s basically a revolution,” he said of the car. The Internet of Things could mean big business for gadget makers. The Consumer Electronics Association projects U.S. sales of smart energy and security systems alone will total $574 million this year, a 23 per- cent increase from 2014. Although that pales by comparison to the $18 billion spent on TVs and displays, growth has been swift. In terms of people smartening up their homes in earnest, though, it will probably be another two years before devices are cheap and widespread enough for the typical consumer, says Eduardo Pinheiro, CEO of Muzzley, which makes a hub that allows devices to talk to each other. For now, the smart home is more about possibilities than practice. Many companies exhibiting at CES are laying the foundation for what a smart-home system will eventually do, hoping to entice consumers to start thinking about upgrading to smart gadgets. It’s not always an easy sell. Consider wearable devices that track fitness and other activities. In many cases, the novelty wears off quickly, and devices end up in drawers. But what if a wearable device that tracks sleep could tell the coffeemaker to start brewing as soon as you awoke? When the coffee’s done, what if the sprinklers on the front lawn automatically turned off so you didn’t get wet walking out the front door to work? “It’s these great benefits that we need to explain,” says BK Yoon, Samsung’s CEO and chief of consumer electronics. “We can’t just talk about the Internet of Things because it’s so impersonal like a bedtime story for robots. We have to show what’s in it for them.” That includes freeing people from chores to spend more time with family, pursue more hobbies and, in his case, spend “quality time on the putting green,” he says. Some examples: Lucis Technologies will soon ship a smart-lighting device called NuBryte that can learn your behavior, such as what time you tend to come home. Sensors can turn on the night light if you wake up to use the bathroom but switch on brighter lights during the day. A coffeemaker from Smarter will soon use data from fitness trackers such as Fitbit. If you had a bad night of sleep, the coffeemaker will know to make the java stronger that morning. Other products focus on better notifications: a battery for a smoke detector to alert you on your phone when the alarm goes off, or a bracelet that vibrates when the baby cries in its crib. (Moms rejoice: the bracelet is even smart enough to alternate which parent it alerts LAS VEGAS: A man demonstrates the eGeeTouch Smart Luggage Lock by Digi-Pas at CES Unveiled, a media preview event for CES International. The device allows you to unlock luggage with a smart tag or mobile device. — AP automatically. to get up.) Meanwhile, a smart-home hub called DigitalStrom “It’s got to be something people are seeing it can do and want it to do,” says Chris Penrose, AT&T’s senior plans to take cues from Nest. If Nest is trying to cool vice president for the Internet of Things. “It’s got to down the house, for instance, DigitalStrom will lower automated window shades to block out sunlight. make their lives better and be incredibly easy to use.” These are the building blocks for an eventual auto“True consumer value will come when devices work in concert with one another and in many cases across mated home. Once those building blocks are in place, manufacturers,” adds Brett Dibkey, a Whirlpool Corp. services can better predict what you want. For examvice president. “The home adapts to the way con- ple, Netflix is already good about recommending movies to watch based on your preferences, but it sumers live rather than the other way around.” At CES, Whirlpool will showcase dryers that can run might suggest something different if it could read data at a slower, energy-saving cycle if you aren’t home and from a wearable device or camera and tell that you’re thus aren’t in a rush. The dryer integrates with Google with friends, or stressed out, says Shawn Dubravac, Inc.’s Nest smart thermostat, which has sensors to fig- senior director of research with the Consumer ure out that no one’s home and then lowers the heat Electronics Association. — AP Meet the new Nokia 215, Microsoft’s most affordable Internet-ready phone DUBAI: Microsoft Devices Group on Monday announced the Nokia 215, its most affordable Internet-ready phone. The Nokia 215 is designed to connect and introduce first-time mobile phone buyers to the Internet and new digital experiences. Available in both Single SIM and Dual SIM models, the Nokia 215 will expand the reach of Microsoft services at more affordable prices. At only $29, the Nokia 215 will allow more people to access popular Web content and digital services, and enable them to do the following: • Enjoy online experiences via Opera Mini browser, Bing search, MSN Weather, Twitter and Facebook. • Stay in touch with friends and family using Facebook and Messenger with instant notifications. • Connect in new ways with SLAM, which enables content to be shared between devices and callers making hands-free calls using Bluetooth 3.0 and Bluetooth audio support for headsets. • Delight in the fresh design, durable quality and outstanding battery life - all the features entry-level mobile phone owners have come to trust and love. • Enter the mobile-first world with all the everyday essentials, including these: • Built-in torchlight • Up to 20 hours of talk time • Outstanding battery life (up to 29 days of standby time for the Single SIM variant and up to 21 days for the Dual SIM) • MP3 playback of up to 50 hours • FM radio playback of up to 45 hours • VGA camera “With our ultra-affordable mobile phones and digital services, we see an inspiring opportunity to connect the next billion people to the Internet for the first time,” said Jon French, Vice President Middle East, Microsoft Mobile Devices. “The Nokia 215 is perfect for people looking for their first mobile device, or those wanting to upgrade to enjoy affordable digital and social media ser vices, like Facebook and Messenger.” The Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual SIM come in Bright Green, Black and White, and will roll out first in select markets in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe in Q1 2015. The Nokia 215 is expected to be available for an estimated retail price of $29• before taxes and subsidies. Device Nokia 215 and Nokia 215 Dual SIM Operating system Nokia Series 30+ Display 2.4-inch QVGA Battery BL-5C, 1100 mAh Talk time and standby time Talk time: up to 20 hours Standby time: up to 29 days (Single SIM), 21 days (Dual SIM) Camera VGA camera Connectivity 900/1800 MHz, Micro USB, 3.5mm AV connector, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM and HSP/HFP profile Memory Up to 32GB microSD supported Dimensions and weight 116mm x 50mm x 12.9mm. 78.7 grams LAS VEGAS: Roger Lynch, far right, CEO of Sling TV, demonstrates Sling TV, a live television streaming service, at the Dish Network’s news conference at the International CES. — AP TV makers design for streaming video to stay relevant LAS VEGAS: Does anyone just watch T V anymore? The dramatic shift toward online and mobile viewing is driving television set makers to design as much for streaming video as for watching broadcast or cable channels. Traditional TV is far from dead, but these days viewers care less about watching shows live and even prefer saving certain series to watch all at once in an evening or weekend of binge-watching. Broadcast networks and hundreds of cable channels share viewer attention with thousands of online services, including amateurs creating their own series on YouTube. Already, Netflix has outbid traditional channels for hits such as “House of Cards.” And Dish this week announced it will sell online access to a bundle of channels including live sports network ESPN for just $20 a month. Online video will account for a third of all video viewing in 2020, up from about 10 percent in 2013, predicts The Diffusion Group, a research firm that specializes in Internet video. So how to keep the television set, that focal point of the American living room for decades, relevant? Design for online video. At the International CES gadget show this week in Las Vegas, TV makers unveiled new models with 4K resolution, or four times the clarity offered by today’s high definition TVs. They are pushing the features even though not a single TV channel is yet available in 4K. But Internet services such as Netflix, Amazon and M-Go are starting to offer 4K video. Sony on Monday promised to create more 4K content to watch on those sets. Four popular shows from its entertainment division - “The Goldbergs,” “The Blacklist,” “Masters of Sex” and “The Night Shift” - will soon be available in 4K and it’s working with partners including Netflix and YouTube to deliver more 4K streaming video. “It’s going to be the first format primarily driven by streaming,” says Jim Funk, a senior vice president at Roku Inc., which makes streaming TV devices. Beyond 4K, Sharp developed an engineering trick to make its high-end set look even sharper. Samsung added a nanocrystal semiconductor layer to make colors purer and the screen brighter. LG is pushing organic LED screens with richer colors and pure black - the kind typically limited to smaller displays such as phones because of price. And Internet connectivity is becoming standard in sets, the way all TVs are color now. LG and Samsung also have ways to easily switch video between TV and mobile devices, so that if you’re watching a movie on a phone, you can continue it on your TV as soon as you get home. The Consumer Electronics Association expects TV sales to increase 2 percent to 251 million units this year. The average screen size is projected to be 40 inches, up from 31 inches in 2007. CEA predicts more than 23 million of the units will be 4K TVs this year, about 2.5 times the shipments in 2014. That’s even with the explosion of viewing on tablets and smartphones. People tend to use phones and tablets while traveling or for shorter video, says Tim Alessi, head of new product development for home entertainment at LG Electronics USA. For a full-length movie, viewers want to replicate the theater in the home. That’s only done through a big TV set. “When I want a full home-entertainment experience, especially with my family and friends, the TV is still the best way to do that,” agrees Tim Baxter, president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America. And just as TV makers are hopping on the online train, so are content providers. Traditional channels are becoming available without the need for a cable or satellite subscription. Satellite T V provider Dish Network Corp. is the latest, offering its Sling TV package of channels, including ESPN and CNN, for delivery entirely over the Internet. The availability of ESPN addresses a major reason people still keep their TV service - live sports. Sony also has an Internet television service expected to debut by the end of March - PlayStation Vue - and HBO and Showtime plan to debut Internet-only subscription offerings this year. The packages are aimed at the millions of so-called cord-cutters or “cord-nevers” that find cable and satellite bundles too pricey and don’t subscribe to either, turning instead to Hulu, Google’s YouTube and Amazon. Lesley H. Stahl, 31, is one potential customer of an Internet-only offering. She and her husband never considered cable when they bought a new house in Sunnyvale, California, figuring they had been mostly watching video online anyway. But Stahl says she would be cautious about subscribing to new channels, as she’s used to just waiting until Hulu or Amazon gets the show. She said costs for individual subscriptions add up, and there’s only so much time to watch. “ There’s not any one T V show I’m so addicted to that I’m going to pay extra,” she says. “At a certain point, we’re just spending a whole lot of money.” These Internet offerings alone won’t accelerate cancellations of cable or satellite services, says Joel Espelien, senior analyst for The Diffusion Group. But they might get more people to downgrade to lower tiers, he says, and use the savings to buy specific channels or services of interest. Or a brand-new 4K TV? — AP