CES 2012: The Verge Preview

Phones

Could Windows Phone be the toast of CES? It hasn't been since Mobile World Congress in February of 2010 that Microsoft's mobile platform has truly stolen a show, but a flurry of rumors in recent days suggests that we could be seeing an awful lot of it next week: the HTC Radiant, Samsung Mandel, and Nokia Ace are all said to be on tap for the American market (though some or all will have different names by the time they're announced). Critically, all three will allegedly support LTE — a first for Windows Phone, and a near-requirement for new smartphones on Verizon and AT&T — so that's an important checkbox for Microsoft to be able to tick going into 2012.

Of the three, the Nokia Ace might be getting the most attention. Nokia's all-in attempt at a comeback atop Windows Phone is just getting underway, and this CES will effectively serve as the company's coming-out party in the US. Though the Lumia 710 will be launching on T-Mobile in the next few days, it's the much lovelier Lumia 800 hardware many are waiting for; the Ace looks poised to provide that, possibly with a slightly larger display than its European stablemate.

What about Android? Many manufacturers may be saving their big guns for Mobile World Congress next month. Samsung and HTC, in particular, are poised for huge showings in Barcelona: Samsung will likely announce its flagship Galaxy S III, while HTC is rumored to be showing a selection of next-generation devices with quad-core processors and LTE radios. Moreover, manufacturers have often devoted their presence at each show primarily to one platform or another — undoubtedly to keep Google and Microsoft happy — and with this round of Windows Phone hardware on tap for CES, Android could very well be taking a back seat for a few weeks. One exception should be Intel, which plans to demonstrate both phones and tablets running Android atop its ultra low-power Medfield platform.

CES isn't typically a banner show for photography lovers, but thanks to a partnership between with the annual PMA convention, 2012 looks like an unusually big year for camera manufacturers in Vegas. Based on what we've seen in the last six months, we're betting on seeing a lot of new models that have faster processors, which opens up a world of improvements: faster autofocus, faster shooting, and generally better photos. Wi-Fi is also a feature we're starting to see in cameras, and that's a trend we expect to take off at CES — letting you share photos and video from your camera, without needing a computer at all.

As camera manufacturers try to prove their point-and-shoot models are better than your cameraphone, we're also going to see more zoom, more filters and funky shooting modes, and better lenses with larger, brighter apertures. Smaller, cheaper cameras will probably dominate CES as usual, but we could be in store for a splashier product as well: Nikon has been mum since Canon released its new flagship 1D X, but we've been hearing rumors that both the pro-level D4 (allegedly pictured on the right) and the D800 — a proper successor to the aging D700 — could be on their way.

CES isn't traditionally a show for video games — if you want that, check out E3, GDC, Tokyo Game Show, PAX, various Comic Cons, and so forth — but with two major game consoles coming out, this year's a bit different. Sony's PlayStation Vita has just launched in Japan and will be making its way to North America and Europe in February, so this in-between time is perfect to showcase its English-language launch titles and (admittedly powerful) hardware. Meanwhile, Nintendo will be showing off the Wii U behind closed doors. Rumors suggest it'll be the same demos we saw at E3 last June, which makes since given the comany's announcement that the Wii U's final form won't be shown off until this E3 in early June. As for Microsoft, we're not expecting any major Xbox- or Kinect-related announcements — again, E3 is usually where those reveals are made.

Outside the major game companies, we expect to see a number of accessories from the good (Nyko and MadCatz) to the amusing (hundreds of unknown companies with a veritable sea of cheap plastic peripherals). The wild card for us is Razer, which is hyping Project Fiona, an "all new form factor" (we're guessing Switchblade), in addition to the recently-delayed Blade gaming laptop.

Home theater

TVs are always out in force at CES, and this year promises to be a major inflection point for the industry: 3D has been a flop, and last year's smart TV launches have failed to have any impact. What's more, consumers are moving away from cable and satellite TV entirely in favor of streaming services on tablets and laptops. The result is a TV industry in turmoil, with big players like Sony and Panasonic cutting production and ending manufacturing deals in an effort to stay afloat. That sets the stage for a CES where the TV industry needs to explain why it's still a relevant and vital force in the technology universe, with everything from user interface to content delivery to even how televisions are bought and sold up for review.

We're expecting a particular emphasis on Google TV — Marvell has already announced a new ARM-based reference design for Google's living room OS, and a variety of vendors are rumored to be announcing GTV products, including Samsung, LG, and Sony. Of course, the big question for Google is whether or not it can convince cable or satellite providers to natively support Google TV, so we'll be looking for news on that front as well — the platform can't survive without real TV integration. We're also expecting to see each manufacturer continue to push their own bespoke smart TV platforms, as nearly every TV will ultimately become a smart TV.

Cable and satellite companies will also be out in force to show off their newfound love of internet delivery — expect to see a lot of news about streaming your cable to tablets, consoles, and phones, with a particular emphasis on interface, search, and discovery. Once Comcast is nothing more than another app on your tablet, it'll have to compete directly with Netflix and iTunes, and the cable companies are starting to rise to the challenge.

Lastly, CES will have some interesting news on the TV hardware front as well: LG will be showing off a 55-inch OLED TV (the word on the street is that Samsung will be showing something similar), and we should see the first wave of 4K TVs that offer nearly four times the resolution of traditional 1080p for cinema-quality visuals in the home.