The 2010 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show ( CES ) gets into full swing today and already we’re seeing a big trend emerging: web applications being ported to consumer electronics , from the technology inside cars to Web-enabled TVs. Yesterday we noted that online music service Pandora will be made available in cars , courtesy of a new Pioneer device that will begin selling in March. The pricey $1,200 device detects users’ Pandora settings via their iPhones. Other evidence of this trend can be found in Ford’s announcement of a new in-car system and Samsung’s latest Internet-connected TV . Sponsor Web Apps in Your Car This morning Ford CEO Alan Mulally will deliver an opening keynote address at CES, unveiling Ford’s latest car technologies. One of the things he will announce is MyFord, an Internet-enabled “cabin tech” system. As reported by CNET , MyFord will include two 4.2-inch color LCDs: one for vehicle information such as engine speed, temperature, and trip data; and the other for audio, phone, and navigation information. A third LCD screen is added if the system is upgraded to ‘MyFord Touch’. Check out the Motor Trend website for more detailed information. The online music integration in MyFord is one example of the slick smartphone-like functionality becoming available in cars. MyFord will include HD radio with song tagging, which lets users find more information about an artist or song on the Web. MyFord also has a unified music library, which lets users browse music from a variety of onboard audio sources. In December Ford announced that its SYNC-enabled vehicles will become rolling WiFi hotspots – enabling passengers to connect to the Internet when a cellular modem is plugged into the car’s USB slot. At CES, Ford announced it will include a Web browser that displays on the MyFord Touch 8-inch LCD. Web Apps on Your TV The car is just one of many consumer products being Web-ized. The TV has been a focus of innovation for Internet technology for a few years now. At CES Samsung has announced its new LED 9000 model TV, using Samsung’s Internet@TV technology. This television is connected to the internet via Wi-Fi and is able to hold up to 100 apps. Consumers will receive a handful of free web apps when they buy the TV set. Other apps will be released by vendors and may cost money. An early example is one Napster announced at CES – a free Napster TV widget which provides access to the Napster subscription music service. We know that more and more real world objects are being connected to the Internet – a trend that we track closely called Internet of Things . But this is slightly different. What we’re seeing at CES this year is more and more mainstream consumer items , such as cars and TVs, having web applications integrated. These are apps that we’ve become familiar with in the Web 2.0 world – Pandora, Napster, iTunes and others. Music and entertainment especially is making inroads, but we’re sure to see web apps from other sectors integrated into consumer electronics too. Discuss

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Web Apps Meet Consumer Electronics at CES

Nobody puts it in a square box, at least. Boxee , the software that brings Internet media to your television, has been seen in the flesh at CES today. We first heard about the Boxee Box in November , but the announcement was light on details. This time around, D-Link offered a list of specifications and media-format compatibilities at the oddly-shaped device’s unveiling. Sponsor According to D-Link’s press release , the device will retail for under $200 and will come embedded with support for a number of web sites, including Netflix , Facebook , Pandora , Twitter and Flickr . As for media formats, the Boxee Box will handle a majority of necessary file formats, including DiVX, MPEG1 through 4, VOB, Flash, and most standard video and image types. Most notably missing from the mix are GIFs and QuickTime files. The device comes prepared to handle RSS and XML feeds to keep its users up to date. Discuss

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Nobody Puts Boxee in a Box

Not long ago it was considered revolutionary to do all of your holiday shopping from your computer. Amazon and other companies on

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Will 2010 be the Year of Net TV Shopping Integration?

YouTube posted its year in review stats this morning and Susan Boyle’s singing performance was listed as the most popular video of the year. That video was, in fact, almost four times as popular as numbers two through five – videos including David After the Dentist , that insipid wedding dance and the trailer for the vampire movie New Moon . With more than 120 million views, Boyle’s video demonstrates a lot of things about YouTube, now one of the world’s largest search engines. It’s an inspiring video that challenges expectations about gender and age with a story of personal triumph. It’s also something that traditional media pulled off better than user generated content probably could have. Sponsor The video has had embedding turned off on YouTube but it’s really quite compelling. It’s embarrassing to see how people talk down to an older woman, whose appearance falls outside of television’s definition of beauty. It’s moving to see her triumph in the performance. It’s bittersweet to consider that the television franchise souped up the video of her performance, turning a woman worthy of respect into a freak because of her beautiful, youthful voice and profiting handsomely while she went on to have psychological issues because of the resulting public pressure. That’s what people on the Internet watched this year, though. That and a small child speaking under the influence of dental medication. Discuss

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YouTube in 2009: One Video That Ruled Them All

Games can be a clever way to gain knowledge about a market and provide a simulated way for people to play with the products you sell. “IT Manager III: Unseen Forces” does just that. It’s an online game developed by Intel that touches on the aspirations of any IT manager to become the CTO of a global enterprise. Sponsor The game is set in an IT Department of a fictitious company. The aim is for the player to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the company by applying special powers to a fleet of PC’s, laptops and servers. In the meantime, the player faces a constant array of technology issues that pose threats to the company’s bottom line. Successful players discover that their IT department and company expand, leading to more challenges that come with any corporate expansion. The “special powers,” gives the game a sense that the IT Manager is like the “Clark Kent,” of the enterprise. He’s the ordinary guy who fixes the laptop when it crashes. But in actuality he is a super hero, who, of course, uses the special powers of Intel technology to save the day and bring new glory to the corporation. The game is entertaining and can be a bit stressful, too, as glowing, red wrenches float over the heads of the people who need assistance. This game is about gaining work knowledge but also about the culture and the camaraderie that comes with working in an IT department. In the game the player can unwind after a stressful day or engage in friendly competitive games. For instance, the game has its own sense of humor that runs through the IT culture of any enterprise. Employees who need help are sometimes spoofed for the types of questions they are asked. An employee with a faulty monitor may ask what is wrong with their television. Hilarious is the “bozon” count that measures the level of technical naivety. Awards are given that include an “attitude adjustment and an “Order of the Reboot,” medal. It provides the hopeful intention of giving the user a reason to come back to the game, a place where they can relate to their peers. The game is definitely intended to serve as a community builder for Intel. Developers can show off their high scores and player profiles on their web sites. Code snippets are available for badges. It has also been localized into 12 languages. Players may also use a Facebook application. The entire experience of the game is to engage IT managers in the world of Intel technology with the goal of becoming an IT superhero. It looks like Intel has done its research. The game is engaging and recognizes the culture of the IT worker. The only risk is if the game becomes too much about Intel instead of the user who is playing the game. Bu at first look, that does not appear to be the case. Discuss

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The Intel Game for the "Unseen Heroes" of the IT Department