| CES shows us the Internet of the future | |
 In the 1990s, many of us began our online experience, likely over a dial-up connection. In the 2000s, broadband redefined the way we use the Internet, enabling advancements like online video and social networking to flourish.
And if the first major technology event of the new decade -- CES -- is any indication, the 2010s are going to bring about another quantum leap in the way we work, play and communicate as the Internet becomes embedded in virtually everything we do. In the living room One of the more prominent trends at CES was Internet connected TV. The Boxee Box -- a device that connects to your television and lets you play videos and music from the Web took home the show's "Last Gadget Standing" award. DivX is making a similar play to bring content from the Internet to television, but doing so without any additional hardware required. Beleaguered Internet giant Yahoo is also betting big on this trend with a slightly different angle as it tries to reinvent itself. Through its Connected TV service, Yahoo is enabling users with Internet connected televisions to do things like access their playlists, communicate with friends on Facebook and Twitter, and get stock quotes from CNBC, using the familiar concept of widgets that's become so popular on the Web. There's a good chance your next TV might feature Connected TV too -- Yahoo has already done deals with LG, Sony, Samsung and Vizio. Yet another new product in the Internet TV space comes from Samsung, who is borrowing the "app store" concept from Apple's iPhone to create a marketplace for applications that run on your HDTV. And much like there always seems to be "an app for that" on iPhone, expect Samsung and its application makers to provide you with everything from weather to games to streaming movies from Netflix. Finally, don't forget about Microsoft. The company's CEO Steve Ballmer devoted a significant portion of his opening keynote speech to Xbox Live, its platform that connects the console to the Web for social gaming and other forms of digital content. In the years ahead, Xbox Live will become a platform for much more and be the 800 pound gorilla in the room going head-to-head with other companies looking to capitalize on the Internet connected TV trend.
Source ----> http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/11/mashable.ces.wrapup/index.html
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