The Richter Scale^®

So, here I was, a couple of weeks ago or so, starting to get ready for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2006), mapping out all the things I want to see and follow up on, and the Consumer Electronics Association sends out a notice that it has pretty much discovered out all the cool products at CES 2006.

The problem with this is the show doesn’t even start for another two weeks, and even then, the CEA is basing its decision based on written and photographic materials submitted by the so-called Honorees, not actual product, as best I can tell. Better yet, entrants (who can submit nominations as early as August 29th) have to pay a program fee to submit their “innovative” product information - fees run from $225 to $950 per entry, depending on CEA membership status, date of submission, and whether the company will be exhibiting at CES.

The entries are judging in early October, and the so-called “honorees” announced on November 15th. Considering that most new products announced at such shows are not immediately ready to ship, this seems awfully premature. The whole process is suspect if you take into account the fee structures and submission dates.

But these are not the only Awards related to the show. There are others too.... For example, there’s something called the Technology Is A Girl’s Best Friend Diamond Showcase. Ahem?

And let’s not forget the “CNET’s Best of CES Awards 2006” (submission deadline of December 1st - a scant four and half WEEKS before the show even starts).

Used to be, you would go to a show, and then learn a week or two later what the best products shown were. Contenders for the honors did not have to pay fees other than exhibit fees, and judging could be based on tangible products instead of promotional puff pieces on paper. Not any more apparently.

The closest to a during or post-show award is the “Scientific American Innovations People’s Choice Award” for which attendees can vote on the show floor, but the rules page for this award appears particularly void of information (at least to me).

My suggestion to people who may actually care what the best new products are: Avoid all these pre-show awards judging farces, and wait for the post show summary from sources which: 1) do not derive revenue from submissions and 2) have also touched the products in question before issuing their proclamations of greatness for particular products.