I recently had the pleasure of attending the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, one of the most anticipated trade shows of the year that features new technology for everything from home lighting to photography. The Photo Marketing Association International (PMAI) was running at the same time, and between the two of them there were a bevvy of events that I was able to attend, along with conferences & seminars presented by The Sports Photographers of American (SPAA) and the Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA). It was a busy week, to say the least! After days of walking the trade show floors and talking with reps, attending the conferences and seminars I returned with notebook full of work to review and ideas to start implementing at Dan’s. In addition to new suppliers I discovered, the most invigorating part of the trip was meeting with industry leaders in various organizations. You’ll see the exciting changes based on these meetings throughout the coming year.

There wasn’t a whole lot in the way of new cameras, mostly because the camera companies usually launch new products in the spring and fall. Nikon showed a couple new point & shoots, a new full-frame 35mm f /1.8 lens, and the new flagship D4s (which was only displayed under glass). Canon showed some minor updates to their point & shoot models as well, and some really impressive shooting areas to try out their gear.

Sony showcased their growing full-frame mirrorless camera system, which has won much praise from both new and seasoned photographers. Their booth was overflowing with 4K TVs, with amazing picture when used to display images from their digital still cameras. But I expect a lot more excitement in the camera world over the next couple months than was on display at CES , just because of the timing of the show.

As far as electronics go, this was show to go big or go home. Super sized TVs flooded the show floor. Not just 4K, but also curved models and a Sharp 85” model boasting 8K and glasses-free 3D. No price or delivery time was available (of course), but it was impressive to see the quality of the picture, even the 3D effects were pretty good.

The other big trend this year was the connectivity of “smart devices” to nearly everything else you could imagine. Want to control your toaster from your smartphone? Someone at CES was there with a product and happy to show you how. One of the more practical implementations was in the BMW booth, featuring an Intel-powered electric car loosely resembling the new X1. With a sparse and uncluttered looking dashboard, two main display panels give a clean and futuristic look, one I’m sure many twelve-year-old’s will be explaining to their parents.

Tablets and “phablets” (phone/tablets) also dominated CES this year. New models with more processor speed, larger, clearer screens and easier connectivity will soon be readily available. Your memories are now more portable then ever before, but with limited storage and lack of CD or DVD drives, how you store and access those memories can become challenging.

With more people opting for a tablet-based device instead of a traditional computer, you’ll see Dan’s bringing in some new, creative products and creating services to help you with the challenges of organization and editing your photos. At Dan’s, we’re committed to helping you find the best ways to be confident your precious memories are well taken care of.