15 Shining Examples Of Wacky CES Signage

Hey World, Look At Me!

Companies go to great lengths to get noticed at the Consumer Electronics Show, which makes sense given the vast number of exhibitors and the considerable din they generate. This competition for eyeballs usually results in some bizarre booth signage, and CES 2011 didn’t disappoint.

Some CES signage is funny, some is bizarre, and some induces more head-scratching than a Head & Shoulders television commercial. What these following examples all share in common is an ability to stand apart from the crowd.

Technology For Moms

Mommy Tech, an industry group focused on technology products aimed at American moms, held its second annual Mommy Tech Summit at CES 2011. The event showcased tech tools ranging from smartphones and netbooks to automatic bottle warmers and high-tech strollers. Mommy Tech estimates that two-thirds of American moms uses five or more forms of technology every day, and the organization is working with product and device makers to raise this figure in the coming years.

Go Ahead, Tase My Day

Taser International at CES showed off its latest line of C2 Personal Protector products, which come in a range of festive colors that belie their stopping power. The C2 uses compressed nitrogen cartridges to fire two darts at the target, which then deliver 50,000 volts of electricity in 30 second intervals to neutralize the threat.

The $379 C2 is less powerful than the law enforcement-grade model, but judging from the reaction of show attendees who volunteered to feel its power, the C2 has plenty of convincing ability. The poster show here was used for C2 demos when no willing participants could be found.

The Inimitable Power Of Tablet PCs

Korean firm Enspert was on hand to tout the life-changing potential of its Identity line of Android tablet PCs. Tablet vendors had a difficult time getting noticed at CES, as the show floor was thick with models of all shapes and sizes, but Enspert's hair-raising signage was able to get passersby to stop and take a look.

Travel Mouse That Won't Give You Carpal Tunnel

China-based firm Aigo ("patriotism" in Chinese) had a large presence on the CES show floor, as well as some of the more interesting signage. The company's USB-powered wireless Travel Mouse attracted a steady crowd of curious onlookers who were no doubt intrigued by the idea of reducing the stress to their hands and fingers. Anyone who has suffered the frustration of using an unresponsive laptop mouse can relate to the value proposition Aigo brings to the table.

Truly One-Of-A-Kind Products

Aigo also won the unofficial CES prize for most cerebral and thought provoking product name with its GeYao line of digital cameras, picture frames and e-readers. GeYao refers to one of the five main porcelain types in the Song dynasty, which is distinguished by its cracked glaze pattern. Aigo's GeYao products all feature this cracked pattern, and the company is so confident in the mathematical randomness of this design that it made the following promise to CES show attendees.

Beijing In The House

China's consumer electronics industry is booming along with the rest of the country's economy, and this bloc of small companies -- which pretty much no one in the U.S. has ever heard of -- made a big splash at CES. Several Chinese lighting and LED manufacturers set up shop under the "Beijing Creates For The World" banner in an attempt to carve out a name for themselves on U.S. soil. Many of these companies have long and convoluted titles, but behind the scenes their influence is growing steadily.

Car Audio Makers Sharpen Their Claws

Car audio vendors are traditionally some of the most adventurous when it comes to developing CES signage, and this year was no different. Nothing conveys the idea of deep, resonant audio like a small mountain cat with razor sharp claws, right?

High Performance Audio For Your Fish Tank

In-vehicle audio vendor GermanMAESTRO attracted plenty of attention with its MARINA-R speaker systems, which, as the company says on its Website, are designed "to meet the high-stress requirements found on the open waters".

Saltwater, rain, direct sunlight and extreme temperature fluctuations are just some of the environmental factors that can degrade marine audio systems, but GermanMAESTRO tests its products under the most extreme conditions to ensure that the party will continue no matter what -- even if the speaker somehow becomes immersed in an aquarium.

Cameras, Cameras Everywhere

Midland Radio Corporation, a Kansas City, Mo. based company, showed off its new line of high-definition, wearable cameras at CES. Weighing in at just 3 ounces, Midland's cameras attach to helmets, goggles, handlebars and lots of other things, giving users full use of their hands as they go hurtling down the slopes or muddy bike trails.

Extreme sports nuts are obviously going to love these devices, but they open a world of possibilities to other folks, too. We're betting that a whole new wave of Jackass-like videos comes about as a result of Midland's new offerings.

Jesus Christ As A Gamer?

The worlds of religion and gaming have traditionally been diametrically opposed, but online community Gamechurch.com is trying to change that. At CES, Gamechurch.com gave away free beer and depicted Jesus as a game-loving benevolent who balances his message of peace and love with in-game grenades and cluster bombs.

The Gamechurch.com crew, in spreading the good word, gave away religion-inspired booklets entitled "Jesus For The Win" and also served up free beer to CES attendees who stopped to hear the group's message.

Alien Crossing

Pepcom's "Digital Experience Live from Area 51" event at CES gave exhibitors a chance to show off their latest products in an environment where pretty much anything was possible. In keeping with the Area 51 theme, signs like this were posted throughout to let attendees know to be careful when dealing with any egg-headed beings they might come across.

Tablet PC Worth Pondering

The Chinese firm Shenzhen Guangxuntong Communication Technology, known by its mercifully abbreviated brand name E-King, showed off its S700 "e-notepad" at CES. The S700, which E-King is calling "the world's first e-notepad," features a 7-inch screen, built-in 3G and Wi-Fi, and handwriting recognition technology. This multitude of features seems to be weighing heavily on the mind of this fellow, who perhaps may be trying to choose between the S700 and an Apple iPad 2.

Jump In The LTE Patent Pool

European patent holding firm Sisvel is building a patent pool for LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology and was at CES searching for new members. However, much to the confusion of CES attendees, Sisvel didn't elaborate on the connection it sees between LTE patents and bored-looking, bizarrely adorned women. In fact, this may have been the biggest head-scratcher of this year's event.

Pounding Heads Since 2001

PowerBass, a Chino, Calif.-based vendor of car audio equipment that makes the windows of people's homes rattle like the dickens, proudly proclaimed at CES that it has been "pounding heads since 2001." That's a bold proclamation, but the reality is that Little Bunny Foo Foo has been doing the same thing to field mice for a whole heck of a lot longer. In addition to exercising a little more humility, PowerBass may want to acknowledge this in future signage.

Smiles Only Kodak Can Bring

Kodak is all about photo sharing these days, as most of its cameras and camcorders have wireless technology built-in. Sharing photos is great, and it does tend to bring a smile to people's faces, but frankly, we think the folks pictured look more like Powerball winners than happy users of Kodak products.