20 Instances Of Eye-Catching CES 2012 Signage

Always A Spectacle

The Consumer Electronics Show is, in some ways, a Super Bowl for marketers, giving them a chance to develop signage that will be potentially seen by roughly 280,000 eyeballs. Every year there are examples that jump out at CES attendees, both for their creativity and for their inanity.

CRN prowled the exhibit halls of CES 2012 and here presents 20 examples of marketing signage that made us look twice.

Scosche's freedomMIC - Shocking Functionality

Scosche's freedomMIC, a wireless Bluetooth microphone for iPods, iPhones and iPads, can wirelessly record high quality audio from a distance of up to 33 feet. It can also remotely control and record/stop functions on the iPhone.

freedomMIC comes with a high performance condenser microphone with DSP noise cancellation. All of this functionality on a single device? You bet it's a shock -- and a good one at that.

Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Portable Oxygen Concentrators are primarily medical devices, but Beijing Goading Husking Technology Co. showed theirs off at CES as part of the "Beijing Creates for the World" exhibit. Safer than oxygen tanks, these devices are steadily coming down in price.

Cloud Wedding

No, it's not what happens when a warm front collides with a cold front. Cloud Wedding is the theme of a Sony television ad that's running in Japan, which shows a couple getting married in a meadow, riding horses on a beach, while recording everything so that their friends around the world can watch over the Internet. Because who needs to go through the hassle and expense of planning a real wedding when you can just do the whole thing online?

The Holy Grail Of Earphone Tips

We knew there was such a thing as the Holy Grail, but were less aware of the existence of a Holy Grail of earphone tips. But that’s how ComplyFoam.com billed their T-Series line at CES.

Actually, earphone tips would have come in handy on the cacophonous show floor at the event.

Pain Relief Without Medicine

Rhythm Touch demonstrated the pain relief capabilities of their portable acu-therapy massage system, which uses low-frequency electrical pulses to relieve aches and pains. By stimulating muscles to contract and release, Rhythm Touch also helps improve blood circulation, according to the company.

My-Ditto Turns Up The Volume

My-Ditto, a France based firm that's been showing its wares at CES the past few years, is getting ready to expand its lineup of home servers and other personal data storage devices. Its products allow users to access their home and work servers and files from any location, and they're ideal for anyone with digital assets who moves around a lot.

Lazy Hands' Tablet Grabber

Lazy Hands, the brand name of Larkspur, Colo.-based Kernelope Enterprises, showed its collection of iPad and other tablet carrying devices at CES. It's ideal for creatures without opposable thumbs, and can also come in handy for people who find carrying around a tablet for hours to be unwieldy. It's also good for seniors and students as a product that can prevent costly breakage.

The Deep End Has Never Been So Shallow

Realm, a maker of sub-woofer products that may well have been the cause of the loud music and rattling windows you experienced the other night, showed its latest wares at CES. Realm's sub-woofers are engineered to provide years of deep, resonant bass, but they're also designed to fit within a modest sized enclosure. Flawless output and extreme durability are also part of the package.

Leonar3do's Desktop Virtual Reality Kit

Leonar3Do is an integrated software and hardware platform that allows virtual reality designers to interact with the objects they create in 3D. In addition to 3D modeling and VR visualization, Leonar3Do is also cheaper than other VR offerings.

The company made its CES debut this year, showing off "Mouse versus Bird," the control mechanism for its VR design kit, which elicited a great deal curiosity from passersby.

Live Boxing at CES

ESPN hosted live boxing matches in its Central Hall pavilion that were broadcast in 3D, and they attracted huge crowds of CES attendees. While the crowded show floor is often very similar to a rugby scrum, this was the first time the conference included fisticuffs that took place inside an actual boxing ring.

Bling My Thing

Bling My Thing, a company founded in 2005 in Berlin, Germany, proudly displayed its line of mobile device accessories, including iPhone cases with Swarovski Elements crystals.

"Many factors come into play in the creation of your luxurious Bling My Thing mobile case. Every piece of Swarovski Elements, is still individually selected to be used on your mobile case by a trained professionals and secured in place by hand, using custom made adhesive," the company says on its Website.

We Wanna Mug You

Wait, it's not what you think. IYP Inc., a Miami based company at CES, merely wants you to take advantage of their mugs and other accessories that feature your choice of photograph or logo. It's another example of the personalization craze that was evident at this year's conference.

Bust Out Your Boogies Board

Improv Electronics, the company that makes the Boogie Board digital e-writer, believes in saving paper. Its line of LCD writing tablets serve as handy notepads that can be scribbled on and then saved as computer files for later reference. One of the most interesting things about this company is that it licensed the name 'Boogie Board' from its former owner, which is synonymous with fun at the beach.

Viewsonic Finches Survey The Proceedings

Gouldian finches inhabit the open savannah regions of northern Australia, and they're also the symbol of Viewsonic. Here these colorful birds are shown perched high above the CES show floor, keeping tabs on attendees' response to the company's latest PC monitors, TVs, digital projectors and photo frames, and other new products.

Damaged iPhone? Go Ballistic

Ballistic, a company that makes toughened cases for mobile devices, wants people to know it's OK to be clumsy, because its products provide a high degree of protection from sudden impact. Yet another example of a company that's making a name for itself within the Apple product ecosystem.

Am I Cool Or What?

Vivtar's VivaCam X355 digital camera is a pretty cool looking product. Its future is apparently so bright, this woman just has to wear shades. OK then.

Dolby Sound For Laptops

With superior loudness and clarity, cinematic surround sound and personalized audio settings, Dolby-equipped laptops are apparently really fun to dance to.

Toro Shows Up At CES

Toro is a name that's synonymous with lawn and garden products, but not so much with consumer or household electronics. Yet technology has made its way into lawn sprinklers, and Toro was on hand to show how this is changing the lawn-watering experience. Its Xtra Smart Precision Soil Moisture Sensor and Landscape Timer/Wireless Weather Sensor are two examples of emerging products.

Dish Network's Hopper

Hopper, Dish Network's DVR that can record up to six TV shows at once, is pictured here with Joey, the extender that allows Hopper to be used in multiple rooms within a home. This functionality is getting a lot of play recently in the company's TV ads, but unless you're watching TV for upwards of 18 hours a day it's tough to see how many people will need this extra flexibility.

Gorilla Glass Gets Better

Gorilla Glass is increasingly showing up in notebooks, smartphones and tablets, and its maker, Corning, says Gorilla Glass 2 will enable slimmer devices with more vibrant color and touch sensitivity.