A different vibe
Mass. tech companies settle for less flash after annual electronics show loses a fifth of its attendance - but not its must-be-there cachet
Last year, Avid Technology Inc., the leading maker of professional digital video and audio editing products, had a flashy presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (better known as CES), the giant expo for makers of consumer gadgets. But last week, during the 2010 CES, the Tewksbury company’s representatives huddled in a cubicle in the far reaches of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“Last year, it was pretty dead,’’ said Avid’s consumer products marketing manager, Andy Panizza, “and it’s a large financial commitment to come with a booth.’’ So Avid settled for a small, temporary office where it could hold low-profile meetings with key customers.
Last week’s CES was as loud and brightly lit as ever, but on a considerably smaller scale than in its heyday. Attendance fell by 20 percent in 2009, to 110,000. The Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the show, predicted the final count for this year’s event will be about the same.
After last year’s disappointment, hardware and software vendors from around the world downsized their CES activities. Massachusetts companies were no exception.
Avid had plenty to talk about this year, including its Pro Tools Essentials line of consumer audio editing gear and its Pinnacle Studio HD video editing software for the home. “We help people make all the media that people love to watch, and that’s video and audio,’’ Panizza said.
But the company decided it didn’t need to spend thousands on a CES booth to spread the word.
While Avid retreated to a cubicle, Bedford’s iRobot Corp. made itself virtually invisible. The maker of the Roomba line of robotic vacuum cleaners paid for a booth at last year’s CES. A spokeswoman said that this year, company executives traveled to Las Vegas to keep tabs on the competition, but iRobot did not set up floor displays or rent an office.
One hugely influential Massachusetts company was everywhere and nowhere at CES last week.
E Ink Corp., of Cambridge, sponsored no booth and sent no executives to the show. But E Ink’s black-and-white display technology, which simulates the look of print on paper, appeared in a host of new e-readers that aim to capitalize on the popularity of Amazon.com’s Kindle. A spokesman said that E Ink sent several technicians to CES to provide customer support.
The show’s most visible Bay State presence came from a company in San Diego. Iomega Corp. is one of the world’s top makers of external data storage devices for consumers. Despite its West Coast address, Iomega is a wholly owned subsidiary of EMC Corp., the giant data storage company in Hopkinton.
EMC acquired Iomega to gain a foothold in consumer electronics, but Iomega president Jonathan Huberman said his company was embedding EMC’s corporate-grade storage technology in products for home users.
Iomega’s big new offering at CES was free v.Clone software for the company’s portable hard drives. It lets a user copy the software and files from a home computer onto the external drive. When the drive is plugged into a different Windows PC, that computer will work as if it were the original machine, with all of the user’s desktop icons, files, and software.
“You have your PC in your pocket,’’ said Huberman, who said the product is based on features developed for EMC’s corporate users.
Some entertainment technology companies made their presence felt on the CES show floor.
Immerz Inc., of Cambridge, had visitors lining up to try its $190 KOR-fx multimedia device. KOR-fx, draped over the user’s shoulders, delivers intense vibrations to the chest. A boxful of electronics plugged into a computer, audio system, or game console synchronizes the vibrations to the gunshots and explosions of a video game or a Hollywood blockbuster.
“The idea is for you to feel what is going on in a game you are playing, or in a movie,’’ said Immerz’s president, Shahriar Afshar.
Robonica Ltd., of Beverly, drew crowds looking to play with its robotic gaming system. The $250 Roboni-i system features a programmable, remotely controlled robot on wheels, capable of playing a variety of games. Users can also log on to an Internet site to play virtual robot games and form social networks with other robotics buffs.
Last week was Robonica’s first visit to CES. Although others complained the show had fallen on hard times, Robonica’s marketing manager, Rebecca Seaha, was delighted with the attention garnered by her company’s dueling robots.
“We have not stopped,’’ Seaha said. “Our booth’s been stacked, constantly.’’
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com. 
