Apple did not exhibit at the 2011 Computer Electronics Show (CES), which featured booths from Microsoft, HTC, Samsung, HP, and other giants. However, Apple was transcendent and omnipresent—the 600 pound gorilla that pervaded the show. Attendees could find iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch cases, speakers, docks, headsets, and other imaginative and innovative accessories everywhere on the gigantic CES show floor. Further, the first day of the show, The Wall Street Journal published the report that Verizon would definitely announce its iPhone a couple of days after the show ended. That report dominated CES sessions and individual conversations.
My fully functional unusable iPhone
The iPhone is an indispensible tool at a trade show to communicate with staff and appointments. The day before CES started, I tried to send an e-mail but it stayed in perpetual sending mode. The iPhone still worked but seemed to function more and more slowly. I tried various resets, but no luck. Finally, in Settings> General, I decided to do a "Reset All Content and Settings."
After doing so, I got the startup message stating that I needed to connect with iTunes to activate the iPhone. The problem was that I only brought my iPad!
So, later back at hotel, I tried to use a colleague's laptop to activate. It had iTunes installed, but I couldn't connect it to the Internet. The hotel's Wi-Fi was inaccessible because of the unusual demand from the computer crowd. The next morning, I went early to the pressroom, which had computers with fast Internet connections available to the press. Fortunately, one of these semi-public computers allowed me to install iTunes, connect to it using my Apple USB sync cable, and activate my iPhone—I was back in business.
However, travelers beware: No warning about the need for a PC or Mac is given before the reset. To reactivate your iPhone, you'll need (1) a Mac or PC, (2) a sync cable, (3) an installation of a recent version of iTunes on the Mac or PC, and (4) an Internet connection. That's asking a lot from on-the-go users—I hope Apple provides a work-around in the future.
At the show
I saw many extraordinary and innovative products for my iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. I will just mention two of them that I saw at Pepcom, a pre-show event. Both products relate to health and well-being, and I needed both after my experience with the iPhone. They demonstrate how an iOS device can add a whole new dimension to standard apparatus.
Checking my blood pressure
iHealth Blood Pressure Dock: $99.95, ihealth99.com; iHealth BMP app: free, app2.me/3415
Hal checks his pressure with iHealth Blood Pressure Monitor.
The iHealth Blood Pressure Dock is a charging cradle with a blood pressure arm cuff attached to it. Take your blood pressure with the cuff and the results are uploaded to your iOS device and displayed using the iHealth BMP app. I took my blood pressure at the show and the results were shown visually on the iPad (my diastolic was a little high). The app lets you track your blood pressure visually via graphs and statistics, and it categorizes them by date, time, and World Health Organization (WHO) classifications. iHealth records diastolic and systolic pressures, heart rate, pulse-wave graphs and measurement time, and it allows you to send all the information via e-mail to your friends, family, physician or other healthcare professionals.
Checking blood pressure regularly at home over time gives users more accurate readings and provides you with a recorded ongoing history.
Getting a massage
AcuTouch 9500 Massage Chair: $5,199, humantouch.com/ht-9500.html; HT-Connect app: free, app2.me/3416
It is obvious that a lot of time and effort went into designing the HT-Connect app that operates the high-end AcuTouch 9500 Massage Chair. The iOS app allows the user to simply and visually access and customize the many features of the Massage Chair. Built into the app are eight pre-installed massage programs created by chiropractors, doctors, professional athletes, massage therapists, and others.
The HT-Connect app wirelessly controls the AcuTouch 9500 Massage Chair.
When I tried it, I pointed to a representation of my upper back on the iPad and the massage started working. The free downloadable app provides instant access to a world of resources, massage programs, and expertise designed to improve your health.
