CES: The anticable, no wires movement

Apparently, your life is too wired.

(Credit: Kevin Ho)

The open assault on cables and wires was on particular display at CES. Apparently, wires clutter your life and cause you misery, or some vendors would have you think. Whether it's faster and faster Wi-Fi from Intel, streaming video from Slingbox, in-home HD distribution, Bluetooth home theater audio from Samsung at different parts of the radio spectrum, the trend is moving away from physical media and physical connections.

Samsung's Bluetooth home theater

(Credit: Kevin Ho)

That said, I wondered how a leading wire cable company, Monster, would make themselves relevant in this anticable movement. Apart from having a sold-out Mary J. Blige concert, Monster has made itself relevant by marketing cables and wires that meet measures and criteria for given equipment and price points.

Various measures of fidelity, range, and quality were touted by the Monster rep I talked to, who naturally said there is nothing better than a physical connection. In an age that features cleanly designed, minimalist, and clutter-free environments and products, it is kind of difficult to reconcile the need for cables and wires to connect our amazing HDTVs to our computers, DVDs, and other devices with the urge to minimize. It's telling that Monster is, itself, pursuing wireless technology.