Variety CES Tech Impact Report

Variety has a special report that coincides with the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas this week. I wrote the lead-off story, which begins:

For the thousands of people who converge on Las Vegas every January to gawk at gadgets, the annual CES is all about size.

But for the industry insiders who meet in hotel suites and schmooze at private cocktail shindigs, one topic of discussion is likely to be whether the "walled garden" is about to be overrun by a new wave of technological openness.

Signs are everywhere that closed, proprietary devices and services may be on the way out.

(The NY Times wrote about another open device on Sunday.)

There's also a list of 30 people "who are shaping the future of entertainment tech." I had the opportunity to profile Albert Cheng of ABC, director James Cameron, Michael Eisner, Steve Jobs, Blake Krikorian of Sling Media, and Jeff Bezos -- which was fun.