Tech Issues Ahead of CES 2010 (MMM, UPG, PLXT, INTU, NETL, GRMN, GOOG, S, TXCC, INTC, AMD, AAPL)

It is the first week of January, which means one thing for lovers of consumer electronics: CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, takes place in Las Vegas.  The event kicks off on January 7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  We have gone through the press releases issued under the CES exhibitor news to look for which companies are making announcements.  Our scope is limited to the public companies and we screened out many “noise versus news” announcements.  Some of the featured companies are 3M Co. (NYSE: MMM), Universal Power Group, Inc. (NYSE Amex: UPG), PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU), NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NETL), Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), TranSwitch Corporation (NASDAQ: TXCC), Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC), and Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD).  As far as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), we already know that a new tablet device is on the way and it operates outside of CES.

3M (NYSE: MMM) is unveiling a broader use feature for its multi-touch screens.  The new feature is a ten-finger solution, meaning you can control multiple tasks all on the same screen 22″ LCD screen.

Universal Power Group, Inc. (NYSE Amex: UPG) has signed a letter of intent on a battery distribution agreement with K2 Energy Solutions, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of rechargeable battery systems for electric vehicles and energy storage applications.   UPG will have the rights to market, distribute and sell these products including batteries, prismatic cells and polymer cells, as well as battery modules, systems and packs.

PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT) has announced a new system-on-a-chip family for network attached storage (NAS) solutions.  In this SoC family, PLX said that PLX expects global consumer NAS unit sales to grow from 2.5 million today to nearly 13 million units by 2012, with the total available market for silicon to exceed $100M driven by consumer demand for immediate and constant access to secure digital content from any device, at anytime and anywhere on the planet.

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU) is showcasing a new iPhone application from TurboTax to show its latest mobile offering for the upcoming tax season.  Really? Taxes from the phone….

NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:NETL) will showcase a wide range of automotive in-vehicle infotainment telematics and audio/video navigation systems from leading original equipment manufacturers powered by its ultra low-power Alchemy® processors.

Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) has three initiatives: G3 Golf GPS slims down size & price and expands coverage of preloaded golf courses in U.S. & Canada; using the ecoRoute to transform nüvi into a real-time onboard diagnostics computer; and “Find Your Voice, Find Your Destination with Garmin® Voice Studio.”

Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has its own phone announcements outside of CEs, but the company said it and Spring Design will give the Alex eReader owners direct access to one million Google Books on the Android platform.  Also for Google, Sigma Designs (NASDAQ: SIGM) will be demonstrating the world’s first commercially available Android™ set-top box.

Skiff, LLC and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) will preview the Skiff Reader, the first e-reader optimized for newspaper and magazine content.  The companies have signed a pact that will provide 3G connectivity for Skiff’s dedicated e-reading devices in the United States.

TranSwitch Corporation (NASDAQ: TXCC) will formally introduce its latest High Definition Multimedia Interface™ (HDMI) for next generation digital television (DTV) and home theater applications.

In processors, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) will be showcasing its new Core processors using 32-nanometer technology.  Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is showcasing its VISION Pro Technology for corporate video conferencing solutions.

Again, this is just a portion of the press releases ahead of the big event.  There will be releases forthcoming from many more companies today and tomorrow; and it is probably a safe bet that many announcements will be coming out of the show for new partnerships not yet disclosed.

JON C. OGG