Pay attention to what happened at CES

This past week saw the world’s most important annual consumer electronics trade show, the International CES, take place in Las Vegas.

It’s where the big kids in the tech playground – the likes of Samsung, Intel, LG, Yahoo!, Sony – show off their shiny new toys for the year ahead.

Especially if you’re a tech start-up, there are two very big reasons why you need to be across the devices and technologies on display.

The first is opportunity. As a start-up, you are far nimbler than a big, bureaucratic conglomerate that would require the approval of at least three department heads to even think about possibly looking at creating an app or accessory for a new product.

And, aside from creating apps for smart TVs, smartwatches or in-car entertainment systems, there will also be room in the market for people who are familiar with various smart home integration systems.

The second is that, especially in the tech sector, a new product or service can entirely change the landscape within months – and your business is not big enough to withstand the tide, let alone turn it back.

On a related note, dear reader, you might recall last year your humble correspondent predicted a fracturing of the relationship between Google and Samsung. Enter smart TVs, and it appears that, indeed, Samsung is opting for Tizen over Google TV.

Meanwhile, LG is opting for its own platform – webOS – while Panasonic is partnering with Mozilla and using Firefox OS. Some have even predicted a format war could be on the cards.

If, indeed, Google’s hardware partners opt to go it alone on smart TV, as they have indicated, it could potentially mean lucrative new app markets for start-up app developers to tap.

So Old Taskmaster says this: Take a good look at who did what and what products were introduced at the CES. Evaluate what these products mean for your business – both the risks and the opportunities. And, most importantly, prepare yourself for a changing tech landscape in 2014.

Get it done – today!