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"LAS VEGAS \u2014 Ericsson, the Swedish company that invented Bluetooth and whose technology provides 40% of the world's network infrastructure, gave its first-ever CES keynote on Wednesday to share its vision of a connected world. \nCEO Hans Vestberg was big on mobile broadband, and not just for its own sake \u2014 he cited statistics that showed it was good for the economy.\nWhenever the number of people in a country with access to broadband goes up by 10%, Vestberg said, that country's sustained GDP increases by 1%. And when the speed of broadband is doubled, it leads to an GDP increase of 0.3%. He was quick to clarify that network infrastructure wasn't the sole factor, and that device access and cloud services were part of the equation, too.\nHitting home his point that connectivity is essential for business, Vestberg announced a deal with one of the largest companies in the world: Maersk Shipping. Ericsson will supply the technology to connect Maersk's shipping vessels in real time, creating a \"floating network.\" It'll allow for continuous monitoring of fuel consumption, for example, which could lead to a lot of savings.\nSee Also: The hottest stories from the floor of CES 2012!\nBesides the Maersk deal, Ericsson also said it was expanding its partnership with Refugees United, which helps some of the 43 million people living as refugees in the world to get back in touch with their families. By transitioning from pen-and-paper filing to a connected system backed by Ericsson, one refugee center in Africa went from opening 800 cases a year to 70,000, Refugees United co-founder Christopher Mikkelson said during the keynote.\nVestberg also showcased a partnership with MIT that used the company's technology to track pieces of garbage discarded in Seattle. Tracking 3,000 separate pieces of trash, the Trash Track project found many were still in motion \u2014 all over the country \u2014 up to two months after being thrown away.\nFinally, Vestberg showed off some technologies \"straight from the lab.\" First was a tweeting tree that was equipped with sensors to automatically send out Twitter messages when its leaves were stroked. But most impressive was the live demonstration of \"capacitive coupling,\" which transferred a digital photograph electronically through Vestberg's body, from the phone in his left hand to the workstation he was touching with his right.\nBesides putting forward an intriguing vision of a connected world, Ericsson's coming-out party at CES also served to remind the public that the company is much more than its former device partnership with Sony, Sony Ericsson, which Sony swallowed up for itself last year. After all, the future will be streamed, not televised \u2014 and Ericsson aims to be right in the heart of it.\n\n\nEricsson: Broadband Is Good for the Economy\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEricsson at CES 2012\nEricsson CEO Hans Vestberg delivered the company's first-ever CES keynote.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMaersk's Floating Network\nThe main thing Vestberg came to announce, with Maersk CEO Michael White, was a deal to supply Ericsson technology to connect Maersk's shipping vessels in real time.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVoice-Integrated Gaming\nVestberg demonstrated how Ericsson tech lets players in MMORPGs interact with their voices.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFast Response\nVestberg said Ericsson tech allows for a response time on 4G that's less than 100 milliseconds, with could enable future cars to warn each other of sudden movements.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTracking Trash\nMIT's Carlo Ratti talks about a project that used tags with Ericsson tech to track the movement of trash all over the country.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRefugees United\nRefugees United's Christopher Mikkleson explains how getting refugee centers connected, with Ericsson's help, is leading to more refugees getting back in touch with their families.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/01/11/ericsson-ces-2012/>