CES will have a solid Utah flavor

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Utah State University senior Sterling Morris appears in a scene for a commercial that helped launch the Microsoft Office 2010 suite of software programs. The commercial debuted at the Microsoft area of the International Consumer Electronics Show on Thursday in Las Vegas. Morris discussed how he used the programs in his travels as a student and while he participated in a charity effort to provide eyeglasses to impoverished people in Peru.

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Utah State University student Sterling Morris doesn't have a product of his own but will still debut during the International Consumer Electronics Show's opening day..

The senior, double majoring in international business and economics, is appearing in a commercial shown at the Microsoft booth at the four-day Las Vegas event, which showcases new products from thousands of companies and groups worldwide, including 22 this year from Utah.

Morris was selected from among the 12,000 or so people who applied for video roles showing people using and discussing Office 2010, Microsoft's upgrade of its suite of software products that include Word, Excel and other programs.

"I guess they were kind of looking for a unique

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Morris applied online, was interviewed and selected to appear. Part of his attraction could be his experiences with international travel through the Huntsman Scholar program at USU's Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. Part of the program included a stop in Peru, where his group helped hand out eyeglasses donated through the The Hope Alliance of Salt Lake City to people who couldn't otherwise afford them.

In the Microsoft video, also posted on YouTube, Morris uses Office 2010 while at USU, on his travels to South America and in helping give out the eyeglasses.

"Some of [the people] are in their '50s and '60s and have never seen an optometrist, and they're able to see for the first time clearly,"

Others with a Utah connection could see his debut in Las Vegas, as 21 companies and a trade organization from Utah make the trek to CES this year, down from the 28 who participated last year.

Wilson Electronics of St. George is using the showcase today to launch the consumer version of its devices that boost the range and power of cell phones in vehicles, offices and homes.

Company representatives say its new Sleek product can be used on any cell service provider's network in North America except Nextel. Wilson produces commercial cell phone booster products, but Sleek represents its foray into the consumer market.

"It can take you from one bar to three or four bars," said Joe Banos, Wilson Electronics COO, referring to the measurements of signal strength shown on cell phone screens. "The catch is you have to have some signal" for the device to work.

He said Wilson Electronics opted against having a booth at this year's CES, but rather rented a few meeting rooms to meet with retailers it hopes they will carry the Sleek.

Celio Corp. is another Utah company that chose not reserve a display booth this year after having one at last year's show. Celio produces the Redfly, which allows cell phone users to connect a netbook-sized screen and keyboard to their devices and operate them like a small laptop computer.

Trent Boyer, regional sales director for the Salt Lake City company, said officers are conducting meetings at this year's CES but opted not to rent booth space.

"We didn't have any new big announcements, so they decided to more or less spend those marketing dollars in other areas."

tharvey@sltrib.com