Our takeaway so far is this: banks that want to succeed in the future will start getting social now, and no, that does not mean creating a Facebook page and encouraging customers to “Like” it. It means sweeping and rapid mobile adoption and, moreso, transformation from a purely transactional model to one of customer engagement. And for an industry that is suffering from a reputation standpoint after a few less-than-stellar years on our wallets, there is no better time.

Bank simple? We'll see soon enough. Now in beta.

The problem, however, is that banks are extremely conservative and slow to adapt. They’ll tell you that, too. Most aren’t bothering with Facebook or Twitter, sometimes perhaps for good reason, and sometimes out of fear of regulatory scrutiny. But the banks that are adapting to the new financial model are doing it properly and effectively, from both a mass communications and regulatory perspective.

Which brings us to the concept of social banking – integrating the financial system into the way people interact online. You can see examples if your bank has an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android app. These services will continue to evolve with new features in coming months. Right now they’re mostly a basic, mobilized version of online banking, whereas they’ll soon be a handheld drive-thru teller.

Just this week, the biggest banks in the country – JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo/Wachovia – announced a partnership called clearXchange, which will allow their customers members to make transfers from checking accounts via email addresses or mobile numbers, rather than routing and account numbers. So, say you’re out to lunch at a hot dog cart that only takes cash. You only have a card. Your coworker pays for your lunch with cash, then you text the money to his or her account. The Charlotte, NC-based service will roll out nationally, then perhaps move into other financial institutions.

That’s social banking: social and mobile experiences combine to create a financial transaction. Social banking will change how you buy goods and services, how you spend and save, and how you live, work and play.

Another company we’re watching is a hot startup in New York called BankSimple. It’s not a bank, but partners with banks to provide online and social banking services. It’s also just issued its first debit and credit cards for testing in New York, Portland and San Francisco. The company claims “worry free” money management and “unrivaled” customer service. Mashable notes that “BankSimple’s draw will be fee-free ATM withdrawals, predictive money management, Zappos-style customer support and simplified money transfers between you and your social network friends.”

So banks, then, could become cool?

iTunes and the music industry. Amazon and books. Tablets and the publishing industry. Mobility and socialization and banks.

This is the part where I end this post, saying something moderately clever like “we’re banking on technology to change the financial industry.” But I won’t make a lame pun.

- Jeff (@jephkelley)

Tech Trends of CES

Vizio's Theater 3D Experience

Cheaper 3D

More Tablets

LePad Tablet and Hybrid

A plethora of tablets have been announced at CES, all trying to capitalize of the success of the iPad. The tablets getting the most attention include the Motorola’s XOOM tablet, which uses Google’s Android 3.0 operating system codenamed Honeycomb, can be upgraded to use Verizon’s 4G LTE network, and has a duel-core processor. Another notable tablet is the LePad Tablet and Hybrid. This Android tablet can actually secure into a keyboard base and become a notebook. These new tablets will likely hold our attention, that is, until the iPad 2 is announced.

Apple Launches Mac App Store, 1 M Apps Already Downloaded

Although not at CES, Apple is still making attention-grabbing announcements. On Thursday, Apple launched the Mac App Store, essentially the desktop version of the iTunes mobile app store. Apple already has around 1,000 apps available for your Desktop. iPhoto, Keynote, iMovie, and Garage Band are now available for individual purchase (rather than an expensive bundle), and there are tons of other useful apps you can purchase. Apple announced that over 1 Million desktop Apps were downloaded in the first 24 hours after release.

Keep Up with CES

According to Mashable, “CES is mentioned as many as 5,267 times on Twitter every hour and yesterday [Wednesday] was mentioned more than 110,000 times in tweets.” So as you can see, there is a lot of buzz around CES 2011. Here’s how you can keep up with the latest news about CES:

• Live Streaming
• Follow the #CES Hashtag on Twitter
• Official CES Channels: Facebook, Twitter, Social Circle
• Gadget blogs such as Gizmodo and Engadget

-Anna (@alucas9)

Social Circle:

See what’s generating buzz at #CES with social circle. This cool site shows tweets, photos, articles, and more- all relating to CES. There’s a dropdown tab on the site (upper left hand side) that has 4 different categories: Outlook, People, Images, and Timeline. It’s a great way to keep track of what people are seeing & saying about the Consumer Electronic Show.

The Best of CES:

Gizmodo is continuing to update this article on “The Best of CES.” The article highlights some of the best gadgets featured at the Pre-Pre-Pre Show (Monday), Day Zero (Tuesday), Day One (Wednesday), Day Two (Thursday), Day Three (Friday), and so on. With so many gadgets at CES, it’s nice to have highlights of some of the coolest all in one place. Also check out a photo album of the 10 best gadgets chosen by CNET.

Social Media is Big at CES:

Facebook & Twitter may not have an official presence at CES, but according to CNBC, social media has a large presence on the floor at CES 2010. Many of the TV’s, game consoles, and mobile phones that are being displayed are illustrating how social media works with their devices.

Trends at CES:

The show won’t be over until Sunday, but there are already some trends emerging from CES 2010. ReadWriteWeb’s article highlights trends in three categories: Televisions, Automobiles, and Augmented Reality. DigitalTrends.com has also highlighted their Five Top Tech and Gadget Trends at CES 2010:  3D, LED & Connected Television, Tablet PCs and Netbooks, Portable Projectors, eReaders/eBook Players, and Streaming Media Extenders.

Some of my favorite Gadgets:

- Slates- I’m looking forward to these tablets, ideal for travelers, because they can be used as a reading device, computer, or T.V.

-See through Screens- Transparent screens have garnered a lot of attention at this year’s CES- with computers, phones, and media players all sporting the see through look.

-Internet In Cars- A new trend at CES is the ability to access the web from your car dashboard. “My Ford Touch” is incorporating Twitter (and internet radio) into their dashboard. You can have tweets read aloud, as well as send tweets all via voice control.

-What are your favorite CES gadgets? Leave a comment with your picks!

-Anna (@alucas9)