CES 2008

CES 2008 videos

Jason Meserve — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 10:06:41 -0500

Between Keith Shaw and myself, plus our colleagues over at the IDG News Service, we blanketed last week's CES show with video cameras. Here is our entire library of videos shot at the show:

Cruzin' Coolers has the ultimate tailgate accessory: A motorized cooler that can go 13mph and tow a total of 600 pounds. Keith is getting one for the NW offices.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; Think you play a mean air guitar? Now you can put sound to your motions with Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker from Jada Toys. Keith is hooked.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; Norazza's Data Destroyer will crush your old hard disks and cellphones, ensuring the data is unusable.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; storage; You can never find the charger for your Bluetooth headset when you need it. With Iqua's Sun Bluetooth Headset, all you need is light to get the device charged and you talking for hours.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; wirelessmobile; For those fond of the old Amiga computers and operating system: The company is back. This time, they're making a develop-once, run anywhere virtual machine.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; software; This could be the ultimate desktop bling: Alienware's curved display with 2880x900 resolution and .02ms response time. This will make those solitaire games rock.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; Keith gets the lowdown on the latest version of Diskeeper's defragmentation software and finds out what the largest number of fragments the company has dealt with.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; storage; ViewSonic debuted a number of new dazzling displays, including a stunning 22-inch LED-based model with a 12000:1 contrast ratio.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; Affordable digital photo frames were all over the place at CES, but Mustek takes the concept one step further with the addition of an iPod dock on top of the unit.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; D-Link's D-Life line uses the Internet to add devices to your home data network without installing drivers or PC software, and without juggling CDs.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; wirelessmobile; Fabrik's new line of portable takes on a whole new flavor and includes 2GB of online backup for free.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; storage; Linksys, known for its boxy blue routers and gear, is restyling its line with sleek black boxes that lack those unsightly antennas. Keith gets a rundown of the new gear at CES 2008.; CES 2008; cool_tools; network world; wirelessmobile; What happens when you take the powerful Cell microprocessor, the chip that sits at the heart of the PlayStation 3 games console, and put it to use inside a television? Toshiba shows off at CES.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; With cruise control and lane departure warning systems already available, cars that can drive themselves may not be too far off.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; Intel is displaying four new ultramobile PCs designed around its Menlow chips at CES, including highly anticipated devices from Lenovo and Toshiba.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; wirelessmobile; Ford Sync powered by Microsoft technology allows drivers and passengers to use their voice to control their car.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; software; The IDG News Service's Marc Ferranti sits down with Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates to discuss Gates' final keynote at CES and touch on what's ahead for the Redmond giant.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; software; Sony and Samsung are displaying ultra-thin flat-screen TVs at CES and one of the sets is already on sale.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; Sony is developing a wireless data transfer system for gadgets that is capable of sending pictures, video and data over a range of a few centimeters at speeds faster than USB.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; wirelessmobile; 3M is demonstrating a prototype miniature projector that's small enough to fit in a cellphone at this year's CES.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; wirelessmobile; Logitech unveiled a number of new devices at CES 2008 that aim to enhance the home entertainment experience, including a palm-sized keyboard and new Harmony remote control.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; The new Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 can shoot 60fps at full 6-megapixel resolution and video at more a thousand images per second.; CES 2008; idgns; network world; During his final CES keynote, Bill Gates played a video spoof of what his final day as a full-time Microsoft employee would be like.; CES 2008; network world; http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1370863025 http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=1243596290

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RE: CES: Latest Blu-ray, HD-DVD prototypes at CES

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 19:14:53 -0500

I like most other consumers are watching with nervous anticipation, what happens at this years CES. Mostly we can't wait until Blu-ray wins the standards war an consumers can feel free to spend their hard earned money on this outstanding technology that we truly enjoy.

RE: CES - IPhone hurt mobile gaming, expert says

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 18:12:24 -0500

EA got it WRONG on the iPhone. In my 25+ years in the game business, including six years at Activision where I was the VP of Technology for the Studio, I have never seen such an incredable misstatement in the gaming media. The iPhone is a AWESOME game platform. There are over 100 games already released for the iPhone. We've (MyNuMo) released eight iPhone game titles (Blackjack, Darts, Bowling, Backgammon...) as well as partnered with TableStar to launch the multi-player strategy game Swatches, where up to 6 players can chat and play this cool board game. All these games run in Safari (no install) and they run very well.

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The coolest cooler

Jason Meserve — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:16:15 -0500

My birthday is about a month away and now I know what I want: A Cruzin' Cooler. Keith and I found these guys over at the Sands Convention center here at CES. The high-end cooler can tow 600 pounds total and get up to 13mph. And, it's electric so it's good for the environment. If you tailgate or stay near the beach in the summer, this is the perfect accessory. Heck, I want one for the office.

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RE: CES - Lenovo, Toshiba reveal new UMPCs at Intel booth

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:58:25 -0500

Another FUD, Smoke and mirrors for rising stock price. Any foto of such devices?

World's best tchotchke at CES

Keith Shaw — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:41:56 -0500

Forget about squeezy balls, T-shirts, pens or candy. The best thing I got at CES so far was a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer, courtesy of N.E.W. Customer Service Companies. With all of the handshaking going on at this show, combined with the close quarters of waiting in line at almost every bus line, cab line and concession stand line, germs are pretty much everywhere. In fact, the guy next to me in the press room just coughed. Time to grab that bottle!

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You would think tech journalists would know better...

Jason Meserve — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:36:11 -0500

... than to leave their e-mail wide open on a public machine in the press room. Not naming names, but this person does have a CBS corporate account. I could have sent a company-wide message stating that I had insider knowledge of the NH primary results (Dennis Kucinich wins!) or at least send some unseemly gossip. Now I have to make sure I close this browser and delete the hard drive so no one can track me down.

Bill Gates's last day at Microsoft

Adam Gaffin — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:16:10 -0500

Shown at CES today:

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Air Guitar afficianados rejoice!

Keith Shaw — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:35:24 -0500

I can already predict one of the hottest toys for the year -- the Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker is simply awesome. The device includes a mini-amplifier that attaches to a belt, and then a belt buckle-like sensor attaches to the front of your body. Using a plastic "pick", you wave that in front of the sensor and you begin to play a guitar riff. The device comes with 10 guitar riffs, including five famous songs (Black Sabbath's "Iron Man", Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water", Motorhead's "Ace of Spades", Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" and Boston's "More Than a Feeling") and five freestyle riffs. Jada Toys, which makes the $29.99 device, also plans on creating additional song cartridges, including ones for specific periods, like '80s heavy metal, etc. Stay tuned for the Network World video where I try the device, after which my video producer, Jason, told me that I "looked like one of those '50s rock and roll players." I guess I need to work on my air guitar stage presence.

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RE: CES 2008: Another batch of gadgets

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 06:42:15 -0500

Any details on the new Sony Ericsson K850i?

My brush with celebrity

Jason Meserve — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:24:54 -0500

Usually, I hear about celebrities and other famous types wandering the floor at CES, but never see them myself. Well, today while trolling the Nokia booth for potential slideshow pictures, I ran into David Caruso, star of CSI: Miami. He was nice enough to pose for my photo and to let me know that the CSI: Miami show (it's a guilty pleasure) is on hiatus until the writer's strike ends.

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Annoying plastic packaging here to stay

Jason Meserve — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:37:43 -0500

Everyone's had to battle that tough plastic packaging that encases our consumer electronics devices. It usually takes a very sharp object and numerous stitches to get the darn things open. While wandering through the South Hall here at CES, I came across Innovative Plastech's booth, a Batavia, Ill.-based maker of those annoying packages. So I had to ask: "Are they going to get friendlier?" Not so much, says Innovative Plastech account rep Guy Hernandez. The reason the packaging is so hard to open is theft deterrent. The big box retailers like Walmart and Best Buy demand their suppliers package pricey electronic goods in tough to open containers so no one can easily steal what's inside.

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Solar-powered Bluetooth headset on its way

Keith Shaw — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:30:54 -0500

On the way over to the convention center I had a good meeting with officials from Iqua (pronounced "ee-qwah"), a Finnish company that's in the Bluetooth accessories business. Formed from a bunch of former Nokia executives in 2004, the company is now entering the U.S. market with a bunch of Bluetooth headsets, stereo headsets and hands-free speakerphone systems. The Iqua SUN Bluetooth headset is a solar-powered headset that promises up to 12 hours of battery life, and can be recharged using the power of the mighty sun. Even indirect sunlight can help recharge the tiny device, which means that as long as you're not living in a hole in the ground, your headset should always have a charge. One executive said that you could even get "nine hours of battery life in a cave". The $100 headset is expected to be available in the U.S. at the end of this month.

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An invention that would really work at CES

Keith Shaw — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:22:16 -0500

Forget about high-def TVs, the latest digital cameras or MP3 players. The device you need to make in order to make lots of money, especially at conventions like CES, is the personal transporter. With an expected 140,000 people expected at this week's show, getting to and from different locations within the convention center has provided for an interesting logistical nightmare. Already I've missed two appointments, mainly because the bus driver taking me to the convention center got lost and ended up going in the opposite direction. I'd be willing to donate myself for experiments in teleportation if it meant I could get to the next appointment on time.

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Stay tuned for CES coverage!

Keith Shaw — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:33:14 -0500

Hey, we're back on the blogging train after a few weeks off (holidays, etc.), and now I'm in a hotel room in Las Vegas getting ready for the annual funfest known as CES (Consumer Electronics Show). Jason Meserve, John Cox and I will be hitting the floors looking for the best in consumer electronics, most of which have an effect on businesses and the networks. On the plane ride out (a very bumpy flight getting into Las Vegas with its weather), I was able to read an advance copy of Nicholas Carr's new book, "The Big Switch", a really good book comparing the rise of electric utilities at the start of the 20th century to the current movement in IT of grid computing, utility computing, virtualization, and Web 2.0.

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NBC reschedules live "Nightly News" at CES

Jason Meserve — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:44:30 -0500

Got an invitation last week from NBC Universal to come view a special live broadcast of the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams from the CES floor on Monday afternoon. Seemed odd Williams would be doing a live show from here on Monday with the New Hampshire primary the next day. Looks like NBC saw the same logic: They've rescheduled the CES event until Wednesday. CES is big, but not bigger than the first primary of the 2008 presidential election season.

A CES/Las Vegas first

Jason Meserve — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:37:44 -0500

I think I was a piece of CES history today when arriving here in Las Vegas this morning: No cab line at the airport. I couldn't believe it when I walked outside and found no line and plethora of cabs. As a bonus my luggage came off the carousel within 15 minutes of arriving at the airport. This just means the security line when I try to leave will be 6 hours long, but at least the trip got off to a good start.

Cisco Chambers' big night in Las Vegas

Cisco Subnet — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:23:37 -0500

Cisco CEO John Chambers has secured a keynote address at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show in sparkly Las Vegas. The show took over from Comdex as the top industry conference and is the place to be if you want to be seen as a cool consumer electronics vendor.

OK, so Chambers' spot isn't the opening keynote - that's usually reserved for Bill Gates (read about his performance at last year's show) - Chambers will be addressing guests at the Leaders in Technology Dinner.

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