Gadgets, Gizmos and Geeks Galore: Disneytim at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show

[disneytim]

January once again brings the International Consumer Electronics Show to Las Vegas for a week-long techfest spotlighting the latest in electronic goodies, many of which won't be in stores for months. For the third year in a row, I'll be wandering the CES exhibit halls for MiceChat, seeking out both cutting edge technology and coolest silly toys among the 2,700 exhibitors. There'll be a few celebrity encounters, I'm sure, and maybe a cocktail party or two.

This year's show is certain to have a different vibe to it in light of the current world economic crisis. Attendance is expected to be down, but still 300 new vendors will be exhibiting at CES this year (no word on how many didn't--or couldn't--come back from last year). Continuing the trend started a few years ago, there'll be a bigger emphasis on content providers, from small companies that develop iPhone apps to media giants like Sony Pictures Television and NBC Universal. Disney will be represented too with a presentation on Thursday by Disney-ABC Television president Anne Sweeney and a Friday panel discussion with Hollywood execs that includes Disney senior VP Bob Lambert.

Anne Sweeney In Da House!

There'll be HDTV's, video games, high-end audio, tricked-out cars and a thousand different things to plug your iPod into. There'll be green technology, senior technology and safe technology for kids. There'll be my sore feet and aching back from traversing millions of square feet of exhibit hall space. There'll also be loads of pictures, posted daily in this thread and live as they happen on my FuzzyShot Photo Blog (tune in tonight after 4 pm Pacific for the first wave of live pics from the press preview event, CES Unveiled).

The Venetian hosts tonight's CES Unveiled event

It's all part of the geek-gold craziness that is CES. Don't you wish you were here?

DIGG THIS STORY HERE

[Earkid]

Thanks Tim. I love your reports!

[Dustysage]

I've been waiting for this. I'm such a geek and LOVE your Consumer Electronics Show reports!!!

[disneytim]

CES Unveiled is the mini-show before the show that gives the press the opportunity to preview products before CES officially starts on Thursday. It's a laid-back affair with plenty of free food and booze and maybe 70 or 80 vendors present. I like it because it's easier to chat with reps from smaller companies who might otherwise get overlooked amid the thousands of vendors at the main show. OK, yeah, I like the free food and booze too.

Some of my favorite items from CES Unveiled . . .

Cool shades, but what the heck are they looking at?

How about a 3D Home Theater from Mitsubishi? The 3D images are powered by an Asus computer with a NVIDIA graphics card. All of Mitsubishi's 60" and bigger HDTVs will have 3D capability this year. The demo I saw didn't have any real in-your-face images, but there was incredible depth and detail.

On a smaller 3D scale is this webcam from Novo:

Minoru means "reality" in Japanese and is the first-ever webcam to shoot and upload video in 3D. Of course, it does require the viewer at the other end to have a pair of red/blue 3D glasses (each camera includes 5 pair to send to your friends and family). The Minoru can also shoot in 2D and has a picture in picture mode. It's been available from Novo's website (www.minoru3d.com) since December and is available on Amazon starting today for $89.95.

I saw the Minoru in a full-screen format and the 3D effects really jumped off the screen. The video was a bit grainy, but no worse than most standard webcams.

Jodie from the Novo booth poses with the Minoru. She was incredibly real and lifelike:

3D is making a big splash at CES. Panasonic, among others, will also be spotlighting 3D technology this year.

I love this gadget. For the aspiring club DJ in all of us is the Pacemaker from Tonium. It allows you to digitally scratch, crossfade and reverb your digital music to create your own personal music remixes. You can listen to your creations through headphones, output them to an external mixer or share them online. This 60-gig version (a 20-gig version will also be available) hits stores in the spring and will retail for $550.

DisplayLink shows off the latest in personal video monitor outerwear . . . I think:

The bricks and mortar stores may be gone, but the Sharper Image brand remains. Here they display their line of radio and speaker docks for the iPod and iPhone:

For the ultimate in universal remotes, Logitech has the Harmony 1100:

It has a 3.5" color touch screen and utilizes RF wireless technology. No more line of sight requirements--you can operate your home entertainment components from anywhere in your house. It's fully programmable through your home computer and supports more than 225,000 devices from over 5,000 brands. It'll be in stores next month with a suggested retail price of $499.99.

Here's a prettier look at it, courtesy of Logitech:

Today's agenda consists mostly of corporate press conferences and concludes with tonight's opening keynote by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. It'll be the first time in 12 years that Bill Gates will not be giving the opening keynote. Gates stepped down from the day-to-day operation of Microsoft last summer.

That's all for now. I'll have more product news and keynote coverage tonight or tomorrow morning plus live photos all day on FuzzyShot.

DIGG THIS STORY HERE

[pratt55]

I want that remote, I actually think with that I could learn to operate all our electronic accesories.

[Mouse princess]

Cool - 3D TV.

[Dustysage]

Originally Posted by disneytim

January once again brings the International Consumer Electronics Show to Las Vegas for a week-long techfest spotlighting the latest in electronic goodies, many of which won't be in stores for months. For the third year in a row, I'll be wandering the CES exhibit halls for MiceChat, seeking out both cutting edge technology and coolest silly toys among the 2,700 exhibitors. There'll be a few celebrity encounters, I'm sure, and maybe a cocktail party or two.

This year's show is certain to have a different vibe to it in light of the current world economic crisis. Attendance is expected to be down, but still 300 new vendors will be exhibiting at CES this year (no word on how many didn't--or couldn't--come back from last year). Continuing the trend started a few years ago, there'll be a bigger emphasis on content providers, from small companies that develop iPhone apps to media giants like Sony Pictures Television and NBC Universal. Disney will be represented too with a presentation on Thursday by Disney-ABC Television president Anne Sweeney and a Friday panel discussion with Hollywood execs that includes Disney senior VP Bob Lambert.

Anne Sweeney In Da House!

There'll be HDTV's, video games, high-end audio, tricked-out cars and a thousand different things to plug your iPod into. There'll be green technology, senior technology and safe technology for kids. There'll be my sore feet and aching back from traversing millions of square feet of exhibit hall space. There'll also be loads of pictures, posted daily in this thread and live as they happen on my FuzzyShot Photo Blog (tune in tonight after 4 pm Pacific for the first wave of live pics from the press preview event, CES Unveiled).

The Venetian hosts tonight's CES Unveiled event

It's all part of the geek-gold craziness that is CES. Don't you wish you were here?

DIGG THIS STORY HERE

[mikeland]

Great coverage! Thanks for all the information.

[disneytim]

This morning I'm at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the official opening of CES. Later this afternoon I'll be at the Las Vegas Hilton for the "Industry Insider" presentation by Anne Sweeney.

But first, a look at last night's opening keynote by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer . . .

The press line forms early for the opening keynote. Even though it didn't start until 6:30, I was there with other die-hards at 4:00. Our group was at the front of the line.

So, how did we pass the time until the keynote?

We played video games . . .

Checked our messages . . .

Cranked up our iPods . . .

Napped . . .

And even played cards . . .

Surprisingly, the time passed quickly and we were let into the Venetian's Pallazzo Ballroom just before 6:00. Being first has it's rewards. I grabbed a seat in the front row near the right side of the stage.

This evening's speaker, like we needed reminding:

And here he is:

Little Steve, meet Big Steve:

For the last 11 years, Bill Gates had given the opening keynote at CES. This was Ballmer's first year to lead the charge for Microsoft and he was definitely a more dynamic and energetic speaker than Gates ever was. Think of Bill as your nerdy kid brother. Steve is your loud, pushy uncle.

The biggest news of the evening was Ballmer's announcement that Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7, will be available in beta worldwide starting Friday (Welcome to Windows 7). He declared that Windows 7 was "on track to deliver simplicity and reliability." Like Windows Vista wasn't? Hmmmmmm.

Ballmer introduced Charlotte Jones, who took us through a Windows 7 demo. She was cute, perky and a lot nicer to look at than Ballmer.

We got a look at some new navigation tools and easier organization of multiple open windows. Charlotte also spent time discussing Windows Live Essentials, a new free suite of apps that integrate Windows Live Messenger, Live Mail and Live Photo Gallery with other third-party communications and social networking programs including, in a few months, Facebook.

Next up was Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division. He was all huzzahs and handsprings over the success of Xbox and Xbox Live. He introduced a new component, Xbox Primetime, which will debut in the spring, bringing together the "best of TV and gaming." As an example, he showed a live interactive version of "1 vs. 100" that can be played by gamers with live hosts for actual prizes.

Bach also spotlighted Kodu, a new Xbox Live community game that allows players to design their own games online using interactive menus. He then brought out Sparrow, a real live 12-year old girl who quickly put together some Kodu game components then proceeded to kick Bach's butt in the actual gameplay. This was not a put-on. The kid was good.

Those were the keynote highlights. Entertaining, but nothing earth-shattering. As InformationWeek has pointed out, this CES is about "evolution, not revolution."

Steve Ballmer's complete keynote can be viewed online at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/e...eo=fullKeynote.

OK, time to hit the show floor. See you later.

[disneytim]

Out on the show floor, I just dropped by NBC Universal's booth. This week, a number of NBC network and cable shows are broadcasting live from CES like this one from CNBC:

Upon closer review, this turned out to be an interview with Disney-ABC Television's Anne Sweeney.

For her Industry Insider keynote this afternoon, Sweeney said she would be "asking the (consumer electronics) industry to focus on the consumer, to look at convergence in a new way." She stressed the importance of media companies, content companies and everyone in the "electronic space" to be aware of "what (consumers) are doing, what they want and what would be most useful to them."

After the CNBC interview, I was able to briefly meet Ms. Sweeney. Nothing more earth-shattering than a hello and a handshake, but she has heard of MiceChat now.

The full CNBC interview is at Video - CNBC.com.

[dsnylndmom]

Great coverage! Thanks Dtim

[disneytim]

Anne Sweeney's Industry Insider keynote . . .

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, introduces Anne, who explains how online and mobile platforms deepen the TV viewing experience. "People no longer wait for their favorite shows. The shows wait for them."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=tQaYz0Efq-4

Take a look at what Anne puts on her iPhone. "My iPhone reflects my life at any given moment, and the technology, I'm sure, you're carrying right now does the same." She also explains how television "widgets"--online applications delivered directly through your TV--will enhance such shows as "Good Morning America" and "Lost."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=AC5zGc6yyKg

Anne describes how online and mobile content and DVR technology are increasing overall television viewership. "Time shifting and mobile viewing are now a part of popular culture, and more importantly consumer expectations."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=P4hQKj4WIcQ

Anne concludes her presentation with an optimistic forward look at how news and entertainment content providers will meet the needs of consumers. "I think it's almost impossible to try and predict what will happen next. Odds are the reality will far outstrip anything we can imagine at this moment."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=xxhaDVXFKU4

[Snow_White_Raven]

Well I just got home from CES myself and it was so much fun... 3D TV is so cool... I can't wait until this product hits the market... The demo that I watched was featuring guitar hero with some very nice and very high tech 3D shades... In addition to that I got to see more of the 150 inch Plasma TV presented by Panasonic... The clarity on this tv is just amazing... Another cool thing we managed to see was the newest of flat screen TV's and monitors... They are paper Thin... As soon as I get my camera back from Honor_Bound (I don't know where he put it... lol) I will post some of the shots that I got this year at the show...

[disneytim]

A lot of vendors are showing off ultra-thin HDTV's. Here's a plasma screen from Panasonic that's about 1/3 of an inch thick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=V-jJqk70OHM

[disneytim]

This just in . . .

Barack Obama appoints new all-singing, all-dancing cabinet at CES:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<a hr...UmmMLWOqOE</a>