I was planning on posting this last week but Hickey didn’t send back his list so I decided to add my own. Essentially, I thought it would be cool to see what the CG crew was carrying during CES, offering a glimpse into the one-man-band that is a professional blogger these days. Take a look at our list and give us some recommendations for better/lighter/cooler gear to carry in the future.
At CES, Hitachi announced a PDP that’s only 1.5-inches in depth. No, you read that correctly. A 1080p plasma display that’s only 1.5-inches. While they won’t be out till Spring, you may want to clear out some room now for the 32-, 37- or 42-inch set and invest a few more pennies into the piggy bank. Picture after the jump.
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Though things like this are common in Japan, you don’t see them much here in the States. I snapped this iPod vending machine in McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, as I prepare to board a plane to San Francisco to attend MacWorld. The prices were the same as retail, which was good, but I don’t understand something. Things out of vending machines are impulse buys, at least usually. The draw here seems to be getting an iPod before that long trip, in case you forgot yours or don’t even have one. But it comes out of the machine naked, with no songs or video. So, really, what’s the point? Am I missing something here?
In case you were wondering why our gaming coverage was close to non-existent at CES other than a hands on with Nyko (they saved CES for us in terms of gaming) or the Wü is because it sucked. It was the worst display I’ve ever witnessed at any show. The fact that they called it the ‘Gaming Showcase’ is a joke. There was no showcase other then crappy gaming chairs, stupid case mods, accessories we’ve seen a thousand times over and doodads we just don’t care to see. I know GDC is next month, but there could have been a better showing.
There was however one particular item of interest. It was a 3D gaming mouse that seemed to do some pretty nifty things, but I can’t fill you in on any details. I was denied a press kit. I wasn’t being obnoxious or pushy in any way. I simply asked for a demo and a press kit because I thought it was cool. The rep asked who I was with and even said he’s been to the site on occasion. But they were ‘low on press kits’ and he couldn’t accommodate me. This was on Wednesday. A day before the show ended. Was I missing something? Did I smell bad? Was I being rude by asking for a press kit? Was there a blogger kit that I was unaware of? WTF?!
I’ll leave my comments to myself on this one because it’s not worth ranting about. For you, dear readers, I will link to the site so you can check it out. It’s not fair of me to deny you of that. However, not all PR reps are douches. Most of the ones I encounter are more than willing to get me press releases, interviews, units for review, etc., without ever rearing up their nose at me. This, sadly, was not the case. I don’t understand it and I don’t think I ever will.
Conventional Internet radio hardware devices are about to get a kick in the expensive, cumbersome pants if Cambridge Consultants has anything to say on the matter. I got a quick peek at the pretty-much-ready-to-go Iona Cube concept at CES and I was mightily impressed. If and when this doodad finds a distributor, I can see plenty of these sub-$50 devices flying off the shelves.
Iconic in design, cubic in shape [Press Release]
Sleep experts say that the bedroom should be devoid of distractions like bright lights, television sets, and four 8-inch subwoofers. The Starry Night bed has all of these things. So if you’re like me and you enjoy setting aside a good 2-3 hours of TV time before you fall asleep, this bed might just be a dream come true for you.
There’s a 1080p projector built into the headboard, a Windows Media Center remote, iPod docking station, 1.5 terabytes of storage space, and the aforementioned subwoofers.
CES 2008 is done, and while it was a blast, I’m glad it only happens once a year. My legs feel like Jell-O, my feet look like the pulled pork special I had last night, and I think my liver booked an earlier flight, because I can’t seem to find it.
We saw some pretty amazing stuff, hung out with some cool people, made some tasteless jokes, and made up the word Blounge™. This has been great, and here are a few of the best stories of the show, as picked by me, because everyone else is on an airplane or still too drunk to post.
CES 2008 Exclusive: CrunchGear interviews Penn Jillette about Crackle.com, Mormons, and his choices in technology
LG undouches itself in two short days: The LG Watch/Phone concept photographed
Hands on with the Printstik, the printer that fits in your pocket
Motorized under bed TV mount makes me hate my plain old crappy bed with nothing but crap under it
Michael Douglas loves XStreamHD, so should you
We get a lot of schwag at conferences like CES, some better than others. My favorites, though, came from Belkin, who’s understated schwag bag was brimming with simple Belkin-branded goodies, like these Belkin mints and this Belkin lip balm. Sure, there was a really cool USB hub and other stuff, but the point is they’re smart enough to include useful stuff with their logo. That’s what schwag is supposed to be, so for their achievement, we salute Belkin.
Cooler Master makes pretty decent computer cases, but I’m taking issue with this licensed VW bus case. It’s like this: If you mod your case to become a VW bus, then you’re a college student with too much time to kill who likes Phish and calling people “braugh”, but if you buy it off the shelf like that, then you want to be a college student with too much time to kill who likes Phish and calling people “braugh”, and there’s no legitimate excuse for that.
After much deliberation, we have decided to award the best CES Meatball/Hush Puppy Name Award to young Eric for his entry “Danny’s Glans.” While simply saying “Danny Glans” would have been far more comedically valuable, his contribution to our daily lexicon here at the show is immeasurable and simply mentioning Danny Glans in our company wrought gales of laughter and, dare we say it, a tear or two. To that end, we wish to congratulate Mr. Eric and in passing bid Las Vegas a fond, fond “Adieu.”
Runners up included “Cat5 Köttbullar,” “Little John,” and, most tellingly “Slow News Day.” To all those who entered, we salute you.
Penn Jillette, the long-haired half of Penn & Teller, is a quiet, sincere, restrained man. He’s known for his controversial thoughts on all manner of things, from politics to religion to the colorblind. Sony has launched a new video site called Crackle and has Jillette as a featured video blogger. The idea is that Jillette will “live blog” his life with the four HD camcorders Sony has provided him with, and he’ll post these clips, unedited, to the site. he’s got a handful up now, which you can check out at Penn Says, and his goal is four a week. We hope he can make it.
After Sony’s announcement, where Penn swallowed a bean and then worked it into his nasal passages and then expunged it via his right eye socket (really), talked about Mormons and their “magical underwear”, and having sex with a nun while a prominent Democratic presidential nominee wathces, we were allowed a couple of minutes to sit with Penn and Crackle’s Senior VP of marketing, Jonathan Shambroom. They were gracious and friendly, and totally NSFW. He started by trashing that other site. It was awesome.
Doug doesn’t like me. Do you see John’s socks?
That’s Devin and Matt bloggin.
That’s me and Mike.
For millions of years, people have been listening to music. But now, thanks to new technology, they can actually make music as well. At CES, I came across a few items that made my inner musician geek out, including a self-tuning guitar and a pretty sweet drum synth pad, plus a couple of new recording gadgets for capturing your awful performances of “She Bangs” on the go.
Pics and stuff after the jump.
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Sorry, but we had to do it. These were the classiest ladies at the show.
Hit the link for our little gallery.
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I’m all for companies protecting their intellectual property and I respect embargoes and NDAs. But when companies hide their precious, yelling at you about taking pictures of things in plain sight it pisses me off. Well, Matt and Devin stopped by the LG booth today and, surprise, the super secret watch was ready for them to photograph. All they created on Monday was bad will and then turned around and let anyone and their dog photograph their gear today. Companies: just relax. You’re at a trade show. Unless you’re the Wu people and infringing massively on copyright, you have nothing to hide. You’re at the biggest show in your industry, CES, and it’s foolish to think you can still control photons.
Not a lot of info on this one, but you have to see it to believe it. The thing is about as thick as a laptop screen, and the picture is stunning. It’s sharp as hell and the contrast was excellent. Considering the little ones (as opposed to this ~24-in. guy) are going to cost $2,500, though, I don’t even want to think about the dent this one is going to make in your bank account. Click below for the profile view.
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Another entry in the no-CD-necessary line of car stereos will be showing up in stores this March. The Parrot RK8200 will blur the line between stereo and hands-free car kit, offering stereo Bluetooth (A2DP/AVRCP), 12-key numeric keypad, and iPod, USB, SD card, and analog inputs.
There’s also a little compartment behind the flip-down faceplate that you can use to stash your phone, iPod, and/or flash drive while you’re tooling around town looking for tight black pants like they wear in Amsterdam. It’s a nice little touch.
It’ll be available in March for about $280. Hit the jump for more specs and photos.
I thought this was another oversized satellite radio home kit from afar. As I got closer, I figured it was some sort of retro bread crisper. Then when I got even closer, I could have sworn it was a big giant container like you use at the bank to whoosh your cash through those magical tubes (only red instead of gray). Finally, I realized it was some sort of PC with wonderful widgets and knobs and dials.
