I’m on the ground in Vegas… and the rumors are true: it’s a sight to behold. They say 2,700 companies are presenting, so I plan to cover them all! ;) Seriously, there’s no way a single person can hit all the big news. My plan is to focus on a few companies that interest me (and you) for publication here on ZNF, while also providing Netgear-specific and meta convention coverage over on Netgear’s site.
CES is not just about product announcements, it’s also about relationships and I intend to meet up with about two dozen people over the week including some of my blogging buddies — Though, it probably won’t get much ink. I’ve already run into Jeremy Toeman, the Capable Networks folks, Gizmos for Geeks, and even swung by Engadget‘s CES command center.
I’ve got a lot of a work to do and a full schedule, so my goal is to skip all parties and forgo the gambling. We’ll see how that works out. YES, Mari will be here too. She’s doing a little consulting for Motorola, but I begged her to write a bit if she can find the time.
Lastly, I’ve already got a few posts queued up and ready to go tonight as embargos lift… so you’ll probably want to check back. The announcements are particularly interesting: One is a little early and wireless, I expected it next year (someone jumped the gun, so I was cleared to post last night). One is little late and somewhat different, I expected it last year. One is right on time, but it’s really two. And NO, none of these are the iPhone and Microsoft didn’t give me a Ferrari laptop.
Bonus early coverage
The big hit at CES Unveiled last night was Wowwee‘s animatronic Elvis head. It talks, sings, does karaoke, and generally looks creepy. It was mobbed by photographers and video crews, but it looks ridiculous to me — can’t imagine they’ll have huge sales at $250 a pop, despite Graceland’s endorsement.
Oh yeah… I may have pulled a Gizmodo and gotten lost in the convention center this morning, though it doesn’t open until tomorrow. Care to guess where I went and what I saw?
You went to the Netgear booth and saw the EVA800?
I was at the Netgear press conference this AM and had some time the EVA800 — it looks promising. But no, not the Netgear booth. Come on Mega, I expect you to see what’s in that fuzzy little picture. ;)
OK, after giving myself eye-strain, it looks like a cable box.
TiVo cable box?
Sitting on the right edge of the frame is what appears to be the very left edge of a TiVo Series 3, so I’ll guess we’re in the TiVo booth. The thing center frame, on top, looks like it could be the Moto DVR (presumably the TiVo-Comcast port). But what is it sitting on? It’s another box with about the same dimension, but not much on the front panel — is that another Moto box?
When does your Netgear blogging start? Can’t wait to see you go big time!
(Also, might want to make sure you report on the EVA 8000, not the EVA 800, oops?) I assume that wasn’t a typo in their press kit. I guess when you move to HD it justifies the jump from the 7 ‘hundreds’ to the 8 ‘thousands’ :-)
I’m slated for 3 posts a day Monday – Thurs on Netgear’s site. I’ll continue to put stuff up here too until I pass out from sleep deprivation.