I haven’t made it to the hotel yet, but I’m here at the Sands checking out our Sling booth as it goes up. So, do I win the award for first live, on-site CES blogging?
CES: Slingbox PRO-HD and BlackBerry Mobile Client Unveiled
In case you haven’t caught the news ’round the blogosphere, we’ve just announced the Slingbox PRO-HD and SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry. Both will be available for purchase later this year and both will be on display at CES in Las Vegas next week. The Slingbox PRO-HD ($399.99) will stream high-def video at up to 1080i … Read more
Best CES Marketing Gimmick So Far
The flood of CES email has been overwhelming the last couple of days with product announcements, media pitches, and pleas for booth visits and interviews. However, my favorite pitch of the lot didn’t come to my inbox, but my mailbox. A long, flat envelope arrived with the words, “Photos – Do Not Bend” on the front. When I opened it up, a family photo stared back at me on top of half a dozen other prints. Not my family, mind you- though I did spend a moment trying to place the models as long-lost cousins on my mother’s side. No, this was a photo of a pretend family with a note slipped underneath. The note said, “OOPS! Not Your Photos?” Then it advised me to stop by the Noritsu booth at CES to pick up a free print of any digital photo of my own – 8×10 or 10×36 panorama – and learn more about the company’s retail inkjet photo printer. Cute.
I’m unfortunately still skeptical of photo printers – more because of the cost of photo paper than the quality of the printing. However, if I can get myself over to the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, I’ll definitely stop by Noritsu. And pick up my free print.
It’s Not Just Pre-CES, It’s the Iowa Caucuses
I didn’t realize quite how buried I’ve been in work until I looked up this afternoon and realized the Iowa caucuses are tonight. Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to get caught up on the Iowa happenings, not just by turning on the news networks, but by turning on the live online coverage. Check out the Brave … Read more
Where’s The Apple iCamera Predictions?
I’ve seen and heard all sort of predictions for an ultraportable Macbook and for new monitors (with iSight cams), perhaps even televisions. But I’m wondering where all the iCamera predictions are? I’m not necessarily saying we’ll see a digital still camera out of Apple at Macworld in 10 days, but it seems like an obvious … Read more
CES Approaches…
The show floor doesn’t actually open until Monday, but the deluge of announcements has already begun… Last year, Netgear sponsored my Consumer Electronics Show blogging and I took a week of vacation from my day job. This year, my day job and CES are one in the same. No vacation and posting will be light — I’m sure to miss out on timely coverage of the juicy news. (Even the stuff I’ve already been briefed on.)
Mari will most likely be in the Motorola booth (LVCC Center Hall) on Monday and Tuesday, and I’ll be found in the Sling booth (Sands) all day M-W. Additionally, I’ll be attending CES Unveiled on Saturday as a blogger, Digital Experience on Sunday as an exhibitor, and Showstoppers on Monday as blogger. Come find us if you’d like to say hello or learn more about our new stuff!
Digital Media Bytes – Motorola CES Edition
A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs: Motorola Mobile TV DH01: Media Experiences 2 Go Motorola MPEG-4 Set-Top Boxes: Media Experiences 2 Go Motorola WiMAX Displays at CES: Media Experiences 2 Go Motorola Cable Modem with DECT Phone System: Media Experiences 2 Go
Netflix Reveals STB Intentions
Netflix revealed their television set-top box ambitions yesterday. Hacking Netflix spoke directly with CEO Reed Hastings:
Our model is that we don’t want one Netflix-branded box, we want to see 100 Netflix-capable boxes. We want to be embedded in high-def DVD players, Internet games, dedicated set-top boxes, a wide range of options
Given much of the speculation leading up to this point, I’m somewhat surprised they’ve decided to create a Netflix service rather than their box. However, the strategy makes a lot of sense in limiting risk and maximizing exposure. After all, which companies (other than Apple) wouldn’t want Netflix on their Internet-connected television devices?
LG is up first, and has targeted Q2 2008 for delivery of a Netflix-enabled STB. No other details regarding functionality or pricing were made available at this time. No specific details on video streaming pricing were announced either, though the assumptions (Reuters, AP, NY Times) seem to be that the Netflix streaming service would inherit the current web-based model – either a specific number of viewing hours based on dollars spent monthly, or unlimited content.