What if you could star in famous movies, without ever leaving your home? That is what Yoostar Entertainment Group hopes to deliver to consumers with their recently unveiled Yoostar product. Using green screen technology, the system allows users to star in their favorite movie scenes along with famous actors (and their friends)–then share their performances with friends.
I got an exclusive demo and was impressed with the concept: Continue reading “CES 2009: Yoostar, Guitar Hero for movies?”
The Innovations Design and Engineering Awards program acknowledges the most innovative consumer technologies in 34 product categories from audio accessories to eco-design. Sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), products are judged by a panel of designers, engineers and trade. Honorees are announced in the fall and are featured at the show in a special “Best of” display. Continue reading “CES 2009: Best in health and wellness products”
Yahoo announced this week at CES that its content and widgets would be made available across a variety of new internet connected televisions from the likes of Samsung, Sony, LG and Vizio. Users can enable the widgets by just connecting their TV to the Internet and choose from content providers like Flickr, Showtime, MySpace, eBay and others. See a demo here.
What has got me hot and bothered here at CES in Vegas hasn’t been any booth in particular. It’s more something intangible – something in the air. Literally. I’m talking about WiMAX.
At Microsoft’s booth, I saw amazing media offerings like the polished IPTV of 2009. Next to Microsoft’s section was Intel, showcasing the strength of WiMAX, pulling in over 11 Mbps to their laptops – which is much faster than my home cable connection has ever managed. Both booths have their stories and their products but the real story is in the potential as the two meet. Continue reading “CES 2009: Hooking up in Vegas”
While the Internet is all a buzz with the recently expanded Netflix partnerships, it’s interesting to note that it may be the OEM’s who are opening the door to how television and content are experienced in the home. On the floor of the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, more then ever before we are seeing the aggregation of technology and content solutions convening together to create “living devices.” Continue reading “CES 2009: Living television”
CES 2009 Las Vegas. In a crowded section of the Microsoft booth, show attendees vie for position to get a first glimpse of the soon-to-be-released Windows 7.  Though the list of new features is plentiful, one in particular is sure to become the CE manufacturer’s best friend.
The new feature, dubbed “Device Stage” is a user interface that is automatically launched when a recognized device is attached to the system. The interface provides a brand-customizable set of visual assets and actions contextual to the connected device. Continue reading “CES 2009: Windows 7 gives CE brands a home”
I caught up with All Things D and bigwig industry reporter Kara Swisher at CES today. Swisher moderated a panel called “What will they think of next, Consumer Technology in 2025” that featured panelists including VPs from Lenovo, Intel, and Qualcomm. After the panel and a little “Where-in-the-world-is-Yahoo” guilty-pleasure chatter* between us, Swisher shared a few thoughts on trends in online and emerging media for the coming year–and if she thinks there is a fail-safe place for advertisers to hedge their sacred bets this year:
Other than this insight from Swisher, the main takeaways from the panelists was four-fold:
Today, in conjunction with the start of CES, the IPG Emerging Media Lab and location services provider Navteq announced a formal partnerhsip following months of negotiations. This unique partnership will allow both teams to collectively leverage each others core set of assets.
For Navteq, it provides the company with a branded venue to showcase their unique product sets in both the Lab’s Mobile space and the “in progress” Telematics space. Navteq’s branded space will feature all the latest in mobile devices that leverage realtime mapping/navigation, as well as their current set of personal navigation devices (PNDs). Both will show agencies and brands how to use location-based service (LBS) as part of any digitally integrated campaign. This profile is key for any cutting edge “digital” marketing plan.
For the Lab, the benefits are several fold. Continue reading “Navteq’s location-aware services come to the Lab”
The Lab team is heading to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week to roam the showrooms and take part in the massive gadget brain-exchange. We’ll be blogging live through the weekend–and here are 10 reasons you should stay tuned:
1. It’s like Paris’ Ready-to-Wear event of the year–but instead showcasing gadgets in Vegas. While there will be far more geeky men than hot models in pretty get-ups (I’ve already heard that a fellow digerati femme was one of only 10 women on her plane to Vegas), this is the place to look for what technologies and consumer electronics are coming down the line in ’09. THIS is the place where dreams are made, battles are won, hearts are broken. Okay, perhaps I’m pushing it. But, if you have any desire to keep abreast with technology, stay tuned (preferably here) for all the latest and greatest advances in consumer tech.
2. We might finally learn if this is the year the Internet will kill the TV star. (Check out the WSJ’s round up of reasons how it might). It likely won’t–but this year even a scaled back CES promises some amazing new solutions for watching video and TV via the Internet including two of my favorite new devices: New player ZeeVee is presenting their ZvBox which turns computers into an HDTV channel on your TV set; WhereverTV allows consumers to watch hundreds of international television shows on your television via the Internet (sign me up!)
Stay with me, I’ve got 8 more reasons CES is THE consumer event of the year: Continue reading “Top 10 reasons CES matters”
In making the case for Intel chips in TV sets, Eric Kim from Intel claimed that there was a consumer demand for “full internet” in their TVs. I’m not so sure about that.
The “full online experience” comes with expectations of user input that a TV just can’t match. Unless I can plug in a keyboard and mouse that fit conveniently on a lap board, surfing the web on my couch is going to be much easier to accomplish with a laptop. Which is exactly what people seem to do when multi-consuming content. The TV is a specialized device, and as such, is best to serve up a tailored experience.
LG seems to be on the right path with their announcement regarding NetflixInstant Queue availability built directly into the TV set. This is a feature that enhances the specialized function served by the TV. Continue reading “Intel challenges TVs to incorporate Internet”
