Tag: microsoft

CES 2009: Hooking up in Vegas

Posted on by Lab Team

WiMAX makes an impact at CES (Erwin Boogert via Flickr)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”

CES 2009: Windows 7 gives CE brands a home

Posted on by Lab Team

Device StageCES 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”

Top 10 reasons CES matters

Posted on by Lab Team

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”