jqp's CES 2011

jqp · « **on:** 13 Jan 2011, 04:27 am »

There were lots of "home technology" exhibits...I guess they are getting closer to going mainstream with cheaper lcd screens and wireless.

Everyone had a racing setup...

The Squeezebox Touch!

Logitech was allowing you to make a custom mold of your ears for earbuds

Pez · « **Reply #1 on:** 13 Jan 2011, 05:43 am »

Nice coverage man! I love how Microsoft booth is like "here are some computers! And Kinect!!" just like every other year. Nothing amazing (at least not from what I see.

Great looking LED tvs.

jqp · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 02:39 am »

Microsoft definitely had Kinect! and they also showed a lot of tablets.

They had 3 or 4 little Kinect fishbowl rooms

jqp · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 02:50 am »

I was amazed at the design and lighting by the major companies at the show - you can see how the colors often changed, but it was very professionally done.

3D was the huge marketing thrust this year. We know that there is just not that much actual 3D content, so I expect 3D to be just a fad. Animated 3D is much easier to produce well, so I would think there will be much more of that. I noticed that much of the 3D content at the show was generated by exhibitors before the show (home movies) or at the show itself, using little 3D point-and- shoot cameras.

One entertaining device I wanted to see was the Parrot A.R. Drone quad-rotor. This is a quad-rotor copter, remotely controlled by an iOS (Apple mobile) device. I saw these at an outdoor demo area, as well as inside. There are too many limitations on these for them to be priced at $300...the batteries last only 12 minutes, they are just not controllable enough, and the parts break to easily, requiring replacement parts all the time.

In these photos, the A.R. Drones are being placed in position for an automated demo...they both launch into the air to a pre-set height, and do a synchronized ballet. Unfortunately the one in back got off course a bit, and did not land on it's green target. Zero History, by William Gibson, features much larger and more complex, professional grade drones, also controlled by iPhones.

This "real" RC copter is 3 feet long

jqp · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 02:52 am »

The Tesla electric roadster was featured in several booths

jqp · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 03:05 am »

Motorola has a flashy booth - Giant LED billboards

They also apparently had THE tablet of the CES - the Motorola Xoom running Android 3.0 (will find pics of it)

And here it is - the Motorola Xoom tablet - it runs Android 3.0

jqp · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 03:13 am »

I liked the Dolby booth

They did a great demo for "home" theater

jqp · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 03:14 am »

more to come

Pez · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 05:46 am »

Dude, that Tesla is badass!

Was the Motorola display a bunch of lights just suspended from the ceiling like it looks? or some sort of gigantic glass display? Kinda hard to tell with all the craziness. I think Motorola's new Xoom is probably the best non-iPad tablet out there, of course the iPad 2 is right around the corner and will trounce the Xoom.

The Microsoft tablets- I see one tablet in the photos you took and a lot of laptopish-tabletish looking things. Were any being demoed? I heard nothing but bad things about the Microsoft showing this year in general. People were saying yeah, Kinect is cool, but we've been there done that, and their other tech was pretty standard fare iPad competitors and windows machines.

Any way I can tell you lugged your D90 around with you for the show, and for that you have my praise and condolences! That is not a light camera! Very nice pics! Can't wait to see the rest!

jqp · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 04:55 pm »

Quote from: Pez on 15 Jan 2011, 05:46 am

Dude, that Tesla is badass!

Was the Motorola display a bunch of lights just suspended from the ceiling like it looks? or some sort of gigantic glass display? Kinda hard to tell with all the craziness. I think Motorola's new Xoom is probably the best non-iPad tablet out there, of course the iPad 2 is right around the corner and will trounce the Xoom.

The Microsoft tablets- I see one tablet in the photos you took and a lot of laptopish-tabletish looking things. Were any being demoed? I heard nothing but bad things about the Microsoft showing this year in general. People were saying yeah, Kinect is cool, but we've been there done that, and their other tech was pretty standard fare iPad competitors and windows machines.

Any way I can tell you lugged your D90 around with you for the show, and for that you have my praise and condolences! That is not a light camera! Very nice pics! Can't wait to see the rest!

Yeah I saw at least 3 Teslas at the show - NVidia (the Graphics Processing Unit and formerly Intel chipset company) partnered with them in one of their outdoor booths - NVidia is putting GPS/everything console systems into several cars soon. The Tesla has an LCD screen mounted vertically that had to be at least 17 inches - enough room for hi-res satellite map of where you are! Also saw a smaller horizontal NVidia system in a BMW and an Audi.

The Motorola screens (there were at leas 3 big ones) were a stiff metal array of "combs" of LEDs

I will post the Motorola Xoom pic and also more of the tablets at the MS booth.

Not only did I have my Nikon D90 in my hand, but I had a backpack with a Canon HV30 and on the first 2 days, my Dell XPS 13" laptop and charger! They got a little heavy.

Once I realized there was NO FREE WIRELESS at the show (unless you knew someone) I left the laptop and charger at the hotel. How can there be no free wireless at this kind of event in this day and age? Pure greed.

jqp · « **Reply #10 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 05:15 pm »

This is on just the EDGE of the Gold parking lot (dirty 18-200 lens!)

The pink building on the right is one of many halls in the Convention Center - the monorail goes by the Hilton and many other hotels

These products won awards...also the Nikon 3100 won and several other pieces of camera equipment - there were many categories of products and I will show a few more

This is from the LG section of the Hall, it was a huge area and featured many different types of products - what, no animatronic puppy?

jqp · « **Reply #11 on:** 15 Jan 2011, 05:47 pm »

After picking up my rental car Thursday afternoon, I arrived just barely too late to pick up my badge...I was able to park in the huge Gold parking lot ($10) for free, since no attendants were around at dinner time. At one registration booth, the guy sent me to the main registration booth, and they said "why did he do that" - so I went across to the exhibit halls, to at least get on the internet for a few minutes to check my directions to the hotel (I finally got on a temporary network from a session upstairs). Then I started taking a few pictures, and soon I was wandering around some booths as most of the 120,000 people were packing up for the day leaving the show. With my camera and wearing my jacket, no one was looking for my badge. So here are a few shots from the first night...

Wired magazine was having a "private party"

The Hilton held mostly breakout rooms for CES - it was about a 5 minute walk, partially via overstreet walkway. The big H is actually RED to our eyes...I will try to make it so in a little post processing if i get a chance.

Turn your iPad into a laptop

Here is something else for that 1st gen iPad

This looks like a really good idea if you have to take meds

Coming next - some actual AUDIO products at CES 2011

Bear Heath · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 02:22 am »

JQP,

really enjoying your photographs. Thanks for posting.

Tyson · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 05:14 am »

Awesome pics man!

I'm betting once you get the fully active system dialed in at home, it will blow away a lot of what you heard at the 2 shows

Charles Xavier · « **Reply #14 on:** 16 Jan 2011, 11:48 am »

Did you see any decent new Blu-ray players ?

jqp · « **Reply #15 on:** 18 Jan 2011, 03:18 am »

Quote from: Charles Xavier on 16 Jan 2011, 11:48 am

Did you see any decent new Blu-ray players ?

No can't say that I did...that was the last thing I was looking for, as I am not in the market (have a PS3 as my Blu-Ray player).

Saw lots of TVs, nothing I am probably in the market for. I plan to get a nice 2D 65" Panasonic of some sort or possibly another brand. Most featured TVs were 3D or OLED screens

jqp · « **Reply #16 on:** 18 Jan 2011, 03:23 am »

jqp · « **Reply #17 on:** 18 Jan 2011, 03:29 am »

Lawrence Audio - The Violin

jqp · « **Reply #18 on:** 18 Jan 2011, 03:33 am »

MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL Home Theater speakers

(ouch - not a great shot)

jqp · « **Reply #19 on:** 18 Jan 2011, 03:36 am »

What CES could be complete without Monster Cable