January 7th, 2007
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CES 2007: A casino conference room full of pale gadget fan-boy bloggers, doe-eyed PR reps, and pre-market electronics, means one thing — I’m in Vegas for the next few days for, what else, CES. The desert is cold, and Barry Manilow’s face is everywhere. I just got back from the first official event of the CES circuit, the standard CES “Unveiled” event, and true to tradition there were not many major unveilings. But it’s always fun to get a taste of some of the goods that CES has to offer before the rush of the week, and in a room that’s quite a bit smaller than the football stadium-sized Las Vegas Convention Center.
Check out some of the photos I took with the Nokia N93, which I managed to pry out of Om’s hands for a few days to take to Vegas. The two below are from the convention center — DivX is finally promoting Stage6, and Verizon bombarded the press room with fiber-based demos. It’s not too bad for a 3.2 megapixel mobile camera phone. We’ll try out some video this week too.
This year is also the 40th anniversary of the event, so I guess its officially over-the-hill now. Andy Abramson says its getting revitalized, but the blogs that are making news have been doing this for several years now. Maybe there are just that many more now.
At the Unveiled event, LG was showing off some of its latest phones like the QWERTY-based enV, the CU400, which is an HSDPA push-to-talk phone, and, of course, the Chocolate in many flavors. What they didn’t have at the booth was an LG MediaFLO phone, which I’m thinking is going to be the center piece of Verizon’s press conference on Sunday. MediaFLO USA also had a running demo of its mobile TV service, but over a weird clunky demo device. They have promised the real thing tomorrow.
Not to be outdone by their LG, Samsung showed off their own nifty new phones - the X830s, the Ultra Music phone, the i760 super slider, and the not-so-nifty large-text phone for the senior citizens, the Jitterbug.
Samsung is not just a mobile phone company. It is also showing off both very large and small screens, from a double-sided 2.22-inch LCD that shows different images on both sides of the same screen for mobile use, to a 70-inch diagonal HD LCD TV panel. Then there’s Samsung’s mobile video tech news, which we’re looking to find our more about.
The Axion “IPTV Box,” looked like something I would actually use, and is launching sometime in the summer — it’s a small mobile monitor that runs online video connected wirelessly to its broadband-connected base station. No PC required. I tried to duck past the WiMedia UWB section but I got roped into watching their demo-only UWB Kodak camera. Stop teasing us. Of course robots always have a way of upstaging the group, particularly if they come in the form of a Singing Elvis or a robospider.
The event wasn’t a blockbuster, but it’s better than bumming around my hotel. Somehow I thought it was a good idea to stay outside the city and rent a car, so I found myself in the city of Henderson, sandwiched between a bar called Mugshots and an industrial plant. This is my fourth CES, but my first and last time doing that.
More Photos on Flickr
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Written by Katie Fehrenbacher on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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Friday afternoon at Sling Media’s HQ in San Mateo, we got a look at a prototype for one of the first entrants in the bring-Internet-video-to-the-TV race: The SlingCatcher, a sort of Slingbox-in-reverse that should hit the retail shelves sometime this summer, priced at $200 or less.
Handling it quite literally with kid gloves (OK, they were cotton gloves so he didn’t scratch the surface), Sling’s PR director Brian Jaquet lifted the device out of a box and showed it off — with component ports as well as S-video, HDMI and a couple USB ports, as well as Ethernet, the SlingCatcher is ready to sit between your PC and your big screen, to bring those grainy YouTube clips (or maybe something higher definition) to the living room. The unit, about half the size of a basic Slingbox, also has a hard drive on the bottom of the unit, with a USB port for local storage.
While all the details (including the name, which might change between now and then) won’t be revealed until a press conference in Las Vegas Sunday night, the Sling folks gave us a green light to talk now; according to Jamie Odell, Sling’s VP of product marketing, the SlingCatcher is different from other digital media servers because it just relays whatever is on your PC screen to your TV, without file conversions.
“It works completely independent of how the media was encoded,” Odell said of the SlingCatcher, “so you don’t have to worry about what file format it is.” Though it’s not a wireless router, the SlingCatcher will have wireless support, so you can send material via your local WiFi net. It also works with a regular Slingbox to let you send a cable signal or DVR material from one TV to another in your house, or at a remote location — so instead of watching those movies on the road on your laptop, by carrying around a SlingCatcher you could instead watch them on the hotel or condo’s TV.
Sling has a couple other tricks up its sleeve, which we should hear about tomorrow night, so stay tuned.
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Written by Paul Kapustka on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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CES 2007, Las Vegas: First Modeo gave us details of its mobile TV launch at CES, then Samsung said it is working on its own mobile TV technology, now reports are saying Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm will announce the launch of MediaFLO mobile TV for Verizon mobile subscribers. We speculated as much, but whoa, talk about mobile TV overload — not even a day in Vegas and we’re already tired of the subject.
Then there’s the mobile TV over WiMAX demonstration that Sprint, MobiTV, Intel, Samsung, and Motorola will be putting on. And Cingular has its own mobile video thing going on with its “live” video share call announcement — they’ll be showing off a service where callers can share a live video stream to a recipient during a voice call. Well that covers all the major U.S. carriers, but seriously, all this mobile video is making my head hurt.
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Written by Katie Fehrenbacher on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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Torrent nets are buzzing about four leaked episodes of 24’s sixth season. Tragedy or a new way to hype a show that is a big long in the tooth. More here!
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Written by Om Malik on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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Some of you may have noticed that I recently added a few new pages to Smith On VoIP. One of the additions that I am truly excited about is the Smith On VoIP advertising options . Why I am so excited? No, it is not just because this is an opportunity to generate revenues for this site. I am so excited about opening up advertising options on Smith On VoIP because of the opportunities it will generate for me to work with various VoIP companies to assist them with achieving their business goals as it relates to marketing their product(s) and or service(s). So if you have ever stopped by Smith On VoIP and wanted to advertise (or if you have previously contacted me and I was not able to handle advertisements at that time) check out the rest of this post for more information about how you can advertise on Smith On VoIP. Smith On VoIP Advertising Options Do you need to better establish you companys brand name with VoIP consumers? Are you looking to directly connect with a targeted audience of key VoIP industry influencers? Having trouble driving targeted consumers to your website? Need to generated qualified leads? Want to generate buzz for your latest product? Please Read On Smith On VoIP Has An Advertising Solution For You! As a marketing professional myself, I understand your situation. Every year marketers are asked to squeeze more and more from their marketing budgets. I have created a number of low cost advertising solutions designed to drive revenues and maximize your return on investment. I am committed to making your advertising campaign a success. I am willing to work with you to create the best offers for the Smith On VoIP audience and select the best advertising solutions to meet your business goals. Still Interested? Check out the Advertising Rates Below Smith On VoIP Advertising Rates - No Sticker Shock! Banner Ads (Three Month Minimum) Header Banner 46890 $100/M Site Navigation Banner 72890 $100/m Column Banner 160600 $75/m, 120120 $50/m Content Banner 250250 $100/m Footer Banner 46890 $25/m Text link Ads (Three Month Minimum) > Sitewide Column Link $25/m Product Reviews Many believe the best advertising does not look like advertising. The best advertising is interactive and informative. Product reviews (hardware, software, and service) are both interactive and informative. Not only do you get a robust product review, I will also work with you to better understand how you can get others within the VoIP blogsphere to review your product. Product + $500 VoIP Consulting Are you a business looking to migrate to VoIP? Are you equipment manufacturer interested in developing a new VoIP Product? Are you a VoIP Service Provider interested in launching a new VoIP Service? Just want to talk to me about VoIP for an hour for your own gain? I am available on a limited basis to offer consulting on a variety of VoIP related > initiatives. Please use the contact form below to receive more information about VoIP consulting prices and availability. So You Want To Start An Advertsing Campaign? Please fill out the form below to get started. Make sure to include which advertising options you are interested in! Your Name: > (required) Your Email: > (required) Your Website: > Your Message: > >
Written by Smith On VoIP - Garrett Smith's Insights on VoIP P on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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I am heading out to CES on Monday. For the first time in a long time, I am heading to a conference or expo with very few meetings planned in advanced. Although many may feel this a poor move on my part, it leaves me open to explore, meet, and investigate the latest in the world of consumer electronics. I will be paying particular attention to: Skype Products Cordless VoIP Products Wireless VoIP Products Dual Mode Products IP Phone System Appliances So If you plan on going to CES next week, what are the products, services, or trends that you are looking for?
Written by Smith On VoIP - Garrett Smith's Insights on VoIP P on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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Iotum the company best known for its Iotum Relevance Engine, is looking for beta testers of its new product Iotum Talk-Now . Talk-Now allows users to share your contact specific availability to let people know when to reach you, show at a glance the personalized availability of your preferred contacts, and notify you when a contact becomes available. If you are a Blackberry 8700 or PEARL user, visit http://www.iotum.com/blackberry to sign-up.
Written by Smith On VoIP - Garrett Smith's Insights on VoIP P on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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VoIP.com Standalone Softphone and Voicemail Services VoIP.com, one of my favorite VoIP service providers, has offically launched the stand alone versions of their VoIP SoftPhone and Voicemail services. Previously, these products were bundled with all of the VoIP.com VoIP service calling plans . VoIP.com Softphone Service The VoIP.com SoftPhone allows you to turn any PC or laptop into a full-functioning telephone that works just like your telephone keypad. You can make a call, receive a call, and pick up your voicemails. SoftPhone is a screen-based interface that works just like your telephone keypad. For only $9.95 per month, you get unlimited calling! > > VoIP.com Softphone Benefits: FREE download FREE in-network calls International rates from 1.7 cents/minutes Low cost of only $9.95/month Click Here for More Information on the VoIP.com SoftPhone service. VoIP.com Voicemail Service With the VoIP.com Voicemail service, you can view, sort, download messages, receive notifications by phone, email, pager, etc. This is an excellent, low cost (only $4.95 per month), voice mail package for professionals who need a standalone voicemail service. > > VoIP.com Voicemail benefits: Standard calling features Check from phone and PC Pick your own number Easy to use at any location Click Here for More Information on the VoIP.com Voicemail Service
Written by Smith On VoIP - Garrett Smith's Insights on VoIP P on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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Rich Tehrani has a heart warming story about the work Ken Smith is doing as Program Manager at the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH). Stories like these, and the one I told about my own family, truly makes you realize that VoIP has the power to do more then just save you or your business money. While advances in all technologies are typically done for commercial reasons, for a specific market, it is always interesting to see how technology affects those on the fringe. Read: VoIP Changes the Lives of Disabled Veterans
Written by Smith On VoIP - Garrett Smith's Insights on VoIP P on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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Inspired by my examination of Digg’s business model earlier this week, I’ve moved the spot to MyBlogLog, which has been getting an awful lot of attention (see this ZDNet mini-review) ever since reports Yahoo was going to acquire it for $10-million. I’ve been using MyBlogLog for a long time as a tool to track what posts people are reading and what sites they are coming from, as well as a cool widget that tells you how many times a particular link in a post has been clicked on.
Mostly recently, MyBlogLog has been attracting users with a social networking tool that lets you add other MyBlogLog users to your community. There’s also a widget that tells you the other MyBlogLog users (including their photos) who have visited your site.
So, how does MyBlogLog make money? From what I can tell, it’s mostly from a premium service ($3 a month or $25 a year) that lets you see your statistics in real-time. This compares with the free service that lets you check statistics from the previous week. I suspect MyBlogLog’s push into the community/social networking markets has two angles: it attracts new users, which makes the company more attractive to potential advertisers and/or suitors; as well as creating a larger audience for the premium statistics services.
If you believe where there’s smoke, there’s fire, Yahoo’s apparent interest in MyBlogLog suggests the company could be the next Web 2.0 start-up to be snapped up.
Written by Mark Evans on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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A few thoughts as I prepare to head out to Las Vegas this evening. While a 15-year veteran of the former Comdex, this is only my second CES show. But interesting to note how it is approaching the size and popularity that Comdex had in its heyday. While Bill Gates continues to give keynotes, there is, however, one major difference - the news comes out and is propagated worldwide instantly -- not primarily by the mainstream press but via independent bloggers who can take a much more vertical approach to presenting a range of perspectives on all the announcements and new offerings. Andy at VoIP Watch talks more extensively on this subject.
As for Skype and VoIP (where V = voice and video), I will be watching for:
On the first subject, a few comments: over the past few years we have seen home-based routers go from PC-based "applications" (remember WinGate?) to independent devices such as those supplied by Linksys, D-Link and NetGear; we have seen the access to our TV cable box served best via a dedicated device such as the SlingBox. Is the Skype phone the next major consumer device to operate over IP independent of a multi-tasking PC? Recently I have been able to use Truphone to make low cost international calls over my WiFi connection. What other dedicated-function devices that simply attach to an Ethernet port on the router or connect via WiFi can we expect to see?
P.S. - the latest version of SlingPlayer is giving me superb quality over my home network (with speeds up to 3Mbps) even when full screen on a 1650 x 1080 display. Update: At a hotel in LV I'm getting over 700 kpbs with good picture quality over a hotel WkFi connection. A little fuzzier than on the home network but certainly usable
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Written by Skype Journal on January 7th, 2007 with no comments.
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