A better look at CES Unveiled 2009
This year’s CES Unveiled, the annual press preview that marks the (un)official start of the show, wasn’t used to launch any new UMPCs or MIDs, but since it’s still part of the overall CES experience, I’ve pulled together some pictures to give you a general feel of the event. If you weren’t there, you’ll see below that you really didn’t miss much.
I suspect that most people go to Unveiled more for the free food and drinks than anything else. We didn’t have any of it, as eating/drinking free stuff makes me feel like a savage, but the spread was pretty impressive.
There was sushi, pasta, shrimp cocktail, huge chunks of cheese, fruit, some sort of meat on skewers, crackers, breads, and a long winding table of desserts.
I guess it speaks volumes about Unveiled that the first thing I mention is the food, but it’s what made the most impact on me. Part of the reason for this is that I stepped on a piece of cake and got frosting on my shoe (stepping on gum is pretty commonplace, but cake leaves a lasting impression), but mostly it’s because almost everyone had a plate or glass in their hand when they bumped into or pushed past me.
Device-wise, the only thing that really grabbed my attention was this concept unit from UK-based company TheAlloy. It’s called the Couple-IT and is similar to Celio’s RedFly in that the clamshell (~7-inch screen) is an extension to the handset. According to the press release, it "uses two linked devices to provide the best possible solution for a varied range of daily scenarios."
Before the show, I overheard some guy explaining to someone else that iGo is the new combination of the iPhone and the iPod. He must have been very surprised to see a table full of chargers!
It wasn’t difficult to get a clear shot of the iGo table, but any exhibitor who had a netbook in its arsenal attracted a crowd of people. Lenovo, MSI, and Asus all had netbooks on display (it’s impossible to make out, but the last two pictures above are of the new Eee PC T91 from this afternoon’s press event), so their tables were never without a few rows of people tiptoeing and craning their necks.
Other than the Pacemaker (portable music player and mixer), Minoru 3D webcam, and some flying R/C toys, there wasn’t much to see. I think that’s just par for the course, though.
Day -1 of CES verdict: Uneventful.
