As the CES madness begins, I’ll be joining in
Now that we've all had a few days to fully interpret those silly New Year's resolutions we make every January and realize that they're too easily forgotten, it's finally time to get down to more important business. As predictable as a calendar flipping its last page, this week we have the start of the annual Geek Fest – oops, I meant the Consumer Electronics Show, which takes place in Las Vegas.
I try and make a habit of attending most years, and this year will be no different except for one thing – I will be covering the show for Pocketables in Jenn's absence. While she set a lofty standard with her live coverage last year, I am so used to just marveling at everything without having to report it, so this year will be a change for me.
To get into "CES mode," I was just rummaging through some of the pics I took last year. Enjoy some of them after the break, and hopefully you'll be just as ready as I am to see what's changed in the past 12 months since the Palm Pre and the Sony VAIO P-series were the talk of the show.
Even though Vegas is the convention capital of the world, no other show matches the sheer size of CES, which not only fills the entire convention center and part of the adjoining LV Hilton, but also the Sands Expo at the Venetian. To describe CES in a simplistic manner, I would have to say it is plenty of shuttle buses, lots and lots of exciting new electronics and computers, way too many people crowding each other, and miles and miles of walking, but it never gets old.
Because of obligations here with my business, I'm not able to attend the entire week, but I will be posting from the show floor starting Friday morning and continuing through the end of the show on Sunday. I'd like to think the show doesn't start until I arrive, but at least everything I miss the first day will still be there once I hit the booths.
Later this week, I'll post the contents of my gear bag that I am taking with me, though I am still undecided on a few things. I can tell you that I'll be traveling very light, unlike someone else, since my iPhone 3GS and Nokia N900 can handle most everything. It's amazing how my CES travel gear has become less and less over the past few years, going from a full-size laptop and mobile router with a PCMCIA 3G modem, to a Nokia N800 and Cradlepoint router with USB 3G modem. This year, a Sprint MiFi has relegated the Cradlepoint to spot duty, and the iPhone 3GS might just replace a camera and laptop at the same time.
If there are any particular devices at the show that anyone would like to see up close, just let me know in the comments and I'll try and get you hooked up with the info you need. In the meantime, I've got some planning to do!
