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Live coverage of Panasonic's CES press event
3:02 PM Here we are getting ready in a packed house for Panasonic to get big. Can they surpass Sharp's 108-inch LCD unveiled earlier today? Will they try? 3:05 PM Getting started. Chairman and CEO of North American Operations, Yoshi Yamada, entering stage. Plasma sales are the engine of Panasonic's growth. 51% market share in North America during 2006. 42-inch and 50-inch the "most wanted" HDTVs in the US. Mark Cuban owns 103-inch TV, it's not just a novelty to show off at tradeshow, this is real product. John Chambers of Cisco owns one too. "A little too big" for Yoshi's apartment though.
Live coverage of Thomson's press conference
RCA-parent company (at least for now) Thomson seems to have pulled themselves away from the magic that is Celine Dion just long enough to conduct a press conference here in Vegas. Can they pull it off without the aid of a Quebecois accent. Most likely, they've been doing it for 40 years as a founding member of CES. 12:57 Sugar Pie Honey Bunch is blasting over the sound system. Is this really necessary? Plenty of room here in a ballroom about a 1/4 the size of most conferences. Hey, it's not Samsung, we can deal. 13:07 Dan Collishaw COO reviewing Thomson innovations for the year. Shopping RCA audio/video to perspective buyers as they have other divisions. RCA small wonder is expected to "redefine the camcorder business" -- cheap, point and shoot. 2007 will bring more choices with connected products. 13:11 Dwight Sakuma RCA's A/V man in the house steps on stage.
Live coverage of Verizon's press conference
After LG's little oopsie earlier in the day, we'll be curious to see what Verizon Wireless has to tell us regarding its MediaFLO plans this afternoon. We've been seated in the ballroom; the conference is about to begin.1:08PM PST - The event has started. Denny Strigl has taken the stage.1:09 - "We are here to talk about TV."1:10 - "We're going to turn up the bandwidth on the whole television experience."
Live coverage of Philips' CES press conference
It's big, it's blue, and it's surrounded by Ambilight. It can only be live coverage of Philip's press event in Vegas baby, Las Vegas. The room is filling up with the world's press. Andew Goldman on stage with the welcome. CEO not with us due to ski accident.11:09 Talking up innovation and all the awards won by philips.11:13: Stewart Muller, President CE North America on stage to carry us through the rest of the show. Ambilight is now the subject at hand. Announcing Philips' one of a kind, 2,000 diamond slathered LCD in celebration of their 1 millionth ambilight TV -- no, it's not for sale. So much for sense and simplicity, eh? Continue reading for picture.
Live coverage from Toshiba's CES press conference
The room is packed to the gills, and it took a few shady dealings to even get in the door, but we're finally in. Right now they're touting their various HD technologies, it's a bit of a yawn, but we'll join Mr. Presenter in progress all the same.10:37 (PST) - Touting DynaLight, and now ColorBurst, which will be featured in all 1080p sets for wider color gamut."Not only do you want a better picture, but you want it to be easier to use." Hence CE-Link, which allows for device / TV communication via HDMI, so that remote operations can be simplified.10:40 - Now he's talking about hertz. So very (not) exciting. A new ClearFrame 120Hz tech eliminates LCD motion blur, which plasma fanboys have been shouting about. "Motion vector frame interpolation." Sounds pretty hot.
Live coverage of Netgear's press hoedown
We're here at Netgear's press conference, with Debbie Williams, CMO, introducing us to what Netgear does, and then to Vivek Pathela, VP Product Marketing.They're starting us off fast, Vivek introduces Netgear's new Digital Entertainer HD, which streams full HD content from the PC (1080p, baby). Going by the catchy EVA800 moniker, the player can pull stored video, YouTube vids, Media Center content, iTunes music and plenty more.To demonstrate the amazing power of YouTube, Vivek shows off one of those Mentos videos, chuckles abound."Any content, in any room, at any time."
Live coverage of LG's press event
We're here at the LG event, about to find out just how "Life's Good" with a few LG gadgets. The room is packed, with flashed fluttering and shiny gadgets up front. And here comes the intro guy, who's name escapes us.11:00 -"Here we are, kicking off the first CES press event, at 8am on a Sunday""We have a lot of announcements today." But for now, they're just introducing us to all their friends.11:04 - And here comes the keynote speaker, CEO Micheal Ahn."Good morning everyone. I appreciate your interest today.""LG, for a few years, has been well known as a premium brand in the American market. Now, 75% of American consumers perceive LG as a progressive, trendy brand."Micheal is talking about convergence, and how LG has its hand in just about every market of consumer electronics.
Keynote Bingo for Macworld 07
These two Macworld 07 Keynote Bingo card generators almost make me wish I wasn't going to be live-blogging said keynote; it would be *so* much fun to be able to leap up and shout bingo in the middle of, say, the 30-inch iMac introduction. Of course, the subsequent beatdown from the surrounding fellow Mac nerds probably wouldn't be quite as much fun, but boy would it be worth it. I'm not really sure what the difference is between the two - I simply found them via Ranchero's blog. Fortunately, they both seem to offer the ability to create a card based on a random number you pick; that way you can re-print cards later to prove to your own fellow Mac nerds (that is, if they didn't beat you down) that you truly did score.Have fun! Just don't blame us for any resulting bruises or hospital bills.
Live Streaming MWSF Keynote?
In years past, Apple streamed the Macworld San Francisco Keynote (aka Stevenote) live for your delectation. Unfortunately, they seemed to have suspended the practice. Well what's a Mac news junkie to do? Of course you'll be able to count on TUAW and others for live text feeds of the event, but World of Apple Live is promising their own grassroots broadcast via an advertising-supported Flash player.According to the site, they "will be [in] attendance at the Keynote with a laptop that has a flash encoder which captures sound and uploads it to a streaming server which then delivers it to a client-side player at your computer, delivering you with audio live from the Keynote." However, since they don't have guaranteed bandwidth (I'm guessing they'll be using a "Wireless Broadband" card on one of the cell networks), they can't guarantee success. As some commenters have pointed out, this is of questionable legality (and Apple is certainly not known for being reticent with the lawyers), but if they can pull it off it'll be worth checking out on Jan 9th.[Via Digg]
Macworld Keynote Purchase Safety Dates
One of the reasons Apple tries so hard to keep upcoming products under-wraps is something called the Osborne Effect. In 1983, Osborne Computer announced the future release of several new machines that would far out-perform their current offerings. Unfortunately, Osborne was counting on sales from their current machines to pay for production of the next-generation products. As soon as people heard something better was in the pipeline, sales dried up, and Osborne eventually went under. The very same thing would happen if info were to get out about a new iPod or Mac; no one is going to buy an Mac now if they know that by waiting a month they can get a much better one. The rumor mill however continues to feed that little nagging devil on our shoulder telling us to wait just a few more weeks to see what will be announced. The issue is, there is a good chance that the thing we are expecting to get replaced is left alone, and we will have waited all that time for nothing. And when it comes to the holidays, when gifts are expected on very specific dates, waiting often isn't an option at all. Lucky for those of you considering the last minute purchase of an Apple product for the holidays, Gizmodo has a quick roundup of purchase safety dates after which you can buy from Apple safe in the knowledge that if Unkie Steve does replace your product at Macworld, you'll be able to exchange it for a new model.
Keynote gets some love
When you think Apple applications you think iLife, Final Cut, Motion, iChat, OS X. Those are the biggies, right? But what about poor little iWork? Well, it looks like iWork, Keynote in particular, is getting some love from the blogosphere. Tim Bray, XML geek and all around cool computer guy, penned a love letter to Keynote the other day. He declared that is it Apple's best app. Daring Fireball agrees that it is good, but probably not the best app Apple offers, while Theocacao lists some of the things that makes Keynote so gosh darned fun to use (anyone ever say that about PowerPoint?).I must admit that I haven't used Keynote all that much, since I don't find myself giving many presentations (if you would like me to give a presentation just contact me. I'm lonely, and I have a MacBook!). The few times I have found myself whipping something together in Keynote I have been impressed with how such little effort by me resulted in such a great looking presentation.So, dear TUAWers, any Keynote lovers out there? Let us know in the comments what you like about Keynote, and what Apple should fix in the next version (which I bet will be announced at Macworld '07).
Serious Games Summit: Henry Jenkins keynote
I'm here at the Serious Games Summit in Arlington, VA where the keyword of the keynote speech by MIT's Henry Jenkins was convergence. Not necessarily technological convergence -- that mythical, magical black box that will control your media and your life -- but a cultural convergence that allows a community to form a collective intelligence around a game, movie or TV show. The real appeal of media experiences today, Jenkins argued, is not necessarily the product itself, but the community that grows around it, the participatory culture that doesn't come in the box.Jenkins urged the serious games movement to keep this in mind when designing the educational and socially relevant games the conference is focused on. He challenged the diverse crowd of experts from the government, education, military, health and social change fields to create educational games that were less like a spelling bee (high on memorization, low on discussion and engagement) and more like Scrabble (high on experimentation, low on penalties for risk). Jenkins also echoed Will Wright's call for games that are interdisciplinary, that take on multiple agendas instead of just narrowly focusing on one subject.With the final part of his speech, Jenkins focused on specific projects trying to achieve these goals -- games like Revolution, a Neverwinter Nights mod that encourages students to role-play as a colonial patriot, and Labyrinth, an upcoming game that teaches math and logic skills on top of a search for a lost pet. Jenkins also acknowledged the challenges of getting these products out to market (some teachers refused to buy Revolution because of occult symbols in Neverwinter Nights, for instance), but seemed hopeful that companies could break through these barriers by joining together.
The Mac Observer reviews OmniDazzle
If you've gotten over the initial reactions to OmniDazzle and are considering actually using it, you might find Jeff Gamet's review at The Mac Observer useful. OmniDazzle, as you may recall, is a presentation tool that highlights your mouse cursor in a variety of mesmerizing ways, making it easy for others to follow along and focus without missing a beat.The pros? Easy to use, lots of eye candy to choose from and works nicely with Keynote. The cons? Limited and in some cases no support for older Macs due to video card requirements. Check OmniGroup's requirements page to see if your Mac supports it. You'll need Mac OS X 10.4.6 and a Core Image capable video card. Also, too many not-very-useful styles. Check out the full review for more details.
TGS: Sony's snoozer, judge for yourself
Apparently our transcription, with requisite PictoChat commentary, didn't convince everyone that Ken Kutaragi's keynote, titled "PS3 Creating Next Generation of Computer Entertainment," was a total snoozefest. So we followed up with an editorial explaining why, yet some remained unconvinced. So, in an attempt to remove ourselves from this equation, we present the translated audio from the event (.mp3) for your listening pleasure.* If you manage to make it through the whole thing, what do you think? What else, besides Killzone 2, was missing? Where was the PSP?*We'd love to upload a cleaner sound file if any audio-inclined reader wants to clean it up.See also:Sony's trainwreck of a keynoteBlogging Ken Kutaragi's PS3 keynote
TGS: Blogging Ken Kutaragi's PS3 keynote [update 1]
It's hot and humid outside the room in which Sony's Ken Kutaragi will deliver the most anticipated keynote address of Tokyo Games Show. The journalists who are queuing up are sure to be tired and cranky by the time they get into the show, ensuring, perhaps, a properly sceptical reception for the tsu-hype-nami to follow.After a raucous round of DS PictoChat, the keynote starts at 10:11am. Introducing Ken Kutaragi, CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment, reading from his latest work, "PS3 Creating Next Generation of Computer Entertainment."Sony asks us to refrain from taking pictures of demo stuff. Fine, we'll oblige, but we won't like it. 'Cause you wouldn't want to show off the product you want everyone to buy in a couple months. Instead, we'll provide some additional color commentary, courtesy the press and attendees hanging out in the DS PictoChat chatroom.
Live at Nintendo's NYC Wii press conference
Yeah, so we already know most, if not all, of the gory details, but we're here live in New York for Nintendo's US press conference for the Wii anyway. We'll have updates on the regular, stay tuned!9:20AM EST - Perrin Kaplan is on stage doing an introduction. 9:21AM - Reggie! He walks on, "We will reveal all the relevant information for the Wii." "Today marks our next planned step in driving this industry forward."9:23AM - "Our strategy is based on one core belief: brining gaming back to the masses. It's literally that simple. Appealing to current gamers as well as broadening the market. Four landmarks we've brought to market. Today marks the fifth. The first, the Nintendo DS."9:26AM - "How we changed the user interface, with two screens, voice activated microphone, changed the definition of what a video game could be. 2nd: Introduction of touch-sensitive games. Nintendogs, Brain Age. DS supplements your life instead of replacing it. Is it working? Definitely. New Super Mario Bros. exclusively for DS. Sold to 1M players in less than two weeks. What's driving growth are new players enjoying new types of games. In past four months, New Super Mario Bros. represents 35% of first party sales. Touch-generation represents 39% of sales."9:27AM - "So far in 2006 everyone is pleased with industry revenue growth at 8%. Nintendo DS is up 142% over last year. Take away DS, industry only at 2% growth. Nintendo WiFi Connection is the 3rd. 4th, the Wii controller."9:29AM - "The Wii Remote. The reaction has been astounding. The 5th step is today. We're not just altering the interface between player and game, but in the household. Here's the hard news: Wii November 19th, worldwide debut happens right here in the Americas, same place as Nintendo DS. On Nov. 19th, avail. in 25,000 retailers in the Americas."9:30AM - "MSRP: $249. One price, one config, one color: white. This simplicity allows us to maximize volume throughout the Americas. Our shipment goal worldwide is 4M consoles during the 43 days between launch and Dec 31. The Americas will receive the largest share, a continuous flow of units." Continued...
Live from the Steve Jobs Keynote -- "It's Showtime"
Yup, for the second time in two months Steve Jobs is going to get up on stage and do his thing. We're there with live coverage of the blow-by-blow, keep refreshing this page for the latest.P.S. - Yes, we know that the Apple Store is down.8:50AM PST - Still in line, all the press are waiting on Howard Street outside of Yerba Buena. As usual, it's a who's who of the tech press.
Apple iTunes Store is down. For now.
Folks, we woke up this morning to find that the Apple iTunes Music Store is down. You know what that means, don't you?T-minus 3 hours 45 min.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Steve Jobs dishes tomorrow at 10:00AM PST / 1:00PM EST. Be there.
It's only been about a month since we last held court with his Steveness (we have what's supposedly a banner this time, too), but tomorrow bright n' early on the PST we're going to bring you our live coverage of Stevie J.'s "It's Showtime" keynote at the Yerba Buena Center in downtown San Francisco. As always, set your browsers on autofire-refresh and watch out for late-breaking developments. Some time zones are listed below for when the show gets underway (though you'll want to tune in early for our pre-game coverage):7:00AM - Hawaii10:00AM - Pacific11:00AM - Mountain12:00PM - Central1:00PM - Eastern5:00PM - GMT6:00PM - London7:00PM - Paris2:00AM - Tokyo (September 13th)
Sony keynote at London Games Summit, Games Festival hotting up
This October, the London Games Festival will be hitting the UK's capital with a whole bevy of gaming events. (If you're in the industry, or you want to be, that is.) First up, we have the European answer to GDC, GDC London, for the development types -- sessions range from the excitingly-titled-yet-probably-dull "Combat: The Ninja Way" through to a Molyneux special on design inspiration.More a business sort? The Games Summit is up your street, with buzzword-compliant "hard-hitting business content" for all tastes, from ARGs to -- surprise! -- another Molyneux special, this one on Lionhead. The newly-announced Games Summit keynote will be given by Michael Denny of SCEE, focusing on the networked age and digital distribution, which should provoke some interesting thought.Other events in the Games Festival lineup include the London Game Career Fair and the BAFTA Video Games awards (a British Academy Awards, for games, with more swearing). For those of us interested in playing games, celeb-spotting and the slightly offbeat, events throughout the week of the Festival -- 2-7 October -- will hopefully deliver, with a showcase at HMV's Oxford Street branch and a 'fringe' show which both look to be worth attending.
