Microsoft Communities

CES 2008

The Lost Tape: Behind The Scenes at CES 2008

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Apr 3rd @ 7:20 PM
Whilst moving from Singapore to the USA last month I stumbled upon a lost MiniDV tape that we shot at CES 2008 back in January,.. lo and behold,.. the tape contained some never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes footage of the Microsoft CES 2008 booth! Score!

So what does (did?) it take to put together and run the Microsoft CES 2008 booth? 378 two way radios*, 4,201 Xbox 360's*, 57,000 LCD displays*, 3.6 million miles of cable*, two giant robots** and one guy playing Halo 3***.

* numbers may not be accurate, ** may not exist, *** actually there were two guys
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PMPs, GPS and the "Unit 2" from iriver

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 23rd @ 12:57 AM
We made it to the CES 2008 iriver booth on the last day of the show with just minutes to spare before they started pulling everything down.

This worked out great for us though as we were able to get our hands on two really cool products. The (as yet unreleased outside of South Korea) iriver W7 PMP with GPS cradle and the very sexy prototype "Unit 2".

More info: http://www.iriver.com/event/ces2008/
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SanDisk sets us straight on SDHC, SSD and Vaulter

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 18th @ 6:20 PM
We dropped by the SanDisk booth at CES this year for an update on all things storage including SSDs (Solid State Drives) and the newly announced Vaulter.

Lance from SanDisk gave as a quick overview of all the different types of storage formats currently in use today and helped clarify the difference between SD and SDHC.

We also had a look at SanDisk's new technology Vaulter and how it will be implemented into laptops and other  devices in the very near future.
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S1Digital HTPC Solutions

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 18th @ 5:20 AM
S1Digital are a company based out of New York offering custom built, high end HTPC solutions for both the end user and professional installer.

One area that differentiates S1Digital in the premium HTPC space is that they have a consumer-direct channel via their web site where you can customise and order HTPC's like the Media Center Mini Edition.

We sat down with Paul from S1Digital back at CES 2008 to learn some more about the company and the types of rigs they build and sell.

Company Web Site: http://www.s1digital.com/
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Hands on with the Neonode N2

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 11th @ 6:41 PM
Three words: I WANT ONE!

Whilst wandering the CES show floor JD pointed me in the direction of the Neonode booth to check out the super cool N2. The N2 is a mobile phone with a very unique form factor, touch screen interface, PMP features and force feedback (sort of).

Enough reading,.. check out the video.

More: http://www.neonode.com/
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HD and Short Throw Projectors from Sanyo

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 9th @ 5:41 AM
At CES 2008 Panasonic unveiled the world's largest plasma screen at 150 inches (or ~ 381cm). Sure it does four times the resolution of 1080P but it's also a) not (yet?) available for sale and b) probably won't hit shelves for less than six figures.
So for those of you out there looking for big HD displays, without the need for a second morgage, LCD projectors are a great option.
Sanyo had some very cool devices on display at CES this year. The PLV-Z5 for entry level consumers, the PLV-Z2000 for full 1080P resolution with lens-shift and the amazing PLC-XL50 Short Throw Projector which creates an 80" picture from a distance of only 3 inches.
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Premium HTPC solutions from Niveus Media

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 9th @ 5:40 AM
Niveus Media had their impressive Media Extender - EDGE device on display at CES 2008. A high end, full 1080P, multi zone media center extender targeted at the premium audio/videophile market.
One feature that sets Niveus Media devices - including the EDGE - apart is the passive cooling system that is incorporated into the devices housing which enables virtually silent operation.
We spoke with Tim Cutting, CEO and co-founder of Niveus Media, at CES 2008 to learn some more about the company and the range of products and services they offer.
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Talking High End HTPCs with Inteset

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Feb 4th @ 12:34 AM
From 4TB, rack mounted, RAID 5 content servers (for the home) to gold tipped, passively cooled, multi-room Media Center extenders, the world of high end, home theatre PCs (HTPCs) will have most of us drooling and seriously consider smashing open the piggy bank.

One of the companies at CES this year in the high end HTPC space was Inteset. We sat down with David Hirsh from Inteset to talk about the types of products and services his company offers and what sets high end HTPC's apart. 

Company Web Site: http://www.inteset.com/
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R2D2 - Your personal entertainment droid

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 29th @ 9:20 PM
Love Star Wars? Yep! Interested in a scale replica R2-D2 to follow you around the house playing your favourite music/movies/Xbox 360 games? Hells yeah!!! Got a spare 3000 Euros? ....err.... what was the first question?

Along with the R2-D2 entertainment droid (who you control with a model Millennium Falcon remote no less) Nikko are also about to release a motorised R2-D2 web cam and light sabre VOIP phone... but you'll need a few Imperial Credits.

More info: http://www.nikkoamerica.com/nhe/index.html 

Edit: So Laura tells me she covered this story at last years CES... hmm... "that was not the Nikko R2-D2 story you were looking for...?"
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Automate your home, AV with life|ware

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 29th @ 4:48 AM
One of the most impressive displays at CES 2008 wasn't on the show floor. Instead of a traditional plasma-screens-and-pamphlets CES booth life|ware chose to build three fully functional homes out front of the Las Vegas Convention Center to show off the various home automation products and solutions they offer.

Jason from life|ware gave us a tour of the living room in one of the e-homes and showed us some very cool home automation solutions integrated with Windows Vista Media Center.

For more info on life|ware visit http://www.life-ware.com
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HD Touchscreens & RFID at the Silverstone CES 2008 Booth

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 22nd @ 10:20 PM
If you like to build your own Home Theatre PC (HTPC) or gaming rigs and have done some research into cases or cooling solutions you've probably heard of Silverstone.

We caught up with Tony Ou from Silverstone at CES 2008 for a look at some of the new products on show including an HTPC case with embedded 1080P touchscreen and a 2.5" hard drive enclosure with RFID encryption.

More info: http://www.silverstonetek.com/
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Ultimate Guitar Hero Controller from Peavey

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 20th @ 7:34 PM
I'm often torn between turning on my Xbox 360 and rocking out to some Guitar Hero or plugging in my *real* guitar and annoying the neighbours with some RAtM drop D thrashing.

Well the decision is about to become harder again. Instead of the flimsy half-scale plastic Explorer or Les Paul controller models that come with the game you'll soon be able to order an actual custom Peavey guitar modified with decals and guitar hero controller guts for the ultimate Rock n' Roll experience. 

Watch the video for more info and if you're a drummer (or wannabe drummer) make sure you check out the custom Rockband drum kit controller from Ion Audio.
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MSN Direct on your Sat Nav

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 19th @ 4:59 PM
If you live in North America you can now get access to MSN Direct services on a selection of Garmin Satellite Navigation devices with more coming soon.

MSN Direct is a service that delivers traffic conditions, fuel prices, weather data, and more over parts of the unused FM spectrum via Microsoft Directband technology.

Want to see the service in action? Check out the demo of MSN Direct we were given at the Microsoft CES 2008 booth.

Alpine and Pioneer will also be bringing out MSN Direct compatible devices in 2008. For more info check out http://www.msndirect.com
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What is Microsoft Media Room?

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 18th @ 3:00 PM
When we spoke to Robbie Bach at CES he referred to a piece of Microsoft technology called Microsoft Media Room as a key component of the "connected entertainment" experience.

I didn't know a lot about Media Room so we met with Peter Barrett, CTO of the MSTV group (and fellow Aussie), at CES 2008 for a hands on introduction to Microsoft Media Room; What is it, how does it work and how can we all get our hands on it?

More information: http://www.microsoftmediaroom.com/
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Custom Rockband Drum Kit from Ion Audio

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 18th @ 8:22 AM
Want a more realistic feeling (and looking) drum kit controller for your garage Rockband,.. err band? Check out Ion Audio's custom Rockband drum kit controller featuring four toms, three symbols and a kick drum pedal.
The symbols are colour coded in parallel with the toms so you can mix and match the way you play through the games drum lines however you want.
The kit isn't available for sale just yet so check back at Ion Audio's web site for more info: http://www.ion-audio.com/
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Windows Home Server CES 2008 Update

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 17th @ 2:39 PM
Windows Home Server has come a long way in a very short time. We caught up with Joel Sider at CES 2008 to check out some of the new OEM systems available on the market as well as some cool home automation add-ins that allow you to remotely control electrical devices (for example your house lights) via WHS.

WHS now boasts over 30 available add-ins enabling everything from DHCP to the automatic syncing of your photo collection to flickr. For more info visit the Windows Home Server web site.
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Fashion meets Technology at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 16th @ 1:36 PM
The PC industry is paying more and more attention to the look of their products since we (the people) are more and more asking for stylish, unique PC's to accent our personal styles. Microsoft even had a full runway show to show off their new high fashion coutour PC's. Then- Microsoft asked three fashion industry leaders to pick their favorite PC designs. The three judges were Nigel Barker, top fashion photographer and a judge on the hit TV show, “America’s Next Top Model,” hip-hop trend setter and fashion innovator Tony Shellman and A-list fashion stylist and entrepreneur Misa Hylton. After considering 12 of the most stylish Windows-based PCs to hit the market in the last year, they each chose a favorite.
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Microsoft Auto at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 15th @ 8:11 AM
This was by far the best part of the Bill Gates keynote for me and probably the highlight of the show overall. Microsoft Auto showed of 2 new great technologies to make all of our driving experiences more pleasant with a focus on the Sync My Ride technology. I can't wait to get this in my car. Not only does it offer voice activated features with your wireless MP3 player and your bluetooth mobile phone- but you will be blown away at the excellent text messaging options. Well, at least I was. Take a look and you be the judge.
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Xbox Live at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 14th @ 11:18 AM
Xbox Live Marketplace has always been the place to be for all your gaming needs, but it's about to get even better.
There are great games coming in 2008, Grand Theft Auto, Splinter Cell Conviction, Halo Wars, Resident Evil 5, and of course the fan favorite Burnout 3 (download the demo now), Xbox Live Marketplace is more than the service that connects you to your friends, it's the way to play the games before they ship.

Your Xbox will now be the destination for all things entertainment.

 
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Zune Social at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 11th @ 11:47 AM
During the Bill Gates keynote, Robbie Bach announced the Zune launch in Canada* in Spring 2008. The Canadian offering this spring will first include Zune players (including Zune Originals), Zune software and Zune Social, with the Zune Marketplace online store coming later this year. He also showed off some pretty cool functionality between Zunes and Microsoft Auto software with the "Sync My Ride" demo (check back soon for my interview with that team).

But still, after all that Zune love I felt there might be a little bit more. In this clip I chat directly with the Zune team about the new features on Zune marketplace and how much emphasis is being placed on perfecting Zune Online as a social networking site.
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Touring the Windows Vista Pavillion

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 11th @ 12:36 AM
The Windows Vista Pavillion at CES is a huge white tent divided into several sections demonstrating the various Windows Vista usage scenarios; Digital Memories (photos), Music, Gaming, Productivity, TV & Movies etc etc.
We took a tour through the pavillion and checked out some of the cool new devices on show - such as the HP MediaSmart TV and Samsung "back pack" Media Centre Extender.

We also sat down with JP Wollersheim from the Windows Live team and ran through the updated work flow for digital photos on Windows Vista. From camera to PC to email, photo printing labs and wifi enabled digital photo frames.
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New MS Surface Apps at CES 2008

Posted By: Nic Fillingham | Jan 10th @ 1:04 AM
Bill Gates showed a cool new demo of Microsoft Surface as part of his CES 2008 key note presentation (at the 27:00 mark). In it he customized a virtual snowboard with decals and a signature then saved it to his Windows Mobile device and Windows Live Spaces site.
We sat down with Mark Bolger from the Surface group for a more indepth look at Microsoft Surface following on from our exclusive "first look" back in May.

Mark took us through a quick recap of the fundamentals of the Microsoft Surface technology and ran through the full version of Bill's "Snowboard" demo plus the "virtual wine steward" scenario which was not shown during the keynote.
If you're interested in learning more about Surface and how you may interact with it in real life once it deploys (sometime this year) make sure you check out the video.
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Games for Windows at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 9th @ 5:55 PM
You may have noticed that we haven't shown you much from the Xbox team yet this year from CES- but that doesn't mean Microsoft didn't have a stellar gaming presence. Games for Windows went from two titles announced last year, to 60 this year! In fact, 20% of the games sold for the PC were Games For Windows branded. I stopped by to clear up some confusion Tina was having about what exactly "Games For Windows" means and take a look at their new titles. Also...there's been buzzing on the show floor about a "Secret Game" that they're keeping behind closed doors and under lock and key...so I opened the doors and picked the lock.
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TV Tonic at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 9th @ 8:13 AM
TV Tonic is an extension to Media Center that provides a TV experience using videos from across the Internet. Of course, the fan favorite on TV Tonic is Channel 10, but there are other things you can watch, like the weather channel or a show by some guy named Kevin Rose.

I got to talk to Michael Sprague, President of TV Tonic, and he gave us the story behind what makes TV Tonic so interesting (they have editors who find the best stuff for you.)
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Gibson Guitars at CES 2008

Posted By: Laura Foy | Jan 8th @ 2:08 PM
I got a chance to talk to Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO of Gibson Guitars who is hosting a very cool concert setup at CES with some great musicians like Kevin Costner (uh, yeah - that Kevin Costner) and Peter Frampton. Gibson was showing off their new Robot Guitar, which has auto-winding tuning pegs. You can push a button and go from a standard tuning to a drop D, or any other tuning in a few seconds. This means no locking nut on the headstock, but since it keeps itself in tune - who cares?

Gibson may be one of the oldest names in electric guitars, but they are also an innovator. They were the first to stick a 100Mb ethernet port on an electric. Rock on, Gibson!
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Bill's Last Day: The CES Keynote video

Posted By: Larry Larsen | Jan 7th @ 4:05 PM
It's floating around out there in a variety of video and audio sync qualities, but we were able to twist a few arms and get the official, full length, high quality version of the Bill's Last Day video from the CES keynote last night.

We wish Bill the best and hope he follows through with the rap album. And as Bill and Chewbacca say; never doubt the magic of software!

Enjoy!
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Windows Home Server Power Pack Announced

Posted By: Larry Larsen | Jan 7th @ 7:32 AM
A new update for Windows Home Server was announced last night at CES. The update, called Power Pack 1 (formerly code named UR1) will ship in the first half of 2008 and hit servers via Windows Update. This update will include new Home Server connector software (this is the systray app that connects your computer to the Home Server), and the ability to backup your Home Server (for offsite storage for example), and several other new features.  

Todd Headrick from the Home Server team invited us over to see all the new features and talk a little bit about Home Server. We'll connect with that team again while we're here and check out some of the Home Server hardware.
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