It’s been non-stop around these parts since we returned from CES. That statement was my way of justifying the fact that it is taking me two weeks to blog about the conference, what I saw and what impressed me. The time actually allowed me to solidify my thoughts as I realize now that some of the innovation I thought was pretty cool wasn’t all that hot. Yeah, I admit it, I fell victim to the glitz and the glamour.
A touch-screen, GPS embedded rear view mirror. Cool at first but…when txting is illegal you have to wonder.
What happens in Vegas will end up in your home, or your car or on your desk as you will see. Every year there seems to be three or four general themes to the event. This year was no different. Consumer electronic innovators, manufacturers and distributors seem to be heavily invested in slimmer, greener and 3D devices. Samsung was a stand-out for me, personally. Their presence was super impressive and their ultra-thin screens blew me away.
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I think the 82” Ultra HD LED TV by Samsung was the most impressive display but their ultra thin model made me come home to my 50” plasma as if it was an old polyester suit from the 70s. While the attendance was dramatically low, there were always crowds around the 3D monitors. We saw custom glasses/monitor combination but by far the most interesting was the all-in-one untis. While Samsung downplayed this unit in their display, there was definitely a buzz. Samsung was not alone. There were tons of 3D displays all over CES and it was clear that this will be the year of 3D. As a side note, look for some big news from The Buddy Group in this space in 2009.
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The eco-displays were awesome as well. I saw complete entertainment centers with 50” flat panels that utilized less wattage than a table lamp with a standard bulb. It is really good to see innovation being accountable to the environment. I just hope that the economy will support this behavior in the future as the products typically come at a premium. We also has several clients (“Buddies”) displaying their latest and greatest CES this year. We proudly made our way to each of their displays (sans one because they were too busy giving demos to press and frankly, press is more important than seeing me).
ICO Global Communications
ICO demonstrated a satellite-terrestrial network with two-way interactivity. The touch screen, powerfully connected CPU driven device delivers “live television, interactive navigation and two-way communications to a wide variety of mobile and portable devices“. The MIM device runs off several commercial satellites which cover the US and is augmented by a terrestrial network for those areas where satellite is not effective. The Buddy Group provided user experience strategy, creative direction and user interface design for the device. It really rocks if I do say so myself.
DTS showed off some amazing new audio technology products and The Buddy Group’s DotLot™ team was proud to play a part in its debut. Producing 4 videos for the event, website and in support of retail sales, the DotLot™ and DTS collaboration proved to be a success as the constant flow of digital audio experts thru the DTS product demonstration were blown away by the quality and ingenuity.
Photos from the shoot
Click here to watch the videos on YouTube (be sure to click HD to watch in all its pixels)
UltraPC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYApB9NqBAM
Car Audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7KNYc1N0ug
Broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfPA3OXrrFY
Western Digital launched the WDTV product in time for the holiday season in 2008 and continues to see wonderful traction and press for the product. Once in a while you come across a challenge that you know is so perfectly suited for you. WDTV was that to The Buddy Group. Our team worked closely with Western Digital’s amazing product development team leaders to (in my opinion) nail the user interface for this unique media device. Additionally, we worked with the WD marketing and PR team to develop a sizzle product video for the web and of course, CES.
see the video (and may close attention to the interface!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–077h1eGjc
Lastly, NBC’s presence was a force. While represented well by the website we developed for NBC (http://nbcunidigital.com) the display at CES was truly awesome. Visitors could walk up to any of what seemed to be 30 to 40 kiosks and select their favorite shows for download. We walked away from the NBC booth in awe and with 30 Rock in our pockets.
We met tons of new friends and got a chance to catch up with some old (or shall I say, long-time) Buddies too.
Keep a look out for some new relationships brewing and some new launches in the coming months.
Pete
I had the pleasure of attending the intriguing, challenging and encouraging Milken Institute this week. Unbelievable! The quality of the speakers were unsurpassed. The quality of the production was superb (every room was streamed real time to the web as you will see via links below)!
the course of nearly two decades, transformed from a foxhunting estate into an environment where art, architecture, and landscape are presented as a seamlessly integrated experience. At the heart of Glenstone is its preeminent collection of post-World War II and contemporary art. This week, The Buddy Group and La Placa Cohen colaborated to launch the official website for Glenstone, 
