Wired PR Works CES 2011 is brought to you by Sears Electronics. As a member of Sears Blue Blogger Crew, I am part of a team that gets exclusive access to industry information. A highlight, for me, was a one on one interview with Karen Austin, president, consumer electronics for Sears Holdings Corporation. In her position, Austin oversees the consumer electronics business for both Sears and Kmart. Day Two started with the state of the industry address by CEA President and CEO, Gary Shapiro who focused on the theme of innovation.
My blogger pass landed me in the VIP section in the auditorium of the Las Vegas Hilton where many reporters around us were taking notes on paper just like me. After dragging my laptop around the first day, I made the right decision to leave it at the hotel.
At the beginning of the keynote, we were asked to turn off our wireless devices. Since we couldn’t get internet access anyway, this wasn’t a tough request to comply with.
Verizon was up after Mr. Shapiro’s keynote presentation.
Because we had a tour set up with Samsung, I missed the Verizon keynote. Verizon did not make an iPhone announcement.
It was so cool to walk into the convention center just as the doors were rising. We really were the first attendees on the floor. Thanks to Rory and Jody from Euro RSCG for setting up interviews with Samsung, Sony and Panasonic.
The Samsung digital imaging rep walked us through their new camera lines. Every booth seems to have a variety of levels: press support, technicians, engineers, PR reps and approved spokes persons.
Three cameras caught my eye at Samsung. A wireless camera that connects directly with social media that almost acts like a smartphone. A new DSLR camera that’s lighter and includes controls on the lens itself impressed Jenna Hatfield, the Sears Blue Blogger Crew digital photography expert. I also liked the compact camcorders for portability and in-camera editing.
Sony Electronics News Live at CES 2011
At Sony, we were all wowed by the camcorder with the built-in projector, which lets you playback your videos anywhere on any wall without a TV. Sony’s 3D camcorder has two lenses, one for each eye, to deliver a true 3D experience. Bringing 3D down to the hand held level, Sony announced a 3D Bloggie camera.
Thinking of my kids back home, I asked about what video camera Sony recommended for skateboarders. My son is looking forward to watching that video.
Thanks to Sears Blue Blogger Crew and Sony for the Sony Bloggie handheld video camera, which I’ve been using to capture video with people like the Pansonic tablet expert.
Panasonic is integrating technology so a tablet drives the larger screen experience. Showing prototypes in 4, 7 and 10 inch models, I suggested that the 4 inch tablet be a remote control.
Panasonic’s camera line includes a camera with built-in editing tools to make the people in your pictures look their best. A $900 lenses for their DSLR camera has micro motors to eliminate camera noises while you’re filming.
Filming with DSLRs instead of movie cameras isn’t a trend that’s going away. Canon brought in presenters from shows like Saturday Night Live to show clips of footage using Canon DSLRs.
It’s amazing to watch what goes on in these booths. One crowd built-up around us so quickly that we couldn’t tell what was happending. It’s like that here.
Although I missed Darth Vader, I did catch his crew and entourage heading out.
And, we got a bit of star treatment, too. Thanks to Jenna for taking this picture of me being interviewed as a member of Sears Blue Blogger Crew. It was fun to watch people stop and listen to what we were saying.
After a day of touring, I headed over to the Klout tweetup to talk to them about their plans for 2011. After that, it was on to the Mashable Awards and then to a dinner with the crew.
Well, folks, I have lots of videos and images to share. All I need is a faster internet connection to get them to you. With so many people here, the uploading times are almost as fast as dial up.
Stay tuned for more coverage from CES 2011. Thanks so much to Sears for covering my hotel, travel, incidentals and for the Sony Bloggie camera.
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