The key to the International Consumer Electronics Show,the annual confab in Las Vegas that draws high-tech gadgetry enthusiasts from around the world,is not actually going on the show floor.
With the swarms of people flooding in and out of the three halls in the Las Vegas Convention Center, it’s much better to get your electronics fix in private meetings and catered receptions.
That’s why the traditional media preview on the first night of the convention is so important. Companies love to give reporters all the food and booze they want to get them in a more receptive state. And it sure beats a $6 small soft drink on the convention center floor.
This year’s press preview, “Digital Experience,” was complete with hors d’oeuvres, a full bar (an actual ice sculpture,or so I found when I leaned on it an slipped) and models dressed in sexy space suits.
The idea,after getting over the normal trade show excess,was that we were going into the future. I guess they’ll be lots of ice bars in our future.
While waiting in line to register, one reporter in front of me asked where I was from. “Orange County? Are there lots of companies from Orange County?”
Indeed. I told her that OC has more Fortune 500 companies per capita than most other areas in the country. I went down the list of OC companies that had made the trek across the desert to hawk their wares: Broadcom Corp. Kingston Technology Co., Cisco Systems Inc.’s Linksys, D-Link Systems Inc., Targus Inc., Conexant System Inc.
Even with the long list, she didn’t seem impressed. But, then again, she was a New Yorker.
Another good thing about the press events like this,there’s always some new technology that makes stop and think.
After a few martinis, I found this year’s product that made my head turn. It was a new and improved robot dog from Sony.
The robot dog has, of course, been out for a while and is more of an oddity than anything. But earlier models did have as many sensors as the new model Sony was showing off at the show. This one chased bones, sat down, picky up balls, wiggled its ears and whatever else dogs do.
And at the bargain price of about $2000.
As I stood there bemused by the dog, I asked “But does it love you,or is that for a later model?”
The Sony rep didn’t seem too impressed with my quick wit. I asked, “Who buys these things?”
He looked at my badge and saw I was from Orange County. “Our store in South Coast Plaza is of our biggest sellers of these.”
