CES 2007: Day Two

January 9, 2007

I guess I really should finish up what happened on Day One since I was still here for quite awhile after yesterday’s blog post. Actually, you’ll find out all about Day Two tomorrow, on Day Three and if you’re online for Views from the Coop on Friday, you can hear about how it all wound up.

Well, there won’t be a new Gibson guitar in the Eissinger household. There was a moment when our hearts were in our throats, though. The gal who drew the name said “Rick……” and called someone else over because she couldn’t pronounce (or maybe read) the last name. Hardly anybody pronounces Eissinger correctly (EYE-singer) and Rick’s handwriting is notoriously bad, so it coulda been him…..it coulda…..but alas, it wasn’t.

I own a public apology to the very patient ladies from CES who were trying to help us find the right shuttle to Showstoppers. I knew there was a special one just for us but neglected to write down where it was going to stop (yeah, I wasn’t on the ball there) and got a bit rude with one of the girls who was trying to help us by telling us we could take the shuttle to the Sands and walk across the street to the Wynn where Showstoppers was located. I was already frustrated when I couldn’t find anything on the Showstoppers website or find anyone in the Press Room who knew what I was talking about. It was all my fault for not writing the information down in my little orange notebook. My sincerest apologies to the guides at the LVCC. Not a one of them ever lost her pleasant demeanor even though I acted less like a chick and more like an ass…

Rick settled me down and we took the shuttle the guides recommended. It was a long ride and traffic was bad but we got to see more of Las Vegas and didn’t have to worry about driving. We got to the show just fine and over an hour early. We decided to drop a dollar each into the nickel slot machines to pass the time. I cashed out at $7.75 thinking I did pretty good. I even gave Rick a dollar from my winnings to put into another machine which he did and proceeded to stack up credit after credit. He finally cashed in for $97.70…and gave me back my dollar.

The show was fantastic. We got a bag of goodies when we checked in including a Quikpod, a telescoping tripod (well, not really tri since it doesn’t have 3 legs) that you attach to your digital camera to take pictures of yourself. If you’ve ever been on vacation and had to find someone to snap a photo of you and your sweetie, you’ll love it. It collapses to fit into a nylon case a lot like one of those small umbrella cases so it doesn’t take up a lot of room either. It’s also really light so you don’t have to be superman or superwoman to use it. Hey, check it out for yourself at http://www.quikpod.com.

Another cool product that I’d been waiting to see is the Wildcharge, a universal charging pad that doesn’t require you to do anything but lay your gadgets on it and watch ‘em charge! Now this is something no household with multiple electronic gadgets that have to be recharged should be without. It works with just about anything (truly universal) and you can recharge multiple devices at once. There’s even a Wildcharge pad you can use to recharge your laptop! Check them out at http://www.wildcharge.com.

Being a podcaster and Rick being a musician, we were both interested in the Lightsnake by SoundTech. It’s a “soundcard on a cable” that allows Rick to plug his electric guitar directly into his PC via USB to record and I got a demonstration of the brand new Podcasting Kit from Erin Wiley. I can record my podcast and even edit it and post it using the Podcasting Kit. I can’t wait to try it. You can see the Lightsnake, so called because the ends light up when they’re connected, on the SoundTech website at http://www.soundtech.com/lightsnake/index.asp. There aren’t any photos yet of the Podcasting Kit but it has everything in it I need to podcast included with the Lightsnake cable.

If you’re a small business and you’re tired of paying rent on your postage meter, check out Dymo Stamps. Print your stamps AND your mailing label AND get the right amount of postage for packages up to 5 pounds using the Dymo postage scale. I saw a demonstration of the LabelWriter Twin Turbo. You can see the Twin Turbo at http://global.dymo.com/enUS/ProductAccessories/LabelWriter_Twin_Turbo.html.

Just for you, Fritz, I checked out a remote control helicopter by Hobbytron. Nate Babbel was appropriately dressed in military fatigues as he zoomed the remote control chopper across the ceiling. Honestly, I don’t know which one he was flying (they have more than one) but he did show me a tiny one that looks like it’s make of Styrofoam. It’s not, but it’s every bit as light. Anyway, Fritz, check out the remote control toys at http://www.hobbytron.com.

Have you ever had to take you car in to a mechanic so he could plug in one of those nifty little diagnostic tools that tells what that Check Engine light really means? Have you ever had to pay $68 or more to find out you need to tighten your gas cap? Not any more! You can get your own CarMD. It’s your own personal diagnostic tool and if your car is no older than a ‘96, you can plug it in and find out what the problem is yourself. It’s a great tool for comparing notes with your mechanic. If you’re considering buying a used car, plug your CarMD in and check the overall health before you buy! They have a great demo on the website, http://www.carmd.com that you really should watch. I did and that’s why I couldn’t wait to see it at Showstoppers!

I know I didn’t cover everything I saw but I wanted to share the highlights with you so you’d know I wasn’t just throwing dollars into some slot machine. Hey, I’m working! Hopefully, we’ll have some of the great folks I talked to online with Kristi and me soon. As a matter of fact, I’m about to interview that mystery guest that I hope will agree to join us for our upcoming discussion on Remote Support. I’ll tell you more about that as it develops.

BTW: Don’t forget your blow dryer when you’re going to be staying in a hotel. Yeah, I know most hotels already have them but not Motel Hell….and you might want to iron all your clothes first, too….Until tomorrow, this is the ChickiChicki at CES 2007: Day Two!

Posted in Views From The Coop