:Notes From a Senior Editor: Cellphones, And Plasmas, And 'Pods, Oh My!
Notes From a Senior Editor: Cellphones, And Plasmas, And 'Pods, Oh My! Jan 4, 2006, 22 :00 UTC (1 Talkback[s]) (8411 reads) (Other stories by James Turner)
Yes folks, baby New Year has wet his first diaper, so it's time for that yearly exercise in gadget frenzy we all know as the Consumer Electronics Show. I'll be jetting out to Las Vegas today for five days, so if I'm lucky I'll see 25% of the show. For those of you who aren't familiar with CES, it's huge. 150,000 attendees, 2,500 exhibitors, and more Nokia faceplates than anyone should have to see in their life.
I'll be covering the show for Linux Today, so expect an inside track on how our favorite penguin is sneaking inside the latest consumer gear. At least one major cell phone vendor (Motorola) is set of announce a Linux cell phone for real, I'll try to get photos. Palm is working on a Linux version of PalmOS, I'll try to get a test drive. There are a ton of new set top video devices and iPod clones, do any of them have Linux beating inside their l'il hearts? We'll find out.
Perhaps the biggest rumor floating around the show is that Larry Page of Google will announce something big on Friday when he keynotes. Specifically, a Windows-killer called the Google Box that would be distributed at a major retailer, work as both a PC and a home theatre component, and run Google's own operating system. We all know that 90% of the time when a vendor says they are going to run their own operating system, it's really a layer on top of Linux or BSD, so it will be interesting to see what he has to show.
On tap for tonight are Bill Gates and his annual show and tell. I'm sure Vista is a big part of it, but with possibly the most dangerous Windows virus ever found in the wild right now, there's sure to be a buzz he really doesn't want or need. The Tech Zone will also be hosting a party after the keynote, I expect there will be some cool gear to stick inside your next server on display. Photos to follow.
