I had just one day to hit CES 2012 — and the one thing I did not want to miss was Showstoppers, Steve Leon’s media event. But how to get in and out of Vegas in just one day? I had a plan.
Forget the room. I booked a ticket to leave San Francisco in the late afternoon just in time to hit Showstoppers. Who needs sleep? I figured I’d show up for the event with aNewDomain colleagues Eric Mack, Todd Townsend, Craig Johnston, David McCabe and Alan Wallace. I could return at dawn and maximize the time. Here’s what happened.
I arrived at McCarran airport right on time. Early, actually. Nice job, Southwest.
No gambling in the airport. I’ve got to get to the Wynn.
So far, so good. Considering this is CES, it sure is a short airport cab line.
Check out the entrance to the Wynn. Mind blowing. I know this was all built on the wallets of gamblers, but man, it’s still beautiful.
Todd, Eric and I found each other right away. Do I look too pale to be staying up all night — or is it just the flash. Note to self: Either eat something, check the lighting or sign up for Picnik. These guys are on camera tonight, not me for a change. And it shows! LOL.
The show is, as usual, heavy on the meat and booze.
With Todd on camera, our team hit the show hard. If I’m not careful, I get involved in a conversation and end up visible — and audible — in Todd’s shot with Vidyo.
I did an interview for CBS Interactive. The interviewer wanted to know what was hot at the show. A lot! Moore’s Law is finally at a tipping point — a point where technology like Intel’s third-generation 3-D CPU, Lucky Goldstar’s razor thin 54-inch OLED TV and futuristic skinny mobile devices like Huawei’s record breaking smart phone and a super-thin tablet from Lenovo are par for the course. I’ll post the video here once I find it!
Some of the industrial designs I saw were jaw-dropping. I’m glad our Julie Blaustein captured the best of the best before I got there. Time is short.
In the meantime, here’s Eric Mack’s hands on with that Huawei smartphone, the world record holder (for now) with the thinnest phone ever at just .06 inches.
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But never mind me. I thought this Roku announcement was interesting. And hey, if Target is good enough for Roku, it’s good enough for Apple.
This always happens. You try to talk all the folks that are at CES for us — and I forgot to mention Todd Townsend and Craig Johnston. Dang.
Here’s aNewDomain’s newest addition to the team, my old friend Alan Wallace. No one knows security like Alan. I’m a little worried about what he’s got in the box : ) No, Alan. Not another radio! Typical.
At 4 a.m., I still had awhile to hang out. A lot of the some 175,000 CES goers are still awake at this hour — and some are even gambling. Minimum bet on blackjack at 4:15 a.m. is $20. Too bad I need it for the cab. I don’t gamble without Citrix founder Ed Iacobucci by my side, anyway.
It’s dark when I leave the hotel. Man, I’m tired. But I’m feeling alright. This was one productive 12-hour period for a night owl like me.
As dawn breaks in Vegas, I’m back at the airport with a stack of biz cards, PR-provided press kits on USB and no regrets. Sleep? Ha! Not today.
And I will never try it again. Whoever said u can sleep when you’re dead never spent 24 hours awake straight — with 12 of them at CES from 5pm to sunrise. LOL
I’ve done things like that before and it has been well worth it. Kudos to you and your covrg of CES. This is definitely worth sharing.
-RAP, II
Thanks +Ant Pruitt for the kind words, lots more CES coverage to come! gs
Gina, knowing you if you’d been home you would have just edited 20 or 30 stories in that time. This way you got to see the big city and enjoy the peanuts on Southwest.
Seriously though, the way aND’s CES coverage came together was amazing. Kudos.
Wow…what a whirlwind and you didn’t miss a thing! I love how its all shared via your pictures and videos! Great way to be at CES without being there.
Hopefully by now everyone has rested and recovered from the intense glimmering whirlwind of CES 2012 in neon Las Vegas, along with the heavy doses of meat and hopefully not too much booze. I know how labor-intensive it is to cover a live trade show and commend all of you for a job well done. Robert.
We had a team on the ground in vegas with a lot of backup, julie and robert. Phil Baker was there — so was Eric Mack, Shawn Ingram, Todd Townsend, David McCabe. I was there, too. Glad I’m not there anymore. Thanks for the kind words. Proud of the coverage. Now on to Macworld : )