I first talked with Networks in Motion, who do white label GPS navigation software for Telus, Verizon, and others, but unfortunately they didn’t have announcements to make for CES, but their spokesperson did allude to some stuff coming out soon. I reckon the carriers just had ’em by the balls. More carrier a partners and more features are both likely in the coming weeks.
I nearly cruised right by the Starz booth without a second thought, since they had the big HD TVs that I was gradually becoming more spiteful with, but it turned out they were actually doing some mobile video. This was something that might become very tricky when the show actually starts tomorrow – fishing out mobile-related content means we’ll be checking out what is most obviously mobile-related, but the companies that still have yet to introduce mobile services will be hard to find. Starz has a full stable of licenced movies that should prove palatable to many carriers, and with a recently-acquired company, they’re working hard to produce and find mobile-friendly content. This means stuff like 30-Second Bunnies that offers bite-sized hilarity gets proper support and gives viewers something they would concievably watch on their phone. The Starz guys did reiterate to me that the international market is tricky to tailor to – different norms in mobile phone behaviour and viewing tastes are some serious challenges for video suppliers.
As much as I may shy from iPhone news, Phanfare really caught my eye. They’ve got an intuitive, simple, cloud application for photos and video. It really enriches the basic photo viewing experience you would get from a locally-stored library by pulling down your albums over 3G or Wi-Fi. Not only does this give you access to a wider range of personal content, but it also keeps the memory your respective devices clear and backed-up. Say what you will about the whole idea of cloud computing, I’m a big fan, and definitely think apps like Phanfare which make the whole process seamless will really help average users realize the value of the concept.
Next to Phanfare was Gunnar, who I had seen ads for in the past and decided to check out. Day in and day out, I and plenty of the other bloggers here at CES stare at a computer screen, basically a light bulb, for hours on end. I’ve already noticed my eyesight fuzzifying a bit, and if I want to keep delivering solid content while keeping my natural falcon-like vision, some protection might be in order. Gunnar offers tinted glasses especially engineered to ease eye strain while looking computer screens, and after trying them on, noticed a considerable difference. Sure, the roomie will bust my chops for looking like an extreme cyclist while blogging, and I’ll have to take them off when doing my Photoshop thang, but for the bread and butter of reading and writing, there are some solid long-term benefits to using these.
Will visited a few booths too, but he’ll post his visits separately. Keep an eye out!
After that, the Digital Experience began wrapping up, so Will and I hit up HTC’s Digital Recharge to get everything settled for the end of the day. I was a little sad that I could swing by and hit up my BlackBerry homeboys, but I’m sure they’ll be around. So, what’s up for tomorrow? A potential Palm announcement for Nova? An early look at the conference floor, and we’ll scope out Samsung and LG.
