Phil in Electronics Land
This is a wrap-up of my time at the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 in Las Vegas this past week.
As I stated in my last blog I was hired as a contractor through a program called Share the Love to provided help to member and guest attendees at the 2015 CES.
Friday after three days of helping attendees get their bearings I was able to spend a few hours traversing all parts of the Las Vegas Convention Center. I got the chance go to the places that I directed people to and saw what attracted them to the CES.
First one must understand that there are three separate venues across Las Vegas all that comprise the CES show.
So with a limited amount of time I concentrated on visiting just one venue the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and its two largest halls, Central and South. Like a moth drawn to a light I went to see the latest in photography at the Nikon, Samsung and Canon booths. I listened as Joe McNally, National Geographic Photographer explained the benefits of Nikon Flash photography then went over to Samsung to question their experts on their new mirrorless camera the NX-1. I was thinking long and hard about an eventual purchase of it to capture and tweet action sports using the camera’s built-in WiFi attributes. Samsung’ Nx-1 is a robust take off of your smartphone camera upsized to accept quality professional lenses. After that demo it was over to Canon to walk through. I am not a Canon guy – so I didn’t stay long.
After walking the Central Hall it was off to the Digital Photography section in the South Halls where all the software and add-ons live. There too was also the place of this year’s hottest show item – the unmanned vehicles (UAVs) – drones.
By the time I got to the South Hall most of the drone demonstrations were closing down but I could walk among them and handle the newest and in demand drones for commercial and consumer aerial photography. I saw the Ghost drones that were recently featured in the USA Today and then just opposite their display area was the Trace Drone.
The Ghost is a more traditional UAV if there is such a thing as traditional– it flies with a purpose of providing aerial views. The Trace drone – is a different UAV – it’s purpose is to track (or Trace) a subject a as controlled by a user app coded into the UAV’s memory. Think of the Trace along the lines of guiding angel in the sky.
The situational-for-instance that I gave the Trace project manager was as follows – could the Trace UAV find an identified football player on the field of play and follow that individual. Indeed it could by using an image of that player as programmed into the UAV’s memory and it would Trace that player from an altitude of nearly 300 feet.
The applications of such a use of aerial photography goes beyond just capturing scenic views, weddings and real estate now to tracking persons of interest – all in the hands of a consumer UAV pilot using his Android or iPhone app on and iPad styled device.
Here in Las Vegas – you dream it – it is done – and its brought here for you to see, use and apply.
So Friday after walking the quarter mile of the compacted show floor space it was time to call the show to a close and to celebrate with the staff and associated members of the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA).
In his end of show address to the staff Gary Shapiro, CEO of the CEA reported that over 170,000 guests had registered and entered the show that spanned over 2.1 million square feet of exhibition space. Over 800 CEO’s were in attendance at the show and that beyond the great organizational efforts provided by CEA’s hundreds of staff members they now also retain the distinction of being the largest convention to ever be hosted in Las Vegas.
My guess – they also hold a distinction of being the largest dedicated show in all of the land of Electronics.
Of course a visit to Las Vegas would not be complete without a view of the King -Elvis would have been 80 on Thursday – January 8th. At the end of this blog is a little remembrance of where the King reigned.
Phil Fabrizio
@Photoloaf
Friday, January 9, 2015
Photos from CES follow:
Entrance to the LVCC South Hall for CES
Best Seat in the House at CES were the comfort chairs
Display tables at CES attracted much attention in the Sony Booth
I gotta have one of these 4 wheeled Boom Boxes – as seen at CES in the North Hall
The CES Nikon 360 Display with sequenced cameras firing to create a 360 of a subject
The Ghost Droneat CES
Another Ghost Drone as seen at CES
Of course – a subject near and dear to me – a bicycle – This on is an electric powered bike.
Elvis Presley’s handcrafted Mermaid white leather suit – circa 1974 – outside of the Showroom in Las Vegas
I got a chance to visit Elvis’ Green Room at the former Hilton International – now know as the Westgate Theatre
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