Alexa Now Has a Display, Coming Soon!

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In case you haven't heard, Amazon has just announced the new Echo show. It's please bring everything you love about Alexa, but now she can show you stuff on the screen. What I'm very interested in using it for is to have it play video flash briefings, YouTube, and make video and voice calls.
Calls between Echo devices, and Echo apps are completely free. As long as the call quality is excellent, I won't have any problem with it - if not, that would be a dealbreaker and cost for me to return the device. 
Very important to note, is that if you buy 2 Echo show devices now, you can save $100 on the entire order with the limited time coupon: SHOW2PACK.

 

LG's Massive OLED TV Demo signals end of 3D Fad

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LG's massive OLED TV Presentation for CES2016. 3D is dead as far as LG is concerned this year.

A photo posted by Mike Mu (@mikemuonline) on Jan 9, 2016 at 10:26pm PST

For years LG has been dazzing CES attendees with massive 3D displays and performances.  Everybody had 3D this and 3D that.  Many promised 3D without those dorky glasses, and last year it looked like it might just be the ticket.  This year, LG got rid of the massive 3D visuals, and just gave us good old fashion awesome CG visuals, sound, and color. 

Personally, I've watched Avatar - that was cool.  I'm sure I watched a few more 3D movies in theatre since, but I don't remember what and if it was worthwhile.  Didn't watch Star Wars in 3D, and it wasn't a deal breaker in any way.

I also have a 3D monitor, which just happened to be 3D capable but there wasn't enough compeling me to set it up for 3D.

It was widely known the porn industry pushes the envelope when it comes to video technologies, and this year it looks like the porn industry is also going towards VR.  So, VR looks to be the trend for this year, and the next few from what I saw at this year's CES.  VR and drones, and autonomous vehicles.

 

Netatmo Presence Is A Smart Security Camera

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I love smart security cameras like the Nest Cam Security Camera, but they can't really exactly identify whats in the video nor can they function well outdoors.  The Netatmo Presence solves both those problems and adds local micro-SD storage functionality as well.

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This Exo Skeleton Suit is Designed to Age You!

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Genworth R70i body suit makes you feel older.

A video posted by Mike Mu (@mikemuonline) on Jan 6, 2016 at 4:31pm PST

Genworth's body suit was designed to be the exact opposite of Iron Man Suit.  It doesn't give you super powers, it takes away your current abilities so that you know what its like for your body to age, and suffer from all the things that affect baby boomers and older.

CES 2016 - Security?

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CES2k15 Day 2 Canon EOS 6D 1-7-2015 4-14-05 PM_DxO10

CES this year's focus appears to be security.  Not security products, but security in the form of bag restrictions, bag searches, metal detectors etc.  You can read the official New Bag Restrictions for 2016 here.

None of my backpacks fit the size limitation of 12” x 17” x 6" (30 cm x 43 cm x 15 cm).  So I'm pretty much not going in as press (even press have to carry everything), and I'm not going to bring a lot of gear for coverage.

As a warning:

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DJI Introduces Osmo, The Stabilized 4K Handheld Camera

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For $649.  I first saw this un-named item at CES and it was thought to be an accessory for the DJI Inspire's detachable camera.  Now they include a new camera with it for the $649 price point.  And yes, you can use the DJI Inspire camera on it, but at this point it looks like the two are almost exactly the same so why bother?  Those DJI Inspire owners might want to consider waiting for the handle to be sold separately.

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CES 2016 Registration Begins Today

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Registration is open for CES® 2016, the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. The event will run Wednesday, January 6-Saturday, January 9, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
An official independent audit confirmed a record 176,676 industry professionals in attendance at the 2015 CES, including more than 45,000 from outside the U.S.  To maintain a quality CES experience for all those who participate, stricter registration credentials have been implemented to keep attendance at or below 176,000. CES 2016 will feature more than 3,600 exhibiting companies showcasing the latest innovation across more than two million net square feet.
 
The registration fee structure has also changed for CES 2016. Registration is $100 through December 20 and will increase to $300 December 21. Industry professionals are encouraged to register in advance of CES to ensure quicker review time and access to their badge on-site. Additional details on credential requirements and registration fees are available online. CES remains a trade-only event and is not open to the general public.
 
More than 25 locations throughout Las Vegas are designated for badge pickup, including key locations at McCarran International Airport, official show hotels and exhibit venues. Additional information on CES 2016, including hotel and airline information, can be found at CESweb.org/Register-Plan. 
 
Note: Registration for credentialed and approved media is always free:CESweb.org/Register-Plan. 


CES 2015 Comes To A Close

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And I've spent more time walking the show floor than I did reporting on it.  I did take a lot of pictures and got a lot of 'press kits' which will allow me to give you the details on some of the things I saw.  

Fitness bands were really back en-force of course, and my Basis Watch tells me that I've walked about 12-13k steps every day since Tuesday walking the show floors.

Let's see, the most awesome product which I'm personally interested in is the LiveWedge by Cerevo.  As a Health IT Consultant, I have to give presentations, and video trainings and I can see how would add that extra production value to my videos with little to minimal post.  Its effectively a HDMI switch, recorder, live broadcaster, and green screen unit all in one for under $1000!  Sadly, you won't see a whole lot of press on this item - but the most exciting thing to me is the affordability / capability ratio.

Flying dones were all over the place this year.  I'm most excited about the DJI Inspire 1 as far as flying drones are concerned but the AirDog won a CES show award so that's one I'm going to have to look into.

And I like where the future of autonomous, and semi-autonomous driving cars are going.  Hyundai made a fantastic video of the future Genesis and BMW had a live showcase of their technology in the middle island with their auto parking, impossible to hit anything i3.

There were a LOT of CES innovations award winners this year, and once I find the link and process some pictures I'll share them with you in an upcoming post.  

 

I Just Picked My First iPhone 6 Plus Case

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And unfortunately, its going to take months to get here. But because I typically like my iPhones naked for day to day use, and like battery based cases when I know I'm going out all day, this case (for $59 with this link for the next 15 days, its a referral link that saves you $10, and I get $10 off my case) should be worth the wait.

It adds a nice set of stereo speakers, active sound enhancements, batteries to extend and power it all, and a decent enough case to protect from 'bend-gate'.  Of course I will have to put it through some tests and sound samples before I can make a final judgement call on it but the speaker / speakerphone enhancement is something I'm definitely looking forward to.

Amp Audio Coupon: www.ampaudio.com/r/okhFgtlT

Press release follows:

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GoPro Hero 4

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From Photo Miss to Photo Bliss. Introducing ThisLife, by Shutterfly Get a free 20-page Photo book with a paid subscription.

The new 4 is coming real soon.  Every time I see one of these videos it reminds me to aspire to be more adventurous in life and maybe get a GoPro to document it.