Web Journalist Blog

As Editor at Large for Immersive Shooter, I went to the annual tech conference in Las Vegas, CES, to explore what new technologies will be coming to market and potentially disrupt the immersive industry.

This year, I noticed a change — moving from 360 to XR.

Here is the article I wrote for Immersive Shooter: https://www.immersiveshooter.com/2019/01/12/ces2019-pivot-to-xr/

Kid Rock, Geordi Laforge, great gadgets and great folks… my first CES delivered an impressive experience that made it well worth the trip – even if I stayed at a bad hotel like the Excalibur. (Hey, and no CueCat!)

You’ve heard by now that 3D TVs were the buzz of the conference and that an army of eBook readers are about to swarm the market. There were some impressive booths and demos, especially from Kodak and Intel.

But my take away from CES was the growing technology compensating for the limitations we’ve gotten from crappy battery life.

Here are three devices I recommend checking out:

HyperMac is a full-fledged external battery made for all your Apple devices.

Coming in difference sizes, you can lug around a battery the size of your laptop to power your laptop. Or a deck-of-card-sized battery that is great to recharge your iPhone a few times over. It powers your devices through its USB port.

If you are tired of carrying around all your cables to charge your devices, PowerMat has some interesting options. This company launched its first device in October, but they have already developed and improved on their impressive technology.

Later this year that are going to release replacement batteries for your cell phone (and soon for your digital point-and-shoot and video cameras) that will work with their wireless charging mat.

But, for me, the best thing coming out in Q3 is their really wireless, portable charger. This (large) pocket-sized mat holds enough to completely charge your iPhone four times or even give your netbook some extra juice, with an adapter.

This mat is truly wireless. Just place your device on the mat, hear a beep and see it charge. There are several different contenders entering the new wireless-power market, but as of right now these guys are leading the way. Keep an eye on this company.

And for those of you concerned about your carbon footprint, MiniWiz has developed a wind, solar and hand-cranked power device. This little device is made to hold you over until you get to the plug.

Sure, you can say it is a gimmick, but it’s a nice device in a pinch. One minute of wind power charges your phone for one minute of voice.

There is a newer, smaller version coming out later this year.

With things like the MiFi and these new batteries, we’re getting closer to being a completely wireless reporter without the need of a plug — well, for at least several hours.

I’m on the eve of attending my first CES in Vegas. This is the city’s biggest annual convention and it’s the mecca for techno geeks. I’m heading in — wearing comfortable shoes — with the image of the wonderland filled with shiny chrome gadgets with blinky lights.

I’m going in with a Web Journalist filter looking for devices and technology that will help advance storytelling. It’s going to be a big year for mobile devices for a lot cheaper, hopefully given journalists (paid or unpaid) the ability to cover and interact with their community better than before.

But, I have to admit, there is another image that has popped into my head has I begun to drift to techgeek dreamland. The one device, the one word that will forever live in infamy: CueCut.

[Insert groan here]

For those of you who missed it, be thankful. Basically it was a cat-shaped, scanning device that was a gateway to more information. Rumor had it this little piece of technology was going to revolutionize the print revenue model.

It didn’t. And it was deemed an ultimate failure.

But while it didn’t change the world back in the mid-90s, you have to admit the concept has started to pick up some stream. Sort of.

QR Codes have been big in Asian and for the last couple of years people have been saying they were going to sweep over America as the new way of getting information… like a CueCat! Oh. Nevermind.

It hasn’t yet, but don’t rule it out with devices like the iPhone and magazine like Esquire Magazine trying to embrace new technology.

Okay, almost rule it out.

With that, you can also rule out the CueCat making an appearance at CES 2010 and count on some very cool gadgets… like a Parrot!

Did I mention I’m a dog person?