Well my thoughts are going to be very similar to those already stated, but here it goes:

The Good:

• This show is HUGE yet again - maybe bigger!
• Tablet PC Meet Up was a lot of fun and great to see everybody - You did hear about the 3 computers given away right??
• Getting some talk time with JK and Kevin was a bonus
• Just getting to be in Vegas again :)
• The BlogHaus was a fun place - Getting to chat with a bunch of other bloggers and listen to their stories was an entertaining time
• Getting to see some MID's up close - they will be fun to watch
• Seeing my dream machine (though without dedicated graphics) in the M700 - because of the POWER it has!
• Shooting the Mobile Demand Video (#1 if I can rank one of them)
• The Surface demo was so cool - and I almost got a snowboard out of the deal....
• The 150" TV was very big!!!

The Bad:

• The show is HUGE (yes same thing on the bad list too)
• Getting he Flu on the way home - 4 days in bed...  yuck
• My hard drive crashing again on the plane ride home (see image)
• No Tablet PC release with a dedicated graphics card
• Sleeping on a roll out cot - actually that wasn't the worst part, that was Warner's snoring...
• Where are the new Tablet PC's???
• Companies need to let people 'find' the new stuff, not announce it 2 days/weeks prior - it would be more fun that way
• Dell and their 'not a consumer device' - there were still a lot of people from businesses there at the 'consumer' show.....

That's what I can think of off the top of my head - a head that's been frying for a few days at 104 degrees... There could be more later :)

We’ll be keeping an eye out for this at CES. LG is going to be showing off multi-touch displays at CES in both 52 inch and 84 inch varities. Supposedly they are the largest multi-touch displays yet. From what I’m reading in this Electronista article they use an IR interface to register only two points of contact. With Bill Gates reported to be showing of the Surface Table during his CES Keynote, it should be an interesting CES for multi-touch enthusiasts.

Mary Jo Foley is reporting that Microsoft is prepping a $300 million consumer product blitz in early 2008. (I smell a CES roll out.) She’s speculating that this will include Microsoft’s Zune’s, XBox, and Windows Home Server. She’s also curiously suggesting that Microsoft Surface might be in the mix, although I’m not so sure that will be a part of the consumer push this early. (Apparently Gates is going to demo Surface technology as a part of the CES keynote.)

Here’s my question though, and the eventual answer will be quite telling. Will Microsoft include Tablet PCs and UMPCs in the big consumer push that is about to happen? I’m optimistic that we will at least see UMPCs as a part of the campaign, but if we don’t… like I said, that will be more than telling.

Thoughts?

This looks like it is going to be quite a party! Details are firming up for the CES 2008 Tablet PC/UMPC Community meetup in Las Vegas. The location is now confirmed and it looks like it is going to be quite a party. A big key here is to RSVP to Lora Heiny(details below) so that we can get a handle on the number of folks attending. To get in to to the meetup YOU MUST RSVP. 

The GBM Team will be there in force and we’re looking forward to seeing you there. We’re also hearing that there will be quite a few companies in attendance and if it is anything like last year, make sure you bring your business cards for some pretty spectacular give-a-ways.

• What: CES2008 Tablet PC/UMPC Community Meetup
• Where: Cheeseburger Las Vegas in Miracle Mile Shops at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
• When: Tuesday, January 8, 2008
• What Time: 3:00pm to 6:00pm
• Why: To have fun meeting with Tablet PC and UMPC fans, OEMs, ISVs, and accessory manufacturers.

NOTE: YOU MUST RSVP TO TO ATTEND via Facebook or Upcoming or email to ljheiny at hotmail dot com .

Get ready for Silverthorne. Silverthorne? What’s that? Intel will be showing off the postage stamp sized processor that is the core of Intel’s Menlow mobile platform. Silverthorne is a low powered chip that will be the base of the next generation of small mobile devices, powering the next generation of UMPCs and MIDs. In a pre-CES briefing yesterday, Intel laid out some of its plans for CES 2008. And there was some interesting info tossed into the mix. Here’s a quote or two from an eWeek article:

While there were no additional details about Silverthorne, Intel has said that the processor will use 10 times less power than current models and the entire platform can fit onto a 74-milimeter by 143-milimeter motherboard. The types of MIDs and UMPC on display will offer users a combination of Wi-Fi, WiMax and 3G wireless technology.

At the 2008 CES, Pankaj Kedia, Intel's director of mobile Internet and UMPC platforms, said the company plans on showing off at least 10 different MIDs and UMPCs from a range of vendors, including Lenovo, Asus, Quanta, Clarion and several others.

Lenovo is certaintly an intriguing name to see on that list. You can bet we’re going to be taking a very close look at CES in just a few weeks.