Roku

Open the Gates – With more than 31 football fields of show space, CES attendees have to crowd in opening day and walk themselves ragged in hopes of not just seeing all the show but seeing what will win/fail big in the coming year.

While a few folks have said CES is on its last leg, we wonder if they were at the same show we were this month.

More than 3,100 exhibitors squeezed into a mere 1.861 million net square feet (31+ football fields) of exhibit space and the show drew more than 153,000 attendees.

There was the urban sprawl of the big boys trying to out-glitz each other (even as they experienced record losses or marginal profits).

Microsoft announced that this was their last keynote, last time of exhibiting; and folks immediately said, "See the show is losing its relevance in a real-time world."

These same folks probably said Ballmer couldn't get out of his own way.

Suddenly he's brilliant?

Folks pointed out that really big things in the past have gone on to bomb, die.

You know Palm/WebOS, netbooks, 3D TV, etc.Read more

It's a common misperception…some consumers think that literally every item on their shopping list will be at its lowest price of the year in and around Black Friday.

This statement may be true for a variety of categories, but it's important to note that there are a handful of things you should not buy on Black Friday.

Here are the top 10 Things NOT to Buy on Black Friday, from the dealnews editors:

1. Toys: We've said it many times already, and we'll say it once more: Black Friday is not the best time to buy toys for the holidays. They'll likely still be discounted, and it may feel pretty good to get your shopping done early, but you won't love that sinking feeling you'll get when you see those toys listed on dealnews for less about two weeks before Christmas.

2. Top-Brand TVs: Black Friday is an excellent time to get a cheap TV, with numerous sizes prepped to hit their lowest price points we've ever seen, but don't expect the best deals to be flooded with brand-name sets. Those will come with a bit of patience.

3. 2012 Calendars: Wait until the end of January or early February to see the first significant discounts on 2012 calendars, and keep your appointments in your smartphone in the meantime. Wall calendars are mainly just eye candy for your cubicle anyway, right?Read more

June 2, 2011 - -Roku and Rovio this week announced that the companies have entered into a strategic partnership to bring the first Angry Birds experience to the TV. Roku will offer Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio video games; launch an Angry Birds video channel featuring Angry Birds animated shorts; and sell Angry Birds merchandise—all via the Roku Channel Store.

The announcement also marks Roku’s expansion of its successful Internet TV platform to include casual games. Although Rovio is the first partner that will bring popular casual games to Roku, the company is in talks with other casual game providers and aggregators, and will make additional announcements including availability details within the next few weeks. In addition, Roku continues to be an open platform allowing content owners of all sizes to have a channel that streams to the TV.Read more

The bad thing about events in Northern California is that there are always a number of them going on in the tech industry and usually they have a knack to overlap.

Take today.

Yes GDC is still on but then down in San Jose is a two-day OTTCon (over the top conference) taking place. No biggie you say but these are the guys/gals who are going give us a hint on what we'll be watching, where we'll be watching it, how we'll be watching it.

Affects the way you work with games too!

OTTCon Snapshot

These folks have a huge challenge ahead of them. They're busting each other's chops trying to figure out exactly what tomorrow's TV entertainment is going to be like especially since people seem to want to push it to every screen you have (and even will be thinking about).

That's not so bad but they're really trying to figure out how they're going to get their money out of it! And how does it fit into/compete in the YouTube online spectrum? It does!

They were an energetic crowd but the first thing you realize is that they don't have any better idea where TV is going than you do…but they say it with confidence/conviction so it "feels" so!Read more

Let's start by saying 2011 is going to be the year we wanted three years ago when the financial institutions "borrowed" our global wellbeing! It was the first time we entered unfamiliar territory because the financial meltdown didn't affect just one country but all of us.

Economic Outlook

Internationally governments are feeling their way along the precipice because the depth and duration of the recession was beyond what most could clearly recall. They are moving – hesitantly – but still slightly dazed by the headlights of the near miss.

At the same time the U.S. government ground to a near halt because of the partisan politics that could last for two years.

Fortunately as in past recessions companies have finally become sick and tired of being sick and tired and realized that government – any government – can't move things forward…it is up to business to get the job done!

Most of the 80+% of the employed U.S. population (10% tracked unemployed, 8% dropped off the grid) are certain that conditions are and will continue to improve. This was apparent over the holiday buying season where PC/CE/communications sales increased more than 7% with a greater percentage being cash sales…resisting mounting additional personal/family debt.Read more

With last year's release of Avatar, 2010 has turned out to be the year of not only 3D movies, but also video games and sports. And this holiday season consumers will be able to bring the 3D experience home. So, if you're looking to jump in on 3D, Panasonic's VT25 series 3D TV would be an excellent choice. It offers up great color reproduction, price, and a high quality 2D picture, combined with the experience and passion Panasonic has for 3D.

Next up, connected TVs. Today's connected TVs are really starting to hit their stride. The Samsung 6400 series of LED HDTVs not only offer a slim form factor, but offer a wide range of applications. On the 6400 series, consumers can enjoy streaming movies and TV shows from Netflix, Vudu, Blockbuster, Hulu Plus, CinemaNow and much more. Or listen to music from services such as Napster or Pandora. Bottom line - connected TVs bring a world of on-line entertainment to the big screen. Read more