How to survive CES 2008 without getting off the couch

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OK, first, for those unlucky few that are going to CES (Consumer Electronics Show, aka “big gadget fest of the year”) for some reason, here’s some good posts to help you prepare:

1. Paul Kedrosky tracked how much higher the hotel prices are.
2. There’s a few events for bloggers, too.
3. Michael Gartenberg says to bring good socks AND listen to Jeremy Toeman’s advice.
4. M3 Sweatt works at Microsoft and has lots of good advice.

My advice? Stay home and avoid the two-hour taxi lines.

Here’s how.

First, if you’re one of two people who don’t addictively visit Engadget and Gizmodo every 15 minutes you should start. Now.

They are already going nuts with CES pictures, vids, rumors, and more.

I heard that Engadget has more than 10 people walking the floor for you. Why? So you don’t have to!

In fact, last year I kept Engadget on my cell phone WHILE I was walking the show floor. Why? Those crazy people find all the cool stuff and then when you see it on Engadget you rush over to get your hands on the cool geeky toy.

But, don’t stop with Engadget and Gizmodo. There are a ton of other sites that are going to be at CES too.

Here’s some:

1. CrunchGear.
2. GearLive. (Uploaded hundreds of videos last year alone — all from the BlogHaus).
3. SlashGear.
4. PCMag.
5. CNET News.com.
6. Geek News Central.
7. G4TV.

I’m sure there are many others. You can use Google News to follow CES news, for instance. But, here’s your chance. If you’re going to CES and want people to know about your coverage, post a link here!

Other ways to survive CES without getting off the couch?

1. Drink lots of beer. It helps you get through all the stupid gadget PR posts.
2. Get multiple screens. That way you can watch all the interminable streaming video (yes, I’m going to be doing live video from around Las Vegas too) and you can see if anything gets interesting without reducing your productivity too much.
3. Make sure you don’t miss all the CES Keynotes. It’s Bill Gates last CES. They are usually on in the evenings. I’ll post the URLs of the keynotes when I learn them (if I can).
4. Follow Twitter. Use a Twitter search engine to follow CES. If that one doesn’t work, try this one.
5. Have credit card ready so you can be first to Amazon.com.
6. If you can’t afford to buy new toys tell all your friends you’re waiting until next week to see what Steve Jobs is bringing out at MacWorld.

Anyway, good luck, and let us know how gadget week is going.

For me it starts tomorrow with an interview with Doug Engelbart. Inventor of the mouse. Among other things. We’ll be streaming that live sometime after 2 p.m. Pacific Time and we’ll use that same URL to stream live video from the CES Media Center Express starting Saturday morning at about 10 a.m. (Pacific) and all week long will be updated with both live and recorded video (if we can get a cell or wifi connection we’ll stream live video from the show floor).

Published by Robert Scoble

I help entrepreneurs build their technology business' story, help with getting ready for investors, with other launch plans, and many other strategic things that can help your new startup. Call to talk: +1-425-205-1921 (text first).

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45 thoughts on “How to survive CES 2008 without getting off the couch”

  15. I’m going to CES for the first time this year, despite living in Veags for 5 years (I always stayed clear). I’ll be working the HP booth Monday and Tuesday. Anyone’s welcome to stop by and say hi. I’ll also be live blogging and twittering whenever I can get service.

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  16. I’m going to CES for the first time this year, despite living in Veags for 5 years (I always stayed clear). I’ll be working the HP booth Monday and Tuesday. Anyone’s welcome to stop by and say hi. I’ll also be live blogging and twittering whenever I can get service.

    Like

  17. I have never been a regular visitor of Engadget but because of what you’ve commented on Engadget I am now curious to check this site every now and then.

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  18. I have never been a regular visitor of Engadget but because of what you’ve commented on Engadget I am now curious to check this site every now and then.

    Like

  23. I only just noticed that Engadget has a Twitter feed (Gizmodo’s has cobwebs on it) which should be a great way to keep up. I removed their RSS feed from my reader a while back as I couldn’t deal with the amount of content. For CES, their Twitter feed should be just the job 🙂

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  24. I only just noticed that Engadget has a Twitter feed (Gizmodo’s has cobwebs on it) which should be a great way to keep up. I removed their RSS feed from my reader a while back as I couldn’t deal with the amount of content. For CES, their Twitter feed should be just the job 🙂

    Like

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  26. Good advice. Here’s the thing about the socks: don’t just have good socks. Take more than you think you need. And change them during the day. If you have the space and can carry the weight, take extra shoes as well.

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  27. Good advice. Here’s the thing about the socks: don’t just have good socks. Take more than you think you need. And change them during the day. If you have the space and can carry the weight, take extra shoes as well.

    Like

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