Monday, January 14, 2008 5:24 PM
It's January, and that means, in addition to arguments about who the real football champion is, it's time for the Consumer Electronics Show (or CES, as it's commonly referred to). CES showcases the latest in consumer electronics and what's bound to appear on the shelves of electronics superstores in the coming months and years.
This was an exciting year for Picasa at CES. Last Monday, we were part of Panasonic's keynote presentation. I had a chance to participate in the keynote with Panasonic President, Toshihiro Sakamoto, and fellow Googler Steve Chen (co-founder of YouTube) where Mr. Sakamoto announced Panasonic's VIERAcast, an interface to access YouTube and all of your Picasa Web Albums right in your living room on a big plasma TV. Panasonic also demoed an upcoming camera with wireless network connectivity, complete with integrated access to T-Mobile HotSpots and the ability to send photos directly to Picasa Web Albums. Imagine being able to share photos you've just taken seconds earlier with friends and family right on their TVs!
Research in Motion also provided a sneak peek of their new, soon-to-be-released uploader for those who have Blackberries with integrated cameras. The Picasa Web Albums Uploader for Blackberry will enable fast, easy uploading of photos to Picasa Web Albums. Make sure to sign up for the Blackberry Owners Lounge to get a first crack at this.
All of these products highlight our goal of giving you access to your photo collection wherever you are. We hope to see more announcements like this in the not-too-distant future.
And my favorite products at CES? I'd love to have the 150-inch Panasonic plasma TV that was unveiled (although it would require tearing the roof off of my house), as well as the Nyko wireless nunchuck for my Wii. Equally dazzling were the incredibly thin and elegant Sony OLED TVs and the new Logitech Harmony One remote control.
Can't wait until next year!
