CES 2008 - not all serious stuff!
CES is quite a show to visit encompassing a vast array of electronic items from the biggest innovators in the industry such as Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, and Nokia but there are also a slew of smaller companies that come to display their products too. CES has been know to be the must-attend event for new technology. For years we have seen almost every major consumer electronics advance at CES such as the first handhelds, the DVD player, HDTV, satellite radio and on and on and on.
Each year as I walk the floor, I always enjoy the displays from the “big guys” … it truly is amazing to see what is new and where the future lies but it is also a great experience to walk through the areas that have the “small guys” and to see the items they are displaying. I always try to dedicate some time to wander, look and enjoy. This year was no exception and I did dedicate some time to explore what was new. As I went up and down the isles, one display from Dream Cheeky caught my eye. Possibly it was the bright red color in the display or the great smile the young woman had as I looked over but what ever it was, I stopped to look at the items they were showing.
Now there was nothing there that was really “high Tech” but rather an array of those “fun” items that you might give to someone or even have on your desk at work. Things like a USB Aquarium, a USB Green House, and a USB Fridge were there as well as a USB Wireless Launcher. That did catch my eye because I had just seen a “wired” version at a friend’s office just before CES. You would walk into his office and all sorts of alarms would go off then “pop”, a rubber missile would hit you in the chest.
So a conversation began and as we chatted she recognized my Boston accent, asked where I was from and then we discovered that we were from the same town …. it’s a small world! So for the next hour we chatted about “home”, the school she and my son went to and her eventual move to Singapore. It was an amazing story! I was so pleased to spend time with her that day and to see a “local kid” achieve success in her career and it was even a greater pleasure coming home and sharing the wonderful conversation I had and a picture of her at the booth with her parents.
I had mentioned that a friend had a wired USB Launcher on his desk so when I left, Julie gave me a wireless one to take home. It’s “cool”, it works and is fun. I don’t think I’ll keep it but it will get its final resting place on the desk of a friend …. I know he will get a kick out of it.
So what is the USB Wireless Launcher?
Find out after the break
It’s a “toy” for your desk that you can setup to wirelessly launch 3 soft foam missiles from a cannon and shoot at a target (or co-worker). The sending unit is powered by USB and the receiver is powered by battery. The cannon can be mounted anywhere and surprisingly has quite a reception range. I used it easily with varying distances from sitting next to it on my table to having it mounted above my fireplace across the room. It moves left, right, up and down and can easily be adjusted at the target your aiming at with a very cool interface. I was amazed at the “power” of the shot and the distance the missile would travel. It shoots up to 15 feet at a extremely fast rate and the desktop interface has some prerecorded sound effects that makes the experience a lot of fun.
The package comes with a CD that installs the launcher program which is compatible with Windows XP/2000/Vista. It was a fast and easy install and as soon as you plug in the USB connector for the sending unit, it recognized the device and was immediately ready to run. There were decent directions for installation and operation but it was all pretty much self explanatory so most folks will set it up and start shooting their colleagues in seconds. You get a sending unit, the cannon that has a receiver, 3 missiles, a target, quick start guide and a CD for installation of the Launcher program.
The install was fast and easy
So is it fun? Yeah, I did get quite a kick out of it was pleased with the ease of operation. I did a quick video after the install that you might enjoy.
Congratulations Julie on your success and I wish you all the best.
You are a credit to your parents and I expect that we will see a lot of neat things coming from your company, Dream Cheeky! Oh, and in case all of you did not notice folks, Julie will shortly have a “little one” to test out all those cool toys they make…. congratulations Julie!
Written by Jack Cook · Filed Under CES
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