I don’t about you but I have not missed CES in 7 years and as far as I’m concerned I’m in it for life (no parole). Whether you’re a rookie n00b or a veteran alumnus planning for CES or better yet planning your time at CES can drive you crazy then suck your soul right out through your pores. Thankfully CEA (the company that organizes CES) provides phonebook-sized directories, booklets and online planning tools (MyCES) to help you get through it. The problem with these tools is you either have to carry around books (as if back in college), printed plans or sit in front of PC with a full-sized browser to access your evil plans [evil scientist laungh for dramatic effect].
Say hello to my little friend…
Lucky for me I have a trusty Blackberry (eat your heart out Mr. Bond). For those of you who took the advice of our fearless leader Ronen and downloaded Boopsie you can now download a cool app called CES Mobile. With this app installed over Boopsie you have a little CES bible in your paw.
Here’s what you can do with CES Mobile:
– Enter your badge ID (so you know it’s you)
– Find Exhibitors (this is VERY helpful) and get a bit of info about them
– Add exhibitors to the My CES Personal Planner (a to-see list really)
– Access BlackBerry Owners Lounge (shoots you out to the browser)
– Get CES updates (helpful news and such)
– It has a Las Vegas restaurant guide (by AOL)
– Taxi Guide (a great list of about 20 taxi companies and their phone numbers)
– Vegas Hotel Guide (look up practically any hotel in LV and get info)
– *Light a friend’s smoke (*additional hardware such as lighter or match needed)
I’ve tinkered with it some and while it is not perfect it sure helps, a lot… more than some of my college professors or most drive through order takers (what the heck is that job called anyway?)
Personally I would have loved some kind of caledar feature so I can actually schedule visits to exhibitors and maybe integrate it into my berry’s calendar. Searching for exhibitors is rather fast and easy. It finds the company you are looking for even as you type. Once you find an exhibitor you can click to add it to your planner and get more info on the exhibitor (such as booth location and company info). I think it would be helpful to see some contact names for each exhibitor, such as a press contact, perhaps a marketing contact… well maybe next year.
I can think of several more suggestions for Boopsie and CES Mobile but I’d like to hear your’s. So enter your comments below and let’s hope someone from Boopsie is listening (or should I say reading).
