Published in Cynopsis:Weekender, 10/4/07
By Jordan Yanco
Last Thursday through Sunday’s Digital Life Expo at the Jacob Javitz Center could easily have been described as a gamer’s paradise. Organized by Ziff Davis Media with Best Buy as the Official Retail Sponsor, Digital Life is perfect for a technology education, or some early Christmas shopping.
In the gaming arena, throngs of attendees lined up to show off their licks on unreleased Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, available 10/27. Those who overcame their stagefright competed in nightly tournaments. Nostalgic gamers played original Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Galaga machines, which promoted the Namco Mobile Ms. Pac-Man nightly tournament.
Madden, a new Lord of the Rings, and many other titles let gamers go head-to-head on hundreds of screens. PC vendors like Dell and HP displayed their latest models with mind-blowing graphics, processor speeds, and memory that made the average computer look like a Commodore 64. The Blackbird002 was a huge hit, with its liquid cooling technology, sleek design, and easy-access hardware for a paltry $5,600.
Hourly seminars, skits, and e-raffles showed just what some piranhas would do for free T-shirts. Technology innovators included CircleUp, a business and social networking e-mail aggregator that organizes multiple e-mail responses into a customizable chart. Zip-it is a hand-held device for around $150 that allows for chat with your buddy list free over every IM service simultaneously at any Wi-Fi hotspot. Hasbro showcased their playful robots, while the Eye-Clops ($50) magnifies anything 200 times and links to your TV.
The usual Mobile and Wireless vendors were back, offering seamless remote access to home or office computers, transcribing voicemail into e-mail text messages, even linking your favorite mobile or wireless device to your favorite car.
When asked to describe this year’s Digital Life in one word, the overwhelming response was “AMAZING” while one sullen gamer said “depressing”. “There weren’t enough manufacturers. No Sony, no Nvidia”, but he did like the “Can You Frag a 4th Grader?” booth. Vendors responded to the same question way differently after the show. Frazzled and haggard, one exhaustingly said “In … sane. I have no more … talk-ability … left in me.”
Is it next year yet?