About
CNTRSTG @ CES evolved from conversations with online community leaders and companies at CES 2008 on how to make it better for everyone involved. We want to provide a location that is central to the convention centers at the heart of CES, a shuttle that actually services bloggers and companies to and from CNTRSTG as well as a cool place to hang out and get some work done.
Last year at CES we felt the need to provide the community with a way to meet with companies without the hassles of running up and down the Las Vegas strip to meet with the same companies wasting a few hours in useless traveling. So we talked to a few community leaders and companies and they immediately fell in love with the idea of having one place to present and have one on one time with influencers. We are planning on having some focus days with some topics centered around Mobility, Tablet PCs, Media Center, etc.
CntrStg is a community driven by people choosing for themselves what companies they would like to see and hear from. CntrStg is also for companies that want to speak with online community leaders. If there is little or no interest from either side, then there won’t be a session. We plan to give presenters around 20-30 minutes to present and do Q&A as well as have time for 1:1 meetings if they so desire. Some companies also expressed interest in having round table discussions to get feedback from consumers and online community leaders and bloggers. We want to provide that as well if bloggers and companies are interested.
CntrStg is organic and founded on the principals of Barcamps, to encourage conversation and transfer knowledge. If you feel that this is the place for you, we invite you to come and spend some time with us, where spotlight shines on you.
Who We Are
Eric Hicks has been professionally involved in the technology arena for over two decades. From becoming a licensed Amateur radio operator at the age of 13 to working with many of today’s top communications companies, Eric always finds interesting ways to use technology to help with his many tasks.
In his “day job” Eric is often configuring, troubleshooting and planning WAN and LAN connectivity for communication companies. When Eric is not working on data networks, he is working with companies and end users helping them to plan, deploy and use mobile devices and other mobility products.
As a mobile technology authority, Eric writes articles and reviews on the topic of mobility at www.bostonpocketpc.com. He also volunteers his time to help users with questions about new devices on various forums abroad.
For several years running, Eric has received the Microsoft MVP for Mobile Devices award due to his commitment to communities both online and offline. His profile can be found at: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=7B18FA9A-C5A8-46DE-9114-68091238F4AC
Johan van Mierlo has been involved in the online communities since the launch of the handheld computer Palm IIIe in 1998. He is active on many English and Dutch forums that focus on handheld computers.
From the beginning, Johan began writing articles and reviewing products for two major Web sites: Pocketinfo.nl and BostonPocketpc.com when he switched to his iPaq 3650. He was on the board of Pocketinfo.nl for four years and helped the Web site become one of the largest online communities in Europe.
Johan has since developed an influential network with other online community leaders and the manufacturers’ representatives in the mobility arena. He owned and tested many devices including Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian and many different GPS products. Johan still contributes to BostonPocketPC.com and now has his own blog MobilityMinded.com. He still occasionally publishes articles on other related blogs and Web sites.
Johan was awarded MVP Windows Mobile Devices by Microsoft for his community activities last year. Johan can be found on many discussion forums using the monker “van_mierlo”. His profile can be found at:
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=BF46FD90-D8CE-4C1B-832A-3A751624E54C
Mike Temporale works as a technical consultant for companies looking to implement Mobile Device Management solutions. In his spare time, Mike enjoys writing articles, reviews, and thoughts about mobile technology at his blog MobileJaw.com.
Mike is a Microsoft Mobile Devices MVP and is also member of the invite-only Microsoft Mobius mobile device evangelist group. His profile can be found at:
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=A099F7EC-929B-420C-8D0A-5A09EE2F49D8#name
Steven Hughes is passionate about sharing information and helping people and is a contributor to several websites pertaining to mobile and computer technology. He is the chief news and reviews editor for BostonPocketPC.com where he posts many of his reviews and articles.
Steven acts as a judge in the Pocket PC Magazine Awards, co-manages the Boston Pocket PC User Group, and is one of the hosts of the Mobility Guys Podcast ( http://www.mobilityguys.com ). He recently started a new Web site, Techronical ( http://www.techronical.com ) that chronicles several “Power-users” usage of technology.
Steven is employed as a Biomedical Engineer for the VA New England Healthcare System. When he has some free time he generally spends it with his family or outdoors playing soccer, hitting the slopes, strumming his guitar, or riding the trails on his mountain bike.
He is a Microsoft MVP for Windows Mobile Devices. His profile can be found at:
https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=0774ED6F-2531-448A-9DEB-ED25E188B92F