The discussion revolved around the connected entertainment and evolution of the digital home and rating the consumer electronics industry and their evolution from the previous CES.

Carlos lead the panel with questions on grading the industry from the previous year to now. The panel consisted of:

Ross Rubin from NPD gave the industry a C.

Terri Walsh from We Got Served gave the industry a C-

Wilson Rothman from Gizmodo gave it a C-

Will Smith from Maximum PC graded the industry a  D+.

Richard Doherty  from Envisioneering gave the industry a D- .

The group gave a very honest review of digital media industry and what consumers want as well as the take aways from the Consumer Electronic show. The general consensus is that the industry has failed deliver on their promise to consumers, but are trying to get it right like they did when DVD media was delivered.

Not only was a show and tell it was a highly interactive session with bloggers and their communities for feedback.

They passed around the lids from their older and newer laptop lids with new finishes and added durability and rigidity.

On the back of the lid is an aircraft inspired honey-comb plate is added for torsional rigidity while keeping the notebook as light as possible. Rigid not only on the top and bottom, but also as side impact and on the corners where most impacts from dropping occurs.

Matt talked about their hard drive drop-protection technology that parks the hard drive when its dropped and how it has improved.  HP also mentinoed that are looking into opening up a developer SDK so end-users can tap into using the accelerometer for custom applications like taping the side of the display to flip pages, windows, moving the screen up and down to scroll.

He also did a quick example how they test their new Dura finish and tested with steel wool from average usage patterns by consumers on the previous version with out it and the current version with the anodized aluminum durafinish which didn’t scratch at all. Amazing process. On the bottom there is also a new painting surface to reduce the wear and tear occurs from every day sliding and placement on flat worksurfaces.

DuraKeys, (I know my wife would have loved this in her current HP notebook) that a finish on it to reduce the wearing off of letters from the keys. This came directly from feedback given by bloggers and customers This new finish has a 50% increase in resistance to wear.

A mylar film on the back of the keyboard guides the liquid away from the critical components in the laptop that would have expensive repair and replacement costs.

HP also made improvements in battery life and the circuitry to charge the battery to not only extend the battery, but also how fast it charges.

HP has also done some rugged-ablity and reliablity tests with MIL specs via third party testing with a table on their website on what the specs are for each of their laptops.

  The audience was engaged in an interactive discussion … this was a great addition to the CNTRSTG agenda.

Tracey was joined by SuChin Pak, the host of a TV program which was the centerpiece of the effort. 

We had the opportunity to see this year’s winning laptop design … it was very cool!  Check out the press release below!

HP, MTV and AMD today named Hisako Sakihama, a 27-year-old designer from Japan, the winner of its “Engine Room” Notebook Design Contest – a worldwide competition to design the next HP “artist edition” notebook PC.

Sakihama’s design of sea and sky in Okinawa was chosen as the grand prize winner from the regional finalists by a judges panel composed of regional heads of creative at MTV, art directors at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, and industrial design managers at HP. The design will be featured on an HP limited-edition notebook PC featuring the AMD Turion X2 Ultra™ notebook platform later this year.

The regional finalists received the most votes and represent the top designs from Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America. To view the winning designs, visit www.mtvengineroom.com.

This year, artists from 94 countries submitted nearly 17,000 designs with the hopes that their art would be displayed on an HP notebook PC. More than 62,000 votes were received from 159 countries, making the Engine Room Notebook design contest one of the most successful user-generated contests from HP to date.

This year’s regional finalists include Rodrigo Daniel Diaz from Argentina, Carlos Alonso Zebenzuy from Spain, Abhishek Goswami from India, and Stacy Rezzola from the United States. The regional finalists will have their art transformed into notebook attachable “skins” from SkinIt, which will be made available to consumers around the world.

“The response we’ve received from creative people around the world has been astounding,” said David Roman, vice president, Marketing Communications, Personal Systems Group, HP. “Design is one of the most personal ways we communicate with each other. It’s evident from these winning designs that there are some very talented young artists out there. We look forward to delivering the next-generation HP ‘artist edition’ notebook PC designed by Hisako Sakihama.”

People who visited the “Engine Room” website and voted for their favorite design were automatically entered in a sweepstakes to win technology prizes from HP.

“As the processing power behind today’s most advanced visual computing experiences like gaming and HD video, AMD understands the importance of stunning images,” said Nigel Dessau, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, AMD. “In partnering with leading global brands like HP and MTV, AMD brings notebook inner beauty and performance to match the inspired creativity of the artists participating in the notebook design challenge.”

“Engine Room”

“Engine Room” is an original series, created by MTV, HP and partners in which young artists from around the world can showcase their creativity and bring art to life with technology.

The first series of “Engine Room” challenges brought together four teams of digital artists from Latin America, Europe, Asia and North America to compete on an original, short-form online series that aired on mtvU – MTV’s college network – and on MTV channels around the world. At the conclusion of the 2008 “Engine Room” series, host Suchin Pak announced the latest digital artistry challenge – the HP, MTV and AMD “Engine Room” notebook design challenge.

Find out more about MTV EngineRoom here

To attend this presentation at CntrStg you need to qualify according to the guidelines at the registration page.

For registered CntrStg attendees we will provide free transportation to and from CntrStg at the Wynn and the LVCC.

To attend this presentation at CntrStg you need to qualify according to the guidelines at the registration page.

For registered CntrStg attendees we will provide free transportation to and from CntrStg at the Wynn and the LVCC.

To attend this presentation at CntrStg you need to qualify according to the guidelines at the registration page.

For registered CntrStg attendees we will provide free transportation to and from CntrStg at the Wynn and the LVCC.

To attend this presentation at CntrStg you need to qualify according to the guidelines at the registration page.

For registered CntrStg attendees we will provide free transportation to and from CntrStg at the Wynn and the LVCC.

The old slogan, “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” is not always true. It’s hardly the case when you’re hanging out with bloggers. Take a break from grueling rounds on the show floor to come hang out and drink with all the important geeks and gadget bloggers at CES.

The blogger party will be the third annual “It Won’t Stay in Vegas” blogger bash at the Atomic Testing Museum. Featuring free food and and open bar, it’s hard not to have a good time.

The blogger party is happening on Friday, January 9th, 2009 from 5-8pm at the Atomic Testing Museum. Please visit their site to request an invite.

As a courtesy CntrStg, sponsored by HP, will provide transportation of their attendees to the event and the Parnassus Group will provide transportation back to CntrStg.