BREAKING NEWS: Senate Passes Bill To Delay Digital TV Switch

No surprise here, really. As we debated last Saturday on my radio program it may be a good thing to push back the planned February 17 switch from analog to digital TV. And the Senate seemed to agree.

The Senate voted Monday to delay until June 12 the deadline for the changeover from analog to digital television broadcasting. People still getting their pictures through old-fashioned antennas otherwise would face a Feb. 17 cutoff.

Nothing is set in stone yet as the House needs to make a decision however comparable legislation is being readied. As previusly reported here the Obama administration has called for a delay as they fear to many Americans using over-the-air signals won't be ready.

Looking to launch your tech business?

This Wednesday night at the Hyatt Regency is the time and place to be. The Houston Technology Center is hosting its annual TECH CONNECTION. If you want ideas and contacts of how to get your idea or business off the ground and - more importantly - where to find money to help your cause, get downtown to the Hyatt.

From the press release:

This unique event, co-sponsored by the Greater Houston Partnership, will offer emerging technology companies and local businesses a single point of access to Houston’s top technology leaders.

Featured guests will include representatives from BioHouston, the Houston Angel Network, the Greater Houston Partnership, MIT Enterprise Forum of Texas, University of Houston Small Business Development Center Network, the Houston Technology Center and HTC Americas, and Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. HTC’s Emerging Technology Council Chair and Houston’s High Tech Texan®, Michael Garfield, will kick off the event. Both the expo and networking reception are included in the $25 price.

Oops, I better start working on my remarks.

Seriously, this is a great event for information, networking and schmoozing. Sign up NOW before registration is full. The price alone is worth it for the cocktails!

The High-TEXT Texan

Imagine texting over 28,000 in ONE MONTH. Only a teenager, right? The New York Post recently profiled ten teen texters who hopefully had an unlimited plan.

Is this dangerous? Did they hurt their thumbs? What did their parents say? I will talk with one of their parents on my Saturday show to get his opinion and thoughts when that bill came in.

No doubt we will cover other pressing matters in the tech world like Microsoft laying off 5,000 employees, Google not making as much money as they are used to (sniff, sob...) and Sony reporting an operating loss for the first time in 14 years.

But have you gone out and bought your HDTV for the Super Bowl? Lots of sales so we will help guide you to the best deals and smartest ways to hook them up.

11am-2pm on The 9-5-0

Half Marathon Is Ovah and I Am Spent!

The first few weeks of each new year usually are a blur to me. A few days after the ball drops I find myself cheering and celebrating a Longhorns bowl win. I then jet off to Las Vegas for the huge Consumer Electronics Show - a tiring 4 days of walking, talking, meeting, greeting and traveling.

If that doesn't take enough out of me I then have to do my final prepping (hydrating, carbo-loading) for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon the following weekend. That weekend has come and gone and now, just now, I can move forward with the new year.

We broadcasted our show on Saturday from the marathon Expo at the GRB. Aramco Services was kind enough to host our radio team and we met a lot of the 25,000 or so runners who planned to pound the pavement the next day.

Sunday morning came and 1:41:47 after the start gun fired I crossed the finish line. If you're keeping stats that's a whopping 7 minutes faster than my time in last year's race.

Back to regular programming next week...

Day 1 at CES is ovah

Loooong day in Vegas. This show can kill ya. Miles and miles of aisles in the LV Convention Center. I spent almost 7 hours in that cavernous place and barely scratched the surface of seeing and meeting all the exhibiting companies.

A few trends I noticed:

• The economy is cutting in to the attendance; both exhibitors and attendees. Traffic near the convention center was smoother than in years past. People traffic in the aisles seemed lighter. There was much less press releases and media folks in the press room.


• Thin is in. LG, Sony, Panasonic and other companies rolled out some razor thin LCD TVs it was hard to take photos of them from the side. They are expensive but very sexy.


• Wireless continues to cut those cords. Wireless power charging, wireless auto Internet, wireless home door locks. We don't like cables but these new wireless devices to come down in price before they take off.


• Green is good. Companies are now touting their lower watt-usage on TVs and other appliances. Still not sure exactly how much one can save on watching a TV that consumes 125 watts vs. 185 but it could be a sharp marketing move.
  

I haven't seen anything that is absolutely a must-have or killer device. But I did have some awesome tortellini Thursday night that I will remember for quite a while.

If you are my FaceBook friend you should be seeing some of the photos I have been uploading from the show. If you aren't; come on...let's be BFF!

Viva CES!

It's the first week of the year and you know what that means. Tax prep time! Just kidding (kind of). It's the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas!

Getting my checklist together which includes...comfy shoes, broadcast equipment, lists of companies I plan to meet with, list of parties and events, energy drinks, money, How to Beat The Casino at Craps book and my return plane ticket.

Thousands of companies will be exhibiting new gadgets, software, games, autos and other things we will "need" in 2009. It is my job to decipher the truth, dispel the rumors and get to the bottom of things we really want this coming year.

As usual I will be blogging, emailing, Facebooking, Twitting and doing live interviews on radio and TV back to my markets in the Southwest. Plus I will be broadcasting my radio show LIVE from the show floor on Saturday. I'm your one-stop CES Mr. Know It All so keep logging in and tuning in to your usual High-Tech Texan media outlet.

Looking for something in particular at this year's show? Email me or post it here and I'll do my best to report back. Viva Las Vegas!

FYI...We are in the process of transferring our domain to another server so our real website will be back online within a day or two.

New Year. Special 4 Hour Show.

Happy freakin' New Year. Or should I say "Good Riddance 2008." We can only hope the economy stabilizes a bit in 2009 but I say hold on and tighten your seat belts.

I'll jump start the new year this Saturday with a special, extended 4 hour show on The 9-5-0. Due to some programming changes I will go one extra hour until 3pm CDT. Help me fill the time with calls and emails.

I'll be reviewing the technology landscape of 2008 (good and crappy gadgets, websites and more), making a few predictions what we will see in the next 365 days and listening to what you got for gifts this holiday season. Can't figure out how to work it? Call me and we'll try to help.

Next week we broadcast the show live from Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show - always a good one.