What to Take Away From CES.....

Touch Rules

Blackberrys, Kindles, and G1 devices look mighty antiquated beside all the touchy-feely goodness at this year's show. Gone are the tactile keyboards of yore: Whether it's Dell's mini-tablet or Vizio's touchscreen HDTV remote, everything seemed to operate by touch. Even relative smartphone newcomers are expounding upon the trend that Apple and Android spawned, as evidenced by the ELSE Intuition, an Access Linux-based device being hawked in an unused conference room off the show floor.

Your Phone, Your Everything

Sure, we already had smartphone apps that could serve as digital key fobs for our cars. But CES democratized the phone-as-tool phenomenon by bringing us apps like a remote controller for Sony Blu-ray players and new accelerometers from STMicroelectronics that can sense temperature and wake the phone when it's in motion. A whole new bevy of fart apps lie in wait.

Netbooks are dead

No one could stop talking about netbooks last year, and in 2010, you'll scarcely be able to find one. Why? Because netbooks have become tablets have become e-readers. With Pixel Qi's hybrid displays, which switch between e-ink and full-color LCD with the push of a button, there won't be any reason to have two dedicated devices for work and reading. Not to mention the gorgeous Spring Design Alex e-reader, which contains a fully-functional Android smartphone in its belly for Web browsing, email, and multimedia.

It's not enough for Intel to grab your attention with targeted, customized rich media ads that are smart enough to read the best way to broadcast to passersby. They want you to stop and interact, feeding them analytics about your attention span and spending patterns, too. That's the idea behind Intel's new "7-foot-6-inch multi-user, multi-touch Intelligent Digital Signage Concept," coming to a retail environment or event near you. Designed by Frog Design, it's meant to presage a bricks-and-mortar shopping experience as data filled as online.

We love it!

In 1984, Vodafone was a tiny UK startup. Today, it is one of the world’s leading mobile telecommunications companies with activities around the globe. Vodafone’s well publicized Portuguese headquarters is located on Avenida da Boavista in Porto (Oporto), the namesake of Port wine and Portugal’s second global city after Lisbon.

The architects’ wish to reflect Vodafone’s credo “Vodafone Life, Life in Motion” lead to the creation of a building that challenges the static and appears to be out of balance. Three of the angular building’s eight floors are underground. The cross-section reveals an uneven footprint almost as if the entire structure had fallen from sky at a great speed and crashed itself into the earth where it now sits, only partly exposed and slightly disheveled.           

Troubled times for Saab.

As Saab enters difficult times and somewhat choppy waters, we just wanted to stand back and admire the...
Saab 92 prototype automobile which was unveiled in 1947.
One of the greatest automobiles ever designed.

Tactical Live launches graphicsandproduction.com
a specialist print, graphics, artworking & event production company.

Established as a production department to service clients & partner agencies.

www.graphicsandproduction.com

Bespoke Services:

Print & Display Graphics /  Global Logistics / Ideation & Creative
Exhibitions & Conferences / 3D - Design & Build /  Storage & Warehousing
AV Services / Event Delivery / Plasma Screens / Sound & lighting
Interactive Technology / Event Crewing / Event Management     
Staging Managers / Event Production / Design & Artworking
Experiential Interiors / Brand Touch Points / Experiential      
Permanent Display / Temporary Display / Large Format Print
Giant Media / Catwalk Build & Produce / Touch Screens     
Merchandise Display / 3D & 2D Props / Modular Displays
Printed Marquees / Event Branding / Merchandise Warehousing   
Promotional Vehicles / Production Storage / Brand Experience
Outdoor Media / Festival Branding / Stage Branding     
Special Builds / Sports Branding / Lampost Banners
Custom Signs / Roadshows Production
Event Furniture Hire / Retail Print / Signage       
Point of Sale / Hospitality Environments / Hospitality Graphics
Press Walls / Simulator Services / Vehicle Graphics     
Exhibition Graphics / Building Wraps / Product Display
Portable Graphics / Sponsorship Branding
Lightboxes / Brand Merchandising / International Freight Management

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21  - Malaysian state oil and gas company Petronas [PETR.UL] will be title sponsor of the Mercedes Formula One team next season, Mercedes announced on Monday.

The team, formerly champions Brawn GP, will become Mercedes GP Petronas with the oil company's branding across the car and team liveries in what they said was a long-term agreement.

"The new title partnership also paves the way for future collaborations between the two companies," Mercedes added in a statement.

It said Petronas would be able to "generate sustainable business growth, particularly in their downstream lubricants market, through the strategic partnership and business alliance with Mercedes-Benz."

Mercedes said their 2010 car would be presented in its new livery for the first test of the new season at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Feb. 1.

Petronas, who previously sponsored the BMW-Sauber team, will continue to be the title backer of the Malaysian Grand Prix -- the third round of the season at Sepang on April 4.

"Petronas's home base in Kuala Lumpur is located in the middle of a fast-growing region for the automotive industry which makes this new partnership even more valuable," said Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug.

Manor GP, one of four new outfits who will help make up an expanded 13-team Formula One grid for next season, have been rebranded Virgin Racing thanks to a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Branson.

Tycoon Branson confirmed one of F1's worst-kept secrets at a press conference in London, on Tuesday

Explaining his latest venture, Branson told reporters: "Our first year in F1 (with Brawn GP) was tremendous for the Virgin brand, so why not go in again with a new team from scratch?, If you look at the history of Virgin we've loved supporting technical breakthroughs and great engineers, and there's something like 120 engineers working away on this project."

Team chief John Booth confirmed he hopes the car will be ready for its first test at the end of January."The budget restrictions have allowed us to get involved in F1 and at the moment I'm on cloud nine. But we're the new kids on the block and we need to earn our place on the grid."

Tuesday's announcement also revealed that Italian Lucas di Grassi will partner Timo Glock after two seasons in GP2 and as test and reserve driver with Renault.

Lotus F1 Racing has today confirmed that Italy's Jarno Trulli, Finland's Heikki Kovalainen and Malaysia's Fairuz Fauzy have joined the team to spearhead driving duties for its debut Formula 1 season in 2010.