CES Media Day [2]: Monster [Cables] remembers Vern Smith, Panasonic unveils Lumix GH5, ZTE introduces Blade V8 Pro

By: Fredwill Hernandez

 

 

Anticipation is always set high for the CES [2017] Press Days held throughout the Mandalay Bay [Ballrooms] days before the official start of the show, companies like LG, Samsung, Ford, Monster [Cables], Panasonic, Voxx, ZTE Corp., Hinese, Toyota, Sony among others, were eager to show, discuss, and unveil new products.

Even though the 2017 CES does not [officially] start till today [Jan 5th], CES held two Pre-CES Media days [Jan 3 – 4], amongst the most anticipated press conferences events is the Monster [Cables], which never disappoints.

DJ Livia [“You better ask somebody”] of the famed West Coast hip-hop collaborative comprised of siblings known as the Monster Kids, entertained and got attendees ready.

Head Monster Noel Lee [in his signature Segway] got things underway, by acknowledging and remembering his personal friend and the life of Vern Smith, business development director, Monster, who had passed Tues. – Sept. 20, 2016.

He showed footage of Shaquille O’Neal getting Smith to dance on stage during the 2015 CES Monster press conference.

Among other things, Lee announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Brightstar, a CE accessories distributor that reaches over 100 countries and new [endorsements] partnerships with DJ Clue, NBA Star Lance Stephenson, “The Fitness Rockstar” Nicole Chaplin,  Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, Sean Kilpatrick [of the Brooklyn Nets], EDM Duo Club Banditz, celebrity fisherman and TV host Peter Miller, and also [regional] partnerships with Miami Marlins, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, and Brooklyn Nets [through the Barclays Center].

Stephenson, who joined Lee on stage spoke about the importance of, “getting in the zone with music and Monster Elements headphones before a game,” and Chaplin, demonstrated how when working out, “the Monster’s iSports headphones, will not fall out.”

 

As Media day two progressed it was on to the Panasonic [Press Conference], who unveiled the new and impressive Lumix GH5 mirrorless camera which boast a 20.3 megapixels resolution, 3.68 and 0.76 magnification with 18 megapixel stills, taking you closer to 6K resolution, and among other things a full size HDMI port.

 

 

Panasonic also unveiled the Technics Grand Class SL-1200GR Direct-Drive Turntable System for audio enthusiasts, a standard model inheriting the technology of the SL-1200G, which was developed as a reference direct-drive turntable for the next generation fusing Technics’ Traditional Analogue and Leading-edge Digital Technologies, such as the coreless direct-drive motor and precise motor control technology, high-rigidity platter and high-sen tonearm.

The original Technics SL-1200’s were instrumental for Dj’s during the birth of Hip-Hop in the late 70’s and the early 80’s, also used by West Coast Pioneering Dj crews such as San Pedro, California, based The Majestic Crew, and Knights of the Turntables. A historical day in the history of West Coast Hip-Hop no one has ever mentioned, was Dec. 21, 1985, when these two crews had a Dj battle [using Technics SL-1200’s] at Big John’s Hall in Carson, California, which was similar to what the rooftop was in New York at the time.

 

Also unveiled during the press conference was Panasonics’ Countertop Induction Oven (CIO), which will change cooking forever.

Another company which continues its move forward to establishing itself on the US smartphone market is  ZTE. It unveiled the Blade V8 Pro featuring a 5.5″ FHD LCD display, featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 with 8x Cortex-A53 clocked at 2.0GHz; 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, with expandable storage of 256GB by making use of the hybrid dual-SIM slot with microSD support. There’s a 3140 mAh decently sized battery onboard, along with a USB Type-C port and Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 capabilities.

The Blade V8 Pro fuels the dual-camera trend with its dual 13MP cameras on the back, an 8MP front camera supported with dual LED flash and PDAF. The cell phone can also record 4K videos at 30fps, and it is available for pre-order through ZTE’s website or other retailers for a price of $229.98.  

 

N Andrew Elliot, Vice Pres. Strategic Marketing, ZTE, who briefly spoke during the press conference re-emphasized the company’s commitment to not only to the fans and consumers in everything they do, but to giving back, “we have participated in over 40 charitable events that have impacted [over] 120,000 peoples lives in need. This was always our mission from day one.”

ZTE also unveiled the crowdsourced smartphone called Hawkeye, which was born out of Project CSX through the company’s member-led forum called ‘Z-Community’ which served as a base for ideas and feedback during the development and birth of the device.