Before my first solo, cross-country road trip, I Googled to see if I could find an inflatable likeness of Bill Gates — for grins, to access HOV lanes and for companionship.  … Never found a pseudo Bill.  But last week, I found something better, at least in the mobile companionship category.

Guillory, Good Sport

One of my favorite wireless gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show, CES, in Vegas was the technology called CruiseCast from AT&T.  To enjoy, you simply mount an antennae device on the top of your vehicle, join and pay a monthly fee for video and audio programming beamed straight to your auto.  (The antennae is about the size of a turntable.)  It offers satellite music, movies and best of all, up-to-the second television news coverage — anywhere where there are satellites overhead.

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Mayor Mike Moncrief

Several years ago, I did consulting work for a public affairs company in Dallas.  At that time, they were part of the coalition to “put down” all this crazy talk about a convention hotel in Fort Worth.  The public affairs team was spearheaded by a young, hard-hitting, self-assured woman who promised me that there “would be no Fort Worth convention center hotel.”  She and the team won several minor skirmishes in the battle.

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Life has a soundtrack and isn’t  it cool when the iPod is in sync?

Just as the Southwest Airlines captain gave the go ahead to engage electronic devices, I hit shuffle on my iPod.  The first song at about 10,000 feet over the Nevada desert?  Dirty Vegas!  How apropos.

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For the next roadtrip … gotta get me one of these!

Applaud, it's live

Perhaps my favorite toy/necessity at CES 2009 is the AT&T CruiseCast system.  Mount the antenna on the roof of your auto, and AT&T (for a nominal fee) will beam television programming and music to your vehicle, as you head for the slopes, the beach, or whatever.  The President of CruiseCast took a timeout to tell me all about the product and the sweet deal he landed with his new partners at AT&T.  That interview will post in the next few days … bear with me.

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Among the cool attractions at any tradeshow, there is one constant that draws people to the booth — a comfortable couch.  So, after I got some information from NetGear on their award-winning routers and their storage solutions and their multi-media boxes for HD entertainment.  I sampled their cushy chairs, and was just about to use their wireless network … when someone asked me to move.

Ha.  I thought, “Man, you people just don’t care about us bloggers.  I am sitting at ground zero of your exhibit and saying good things about you … and you’re throwing me out?

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“Don’t try to describe a KISS Concert if you’ve never seen one.”

That is the only Jimmy Buffet line I quote.  But it a gooder, so flows quite often … and it is perfect for Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, CES.

It is basically a mid-size city under a convention roof — with one third of the inhabitants selling products, one third buying or gawking, and now the final third is mixed of traditional media and an army of bloggers. There are 20 bloggers clicking away beside me right now … and hundreds roaming the exhibit hall.

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What happens in Vegas … stays in my room.

I kid you not.  This PingWi-Fi traveler checked into the hotel room as soon as I got to Vegas and headed to my room.  Then, just as the key worked and the door lock sprung, I heard voices.  I thought it was coming from down the hall.  I pressed on … then I heard a bewildered voice say “uh … hello?” …

How can one put this, so as not to offend?

I saw 10 toes up and 10 toes down, and some other unnamed body parts, just before I averted my eyes and slammed the door.  Someone was having a little party in my room, and I wasn’t invited.  Ha — pair of aces!

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I got me some big luv and Wi-Fi goin at Love Field … getting ready to hop on a Southwest Airlines ride to Vegas for the CES show.  Can’t wait to see all of the new toys.

Say, I have been twittering away on the twittosphere, inviting President Elect Obama to attend CES this year.  Why not, if anyone one industry was instrumental in propelling his message to win the White Houuse, it was certainly the devout in high tech?

Ha … the news channel here at the airport just showed an Obama photo opp., touting how much he checks his crackberry.  Walk the walk … walk the exhibit hall at CES soon-to-be Mr. Prez.

So, let me know if he RSVPs, ah-ight?

We shall see.  I should also point out that I contributed some big bucks to his inauguration fund, because we all know money talks.  The minimum donation was five bucks.  So, I am pretty sure I turned some heads with my $5.02 donation … two cents worth and all that.

I digress …

So anyway, I am at Gate 15 at Love Field.  Southwest is about to provide a big cushy seat with the leg room I crave … and the Wi-Fi is here in full force.  I have the HP fired up and blogging on PingWi-Fi thanks to AT&T … about to update FaceBook and LinkedIn … and even more cool … my friends at Boingo are in the house too and I am using their service with my iPhone … twittering on that unit.  I feel like … like … like so conncected.

Boarding for Vegas … good Wi-Fi and Southwest makes me feeled so loved — 6 pings.

San Francisco or Vegas?

Mac or PC?

Fruity Pebbles or Nabisco Shredded Wheat?

It is concerning to read the reports on Steve Jobs’ health.  (I too wish him well.)  But oh the irony that he is struggling at the time of his takeover of the world.  From what I have read about him … probably only a temporary setback.

Take over the world?

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One of my followers on Twitter thought this would be good to repost as MacWorld approaches. (You can follow too — @pingwifi on Twitter.  Click http://twitter.com/PingWiFi):

So, pour some coffee and stay with me … here it goes …

I Got A Rock

Today was like the weirdest. Did I win some retail sweepstakes or something? Check this out. I have been looking for an excuse to buy an iPod for myself … forever. I have bought them for others, but couldn’t justify buying one for myself. I mean … why, since I always have my laptop and Internet playing radioio.com anyway? Finally, a good reason – my new car has a built in iPod jack. So, totally justified, right … practically mandatory as I see it …

And you would think it would be relatively painless …

Not so. First I go to my local SuperTarget, assuming it will be a quick in and out. No dice … didn’t have the iPod I wanted. But, the salesperson was nice enough to get on Target’s stellar inventory intranet and reported back that the store in Arlington had two of the units. I rushed over. Guess what. Nopods for I. Still … I am chilled – it only took 45 minutes round trip.

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