International pop star will.i.am, seen here entering the Intel booth behind the scenes with Intel's Christine Vermes, got a bear hug from Johan Jervoe, Intel vice president and director of Creative Services and Digital Marketing. The front man of supergroup Black Eyed Peas, much of will.i.am's music involves computers, and he says he's always on the lookout for tech innovations. "Everything I do involves processors and computers," he said, "and Intel is making the most exciting innovations in this processor field – they are the best." The Black Eyed Peas also headlined an Intel party at CES a few years ago.
Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini talked one-one-one with one of the most influential names in entertainment, Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation. They huddled in a hallway off the CES booth while Katzenberg's aides hovered in the background. Otellini and Katzenberg have forged a strong relationship between the two companies, and Dreamworks is now using Intel technology to create some of the world's most successful animated films. See more on the relationship that led to recent advancements with the film Megamind.
Angry Birds, the massively popular game arrived in the Intel AppUp center this week. Within an hour of the announcement that the blockbuster hit was coming to netbooks and laptops, AppUp downloads of the game spiked by 20x, according to Peter Biddle, who leads AppUp products and services in Intel's Software and Services Group and isn't really as angry as he looks.
Intel's social media strategist Bryan Rhoads shows off an Intel-designed app that tracks CES social media activity, from mentions on Twitter and Facebook to who's checking in to the Intel pavilion. Cool facts: Intel has 289,139 "friends" on Facebook, and is the 10th most mentioned Twitter "handle" at CES this week. "Social media builds awareness for Intel, builds community and connects us to users wherever they are, in the medium of their choice," explained Rhoads. "It's expanding Intel's voice everywhere."
Intel's futuristic-looking, 12,000 square foot pavilion houses 30 Intel tech demo kiosks, with a heavy emphasis on Intel's new 2nd generation Core processor-based products. Though the Intel "booth" is 30% bigger than last year, Intel is focusing on just three areas: 2nd Generation Core, Smart TV, and Atom-powered devices. The booth was packed on day one and some 60,000 visitors are expected to come through by the time the show is over. See our previous story on the making of the booth here.
Tablet mania. Tablets are all the rage this year and Atom processor-based tablets were drawing large crowds a the Intel booth.One financial analyst firm said the tablets they saw at Intel's booth would go a long way toward alleviating investor concerns weighing on Intel in the tablet market and issued a positive trading call as a result. Here, Intel's Maulik Shah demos an Intel Atom-based tablet from Viliv used for home environment control. This little 7-inch model is running Intel's Oak Trail platform and Windows 7.