Dell Crystal Monitor

The annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held this week in Las Vegas, with well over 2,500 electronics companies showing their latest offerings and generally getting the Good, the Bad and the Geeky in a state of premature... umm... 'adulation' for the electronic wonders that will come in 2008.

Now supposing you were a marketing bod for such a company. It is just possible that the following conversation might take place somewhere deep in the dark, labyrinthine recesses of your marketing department:

You: "By Jove, Jenkins... wouldn't it be a frightfully good wheeze to use that Second Life thingummy to promote our fine wares?"
Jenkins: "Why, indeed, Sir. A most splendid notion."

I have taken the liberty of assuming you are, of course, living in a steampunk universe here - but no matter, the point is made. I have not exactly gone out my way to search Second Life for traces of such wares being promoted at CES and in SL, but I am aware of one - Dell's Crystal Monitor. This is 22 inches of widescreen bliss, and a damnably elegant beast it looks to be.

Dell have had a multi-sim presence in Second Life for ages, and have taken the opportunity to use this presence as a place to launch the Crystal Monitor, cunningly co-ordinated with CES. The launch event, which was held on 7th January, occured at a time I had no real chance of attending - curse those time zones. However, according to the press releases it was to include streaming from their webcam at CES into Second Life, as well as inworld music and other hoopla.

The build consists of the Crystal Pavillion, a rather over-the-top blue glass pyramid - a bit like the entrance to The Louvre, but on steroids. Inside there's a dance floor and some tables and chairs - along with several examples of the aforementioned Crystal Monitor. You can also obtain a freebie, which you rez for yourself. A nice touch with this is you can set the texture for the screen. Anyway, here's some piccies for you:

This is the only item I know of that had coverage in both CES and Second Life - but I'm sure there must be more. So where are they? I would like to explore some more!