Cranking out news for the geeks, music buffs and gossip junkies, my way. -Greg

The 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicks off this week in Las Vegas. I will be attending for my first time and I’m nothing short of excited. Anyone who has even the slightest geek in them knows this is the biggest electronics show in the world. CES is filled with everything electronic like TVs, phones, computers, cameras, and tablets. If you do a quick search on Google or twitter for CES you find and endless stream of leaks, expectations and hopes for this year. Here are some of the leaks that I’m looking forward to checking out:

• Toshiba’s 55-inch Glasses-less 3-D TV. They are the pioneer for this upcoming technology bringing 3-D video to your home without the need for those annoying glasses. This will be headed to theUSthe first quarter of year with a cool $10,000 price tag.

Source: Engadget

• LG’s 55-inch OLED TV. This thing is only 4 mm thin and weighs in at about 7.5 kg. It also has almost no border so if you played a video of a pool I guess it would be an infinite pool? This same TV is also boasting a new 4 Color Pixels technology that is sure to impress the videophile in everyone.

Source: BGR 

• Intel is finally entering the mobile chip market with their new Medfield design. They already have a partnership with LG and have built an Android phone. Currently this and their mock-up tablets aren’t in production, but once they have the power consumption issue handled they are sure to become a force to be reckoned with.

Sources: AnandTech & ExtremeTech 

• Game Genie will actually be making a come back. They are going to be announcing the return of the Game Genie for the PS3 and PS Portable. They are also creating a downloadable version for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.

Source: Spike

This is only a small taste of what is to come at CES 2012. I plan to blog about as much as I can from my Xoom so make sure you stay tuned. You can follow GMachine on facebook  and twitter as well. I can not wait, I have less than 24 hours until I enter the gates of gadget paradise in Las Vegas and bathe in the electronic glory that is CES. Let us not forget that since this is in Las Vegas, the evenings will be filled with plenty of hookers and blow. –Greg

So it would seem that Motorola may be planning to announce a pair of new phones at the upcoming CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. 1 of these phones is said to be Android-based with an OLED screen and a physical keyboard. It’s also been said that this phone will be for the AT&T network, which is about damn time. The event is scheduled for 5:30pm on Jan. 6th, so hopefully we’ll get confirmation shortly after. I was impatiently waiting for Dell’s new Android phone to show its face on AT&T, but it looks like it will be Motorola that will be getting my money. I can’t say how pleased I am, as the Motorola will have the physical keyboard, which is a feature that Dell’s new phone is lacking. Looking forward to the rest of the specs and date of sale to the public! -Greg

Playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday Nights, His First Appearance Is Set for Dec. 11

October 15, 2009; Written by CMT.com Staff

 

Garth Brooks will come out of retirement with a solo acoustic show to begin Dec. 11 at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. Brooks and Steve Wynn, chairman of the board and CEO of Wynn Resorts, revealed the series of special engagements during a Thursday afternoon (Oct. 15) press conference at the hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

Brooks will be performing one show on Fridays, two on Saturdays and one on Sunday. Wynn is providing a private jet for Brooks to commute from his Oklahoma home where he lives with his three daughters and his wife, singer Trisha Yearwood. The five-year deal calls for Brooks to perform only during specific weeks each year to be announced on a quarterly basis. Tickets are priced at $125 and will go on sale Oct. 24 for the first five weekends. The specific dates are Dec. 11-13, Jan. 1-3 and 22-24 and Feb. 12-14 and 26-28.

Brooks has only played a handful of concerts since retiring in 2001. His engagement at Wynn Las Vegas evolved from a series of conversations he had with Wynn. He eventually performed an informal concert in the theater for several of Wynn’s friends and special guests, including Bette Midler. Afterwards, Wynn broached the possibility of Brooks performing an extended engagement.

“He said it was something he thought people should hear,” Brooks said. “That was sweet. I told him he couldn’t afford me.” He then added, “I was wrong.”

Brooks reiterated his desire to spend as much time as possible with his daughters, who are now aged 13, 15 and 17.

“I am a fortunate guy that has got to live his life playing music for people, and the people have always taken care of me,” he said. “In 2001, I announced my retirement to go home and raise our kids in Oklahoma. When Steve Wynn approached me about playing, he did something different than anybody else had. He didn’t throw money at me.”

Instead, Brooks said, Wynn understood the desire to devote time to his family.

“Every argument you ever had of why you didn’t do this, he had an answer for,” he said.

Brooks concerts are expected to run 90 minutes and will occasionally include special guest performers.

“It’s a one-man show, so there’s going to be a lot of disappointment after that first weekend,” he joked. “Coming out and just playing — just me and a guitar — takes me back to the first days I got to play. I was lucky enough to do a place called Wild Willie’s Saloon in Stillwater, Okla, before I moved to Nashville and started touring. That’s what this is going to be for me. It’s a chance to slowly get back into it to see what people like, what they don’t like. It’s going to be very intimate.”

Brooks says he’s especially looking forward to performing regularly at the Encore Theater.

“I’m always in buildings that are built for sports,” he said. “I love sports, and I feel lucky to have arenas and stadiums. But I’ve never played in a place built for sound like this. When I hear myself, I go, ‘Who the hell is that?’ It’s a beautiful hall.”