Nokia: Go Play (London) LIVE

[Miktar]

I'm sitting in the press area of the Nokia: Go Play event in London right now, using their free wireless. I'm here to look at what they're going to be announcing in a few hours, which I think will be the Ngage 2.

I'll be posting to this thread as stuff happens, but I won't have time to reply to comments, sorry.

Right now everyone is just milling about (800 people are at the event) in the venue, which is apparently an old docside warehouse converted to an events venue. There are two live trees inside which is a nice touch.

I'll be posting photos as well, as soon as I get things set up.

[Miktar]

We'v just been moved to the main hall, the presentation is probably about to start. It's amazing how many people are sitting with laptops open, either writing notes or, presumably, doing what I'm doing.

[Miktar]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5133.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5132.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5131.jpg

[Icenflame]

shame Miktar, it must be a hard life buddy !! a hard hard life :p hope you enjoy the show and what not...

Edit: enjoyed < enjoy

The grammar police are watching :p

[Gen0cyde]

shame Miktar, it must be a hard life buddy !! a hard hard life :p hope you enjoyed the show and what not...


I think the show is still going.
Live coverage from Miktar at the Nokia confrense where rumor has it the NGage2 might be released.
Back to you Miktar

[Icenflame]

I think the show is still going.
Live coverage from Miktar at the Nokia confrense where rumor has it the NGage2 might be released.
Back to you Miktar

*sssshhhhhhhhh* <waits patiently> for the inside scoop :D

[Miktar]

Not "enjoyed", "enjoy". I'm at the show *right now*, and it's not started yet. We're all just sitting around, waiting.

Trips like this are often fun, but not when you're in the middle of deadlines and you have a pile of work to do. I've been doing work in the hotel room, good thing I have a laptop. :P

[Icenflame]

eish i know what you mean about deadlines! if i had a hectic deadline and was sent to E3 i would even consider declining the offer... hmmmmm on second thoughts work can wait :D

[Miktar]

There is an upside, of course - tonight after the event, all the journalists are going to Ministry of Sound - the place where the scene started - for a night of clubbing.

[Boggle24]

There is an upside, of course - tonight after the event, all the journalists are going to Ministry of Sound - the place where the scene started - for a night of clubbing.

:O

You are one lucky guy.

erm, Back 2 U miktar.
olol, news speak, it's pretty fun.

[Miktar]

The event has started!

"In the beginning, there was the screen"

A video is going on about how the screen has evolved, its function, how it's shaped our lives...

[Miktar]

Now the video is going on about the computer screen, segwaying in from the TV screen. They just namedropped Second Life too, as an example of "virtual communities".

[Icenflame]

There is an upside, of course - tonight after the event, all the journalists are going to Ministry of Sound - the place where the scene started - for a night of clubbing.

i revert to my original post ! :p that r very cool let us know how the presentation goes.

This is Icen signing off from Cape Town S.A.

Back to Miktar in London.....

[Miktar]

It's now going on about how the screen of a cellphone has taken us back into the world, as the screen is portible, and how it augments our sense of purpose.

"Welcome, to the 4th screen"

Nokia NSeries logo.

[Miktar]

Kari Tuutti is on stage, not sure who he is, some Nokia higher-up. He's talking about the venue and its history.

[Miktar]

We're going to have three one-hour presentations, starting with Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia. Then it's Kai Oistamo, head of Mobile Phones division, then Anssi Vanjoki, head of Multimedia.

[Miktar]

Olli is onstage.

"It's great to be here today... we have an exciting day ahead of us. It really has been an interesting journey, across so many screens throughout the years. ... I don't know how many of you remember when it was only the Silver Screen... I don't know if you heard what George Lucas said about the Internet... "This is a new world, it does not work how the old one works.".. his words ring even more true today, as internet devices push the boundaries of the entertainment experience... for many people who have seen the glimpses of how the mobile devices are becoming the key component in media entertainment, this is really exciting... we are transforming our experiences.. for us at Nokia, it is very exciting to be leading this transformation.

.. Today, we will tell you the story of how Nokia is evolving and bringing change... bringing internet to people around the world... this is really two parallel stories that revolve around two converging worlds... this is about media merging with mobile phones, into an easy to use device.... it's about this device merging with internet and all its possibilities, to bring completely new and relevant experiences to our lives.

.. Great companies renew themselves as the world changes. Nokia has done this repeatedly over the past 140 years, building upon our core strenghts and moving in new directions..."

(Going on about the history of Nokia, which we actually covered in last month's SACM - Gldm wrote a great article)

[Miktar]

"Nokia's story has always been about creating great products - today, it's about creating the best mobile devices, and letting people evolve online communities... these are great social devices... today, on average, we are shipping more than one million devices per day... what people are buying these days is much more than just a piece of hardware, because hardware is nothing without the experience... connecting use to the things that matter... the whole concept of our business is to use this device as a window to open up the total experience...

... This is where the next chapter of Nokia is taking us. We have expanded our business to include services and software. One might think it's a giant leap for a hardware company - but we have all the ingredients to make this happen in the coming years...

.. Our biggest asset is our customer base... today more than 9 hundred milion people are using Nokia devices to connect to the world of possibility.. that's more customers than any consumer consumables company has ever had.

We are bringing simplicity and ease of use, to let people take full advantage of the serviecs the internet have made possible.

We are transforming Nokia into an internet-driven experiences company.

It's about how easily people can use the device, how easily they can participate, find what they need.

Nokia's devices have always been known for their simple and intuitive interfaces.

I would like to share a video with you, that shows you how the next level of our user-interface design works, in devices coming out next year."

[Miktar]

Video: Now that mobile devices have become the 4th screen... things are complex, confusing...

Nokia Experience Suite - single-key use.

Miktar: This looks just like a cross between the iPhone, and the PSP/PS3 XMB (crossbar). Seriously - it's like they had a child, and then attached the iPod 'circular' button.

Yeah, they're ripping off the iPhone quite badly.

[Miktar]

Olli is back on stage..

"As you can see, we are taking radical steps. We're going to show you the first Nokia devices that bring some of this thinking to our products. People are using the internet far beyond its original role... I don't doubt we've only seen the beginning... in fact, I do believe, we are on the threshold on one of the most oppertunity-rich markets the world has ever seen. I see the future summed up in three worlds. "Free The Internet". Free it from the Desktop (BC), bringing it and taking it to a completely new realm of possibility. The internet has become a space of very immediate and personal experiences, sometimes with surprising results.

I was playing Golf recently, and it started raining. Standing under the umbrella, I chcked my Nokia N95, and it said it would stop raining soon. 2 minutes later, the rain stopped, and we started playing again. My partners said "What do you have on that thing", and I told him I checked a website to get the exact weather. We've come a long way from checking the weather on the TV, PC, in the morning, and hoping...

It's more than just hardware that makes these things possible - devices and services, make this happen.

Nokia has been the leader in combining the computer and single-entertainment devices.. into a single, powerful, device.

These are the devices that are making so much news..

.. Last year, Nokia was the world's largest manufacturer of convergeance devices.. we estimate that the converged products market will continue to grow fast.

This year we expect it to expand to 120 million units, compared to last year's 80 million. This catagory only emerged 5 years ago - it shows the power of this industry, and how it can change the way people work and play.

Mobile devices become the main way for people to connect to these experiences that are personally relevant.

Already people are taking photos and videos with their Nokia devices, uploading them for the world, to share. About one month ago, we aquired Twango, online media company. With this, we'll be able to offer an easy way for people to share their content.

And then there's music.. one of the greatest and most personal aspects of many people's livestyles. We interact to music. I'd like to invite Kai onstage..."

[Miktar]

Kai:

"It really is, a very key part of our lives, sharing media - it's like an extension of our personality. The music industry is a very good example - if we look at it over the last year, record sales actually declimed by 1/3rd, but the total industry is in a better shape than ever. Interesting changes, from physical distribution to digital distribution - at the same time, it's inventing new types of distribution.

Let me show you a video that really shows what we are talking about"

Video: Finland 1865
A classic melody is born...
The nokia whistle...

"Music has always entertained"
"Music has always been mobile"
"But we set it free..."
"and let it live..."

Listing the Nokia devices over the years with music support, and where they were first.

Downloadable rintones globally are making 5.5 million euros yearly.

End of video.

Kai: "The notion of portable music is not a new one... we've had since the beginning of time, portable instruments. Portable music boxes,,, what with content being digital now, there is so much more on offer. The standalone music player market is starting to mature as a market - while at the same time the market for mobile phones with music is starting to heat up at the same time. We looked at this market, and asked the consumers what they expect from a music phone.. a few interesting answers... people expected at most, if not all, phones in the future will carry music capabiltiies. Nokia's lineup already contains music capabilities. So what would it take to make a great music phone? The study showed - the sound quality has to be right, the battery life has to be good, the storage capacity has to be big enough, there has to be easy transferring of music, and the price must be right... when looking at music phones, we cannot expect any compromises over standard music players. We have to offer more. When we look at mobile devices themselves, they are just like music. We carry a deeper attachment to these devices than any other gadgets - we take the mobile phones everywhere we go. For me, it was the last thing I touched last night, setting the alarm, and it was the first thing I touched this morning, switching the alarm off. It is our messages, photos, videoclips, calendar, it is our watch, it is our alarm clock. When you are adding something as personal as music to something as personal as mobile phones, you have to make sure you do it in a right way. Mobiles are still used very much for communication, and we cannot compromise on that for music."

[Miktar]

Kai: "The other important notion around us, is the spontenaety in society. I was with my family at the Rolling Stones concert in Helsinki - the seats were lousy. I didn't know that the Stones had this concept that in the middle of the performance, the stage moves almost 50 meters - suddenly my seats were front-row seats. That was the moment, and I captured it with video, and sent it to my friends. When that moment strikes, being able to share that song, photo, video clip, with your friends... or even making that urgeant call you need... it's never been easier today. All you need is one fantastic device. Creating a mobile music phone requires study. We've done a lot of study... people expect that things just work out of the box... gotta get it right, easy to use... how you get the music on the device.. has to be easy... the user interface... has to be easy to use. Lastly, it's about the design itself... the product has to speak what it is... it has to make the right kind of statement.

With the XpressMusic range, we are combining this all into a very attractive package. The XpressMusic devices are for people like my daughter.. her music tastes are very, very, varied... you have to have big enough storage, big enough battery life... but music is not only for teenagers... it is an influencial driver across many industries... Today I am extremely proud to announce the latest editions: two new XpressMusic devices..

Nokia 5310 XpressMusic: Really fun and funky. Small formfactor, sleek metal finish. Very thin, weighs 80 grams, fits into any pocket. 18 hours of music playback- support for up to 4GB MicroSD, dedicated music keys, 3.5mm headset connector. 2 megapixel camera. Shipping in Q4, 225 euros (before taxes or subsidies).

Sleek, stylish and stacked with music functionality."

[Miktar]

"Nokia 5610 XpressMusic: Fantastic design, metallic side-finish, high-gloss scratchproof screen, 2.2inch display. Almost a full day of music playback, 22 hours, memory up to 3000 songs with a 4GB MicroSD. 3.2 Megapixel camera, with flash. Uncompromised 3G phone. Fast downloading, fast browsing. Shipping Q4."

Olli: "Devices are not enough... lets look at our first internet service we started offering people earlier this year. Nokia Maps. The N95 has had brilliant success... let me invite Anssi to talk about the next step in our internet services.

Anssi: "It is a truely exciting day.. going from rubber boots in the forest... to the fourth screen... we have sold more than 40 million N-series devices, and we have really studied those consumers - we know what they want, we don't have to guess where the world is going, they have shown us how they want to use, organize, share...today, we are going to show how we will respond to those consumers.

I will now introduce a new brand.

The Umbrella brand, for Nokia Services. Let's roll the video.

Video: "The internet transformed our loves... gave an added dimension... grew, evolved... made us feel part of the crowd.. allow us to explore and connect in new ways... but the experience itself was becoming solitary... Online music with the Nokia music store. Explore your world with Nokia Maps, Navigation and City Guides. Ngage, new ways of talking, new ways of playing... an open door to new services. Putting all of your content and contacts in one place... welcome to the fourth screen.. Ovi.

Welcome to Ovi, by Nokia."

[Miktar]

Anssi: "One stop destination for communities, content, context and more. All the services people use today, under one enviroment. We can link those well-known social networks into Ovi, Ovi will appear on the web, on your PC as well as other personal devices. Our vision is that Ovi will happen.

Ovi is a Finnish word, it means "The Door", you open Ovi "the Door" whenever, whereever.

We will be introducing the Ovi concept in Q4... in initial geographies... and expanding over time... we will be integrating all of Nokia's service offerings into Ovi.

Ovi will change how people play games."

[Miktar]

"Our new N-Gage service is going to address both the issues of the gaming industry of expansion, as well as the consumer issues of offering them new types of games... We have history in games, in 1997, we introduced the first mobile game - Snake. In 2003 we introduced a completely integrated gaming solution - the nGage. 3 million devices sold. But the idea has not died... technology has advanced, and we've come to the conclusion of following the very active community inside nGage arena - how mobile games should be played."

Video: Ovi-based nGage services.

Nothing new here, just downloadable games.

Anssi: ".. devices... services... games. The ecosystem enabler: many devices. This huge market potential makes it very attractive for the publishers. In the future, I believe Nokia's nGage platform, will become the largest mobile gaming platform in the world. Just think of the numbers, and products - it'll be big, it will not be small. And when it is big, it will make an industry. The nGage experience happens on mobile devices and on computers. Discover, Try, Purchase, Play, Share.

We have an embedded nGage application across the Nokia line. It is a flexible distribution model for games. On the Pc, via nGage experience, we have an nGage webportal. You can access the nGage arena, refurbished. The whole community will be there, tournaments, activities, events, global rankings, news articles... and most importantly, you can try, and buy, the games.

Gameloft, IndiaGames, EA, Capcom, THQ, Vivendi, have all already comitted.

The new genre of games will start to appear in the future on this platform. 6 to 10 euros per game, daily and weekly rentals of the games... all games are free to try."

[Miktar]

Anssi: "This will all be commercially available in November this year. Ovi is for people, and people want to find great digital content. Music is at the heart of entertainment.

Music industry trade revenue has dropped from 20 000 million euros since 1999 to only 15 000 million in 2006. The full experience has been missing: music should be made available for everybody, digital or physical, wireless, wired, doesn't matter - consumer should have the choice. Consumer should be the priority, and all devices secondary. Let's take a look at how the Nokia music store experience really happens."

[Miktar]

Video: Bla blah... buy millions of tracks, download to PC or mobile, automatic two-way sync between PC and device.

Anssi: "Our philosophy is to have all the music, everywhere, to everyone, all the time, and a cheap price. It should be easy, and device independant. It will be online, and mobile. Indepentant to how you consume your music. What's imporant... is that music will be mobile. We allow people to find the latest releases, discover old favorites... we have built-in a wishlist feature, letting you tag and download at your convenience. If it happens over wireless LAN, or over the cellular network, this tagging works - one account, one logic, independant of the enviroment. You can download previous music, if you ever lose them. Mobility is the future for music. We've made the PC store optimized for discovery, with unlimited streaming in a jukebox feature. The MixMe feature automatically delivers the genre you want to you. A little later, we will be launching a new Nokia PC client, with seamless syncing - rip and go feature, CDs straight to the mobile devices. This is what the industry likes."

(Gotta switch to the spare battery now)

[Miktar]

N95 - 8GB of storage. Anssi just hooked it up to a cable, and now we're watching a Maroon 5 video on the big screen.

Anssi: "Fourth's screen and first screen, working together. Maroon 5 will be performing for us at the Ministry of Sound tonight."

(Applause)

[Miktar]

Nokia N81 8GB

Anssi: "Nokia N81, entertainment, next episode - true multimedia computer... the lead product, but not the only product, for the Ovi based services. We explain this product in the form of a short video..."

Video: N81.. It's a fake training boyband music video. Rather creepy. "I caress your sexy Navi Wheel..."

[Miktar]

Anssi: "It's a jukebox in your pocket... this product supports DRM and no-DRM music. You can enjoy the FM radio function. And games, this is a games machine. Dedicated gaming keys on top of the screen (you hold it sideways)... we are taking very big steps in the UI evolution. We have a search function that searches your phone, or the internet, in the same function. In the coming months, you are going to see us evolve the user interface, and integrate this with Ovi, improve and introduce new suites."

[Miktar]

Back to Olli for the closing remarks...

Olli: "As I said earlier, great companies renew themselves. These ground-breaking announcements represent the start of the next renewal for Nokia, as we deliver on My Connected Live. We have announced products that provide convergeance. We continue to listen closely to our cusomers, to help us innovate. Finally, we have shared with you, our vision and strategy for internet services - Ovi. It will enable people to easily access existing social networks, content, and serve as a gateway to Nokia services. Ovi has result from ongoing dialogue with our customers - today, Ovi is mearly a name. Over time, it will evolve as our customers show us the way for Ovi development. It is important that we stay conntected where-ever we are. This is the future, the truely, alive, social, fourth-screen. Welcome to the fourth-screen. Thank you."

[Miktar]

The floor is now open to questions.

[Azimuth]

"What's for lunch?"

[Miktar]

"Hi, I'm Mark Halker, freelance journalist for Time in the UK: Are you concerned that this big push will cause a push back from the online operators?"

Olli: The operators do have different strategies - our take here, when designing our services, we are trying to cooperate with different operators in order the help them to manage their strategies. One size will not fit all - support different operators in their strategies. Phones, devices, are not enough. The consumer wants something, there needs to be an experience atop of that. In a way, we have cooperated with the operator community in the past - delivering devices - hardware only. We are now cooperating in delivering experiences.

[Miktar]

"Hi, Richard Kramer from *mumble* - a question about Ovi and target markets, is this something you are going to preload on series 60 down... in India and China, the markets are more developed than in the US - what's your strategy for rolling this out in emerging markets?"

Anssi: It's a holistic enviroment, we are going to migrate that downstream all the time.

[Miktar]

"Hi, I'm something something from something (thick indian accent) - can you tell us more about the new UI for next year, will it be a complete new range of phones, will be be available on older phones - will Ovi be open to developers?"

Anssi: First about the UI - with the release of the new products, the N-series, it's an evolution process, it will go product by product, step by step. As to Ovi, it is an open platform to developers, services and communities.

[Miktar]

"I'm (talks too fast to catch at ALL) - it seems the user inteface in the N91 is a copy of the iPhone, and how will you handle the DRM of your music store?"

Anssi: "We are in front of the consumer, and it doesn't matter who thought it up first. When it comes to the seamless Pc and Mobile music, new language technologies available will have that integration really easy."

[Miktar]

I'm not going to bother typing the Q&A session, half of these people are completely unintelligible and the answers from the higher-ups are pure PR dodging and strafing. Nothing important here anyway.

[Miktar]

They will have touch-screen in the series 60 next year.

[Miktar]

"What's for lunch?"

Personally - coffee. :P

[Miktar]

At 2 is the panel discussion with the Entertainment division, right now we're breaking for a break and so people can go poke at the phones downstairs.

[Icenflame]

agreed... nice one though thanks Miktar for the invaluable information.

[Mouse]

I want to know, is there going to be an N-Gage 2? or is it ONLY a software service now? And if there is an N-Gage 2, what added functionality will it have, and how much will it cost?

[Gen0cyde]

Any chance we can get a picture of the new phones that everybody will be playing with?

BTW: Happy birthday Miktar. See you soon, we can get smashed together.

[wisp]

BTW: Happy birthday Miktar. See you soon, we can get smashed together.

@ Miktar is it your Birthday,? if it is many happy returns for the day and hope you have many more :)

[Icenflame]

^ ^ what he said, happy happy sir... If you interested in mobile gaming devices look at the new Sony phone which it to be released next year i believe it's a small PSP with mobile functionality. should be interesting.

[Mouse]

No, thats a re-designed PSP with a VoIP attachment for UK residents. If it was a much smaller PSP with a slot for a simcard, then I would consider it a "phone"

[Miktar]

I want to know, is there going to be an N-Gage 2? or is it ONLY a software service now? And if there is an N-Gage 2, what added functionality will it have, and how much will it cost?

There will be no nGage 2 - Nokia learned their lesson, it seems. ngage will only be their online gaming portal.

[Miktar]

Any chance we can get a picture of the new phones that everybody will be playing with?

BTW: Happy birthday Miktar. See you soon, we can get smashed together.

Yeah, I'll upload the press shots now.

[Miktar]

A female singer is busy playing in the food area, very nice:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5134.jpg

[Mouse]

So I should probably get that N81 then.

[Icenflame]

Miktar the artist (musician) is probably a struggling South African trying to make a buck in the UK :p hehe couldn't resist....

[Miktar]

No, she's French. :P

[Tr00jg]

This blow by blow posting was awesome... More please!

[Miktar]

I'll try and do it for the next discussion panel, but I need to find an outlet - my battery is almost dead. Going to try and get to the press area and blog from there.

[Miktar]

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5139.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5138.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5137.jpg

[Miktar]

I'll post the press-shots later, the internet here is too slow to post the high-quality shots.

[Miktar]

The red one is the lower-number Music Xpress, the blue one the higher number, and the other one is the N81.

[Miktar]

Just managed to find a plug point, got the laptop plugged in now so it shouldn't die. I can see the stage from here, so I'll be able to write from here too.

[Miktar]

My vantage point:

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e379/Miktar/100_5140.jpg

[Icenflame]

+ 1 to Miktar for ingenious electricity theft... :D

[Miktar]

A slide is up on the projector as people file into the hall. "2:00pm Panel Discussion: Shaping the world of entertainment."

[Miktar]

The announcement has been made, and the hall is starting to fill up. It's not as full as the earlier presentation, I guess not a lot of journalists and executive-types are interested in the panel.

[Miktar]

Video: N81 advertisement "The next episode is about to begin".

[Miktar]

Music panel discussion

Rob Wells: Universal Music Group International
Stephen Navin: Music Publishers Association
Geoff Taylor: BPI
Edward Kershaw: Nokia
Tommi Mustonen: Nokia

[Miktar]

"We're going to have two panel sessions: The first focusing on music, the second, games."

Yikes - I can't hear a word the guys are saying from up here, the sound-system is localized to the auditorium - and I don't have enough charge on my laptop to be able to go down there. Bummer.

[Miktar]

The gist of it:

The music industry is facing a lot of challenges, but it's not as bad as the media has been painting - the panel is asked what they think about the changes the mobile industry is bringing to the music industry.

There is a music download store in China that is the biggest in the world, didn't catch the name, but it even beats iTunes - but it doesn't sell outside China which is why few people know about it.

[Miktar]

2006 was the best year the publishing industry has seen, ever. The music industry actually is in a very positive state according to Rob Wells - but he says that digital downloads is only a small part of that.

[Miktar]

Truth be told - so far this discussion panel has been extremely dry and uninteresting - it's a bunch of higher-ups discussing DRM in ways that make the average geek cringe.

[Miktar]

Rob Wells just equated DRM to the same kind of security management that goes on when you use your Credit Card online - and is explaining how important DRM is in theory "managing data, accounting to artists" and etc - but he's really just faffing about and dodging the question.

He admits there is "unresonable" DRM, but that there is nothing wrong with DRM itself.

[Miktar]

Games Discussion Panel

Javier Ferreira: Electronic Arts
Gonzague de Vallois: Gameloft
Antony Douglas: O2 UK
Jaakko Kaidesoja: Nokia

This might be interesting.

[Miktar]

"Games in the past have been considered a great oppertunity... there are a lot of numbers.. in your opinion, how do you feel about the market?"

[Miktar]

James: There is a lot of hype around media services and mobile, it's steadily growing. It's a million-dollar business, which is good. Very healthy growth. We expect that growth to speed up.

[Miktar]

Antony: As a mobile operator, we've got a good core base, we are managing 1.4 million downloads in the UK every month - the growth is there.

[Miktar]

Gonzague: We have to keep working on educating consumers, to keep the 50&#37; growth we're seeing.

Jaakko: Looking at our customer base, the growth is there - the next question is, what is the next step we need to do?

[Miktar]

Right, that's it. I've got my interview with a guy in 30 minutes, then I'm heading back to the hotel. I quite enjoyed doing the liveblogging - think I should do it again one day?

[Aesir]

I'd say yes, It's nice being up to date a world away(if that makes sense).

Talk about up-to-the-minute journalism. :)

[Icenflame]

well I say its great Miktar the reason being us (the common folk) get a chance to hear about what's been discussed about new products immediately this is grrreat... once again thanks for the updates it's been really informative...

:D

[Mouse]

Yes I agree, this was a pleasant surprise :)

[Tr00jg]

Yeah, it was cool. Next time warn us a bit. :)

[Gen0cyde]

I think its a fuggin good idea.
Perhaps sort it out a little and you could even put the entire confrence (dictated version in the thread) into the magazine for people without internet.

[Rebbo Reformed]

thank you for puting so much effort into making siure that nagsters got the news on time We could the first people in the world that are not attending the even to hea the news SZo if someone asks me if I attended the even I'll punch herm (a new invention him/her) in the face and tell them, yeah, through the innovation of online forums! hell yeah, I'm gonna go bath in the river! <-damn that was random