Convention | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Sat, 19 Oct 2019 09:07:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Convention | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 EGX 2019 opens its doors at the Excel centre until Sunday 20th October https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/carl/egx-2019-opens-its-doors-at-the-excel-centre-until-sunday-20th-october/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/carl/egx-2019-opens-its-doors-at-the-excel-centre-until-sunday-20th-october/#respond Fri, 18 Oct 2019 11:10:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=430554 Billed as the largest gaming event in the UK, EGX has taken over half of London’s Excel centre until Sunday 20th October

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Billed as the largest gaming event in the UK, EGX has taken over half of London’s Excel centre until Sunday 20th October – offering gamers the chance to get hands on with hundreds of software titles as well as the latest hardware available. KitGuru spent Thursday down at the show in order to bring you the highlights.

The first thing that hits you about EGX at the Excel is the sheer scale of the event. The trains drop you off by hall 1, but the actual entrance is at hall 9. There’s some walking already. Although we won’t know the exact number of visitors until after the event, the queuing system is absolutely massive, so you can expect some serious crowds if you turn up around 10am each day. This shot up and down the main aisle gives you an idea of what to expect:

Entering the first hall, everything is about the future: From universities plying their game development courses to indy developers showing of (what they hope to be) tomorrow’s big seller.

The stands increase in size as you walk past the major brands like PlayStation. As the stands get bigger, so do the queues. People say that Vegas lost its charm when everything became more professional. It's certainly something when it comes to queuing for hands-on demos and you notice that groups have brought complete picnic sets with them – including tables and chairs.

  

On the hardware side of things, it was clear that streaming is going to be a focus for many companies in 2020. Pascal Bregeon, Senior PR Specialist at Corsair, was demonstrating Elgato products, while AverMedia were sponsoring the Watch and Learn Zone.

The Overclockers stand is massive – with a huge giraffe on top, just in case you miss them. On the stand itself they have some new builds from 8Pack and a streaming booth broadcasting live. You can also get hands on with the Endgame Gear XM1 mouse – which claims to be the fastest in the world. There are plenty of EGX-only discounts on offer as well.

  

  

ASUS/ROG has the bus, naturally, but you need to go right into the stand to see the coolest thing, which is a 65” 120Hz 4K monitor for living rooms. There was a mini queue to use it when we arrived.

   

Cyberpower also has a huge stand – and some really cool custom builds around the outside to attract attention.

Philips were demonstrating Hue as the latest way to create an immersive experience – right next to the Razer stand were you could check out the latest products and enter competitions.

   

If you saw KitGuru’s coverage from IFA, you would have seen Leo casting his gaze over a whole range of new products from WD’s Black range. These are at EGX – on both the Argos and OcUK stands. You can also find be quiet! bargains on some of the stands – if you're in the market for cooling.

   

MSI products were dotted around the show, including some decidedly pink options – with special offers on the main Argos stand.

   

Thermaltake had a number of chassis a cooling combinations on show – including a 20th Anniversary build.

To do the show properly will take you a few hours – so be prepared to spend £10 on food from one of the vendors in the main Excel corridor.

KitGuru says: With the on-going shrinking at Insomnia, EGX appears to be the only substantial show where you can see the latest games and hardware. A ticket will cost up to £28, but it is a high concentration of cool stuff over one weekend.

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U.S. companies fined for blocking customer Wi-Fi hostpots https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/jon-martindale/u-s-companies-fined-for-blocking-customer-wi-fi-hostpots/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/networking/jon-martindale/u-s-companies-fined-for-blocking-customer-wi-fi-hostpots/#respond Wed, 04 Nov 2015 11:37:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=274101 The Federal Communication Commission has stated its intention to crack down on companies blocking Wi-Fi hotspots created by its customers, with fines being levied against two hotel and convention centre owners for doing so. It's claimed that the blocks were designed to encourage the purchasing of expensive Wi-Fi time sold by the hotels, something that …

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The Federal Communication Commission has stated its intention to crack down on companies blocking Wi-Fi hotspots created by its customers, with fines being levied against two hotel and convention centre owners for doing so. It's claimed that the blocks were designed to encourage the purchasing of expensive Wi-Fi time sold by the hotels, something that the FCC is keen to stamp out.

To that end, it's levied fines against the Hilton chain of hotels – $25,000 for now – for obstructing an investigation into its Wi-Fi blocking practice, as well as wireless access provider M.C. Dean for its regular blocking of customer hotspots. They aren't the first either, with Ars reporting that the Marriott hotel chain has also been fined as much as $600,000 (£390,000) for similar practices.

In the case of the Hilton, several complaints were sent to the FCC throughout 2014, suggesting that at the Hilton hotel in Anaheim it had blocked hotspot access and instead pushed its own Wi-Fi services, which it charged as much as $500 (£324) for. However despite repeated requested by the FCC, it did not provide paperwork or much of a response, so for that it's been fined. The FCC has also doubled down on its request for information.

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No free Wi-Fi here folks. Source: Prayitno/Flickr

M.C. Dean however has been fined far more – $718,000 (£466,000) – for blocking Wi-Fi hotspots at the Baltimore Convention Centre for as much as two years, charging exhibitors up to $1,095 (£710) to access its wireless internet. The blocking often extended beyond the bounds of the building too and was even able to shut down Wi-Fi hotspots of passing vehicles.

Not everyone agrees with the proposed fines, with some commissioners believing the the FCC should instead place new rules in place that prohibit this sort of action legally, rather than enforcing financial sanctions against organisations.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I wonder how this sort of localised blocking would work if Google, Facebook or SpaceX ever launch those satellite networks they've talked about before. If cheap internet is accessible anywhere in the world, are there some places where that would be blocked in order to encourage local buying of access?

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Twitch to host its own convention this year https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/twitch-to-host-its-own-convention-this-year/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/twitch-to-host-its-own-convention-this-year/#respond Sat, 21 Feb 2015 12:17:01 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=236899 Twitch has decided that it is going to start hosting its own convention this year. TwitchCon was announced yesterday and will hit San Fransisco in September from the 25th to the 26th. According to the official announcement page, this will be a ‘interactive convention', inviting in broadcasters and viewers alike. Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch, …

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Twitch has decided that it is going to start hosting its own convention this year. TwitchCon was announced yesterday and will hit San Fransisco in September from the 25th to the 26th.

According to the official announcement page, this will be a ‘interactive convention', inviting in broadcasters and viewers alike. Emmett Shear, CEO of Twitch, said: “Twitch broadcasters have the most passionate fans, so we want to create an amazing experience where they can come together in person. TwitchCon will be an opportunity for the entire community — broadcasters, game developers, viewers, and us — to play and learn together.”

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So far not much else is known, this is just a save the date announcement for now, information in where to get tickets, travel and places to stay will be coming later over the next few months.

There are more than 100 million Twitch users in the world right now, so this convention has potential to be very popular. The event is due to be co-produced by ReedPOP, a pop culture event specialist.

You can read the full announcement, HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Twitch usually has a presence at other conventions throughout the year and will often host industry parties at them. It will be interesting to see what it has planned for its own event later this year.

 

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