This year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off the new year with a bang, with over 150,000 attendees packed into Las Vegas to check out over 3100 exhibitors in an area larger than 35 (American) football fields.

The big themes this year were "thin" and "smart". Thin as in OLED TVs that looked like a sheet of glass, and Intel's big push for Ultrabook laptops (think MacBook Air). And Smart was everywhere, with even more connected Smart TVs and Blu-ray players that provide deeper interaction though voice and gesture control. But the other half of CES was focused on smaller devices for our mobile lives, with smartphones and tablets and lots of fun iPhone and iPad accessories.

So come explore the new developments from CES, as Doug Dixon returns for his annual round-up and demos of the next generation in our mobile lives.

About the presenter...
Douglas Dixon is an independent technology consultant, author, and speaker specializing in digital media and portable devices. Previously a product manager and software developer at Intel and Sarnoff in Princeton, he now consults in commercial and military technology analysis and communications, and provides expert witness services. He is the author of four books on digital media, has published hundreds of feature articles, and has presented over a hundred seminars and talks on digital media over the past decade. Doug's articles and technical references are available on his Manifest Technology Blog and Website.

Meeting Location:
Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary
on Alexander Street in Princeton, New Jersey, NJ

* Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, the back of room 6 (second floor)
* Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, room 4 (first floor)
* General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Stuart Hall, room 6 (second floor)

Please see the location page for more information.

Google+ is the latest attempt at social networking from Internet search, advertising and product giant Google. Already six months old and nearly half the size of LinkedIn, Google+ has almost 70 million users and is now considered a 'Big Five' social network. With features such as 10-person video chats called Hangouts, the ability to arrange contacts in Circles, and rich multimedia publishing opportunities with photos, videos, and text, Google+ is the hottest place to be personally and professionally.

Lynette Young of Purple Stripe Productions will walk through the vital pieces of Google+, give tips and tricks that helped her catapult to one of the Top 50 followed women in the platform, and show live, hands-on feature tours of what makes Google+ the next big thing ... right now!

About the presenter...
Lynette Young has been working with enterprise-level technology since 1989, but in the past 14 years or so has been concentrating on emerging and social technologies from her company, Purple Stripe Productions. A seasoned technical implementation specialist with 22+ years of experience, Lynette brings not only precision and detail to her clients, but a wildly creative flair and love of all things pixel. A pioneer in the social media arena, Lynette has been blogging since 1997, podcasting since 2004, and working professionally in social media technologies and social communications since 2006. Lynette is also an organizer for PodCamp Philly & PodCamp LA, BlogWorld & New Media Expo Podcast Pavilion, and Social Media Club Princeton NJ.

Meeting Location:
Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary
on Alexander Street in Princeton, New Jersey, NJ

* Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, the back of room 6 (second floor)
* Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, room 4 (first floor)
* General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Stuart Hall, room 6 (second floor)

Please see the location page for more information.

PMUG's Jeff Gorman will convert his Mobile Me account to an iCloud account. Attendees will get to see the process and how to address any issues that arise. Jeff will do this on his laptop, iPad, and if all that goes well, his iPhone.

The demonstration will focus on calendar and contact Apps. This will be done in real time—it could go very smoothly or be wrought with issues.

About the presenter...
Jeff Gorman is the owner of Creative Computing, Princeton's only Apple store and dealer for the last 12 years. He majored in computer science at the University of Buffalo, graduating in 1989. Jeff then worked as a software engineer for a small Mac based software development company before founding Creative Computing in 1996. A PMUG member for seven years, he has been running PMUG's intermediate SIG for the last six. Jeff practices martial arts in his spare time.

Meeting Location:
Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary
on Alexander Street in Princeton, New Jersey, NJ

* Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, the back of room 6 (second floor)
* Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, room 4 (first floor)
* General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Stuart Hall, room 6 (second floor)

Please see the location page for more information.

The mobile revolution is upon us and industries across the spectrum are finding new ways to make information available to users in situ, pushing data to users via mobile devices that understand where they are and what the options are for, say, parking in that place or what friends may be nearby.

Smartphones use small programs called apps to pull device resources and data together to perform astonishing feats of convergence called mashups, and the line between the kinds of devices (e-reader, cell phone, and tablet) that provide these services is increasingly blurred.

William DeLamater of eReadia LLC will present a brief history of how recent devices as different as the Kindle and the iPad have arisen and revised the definition of what it means to read, to engage with text, and to leverage web-based information resources, from the perspective of the founder of a start-up publishing firm. He will also demonstrate Mobile reading devices and his company's publishing tools.

About the presenter...
William E. DeLamater is the founder and president of eReadia LLC, based in Maryland near the District of Columbia. eReadia is a technology company that builds Web-based tools that enable content creators to publish to mobile platforms, particularly in the K-12 education space. The range of formats supported include Kindle, ePub, PDF, and mobile web app. Individual users and organizations subscribe for access to eReadia's custom publishing tools..

Meeting Location:
Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary
on Alexander Street in Princeton, New Jersey, NJ

* Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, the back of room 6 (second floor)
* Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, room 4 (first floor)
* General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Stuart Hall, room 6 (second floor)

Please see the location page for more information.

Digital photography is a popular hobby with new technology constantly improving the field. These advances usually involve the camera's imaging system or processing the resulting photos—such as capturing more image data for greater editing freedom (with RAW format files) and gathering a wider range of brightness to make a photo look more realistic or surreal with high dynamic range (HDR.)

This month's meeting will showcase another advance, but the camera's imaging system is not directly involved: the combining of photos with coordinates from the Global Positioning System (GPS) in what is called "geotagging." This can be both helpful and fun. By geotagging your images you can locate your position so you may return again, compare photos from different locations to find the best spot, and get help identifying unknown features around you.

PMUG's Michael Blank will show what geotagging is all about. Learn about the hardware and Mac software needed for geotagging photos with any digital camera, the geotagging process, and how to resolve GPS receiver and geotagging problems you may encounter. Michael will also demonstrate how geotagged photos from the online online community can help you take better pictures.

Don't miss this informative and eye-opening presentation!

About the presenter...
Michael Blank is PMUG's Webmaster and produces two Podcasts for the group: the Monthly Meetings Podcast and the DIALOGcast. Michael is also a Website designer for the Princeton Internet Group.

Meeting Location:
Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary
on Alexander Street in Princeton, New Jersey, NJ

* Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, the back of room 6 (second floor)
* Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall, room 4 (first floor)
* General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Stuart Hall, room 6 (second floor)

Please see the location page for more information.

Due to a family emergency, Steve Stanger's presentation is cancled. Instead, PMUG's Michael Blank will present Google Earth on the Mac.

Michael is PMUG's Webmaster and produces two Podcasts for the group: the Monthly Meetings Podcast and the DIALOGcast. Michael is also a Website designer for the Princeton Internet Group.

Steve Stanger will present photo editing/processing, management, and sharing on the Mac.

Although each of those could be broken down into presentations of their own, Steve's goal is to give an idea of the different workflows and software options that are available, no matter what kind of camera or Mac one uses.

About the presenter...
Steven Stanger is an Apple Certified IT Professional with over a decade of support experience in various environments: the entertainment and advertising industry, desktop publishing, education, photography & video editing, Web and multimedia design, small busines, and home Mac use. Steven has been working with the Macintosh since it was released in the mid 80's.

Steve's interest in photography started when his Mother gave him his first Kodak Instamatic camera at age eight. This then led to his disappearance from many photos considering he was the one behind the camera (most of the time). Steve pursued photography through his teen and college years. At some point photography "got away from him" to be rediscovered a few years ago with the advent of better, more affordable digital cameras. Many of Steve's photographs are shot in New Jersey. He believes that, "to take great photographs you don't necessarily have to travel too far from home. Visit Steve Stanger's Website or to learn more about him.

New Location for the September Meeting!
Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary, room 6 (second floor)
on Alexander Street in Princeton, New Jersey

• Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary, the back of room 6 (second floor)
• Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary, room 4 (first floor)
• General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Stuart Hall at Princeton Theological Seminary, room 6 (second floor)

Please see the location page for more information.

No meetings will be held in July or August. Join us in September for the next general meeting.

Dave Marra, Senior Systems Engineer from Apple Inc., will present the iPad 2. Apple's portable device is now thinner, lighter, faster, packed with new features, has two cameras and a new dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics.

Discover iPad 2 today and experience the next generation magical device for browsing the Web, reading and sending e-mail, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and more!

About the presenter...
As a Senior Systems Engineer for Apple, Dave Marra has conducted thousands of technology presentations, keynote addresses and workshops for schools, Mac and PC user groups, businesses and other professional organizations across the United States and Canada. Certified as both an Apple Certified Technical Coordinator and an Apple Certified Systems Administrator, his specialty areas include digital multimedia, Internet technologies, accessibility and Mac/PC integration. Visit Dave's Website for more information.

New Location for the June Meeting!
the Friend Center for Engineering Education
at the corner of William and Olden Streets, Princeton, NJ

• Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friend Center, the back of room 006 (bottom level)
• Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friend Center, room 009 (bottom level)
• General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Friend Center, room 006 (bottom level)

Please see the location page for more information.

After nearly 25 years as a tech writer, Bob LeVitus has tested thousands of Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad products and accessories and has new and interesting products arriving at his office pretty much every day!

This year his presentation focuses on the very best things he's ever tested—his all-time favorite Mac applications, utilities, and peripherals, as well as his fave i-Device apps and accessories.

He will be talking about products that have proven themselves over time, products he still uses long after the review is forgotten, and products he recommends without hesitation.

About the presenter...
Bob LeVitus, often referred to as "Dr. Mac," has been considered one of the world's leading authorities on the Macintosh and Mac OS for nearly twenty years. A prolific author, LeVitus has sold millions of books worldwide in a dozen languages. His recent titles include: Incredible iPhone Apps For Dummies, iPhone For Dummies 4th Edition, and Mac OS X Snow Leopard For Dummies. He has been a tech columnist for the Houston Chronicle since 1996 and writes regularly for the Mac Observer Website. His hobbies include playing guitar with the infamous Macworld All-Star Band, engineering audio recordings (mostly of classic rock songs), and budget filmmaking.

New Location for the May Meeting!
the Friend Center for Engineering Education
at the corner of William and Olden Streets, Princeton, NJ

• Beginners SIG: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friend Center, the back of room 006 (bottom level)
• Intermediate SIG: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friend Center, room 009 (bottom level)
• General Meeting: 7:30 p.m.+, Friend Center, room 006 (bottom level)

Please see the location page for more information.