DigitalLife Expo Jacob Javits Center October 14-16, 2005 Written by Keith C. Smith Photographed by Jowy Romano

Look around your room right now...what do you see? A digital this, an electronic that – the computer screen you are reading from right now. Yes, we truly are living a digital life, and on October 14 to 16, the city-that-never-sleeps got a glimpse of how technology will play an even bigger role in our lives at the DigitalLife Expo at the Jacob Javits Center.

Carmen Electra	Fabolous

As soon as I entered the main showroom, I was surrounded by images and sounds coming from dozens of booths representing the leading developers of tomorrow's technology. On one side was a showcase of digital cameras, on the other was a booth filled with every type of MP3 player imaginable.

Of course, with so many booths competing for your attention, how does one booth rise above the others? Celebrities! Comedian Wayne Brady, rap artist Redman, Carmen Electra, rappers Fabolous and Redman, the Gotti boys and radio personality Gary Delabate were just some of the celebrities signing autographs and posing for pictures at the booths.

The Gotti Boys	Redman

Looking through the crowd, I thought I saw Jackie Chan. but it was just his likeness on the side of the "Chan Van." The “Van” was there to display the action star's new piece of workout equipment, the "J-Mat." This mat hooks up to a television and as you run, jump and fight your way through ninja assassins, your movements control those of a virtual Chan.

It didn't take any celebrity endorsements for Microsoft to draw the biggest crowd in the center. Dozens of young people crowded around monitors trying to catch a glimpse of the Christmas line-up of video games. Playable demos for numerous games were on hand, including the highly anticipated "King Kong" for the X-Box 360. Not to be outdone by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo had their own stations for people to try unreleased games.

Being a man who likes to customize his ride, I took special notice of the Best Buy "Mobile Revolution" area. There, I got to try out all kinds of devices to "pimp my ride", including headrests with monitors, satellite radio receivers and DVD players made to fit in nearly any crevasse of a car.

If you live in New York long enough, you can start to wonder if everyone you now is trying to start a band. A company called "eJamming" is seeking to cash in on this “epidemic” with software that helps people locate and jam out with musicians from around the world. Their demonstration consisted of a live drummer playing with a horn section located on the other side of the room and a guitarist playing on the other side of the country. At this point, you might be saying to yourself, "All those gizmos sounds nice, sonny, but I don't know how to use new fangled technology." Well, there's a solution for that! Throughout the day, tutorial sessions instructed people on how to use and buy all types of electronics, from cell phones to PCs.

It would have taken the entire weekend to see all of the dancing robots and virtual reality machines displayed at the fair. But I doubt any of the forty thousand who attended left without knowing what ask Santa for this Christmas.