This complete tech event coverage concludes Pinglio's documentation of gdgt Live Chicago 2011, showcasing a diverse array of emerging technologies and established companies demonstrating their latest innovations at the Tribune Tower. Patrick Bisch provides detailed interviews and demonstrations of six companies spanning restaurant technology, cloud storage, streaming media, content distribution, audio systems, and computer accessories. The event represents the peak period of consumer technology trade shows when startups and established companies gathered to showcase innovations directly to enthusiasts and media.
The coverage highlights several companies that were pioneering concepts that would become mainstream years later. SilvrSpoon's restaurant ordering and feedback app anticipated the mobile ordering revolution that services like DoorDash and Uber Eats would later dominate. SugarSync's personal cloud solution competed directly with emerging services like Dropbox, offering file synchronization and sharing features that were still novel to many consumers. Roku's streaming media players showd the cord-cutting trend that would reshape television consumption, while SlingMedia's place-shifting technology enabled the anywhere-access viewing that streaming services now provide natively.
The analysis examines how these technologies addressed specific consumer pain points of 2011: complicated file sharing, limited streaming options, inflexible TV viewing, and fragmented audio systems. Companies like Sonos were establishing whole-home audio ecosystems that required dedicated hardware, while Logitech was innovating in both iPad accessories and solar-powered keyboards that eliminated battery concerns. The event's format, with hands-on demonstrations and video interviews, reflects the tech journalism approach of the era when live events were crucial for product discovery and evaluation.
This event coverage captures a pivotal moment in consumer technology when many concepts that seem obvious today were still emerging innovations requiring explanation and demonstration to mainstream audiences. Looking back 13+ years later, the trajectory of these companies illustrates how competitive the early 2010s technology landscape was, with many promising startups eventually absorbed by larger platforms or displaced by more integrated solutions. SilvrSpoon's restaurant technology was eventually surpassed by complete platforms like Toast and Square, while SugarSync lost ground to more aggressive marketing and pricing from Dropbox and Google Drive. Roku survived and thrived by maintaining platform neutrality as smart TV features improved, and Sonos successfully transitioned from dedicated hardware to voice-activated systems. The event format itself represents the last period when such gatherings were essential for technology discovery, before social media and direct-to-consumer marketing reduced the importance of trade show demonstrations. The enthusiasm and detailed coverage reflect an era when technology bloggers served as crucial intermediaries between companies and consumers, documenting innovations that would reshape daily life within the decade.
This summary was created by Dave Rogers. The original post was written by Patrick Bisch and published on September 1, 2011.
If you'd like to view the original post, you can find it here.