Google hands Trekkies a new gadget

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LONG BEACH - Break out your communicators, because 40 years later "Star Trek" is still the future of technology - or one possible future.

Google will join the more than 15,000 enthusiasts who make the annual trek to the convention, which is being held in Las Vegas today through Sunday.

Google's mission is to announce today the availability of mobile KML (Keyhole Markup Language), which enables developers to illustrate information to overlay on Google Maps for mobile phones.

In Earth lingo, Trek geeks will be able to create those future sci-fi cities they are so fond of and share them with each other via cell phone. Other, more practical applications also are possible with the new technology.

The application will allow mobile phone users to view the same files they access on GoogleEarth and GoogleMaps, before available only on their PC, on their phone.

Google launched a Web site, www.google.com/trekfan, to provide information on a number of Google tools, including Earth, Maps and SketchUp.

A large attendance is expected during the event at the Las Vegas Hilton because this year is the 40th anniversary of the original Star Trek series.

"It's kind of a big deal," said Gary Berman, co-CEO of Creation Entertainment, organizer of the Star Trek convention.

He estimates attendance will be up 70 percent from last year.

As Star Trek has changed with its different incarnations - even the original series is now being broadcast in a 2.0 version, complete with scrolling interactive messages from viewers - so has the Trek convention business, Berman said.

"When we first started the conventions, it was about purchasing merchandise, but now you can go on eBay and get some of these things," he said.

Readily available information on the Internet has also replaced the conventioneer's motivation to seek out gossip and news about the Trekverse, Berman said.

But what cannot be replaced for these enthusiasts is the "in-person interactivity between the celebrities and the fans - and the photo opportunities," he said.

Over 70 Star Trek celebrities will be appearing, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Kate Mulgrew, Avery Brooks and Brent Spiner.

The convention features an exhibition hall full of Star Trek memorabilia, auctions, trivia and costume contests.

One of the highlights of the convention is expected on Saturday, when Shatner and Nimoy appear on stage together to reminisce.

"These guys have had a 40-year friendship, and their appearance is a comedy act beyond Star Trek," Berman said of the pair of 75-year-olds, who are known for poking fun at each other. "It's a unique form of show business."

Visit www.creationent.com for more information.

Don Jergler can be reached at don.jergler@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1281.