'Anti-Comdex' toils on
By MIKE BERMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
June 25, 2003

It was billed as the "anti-Comdex" - a show strictly for computer professionals that would attract about 25,000 people during its three-day run at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan. And it lived up to its name.

Initial estimates reveal that only about 12,000 of these computer professionals from 74 countries braved the rain to attend CeBit America's inaugural event, which featured more than 360 exhibitors from 15 countries.

Although the weather probably played a big factor in keeping folks away, this is a scene that has been replayed as numbers of attendees and exhibitors continue to decline at even the exalted Comdex trade show in Las Vegas.

Many of the exhibitors I met with have opted to cut their often hectic show schedules to only one or two trade shows per year, a sign that those tough economic times we've been reading so much about are far from over. Others have decided to only attend "parties" or rent hotel suites off site, saving a few bucks when compared to the cost of leasing and staffing booth space at a trade show.

It also became evident that innovation has become another casualty of these tough times. The words "cool" and "new" were rarely heard on the show floor. But there were a few brave souls that took the opportunity to show off new products.

• Buffalo Technology and 3-Com proudly touted their new 802.11g wireless networking systems, which provide twice the data flow of the old 802.11b standard and guarantee compatibility with old wireless networks.
• Sony and Iomega showed off their new DVD writers designed to handle multiple standards. The new Sony drive can write to DVD+ and -R and RW disks, while the offering from Iomega will handle any DVD or CD format, including DVD-RAM.
• The folks at VIA Technologies showed off a new motherboard that is no bigger than a floor tile, boasting a CPU that can run at 600 megahertz without a fan. Expect to see this in a whole new line of gadgets from computers to entertainment appliances, including multimedia PCs and a new radio station in a box.
• VDA Vision has found a way to make tablet PCs more affordable with the first product priced at less than $1,000.
• Fossil watch, developed along with the folks at PalmSource, brings 100 percent Palm computer compatibility to your wrist, while the little wonder from Xonix allows you to store data on memory chips ranging from 32 to 128 megabytes using an USB cable that is stored in its wristband.
• Eluminx has struck a blow for people with failing eyesight with its new illuminated keyboard and plans to release an illuminated mouse before the end of the year.
• Technogeeks in the UK (yep, they have them there, too) have been testing a 3G communications network on the Isle of Man, which will handle large amounts of data faster and allow for the transmission of video using digital devices.

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Will the folks at Hannover Fairs USA give it another shot next year?

Will it ever stop raining?

Stay tuned!

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