Suhit Gupta
05-26-2004, 05:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.cebit-america.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.cebit-america.com/</a><br /><br /></div>As you all know, CeBIT is here in America, here in New York, for the second time. I was there last year but as a lowly attendee. This year, due to my involvement with DMT, I got press credentials and have been privy to some cool events where folks from industry display their wares only for the press.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cba-logo.gif" /><br /><br />There was one such event last night - the Digital Experience! media event - held at the Metropolitan Pavilion where the people from CeBIT wined and dined us while about 50 different companies gave us personalized demos on their latest hardware/software. Here is my report of all the cool devices that I saw.<br /><!><br />Immediately after registering, we were ushered past the ice sculpted martini bar towards the hordes of booths.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_01.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_02.JPG" /><br /><br />The first booth that I visited was Nokia where I saw the Nokia 7610, a nice black design making it look quite sweet. That large screen was very nice. But more impressive was the Nokia 6810 Messaging Communicator. It is a nice small cell phone that expands out to give access to a full keyboard. The phone is meant to be more of a communicator and is capable of Mobile email, MMS, Instant Messaging, messaging keyboard, multitasking and Bluetooth wireless technology.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_03.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_04.JPG" /><br /><br />However, what was most impressive was the Nokia 9500 Communicator. This looks like a device designed particularly for industry and business people. This device really blew me away. It will be available in Q4 this year with T-Mobile (apparently). It will be expandable via a Flash slot and you will be able to browse the Internet in rich full color, on a wide, easy-to-read screen (800x480). The device's responsiveness was fantastic and is much lighter than it looks. With the screen, the expandability, integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and a VGA camera, this is a very nice solution.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_05.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_06.JPG" /><br /> <PAGEBREAK> <br />Next booth was Viewsonic. They were displaying two monitors. The one above is their new 17" 1280x1024 analog + digital flat panel display. I was quite amazed by the extremely vivid colors, that I hope are clear from the images above. BTW, all the pictures are taken with my EOS 10D and I have scaled them all down by a factor of 10. If you want the full res images, please email me. Their press release about the monitor - "VX715 features ClearMotivTM technology for displaying broadcast-quality video and compatibility with high-definition 720p. OptiSync™ dual input technology on the display supports both digital (DVI) and analog (VGA) signals to expand connectivity options. The VX715 has 1280x1024 native resolution, 450:1 contrast ratio and 300 nits of brightness, while the VX510 provides 250 nits of brightness, a 450:1 contrast ratio and 1024x768 native resolution."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_07.JPG" /><br /><br />They were also displaying their new 15" Flat Panel TV which also looked very nice. According to their press release - "At only 8.5 pounds, the lightweight N1300 extends the entertainment experience to the kitchen, bathroom, office or even boats and RVs. Featuring a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, the N1300 delivers 450 nits of brightness with 640x480 native resolution and a 500:1 contrast ratio. Multiple video signal inputs - including component, S-video and composite video—enable compatibility with devices such as DVD players and VCRs, while a built-in TV tuner, remote control and integrated speakers further enhance the television entertainment experience." Anyways, I asked them the obvious question - "When are TV tuners going to be embedded in all their flat panel monitors" and apparently they are making a huge push in this direction some time soon. Viewsonic already has about five different monitors with embedded TV tuners.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_08.JPG" /><br /><br />Next up was the IBM booth. Their tiny new projector was the first thing that caught my attention. It looks like they were aiming at the Infocus LP120 when designing it. It is not as small and light as the Infocus projector but the specs are almost the same - 1100 lumens, 2.5lbs, 1024x768 resolution support. And it is very tiny.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_09.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_10.JPG" /><br /><br />Their new Thinkpad line also seems quite cool. You can actually see the projector next to the laptops to get an idea of the scale. On the right hand side are the two new laptops that are meant to be desktop replacements, thought at about 5.5lbs, they are perfectly portable IMHO. The two laptops on the left are the slightly older models.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_11.JPG" /><br /><br />This unit is their Intellistation, capable of two of the fastest Intel processors and SATA hard drives. Very sweet machine. They particularly mentioned digital media and their benchmarking focus for editing of audio and video. The new machines will apparently be shipping with the nVidia 6800 video cards. Woohoo! :)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_12.JPG" /><br /><br />Next booth was by OurPictures. The gentleman giving me the demo of their product is an ex-AOL employee and this will make sense right away with respect to their product.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_13.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_14.JPG" /><br /><br />The product that they are making at first looks exactly like a plain vanilla photo album creator. However, what makes them different from others (and here is where the AOL reference comes in) is that you can Instant Message pictures from your machine/album to your buddy/buddies. This is done via their servers and the images are transferred fairly fast from what I could tell. They use a P2P like approach and the software also has basic image manipulation abilities built in.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_15.JPG" /><br /><br />Next up was Palm's booth. Nothing new at all over here except for the above displayed Bluetooth GPS units. They showed me a demo using one of the latest Zire devices and after the software crashed the Palm a couple of times (Fatal error, leading to reboot), the software did work, and quite well actually. The graphics of the GPS utility not only showed off how well the GPS unit itself worked but also the good 3D capabilities of the Zire.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_16.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_17.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_19.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_20.JPG" /><br /><br />Ulead was next. They are one of our sponsors if you remember from our Sponsor highlight posts. They were showing off their VideoStudio 8 software which looks very easy to use for video/mpeg editing. I also spoke to the Ulead representatives about their newest version of the ScrapBook software (a $1.6? billion industry) and their software looked surprisingly versatile, professional and user friendly.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_21.JPG" /><br /><br />HP's booth was another one of the disappointing tables. I was hoping to see the iPaq 6000 series of the 4700 series but no go. They have come up with new scanning system. It is embedded in a pen and uses the background texture pattern of the paper to identify different pieces of paper. The pen scans the paper as it writes (on a regular sheet of paper, previously printed with special patterns) and uploads the scanned information when docked with the PC. I think I have seen similar technology before, but looks like it has been cleaned up and formalized more.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_22.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_23.JPG" /><br /><br />Targus impressed me with their new miniature mouse. See the laptop next to it for an idea of scale. The mouse is small, light, optical and best of all - is has a mousewheel as well as three function buttons meant to be thumb operated.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_24.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_25.JPG" /><br /><br />They also had a couple of miniature USB 2.0 hubs. They are cheap (under $30 IIRC).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_28.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_30.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_31.JPG" /><br /><br />Here is another booth that rocked. It is the Transmeta/Sharp/OQO booth. The Transmeta rep is holding up their latest <i>eddiceon</i> processor, which is available in the Sharp Laptop pictured above and below.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_32.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_33.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_34.JPG" /><br /><br />And this finally brings me to the Sharp laptop. I have been drooling over the Sony X505 for some time now but the $3000 price tag seems completely outrageous. Enter Transmeta and Sharp. Take a look at this gorgeous laptop. It is thin, razor thin. Specs are as follows - 1GHz Transmeta eddiceon processor, 512MB RAM, 20GB HDD, 10 hours battery life with extended battery, integrated 802.11 b/g, 10/100 ethernet, 10.2" 1024x768 display, PCMCIA slot. It is under 2lbs and less than 0.62" thick (or thin as the case may be). But best of all, it is less than half the price of the X505 at under $1500. Good stuff.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_29.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_35.JPG" /><br /><br />Here are a couple of pictures of the OQO. I have a meeting with them tomorrow so I will have more information at that time, I hope. Looks like a very nice unit.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_36.JPG" /><br /><br />CodecSys appears to be doing something very interesting that might interest all of us here on DMT, especially when it comes to home built DVRs. They are apparently applying upto 30 different compression codecs to different segments of video and by applying different codecs instead of just one codec to the entire video, they get incredible compression levels. They are able to do real time encoding and decoding of this data. Apparently they are able to achieve a 300KB file after compression where an MPEG-4 file would be 2MB after compressing the same original video stream. A company to watch out for.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_37.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_38.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_39.JPG" /><br /><br />Panasonic was displaying previously announced technology (DVD recorders, personal camcorders, DVD players).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_41.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_42.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_43.JPG" /><br /><br />I finally get to touch the Motorola MPX. Two words - I want. However, it is a little bigger than I expected. To some extent, I might even want the Nokia 9500. But still, the MPX is so pretty. :)<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_44.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_45.JPG" /><br /><br />Pentax showed off their new DSLR and their new 3MP camcorder (both of which we have posted on here at DMT). But it was good to actually operate them in person. The 3MP camcorder, also capable of taking stills, had a wide angle lens as an accessory and it was quite nice to see the difference between shots with and without the wide angle add-on.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_46.JPG" /><br /><br />Sandisk just announced their SD/IO Wi-Fi with 256 MB flash memory card and here is evidence that it actually exists :). There were far too many people around the Sandisk booth so I really did not get a chance to chat with anyone. I did however get a roadmap from both Sandisk and SD Card Association and apparently the 2GB SD card is right around the corner, i.e. probably end of Q3 this year.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_49.JPG" /><br /><br />Lexmark showed off their B&W Laser printer, capable of printing 24 ppm.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_50.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_51.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_52.JPG" /><br /><br />But more impressive were the Lexmark inkjet printers. There were three of them. The first one is a 4-in-1 unit (fax, print, copy, scan) with ink cartridges retailing for about $25 each (color and black). The next unit is their 3-in-1 (no faxing) but it only prints about 200 pages per ink cartridge. The last printer is a standalone printer, very similar to the second model with very similar specs. However it is going to retain for $99. For a sub $100 printer, it seems like a fantastic deal. The ink, again, is around $25 (black and color).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_54.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_55.JPG" /><br /><br />Jasc showed their Paint Shop Pro and Photo Album software. Nothing extraordinary worth commenting here. They looks like solid pieces of software, something we have come to expect from Jasc. I wish I could have spent more time with them but again, far too many people around this booth.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_56.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_57.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_58.JPG" /><br /><br />Kodak showed their 3, 4 and 5 MP cameras. The 4MP camera is the D series which the 3 and 5MP cameras are from the C series. The D series offers the ability to set shutter priority and other manual features thus making it slightly more expensive at just around $350.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_59.JPG" /><br /><br />Ahh, the final booth at the Metropolitan Pavilion - Xerox. They amazed me with their printer that takes solid state toner. The tones is in the shape of cubes that you can load into the toner slots, much like you would load staples in a stapler. The printer really gives some incredibly vivid colors when printing, a very different effect from laser or ink printers. It is a cross between a glossy and a matte finish. I was pleasantly surprised.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_60.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_61.JPG" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/cebit2004_pressevent_62.JPG" /><br /><br />There was a second event held at the Web2Zone where we were taken by limo. This one was organized by Shuttle, in conjunction with ATI and Western Digital. More booze, food, and a ton of Shuttle machines, all maxed out with hardware and loaded with Unreal Tournament 2004. I enjoyed playing on these machine. Also, I finally got to play around with the Small Form Factor, of which Jason is a huge proponent. The Shuttles are really cute, and came with 250GB 10000rpm WD drives and ATI 9800 video card. Pity that there weren't any x800's. (The other disappointment was that all the Shuttle PCs there were loaded with only 256MB RAM thus severely hindering performance). Shuttle gave specs on their Media Center PC which I will post on further after my visit to CeBIT tomorrow. And Shuttle also showed their portable LCD monitor (pictured above). With the portable LCD and the obviously portable Shuttle, they are seriously targeting the LAN gaming market.<br /><br />Some final thoughts, there wasn't as much new stuff as I was hoping to see. Companies like Canon, Nikon, Microsoft, were a no-show. I am really hoping that tomorrow's event, i.e. the actual CeBIT show will have more companies and am actually also hoping that some of them may make announcements of new product.