As we have yet to see an active screen shot from the MSI Wind we expect that it is still at prototype stage, but that has not stopped MSI churning out blue, silver and pink iterations. The styling is certainly a step up from the Eee PC, but perhaps that Eee body rework we heard about earlier will throw off the new competition. The Wind is expected to be priced between €299 ($458) - €699 ($1072), depending on options chosen. All in all, the sizable keyboard, price point and decent display size have our attention for sure. There is no word on a release date as yet, but we'll keep you posted. [PC World Italia via Notebook Italia]

Back to the products: "iRobot introduces cheap refresh to its Verro pool robot." Wow. "Razer introduces entry-level mouse." Ooh, it's getting hot in herre. And Wilson's personal favorite, "Logitech unveils first wireless stereo headset for internet calling with a PC." Mmmm. dreamy. Still, work is work.

A couple of weeks back, I started checking travel websites to see how much it would cost to get there. It was $925 and I would have to fly via Mallorca—a journey of over five hours, excluding check-in time. On top of that, you've got two nights in a hotel, plus expenses. We were looking at paying out around $3,000, then, for a day and a half tops at the fair. No bango, and mucho bucko.

So, I emailed Dieter Jirmann, one of the writers on German Gizmodo. Was he going? He replied the next day.

As far as I know no one from Giz Germany will be in Hannover, so sorry—perhaps better luck at this year's IFA where we can perhaps arrange something beforehand.
If you need any advice for Hannover though (Germany's capital of really bad music—Scorpions are only the tip of the iceberg) please just let us know—we are all vets of surviving CeBIT.

Some people, however, did think it was worth it. Ballmer turned up to promote software that displays your electricity consumption on your PC, a tie-in with German energy provider Yello Strom. Eff that, Steve, said the journalists at the press conference, we want to talk to you about Yahoo.

Greenpeace held a press conference to say that some of the tech companies were *pats heads patronizingly* doing better on the green front, but there was still room for improvement. CeBIT's organizers, who had spent so much time and energy promoting the green side of technology, were left scratching their heads when just a smattering of journos bothered to park their arses on the chairs to listen to the charity's lecture.

Sadly for CeBIT, the real news has come from the police's anti-piracy busts. Fifty-one booths were raided, including that of Meizu, whose portable MP3 player was the culprit, rather than its iPhone doppelganger, the Mini One smartphone.

Last year's CeBIT had stuff going on, the sinister Blu-ray organization saying they would own the world in just three years, plus a heap of interesting gear. And let's not forget the laydeez, either. But this year, what has gone on? Hands-on with the Meizu, Asus' UMPC and a bunch of Samsung printers—and we're talking edited highlights here.

My guess is that tech companies have realized that too many announcements of the same things at different fairs dilutes the message. The PRs think that the six-day CeBIT, reduced this year from seven, is shinky-shonky. This is what Michael Langbehn, German head of PR and Marketing for Panasonic, thinks. "We decided to do product launches globally at CES. Then there's IFA, which is a must." This year, Panasonic is only using CeBIT to promote its business-solution products.

This is one of the things on show at CeBIT this year. I think it looks like a headshot for the latest Sigourney Weaver movie, Alien XIII: Showdown At The Olympic Velodrome, but feel free to tell me that I am even more stupid than you originally thought. Anyway, do you have a clue? Do you even care? It is, gadget lovers, Gigabyte's Cool Rain, a water-cooled memory module, and a product that the Japanese site Impress put up under the heading: "At CeBIT found Worrisome PC-Related Products."

IFA 2008 is less than six months away, and I can guarantee you that it will be a crazy fest of deliciousness, of products that we actually want, rather than a bunch of Apple rip-offs, earnest pledges to do better for the environment (whilst flying a heap of products halfway round the world to show them off to overweight men in suits. Oh, and me.)

But don't get me wrong. Apple rip-offs make me laugh, but they should only be a side order of chips to the curry wurst of brand new-and-amazing gear that we can fondle. And you can bet there won't be a hooker shortage in Berlin, either. [CNET and Reuters and Hexus and PC Watch]

CeBit 2008 - Village Tronic will show ViDock Gfx, an extraordinary graphics docking solution for portable computers. Hanover, March 4th 2008 - Village Tronic is proud to announce during the CeBit fair will that ViDock Gfx, the first product of a new family of graphics docking solutions for notebooks, will begin delivery early in Q2 this year. The ViDock family of graphics docking solutions is aimed at the professional user that wants to use a single portable computer both on the road and with a large display area made up of multiple screens in the office. ViDock Gfx allows IT managers and finance professionals to view large quantities of data across multiple screens. Creative professionals can take advantage of ViDock's powerful multi-display support to experience the final work on one screen while viewing edit commands on another. Home users and gamers can use ViDock to turn their notebook into a high performance graphics platform, with full HDTV support. ViDock Gfx takes advantage of the fast connection offered by ExpressCard technology, the latest standard from PCMCIA for notebook expansion, to deliver an uncompromised user experience in term of speed, responsiveness, 3D acceleration and resolution support. Combined with DVI Dual Link and Dual DVI video output, all the displays currently in the market can be supported, including the 30" ones at 2560x1600. The operating system compatibility ensures support for Windows Vista, Windows XP and Mac OS X. Aero accelerated user interface for Vista is supported. ViDock will be on the market bundled with the valuable software application "VTMultiDisplay" that improves the user experience when working with multiple screens. Village Tronic is an international, Multi-Display company and since 1996 is the world market leader for independent graphics cards for Motorola based Work Stations. In 2004 Village Tronic ignited the Multi-Display-Revolution for Notebook workstations with the introduction of VTBook for the Windows, Macintosh & Linux platforms. For further information about Village Tronic and its products, please visit the company's web site: http://www.villagetronic.com. EMail: press@villagetronic.com

[Village Tronic via Impress]

On the other hand, AMD's refusal to specify when in the second half of '08 they'll launch is a bit worrying—December would basically put them a year behind Intel, and it wouldn't be the first time they've been late. Come on AMD, be awesome again, please. Update: Press release below.

AMD Demos 45nm Native Quad-Core Processors for Server, Desktop

— Customer Testing of Product Samples Underway —

HANNOVER, Germany. — March 4, 2008 —AMD (NYSE: AMD) demonstrated at the CeBit electronics exhibition its first 45nm quad-core chips running multiple operating systems and a range of processing intensive applications. The processors were produced in Dresden, Germany, in AMD's Fab 36 300mm manufacturing facility, using an advanced 45nm process co-developed with IBM.

AMD 45nm transistors are engineered to enable greater performance-per-watt capabilities in AMD processors and platforms. AMD combines new processes and materials with leading edge technologies, such as immersion lithography and AMD's fourth-generation strained silicon, for a highly-manufacturable, highly-efficient production process.

This important milestone is the first of many as AMD moves toward delivery of 45nm products later this year. The first 45nm chips demonstrated by AMD include the "Shanghai" product for server and "Deneb" for desktop platforms.

Sony Ericsson targets a style-conscious audience with a small and neat slider phone

04 March 2008

The stylish new T303 slider phone furthers Sony Ericsson's commitment to broaden its appeal to a wider audience. Petite and good looking, it offers designer good-looks without the price tag to match.

Hanover, Germany - 4th March 2008 - Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T303, an attractive phone that is small and neat enough to carry with you on every occasion. This compact slider phone has been given the high-end treatment, with a mirrored screen, metal housing and chrome finish.

"The T303 is a great addition to the Sony Ericsson T-line of products, combining premium finish and materials with a good feature-set to deliver 'style with substance'." said Lykke Tærsbøl, Senior Designer at the Sony Ericsson Creative Design Centre. "The balance between shape and size in combination with the design makes it a truly eye-catching product. Our aim was to create a phone that would function equally as a daily companion as well as something to show off on a night out.

Sony Ericsson T303
Style at its best

• Provides pocket-sized convenience
• Promises premium good looks thanks to a metal and chrome finish
• Does the basics well, whether that's camera, Bluetooth™ or FM radio

Big in looks, mini in size
The T303's diminutive size is distinctive for all the right reasons. Because it doesn't take up much room, it's perfect for those nights out when space is limited and not everything can come out with you. The T303's compact size means that this phone will always be one of the chosen few.

Chic and smooth, reflecting your every move
The T303's metal and chrome finish makes it hard for those around you not to be impressed by its premium appearance. Its soft shape and smooth sliding mechanism make it a feel-good experience that you can enjoy every day. And the mirror glass display on the front of the phone goes yet further in making the T303 even more stand-out in its appearance.

Picture perfect
The T303's megapixel camera is ready to take pictures in an instant. So if you come across the perfect shoes whilst out and about, but want a second opinion, just one quick snap and you can send a picture message to one of your friends. You can use Bluetooth™ technology to transfer photos wire-free from your phone to a compatible computer, and then email them to any number of helpful style-advisers. Or just to send the photos of a day's adventure directly to a friend's phone.

Play-as-you-go
With life being ever more hectic, it's essential to be able to slow down the pace and take time out, whenever you get the chance. The T303 comes with a built-in FM radio, meaning you can tune in, chill out, and let time just pass you by. It also has its own media player and comes preloaded with Sony Ericsson's TrackID™ feature. Record a clip of a song in a bar or café and find out instantly what track it is and who sings it.

Accessorise
With such a good-looking phone, you'll want to keep it that way. The Protective Case IDC-22, part of Sony Ericsson's Design Collection, gives you the opportunity to develop your stylish look still further. Not only will it help keep your phone looking good, but it also has room for all of those essentials...your credit cards, keys and your T303.

The Sony Ericsson T303 will offer designer good-looks without the price tag to match. The T303/T303c is a GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets from mid 2008.

The T303a is a GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 phone that will also be available in selected markets from mid 2008.

Topping the quintet of drives is the BD-M100A (pictured above), a 2x Blu-ray writer for desktops that can also burn single- and dual-layer DVDs. Optiarc also rolled out the BD5500A, 5500S, 5600S, and 5710S, all with the same specs (see the gallery for a full spec list) except for their laptop-sized form factor and serial ATA connectivity on the models ending with "S". Details on all these drives were murky, but pricing is said to start at 599 Euros, or $796, and they'll be available in July. – Charlie White

CeBIT 2007 Blu-ray at Sony [59 Hardware]

Sony and NEC [PC Launches]

Today, CeBIT 2007 closes its doors for another year. And so, as the exhibitors pack up their electric lederhosen, telepathic computers, and Wi-Fi trouser presses and roll onto the next trade fair, we salute the unspoken heroines of the week-long gadgetstravaganza. Yes, the booth laydeez.

Normally Giz's resident laydeeologists, erudite, intellectual types such as Charlie, Jason, or Louis, give their views on these hostesses with the mostess, but they don't seem to be around (I did shout "Wakey Wakey, Hands Off Snakey" into the Gizmodo lair but my words echoed eerily around the office). So this time your laydee commentary is going to be done by someone who knows about them better than anyone else on the team—Ad—and that's because I am one.

So you can forget about any "Look at the peripherals on that"-style comments, and instead concentrate on the whole package. There's a gallery there for those of you who lost the power of speech when you fixated on the four laydeez above, and if anyone else wants to join me after the jump, I'm the one in the tangerine leisurewear and turquoise eyeshadow.

We've done the Good (four of them, actually), so let's tackle the Bad. Now then, girl on the left, you are Not Bad. Don't get me wrong, you are Good. I like the way you mix business with pleasure. The top-half combo of orange neckerchief and round-necked jersey says, "I am businesslike, I have been fully briefed on the product that I am selling, although personally I prefer Sony Ericsson, I am an IT student at Leipzig University, I am just doing this to pay the bills and no, you can't have my telephone number" —while the bottom half shrieks (in a dignified, New Germany kind of way, you understand) a completely different message.

Shall I translate it for you? "Hello, techie journalist," it is saying. "Yes, you can come and pretend to talk to me about Nokia whilst admiring the endless trajectory of my slightly-tanned-but-not-too-much-as-I-don't-want-them-to-match-my-skirt legs. But that, sir is totally out of the question." She's a good booth babe, despite the fact that her expression is less come-hither but more go-fuck-yourself. Well, after six days of techie journalists, wouldn't you?

I like her, it's her two friends I'm not so sure about. Yep, the two dressed up as nylon policemen, who look like they have been out on the lash all night, the last two girls from the bachelorette party who got lost on their way to the airport and have been trawling around Hanover for the past three weeks trying to raise enough money to get another flight home and are really pissed because they missed spring break and German guys are no fun at all and, Candice, you're not listening to me, just stop staring at the journalist, you can't think he's hot, oh, you think he can help us get back to Cincinnati before my mom finds out that I stole her nylon jumpsuit with the open crotch that she wears whenever she gets to the second date?

I know that there is something about chicks in uniform that guys dig. I accept that (I must admit, I get warm and nostalgic just thinking about Rosa Klebb and her spiked shoes in From Russia With Love), but there are ways of doing it. Just see the gallery—bare tummies and expressions that scream, "Ooh, you have been a naughty boy and I am going to have to arrest you and take down your particulars." But a smelly all-in-one boilersuit is just wrong.

And finally, to the Ugly. Oh Memory Corp, what were you thinking? That a smorgasbord of nipples, leg warmers, heinous sewing box-cum-handbag, full-body Hammer House Of Horror makeup, pastel pink aerobics trainers, Louis XV wig and motorbike parked in the background will bring people running to your stand? I suppose it depends where the stand is. I mean, if you were exhibiting in a high-security loony bin then yes, you would have a stampede.

And another thing. With a creature like that fronting your product, you'd better be selling something that wipes memory. Completely, or the CeBit hacks will be complaining of recurring nighmares in which a French Fop made from Cotton Candy tries to run them down on his motorbike to the sounds of Olivia Newton John's (Let's Get) Physical. And you do not, my friends, want your product associated with that. – Ad Dugdale

CeBit 2007 Girls [TechPowerUp!]

Hello, I am a PC. Really, I am. I mean, if I were a Mac, I would probably be a New York cheesecake. With a T-shirt. Or a black turtleneck. Actually, this... thing is one of the entries for the PC case-mod contest celebrated at the World Cyber Games event, in CeBIT 2007.

Weird stuff there, from the "Twins" (two computers that glow in colors thanks to cycling LEDs) to the "Blockenblick" (a retrofitted old tube TV which seems to also have a built-in DVD). There's also a Bosch refrigerator and your usual military gear. My favorite is the one made out of a Netzregler power converter, but check the galleries for the rest of the entries and pick yours in the comments. Even if only to burn it before the others. – Jesus Diaz

Case contest - CeBIT meeting place (in japanese) [PC Watch Japan]

Forget about that Apple "multi-touch" Finger-print-magnet™ mega-platform crap and welcome the touch screen that actually doesn't even need to be touched.

With this display, complete with Front Row style interface, you can manipulate things from a distance of six inches, which opens the door to all kinds of exciting possibilities. You know, manipulate things on-screen without touching it with your hands? At all? Come on. Hello? Ah, well, whatever. Sadly, no details on price or manufacturer yet, but you'll save a ton on glass-cleaning products. Or maybe not. – Jesus Diaz

La pantalla táctil que no hace falta tocar [CeBIT 2007 at VNUnet]

How do you like the idea of a phone with an extra external battery, which will give you extra juice by connecting it to the USB? I think these are aimed at teen girls who, as we know, love to talk INTERMINABLY (unlike teen boys, whose adolescent years are frequently punctuated by grunts). Also, only teen girls would bother customizing their batteries with pink fake fur and glitter. Boys would just scratch "World, I HATE you" on theirs.

The final concept, below, is a mobile with a detachable Bluetooth headset, although I originally thought it was a space-age biro. Even if you just use the headset you can still connect to your address book or any data stored in the phone which, in my book, makes it smart. And you can use the space-age biro thingy to track your phone interactively via Bluetooth.

– Ad Dugdale

Chinese Concept Phones Revealed In CeBit [Coolest Gadgets]

Later this year, Samsung will release 8- and 12-inch version of their new 800 x 480 pixel 7" photo frames. They don't only look like the lost son of an old Apple Cinema Display, but they are also Wi-Fi enabled and will automagically search for PCs with Vista, displaying photos, movies and MP3s stored on the PC via Windows Media Player 11. And images from the Internet, via RSS.

All photo frames come with a 4-in-1 memory card reader and a USB port for cameras and portable storage devices. At $305 for 7", I won't risk a divorce pointing it to the wrong image feed, but you can also try the non-Wi-Fi one, the SPH-72H, for $238. – Jesus Diaz

New, Larger Samsung SPH-72P and SPH-72H Digital Photo Frames debut [Techshout]
Samsung dévoile deux cadres : le SPH-72H et le SPH-72V [GenerationMP3]

UPDATE: apparently, there was a mistake in the original report and these frames don't support MP3 or movie playback. Too bad, really.

We all knew Beyoncé was fronting Samsung's Ultra Phone, and we all guessed that the dual-screen cell would probably come in red, white, and black (we were so thankful they nixed it in pink), but did we have a clue that it would come in juicy orange and fabulous electric blue? Nope, we'll freely admit that we didn't see that coming and we LOVE it. And yes, we are that shallow. – Ad Dugdale

Samung's Flagship Model Handset Ultra Music Phone [Aving News] via Ultra Music Phone in Colours [Techie Diva]

Ok, so our USBCELL bunny tried to find some folk at the Sony CEBIT 2007 event to chat. Sadly Kinda of empty. So thats a several hundred thousand dollar spend by Sony Ericcson in SL, but it's kinda off empty. Shame. Might as well go to the real Cebit show Sony Ericsson...

UPDATE: We have more. Hit the jump.

I checked out the Sony Ericsson pavilion in Second Life. When I arrived, there were nine people there, including one staff member who was very good at saying "No problem :-)" and "Push the red button!" but couldn't answer many more questions about the project.

There were free t-shirts to get, and a contest where you can a W880 a day (that's where the button pushing comes in). There are also "live" photos from the conference and a dance pad where you can rock out to one of a dozen dances.

This build is a decent recreation of the real world, but there was nothing that really leveraged the advantages of the SL platform or the SL community.

Thanks Simon & Hilary! You did a great job.

Second Life

It's by ad notam, a company famous/notorious for sticking TVs everywhere in your home ala The Future. While we've seen similar items before from companies like Smarthome, this new display looks like it's thin enough to replace your current setup with little modification (just a lot of money).

So why is this mirror a horrible idea? Because the last thing my unshaven, morning-mouth self needs is that boost of confidence every time I see Orlando Bloom. – Mark Wilson

Bathroom Mirror TV [slashgear]
ad notam

It may not be as shiny-black and sideways phallic as the Creative webcam but, at $59.99, Logitech's QuickCam Deluxe will cost you $100 less. This too has face-tracking software, as well as a 1.3 megapixel manual-focus lens and 24-bit VGA video at 15 frames per second.

RightSound technology supports noise suppression and RightLight will let you be seen in the gloomiest of environments. Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo, Vista and AIM all say Yes Please to the QuikCam, but what crowns it for me are the 12 fun filters. That means I can give Charlie White a headache as I switch between fish eye, neon and chalk effect when we're video conf-ing. There's a picture of its cheaper sister, the $39.99 QuickCam after the jump.

– Ad Dugdale

Product Page [Logitech via New Launches]

Digital Cube says that their i-Station G43 is the smallest UMPC available, and the - apparently - french guy doing the interview not only believes them, but he seems to be wetting his pants with the excitement of it all in this video. I don't know if I would be excited about the prospect of running Windows XP on a AMD Geode LX800 processor with 256MB of RAM, but hey, whatever rocks your world.

In any case, this UMPC runs a full Windows on its 4.3 inch 800-pixel wide screen, and comes with up to 60 GBytes hard drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a USB Host port. All for only $700, including the XP license, which Digital Cube says you can then trash and install Linux. – Jesus Diaz

Digital Cube G43 [Cebitvideo]

Apparently Sony and its cohorts are certain that they will own the market in just three years. At least, this is what Frank Simonis, the Blu-ray Disc Association's European chairman, has said today at CeBIT:

"Within three years it will just be Blu-ray"

Frank is not only talking about beating HD DVD, but also replacing DVD entirely. In three years. Thanks to "a plan", which includes the amazing success of the PS3. Apparently, they are doing stand-up comedy mornings in Hanover and we are, like, totally missing them. – Jesus Diaz

CeBIT 2007: Blu-ray Association has three-year plan to replace DVDs [IT Pro]

You know you are in for a boring friday morning when you have to start a post with a PowerPoint slide. The news, however, is that ATI has announced at CeBIT'07 that they will include a HD Audio controller in their next video card generation, the RV6xx.

The cards will be able to pass digital audio straight to their HDMI port, doing all the audio processing themselves and without using a S/PDIF passthrough cable connected to the motherboard or a sound card. And the good news is that their solution appears to be compatible with every PC, so digital home theater aficionados, rejoice. Oh, the excitement. OK, now, can we just fast forward the day and get straight to the margarita cocktails and some dancing tonight? Thanks. – Jesus Diaz

CeBIT 2007 - AMD reveal RV6xx is a sound card too [Beyond3D]

You might think that taking the AmbiLight idea and applying it to speakers is a bit whack. Well, you're wrong. Imagine having 16 million colors illuminating your computer corner, desk or batcave, responding to the sound and vision in your home. Under the AmBX name, these peripherals come in either 2.1 or 5.1 the speakers being 40W and subwoofer 80W. No price or release date yet but I expect gamers will be keeping an eye out. More pics after the jump.

– Ad Dugdale

Philips Brings AmbiLight To PC Peripherals [TrustedReviews]

So now the official name of this much-delayed and over-hyped keyboard is Optimus Maximus. Too bad the damn thing will have a maximus price to go along with that naming conceit, spanking early adopters with a $1490 price tag, and now the company is saying it won't be available until December of this year. If ever. Sigh. – Charlie White

Optimus Keyboards [Art.Lebedev]

Hit up the gallery below for a few more views of these speakers that look realistic enough to have some tiny bad guys inside, but looks aren't everything—let's hope they sound good enough so we won't want to immediately shoot them down. Jump for more about these speakers and other Star Wars products from Nikko.

We've seen products from Nikko Home Electronics before, namely its Motion Speaker with its kooky disco lighting and motion-sensitive volume control.

Nikko is no stranger to Star Wars gear, either, introducing its R2D2 Skype Webcam and the R2D2 DVD Projector at CES in January.

These TIE Fighter speakers are just out of the prototype stage, and will be rolled out at CeBIT, the big consumer electronics confab in Hannover, Germany that starts tomorrow. – Charlie White

Manufacturer's Site [Question Mark Entertainment]

CeBIT'07 new product avalanche is about to hit us like a hundred walkyries brandishing bratwursts, cellphones dipped in sauerkraut and RAM modules like the new Corsair XMS2 Dominator. This 2 Gbytes DDR2 module is now available in PC2-9136 and PC2-10000 speeds and they come with more acronyms than a NASA launch checklist: they have DHX (Dual-path Heat Xchange) with a dedicated heatsink for the PCB (printed circuit board). On top of that, they are NVIDIA SLI ready and feature EPP (Enhanced Performance Profiles), which enhances SPD (Serial Presence Detect) and apparently is great for over-clocking. OK, Corsair. WE (whatever). I'll be waiting for the gold version myself. I don't care about overclocking, I just want the bling-bling. – Jesus Diaz

Product page [Corsair]

Optimus Key Modules [Livejournal]

The AV700 has up to 40GB of hard drive space and plays WMA, MPEG-4, AVI, and WMV9, among others. The big news, however, is that the DVB tuner works in a moving vehicle, which makes it great for the train.

The 104 is a flash-based, color OLED player that comes in three sassy colors, black, silver, and pink. It will cost $149.95 and plays WMA-DRM, WAV, and JPGs. It has 4GB of storage. It's a successor to the GMINI XS 100.

AV700 Translation [GenerationMP3]
Archos 104 Translation [GenerationMP3]

Original Archos AV700 for $509 (without tuner) [Amazon]

Essentially, you never need to recharge this thing as long as you're outside. This, assume, however, that we leave the house.

Solar-powered MP3P 'MEGA PLAYER 540' [AVing]

Browse solar powered electronics [Amazon]

Founder MiniNote UMPC Specs [PaperBackPC]

Product Page [Brainic]

Product Page [Wowpen]

We even got to see it go back and forth inside a tube, which was slightly disturbing.

Product Page [Ka-Te]

It comes with 1MB built-in but the phone supports MiniSD for up to 1GB of memory and has a 6-band equalizer and even shows karaoke-esque lyrics on the screen so you can sing along to your favorite tunes.

Productg Page [BenQ]

Full-bore, full-Flash, all singing all dancing CeBIT microsite [BenQ]

Product Page.

Product Page

It feels like we're at an turning point or, if you want to be all Gladwell about it, a tipping point. This industry has gone from speeds and feeds to "Gee, it's purdy" in about 6 years and we're about to turn another corner and talk about performance again because the innovation-through-trade-dress route is in danger of imploding on itself. As we all know, Asia is making some incredible stuff that we'll never see. It looks great and is very inexpensive. But thus far we've seen few technological advances here except size reduction, which is an inevitable process.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that the stuff we saw this year will get very smart next year and in the next five years. It will become more "all-in-one" in a good way, with WAN, WiFi, Wireless USB, and other connectivity systems creating a seamless environment for our gear. The sexiness of the iPod will give way to the power of some cool PC/media player that will amaze us. I know this has been said more than once before (see: countless articles on Newton, Tablet PCs, Napster, Internet Porn, etc.) but I believe this time we'll pull it off. Because we know how to make pretty machines and interfaces, we can hide lots of the backend stuff from the user in ways that we have thus far only dreamed of. Take Origami, for example. It is no winner, but it is no Microsoft Bob, either. Tools like Origami and Frontrow and even the open-source Mac media system called CenterStage will offer us a simple interface to complex systems.

Maybe it's the jetlag and the cookies, but I'm kind of glad there is so much gloss here. I remember the heady days of 286 computers and 10MB hard drives. I used to go to swap meets and computer shows with my father and there we'd wander the halls, wondering at what these strange things all did. What was that board for? Audio input? Video editing? What was that shareware program for? A spreadsheet? A waveform generator? All that stuff was complex and hard to grasp, especially for someone without a CS degree. Now, I could probably walk through CeBIT with my grandmother and kind of explain to her what's up: That's a portable video player, you can put your favorite shows on there... That's a computer that looks like a helicopter.

Sure it's simplistic, but it's where we need to be in order to prove to the wider world that technology isn't just for the smart and rich. It's for everyone, now, it's its all eminently usable.

Oh, and that picture up there is of a pineapple we saw on the sidewalk here. It was early. We were tired.

Tell me what for in comments or chat with me here.

In this, the final chapter of our ever-increasingly silly quest to get all sorts of Origami footage, your correspondents go deep into the Origami launcher and realize... it's still just Windows.