Each year, the Taiwan Council for the development of foreign trade and the Taiwan Computer Association has to solve a difficult problem. How to accommodate the growing year by year the number of exhibition stands in an area that seemed to have been filled to overflowing? Already last year the organization was assured that all of the available area of the three buildings of the World Trade Center and the building of the International Convention Centre is used up to an inch, and this year geometric contrivance could still accommodate more. However, no casualties could not have done. 227 companies still left behind. As many as 227 companies and will not be able to demonstrate their achievements at the exhibition Computex. Poor, poor company! On June 6 in Taipei will open the 26 th in a row show IT-products Computex Taipei, the largest in Asia and second largest in the world after the Hanover CeBit. Among the exhibitors - the famous corporation Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Philips, Toshiba and Infineon Technologies. Among local manufacturers, whose names' on hearing "- the corporation Acer, AsusTek Computer, BenQ, Mitac International, VIA Technologies and others, a total of 1,312 companies, who will present their projects at the 2,907 exhibition stands. It is expected that the exhibition will visit the 150 thousand people, of whom 33 thousand - from abroad. Thus, to be broken last year's record, according to organizers - the Taiwan Council for Development of Foreign Trade (TAITRA, Taiwan External Trade Development Council) and Taiwan Computer Association (TCA, Taiwan Computer Association). Last year, the exhibition, which presented the achievement of 1,288 companies in 2,853 booths, attended by 130 thousand people. Unfortunately, we could not in time to finish construction of an additional pavilion, which was begun last year specifically for Computex, so that the show never reached 227 companies submitting a request. As always, the basis of production will make electronics - computers and accessories, players digital audio and video, liquid crystal displays, are one of the most rapidly growing areas in Taiwan, drives, electronic kiosks, communication, memory, and added to this year's hall automotive Electronics, WiMAX pavilion and the Japanese pavilion. Along with the listed course will be presented as we are interested primarily handheld devices - PDAs, communicators, GPS-navigator and digital music players. Despite the fact that the Computex 2005, which we also managed to visit was quite varied and interesting, the company is mainly represented by the development already demonstrated earlier at CeBit, so there were no sensations. What awaits us this year? Will we see something completely new? Most likely, yes.
Contest Best Choice Award
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| Last year's prize of Asus |
As usual, in the framework of Computex is a competition Best Choice Award, in which a jury composed of representatives from governments and large companies, experts and professors specialized areas of the National Taiwan University, to determine the best exhibits are among the novelties of the exhibition. The purpose of the contest, first held in the year 2001, is to promote technological progress in Taiwan's IT-sector. Despite the short history, the prize has already gained a positive reputation in the market: winners consistently honored the attention of the media, and awards ceremony always attracts a large number of visitors. This year's competition is allocated a special place. The exhibition organizers have identified the ceremony as one of the key events. This year's winners will be selected in 11 categories, and the list of categories has undergone since last year some changes. First of all, to our surprise vanished category Mobile Products, representing special interest to us. Added new category Car Eletrconics Products (electronic devices for cars) and Software (software).As in the past year, all bidders will be three stages, as a result of the jury will select 22 winners to be announced in the first day of the exhibition, immediately following the ceremony. One of the most promoted at last year's Computex was the company AsusTek Computer: besides submitted its PDA Asus MyPal A636 GPS, recognized as the best in the category of Mobile Products. Among the winners were also laptop Asus V6000V and LCD ASUS PM17T 17. "Apparently, this year the company voznamerilas repeat the success with their new developments in UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC, ultra-portable computer).'ll Tell you about them.
The Giants, face off sizes UMPC
Our readers will remember about "Origami", which was announced at the March CeBit exhibition in Hanover, Microsoft and its partners in the project - Taiwan's Asustek, the South Korean Samsung Electronics, Sony Japanese and Chinese Founder Group. It was then demonstrated the first examples of "ultra-mobile" PCs (UMPC, Ultra-Mobile Computers), developed under the project. Equipped with seven-inch touch screen UMPC possess small size and weight of 800-900 g, with the full functionality of a desktop PC, which is responsible for their title.
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| Asus R2H |
At Computex 2006 Asustek Computer will present their model of UMPC, known as the R2H. The company has informed us that the show will be a modified version of a computer, an early model of which was presented in March in Hannover. At the present time is the final stage of optimization as the overall performance of the computer and the battery life. Used in the development of technology "Power4Gear +" will increase the battery life R2H for an hour, compared with the model of Q1, already released on the market by Samsung. Thus, the battery UMPC will be to feed for 4 hours. Usovershenstovannaya battery does not come as standard, and will be supplied additionally on request. Interestingly, despite an increase in battery power, the total weight R2H managed to bring up to 830, the official release R2H is expected in late July-early August. The model will be available in two flavors - standard and with built-in GPS-antenna. In cases oboih UMPC Asus brand will be equipped with a fingerprint scanner and web camera for video telephony. The new form factor, providing the presence of GPS-antenna, as well as fingerprint, will be first shown at Computex 2006. Price of new items is estimated at $ 1000, but the company's management hopes to reduce its ultimately up to $ 900. For comparison - a model of Q1 from Samsung applies a price of $ 1099, and the American model of "eo", released by TabletKiosk, now you can buy for $ 899. The major markets spread R2H will be Europe, the USA, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, where the company laptops are very popular. Is also expected at the June show in Taipei will present the first Tablet PC brand Asus. Unfortunately, additional information on this category of products we could not be obtained. We only know that the first model will be named R1.
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| UMPC based on the "stuffing" VIA: SmartCaddie (left) and eo (right) |
As we found out the company VIA Technologies, a manufacturer of low-power processors and chipsets, are also working towards the UMPC. In the 3 rd quarter, the company announced the new developments that will significantly reduce the thickness of the UMPC, told us at the Department of Marketing Keith Kowal (Keith Kowal). Currently available models on the market have an average thickness of 22-25 mm.It is possible that working samples will also be presented at the exhibition. Recall that a processor VIA C7-M ULV chipset and VIA VN800 from VIA, presented for the first time at CeBIT this year, now form the basis eo UMPC from TabletKiosk, mentioned above, as well as models SmartCaddie, manufactured in Japan for $ 99 thousand yen ($ 880) by PBJ.
Horror Susanin, or celebration of Taiwanese GPS-navigators
Over the last year production of GPS-navigators in Taiwan has undergone takeoff. According to a study conducted by a division of the Research Institute of Industrial Technology (Industrial Technology Research Institute), Taiwan's market for GPS-devices was estimated last year at $ 1.75 billion, which represents nearly 80% growth compared with the results of the previous year. This year it is expected the next round of growth to $ 2.26 billion According to the publication of the newspaper Apple Daily, especially the lucky companies Holux Technology, GlobalSat Technology, RoyalTek and E-Ten Information Systems, whose sales will grow in the second half by 20-30%. In general, in the near future the demand for GPS-navigators will grow to 100 million units, due to a number of events. So, after the September 11 tragedy in the U.S. Federal Communications Commission submitted a draft E911, according to which, starting next year, all mobile phones in the U.S. must be equipped with simple navigation functions, which will instantly determine the location of the caller. In addition, the European Union passed a bill obliging the GPS-equipped devices, all the police cars and trucks. This prospect and the growth of production, of course, could not be reflected in the exhibition. Moreover, judging from the number announced in last month on the site Computex GPS-receivers are expected to show a festival of navigators. Their products in this field will represent the company Tatung, eBonTek, Cheng Holin, PolStar, Supa, E-Ten Information Systems, as well as many others, all - more than 40 companies, the newspaper Apple Daily. By the way, E-Ten, according to our information, preparing a surprise for us. The exhibition will present the model X-10 "Pathfinder", which combines the functionality of a GPS-navigator, digital video and audio player, and game consoles.
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| X-10 Pathfinder |
Here are its features: - Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0
- Processor: Samsung 2440 400 MHz CPU
- Memory: 128MB Flash RAM ROM/64Mb
- Display: 3.5-inch TFT LCD, 320x240 QVGA, horizontal scan
- Memory Cards: MiniSD
- Interfaces: chipset Bluetooth CSR BC04, highly sensitive GPS chipset SIRFstar III, DAB / DMB chip for Band III / L-Band, miniUSB 1.1
- Power supply: Removable Li-Ion battery, 1300 mAh
- Multimedia: FM-radio with features RDS-TMC (Traffic Message Channel), support formats MP3, WMA, MPEG4, WMV, H.264, 3GP, JPG, BMP
- Dimensions: 136.7h91.1h16.7 mm
This quantitative innovations expected from E-Ten, is not limited. Despite the fact that the company's press service heroically withstood the onslaught of our early and did not disclose the secret of the main surprise, we take it upon myself to draw some conclusions based on their poster on the occasion of the exhibition. In addition to the Pathfinder-a poster also promises GPS PDA Phone and Pocket PC Phone. In the case of Pocket PC Phone we are probably talking about the modified version of the M600 Communicator, is now known as the M600 +.According to information received from first-hand, the specifications of the new device is as follows:
- OS: Windows Mobile 5.0 Phone Edition
- Processor: Samsung S3C 2440 400 MHz
- Display: 2.8 ", 240x320, 65,536 colors LTPS TFT-LCD
- Memory: 256 MB Flash ROM, 64 MB SDRAM
- Memory cards: SD / MMC / SDIO
- Interfaces: GSM-module 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS Class B / Multi-slot Class 10, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi (802.11b)
- Power supply: Removable Li-Ion Battery 1440 mAh (3.5-4 hours of talk time and 150-200 hours in standby)
- Camera: Built-in, 2-megapixel
- Dimensions and weight: 111.7 x 60.7 x 22 mm, 174 g
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| Communicator E-ten M600 + |
June 6, slightly open and the veil of mystery over the communicator on which the company described briefly at a recent press conference in Dubai, and briefly mentioned at a conference in Moscow. According to available information, the new product, which presumably will be released this fall, learning a slim (19 mm), equipped with a GPS-antenna and wireless communication modules Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, along with an infrared port. Rumors confirmed. At this time, to everyone's delight fans of the CCP.
And so on and so forth and so on
- 4 large exhibition halls. Transfer - only a fraction of the information that companies try to keep secret. We are confident that there will be a lot of interesting, because Taiwan is considered now one of the most advanced countries in the production of various electronics. Unfortunately, ODM-makers (on-demand manufacturers) do not present their products at Computex, so that the company HTC, is so interesting to us, nor will we. Nevertheless, we think that the news of her, in addition to those listed, will also be. And we will try as far as possible quickly and thoroughly acquaint you with them. Sources, Materials: