March 24-25
CeBIT - a huge exhibition. I did not expect such a huge. In one, only the first pavilion can fit the present Comtek with all the giblets. All around is impossible, so we need to focus on the most interesting. Let's start with the pavilion a happy number 13.
PDA as a guide for the exhibition
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Right at the entrance of Hall 13 is a small black stand on the perimeter on the tables attached various PDAs. If in your pocket accidentally found a computer, you kind of stand assistants a couple of minutes download via infrared port on your Palm, Visor, Psion, iPaq and Cassiopeia mobile exhibition guide. With this guide you can learn the location of booths in the halls, pavilions position themselves, as well as the calendar of conferences and other information up to the location of restaurants. Moreover, the guide will help you plan a thematic tour of the stand dedicated to, for example, technology Bluetooth, the best possible way. This function is allowed to save tons of time, as to run around the whole exhibition over three days is just impossible. On the question of what device is mainly people come serious synchronization operator (pictured) said that for the most part he communicates with the owners of Palm, so the m100 on the stand already 6 pieces. Nearby are 4 Pocket PC from the sponsors of the stand - the main producers of this platform (Casio, HP, Compaq). Still, there are two Psion. When we copied the data to the three Palm, the lucky owners of other platforms beside was not found. Another interesting observation: in the hands of visitors constantly flit Palm OS device various calibers. And many prefer to stand assistants Revo +. Pocket PC were seen only in exhibitions stands.
Palm is a long time presented new items
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On the stand of Palm, as promised, demonstrate new models: m500, m505, m105. You can hold them in your hands and poke at the screen. Models 5-Series definitely succeeded. Dimensions and weight remained the same. New Palm'y found a "waist" and a slot SD Card. Contrary to expectation the screen resolution remains the same, but the CPU only sped up to 33 MHz, against the expected 66. Color model was thicker than usual Vx of a millimeter, and quite imperceptibly heavier. However, from the color screen does not expect anything extraordinary. Passive matrix, but the screen must be perfectly visible in the sun. Verify this fact, unfortunately, could not - the weather the sun is not spoiled. According to official information, Palm, sales of black-and-white m500 will begin in late May, and color m505 - by the end of June. In connection with the release of new models retail price Vx will be reduced significantly in the coming days. This is not speculation, and official information from Palm Inc. Frugal m105 completely lost among the older brothers would be, if not a colorful variety of front sockets. Now you can select socket from pink to gray-brown-flecked crimson. Still have caps colored finally started to do something ... By the way, published a few days ago the news about Palm bepokoystve competition from Handspring, to put it mildly, was somewhat exaggerated. Palm is interested that sales increased in all licensees of Palm OS. About this clearly indicates the position of division Palm Germany, urging its partners to increase sales of all Palm-oriented devices. And at the booth Palm licensees devoted an entire showcase titled Palm Economy.By the way, some of the clones in the window differ from the original just the title or body color. Another remarkable moment: on the bench Palm'a allowed developers a variety of useful gadgets and accessories. All you can touch it and even try to connect to your Palm. Therefore narodischu so that prtolknutsya impossible. Relatively easy to talk only on the second floor of the stand.
Speaking of third-party developers and accessories
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Finally, manufacturers aksessurov woke up and paid attention to handheld computers. In the absence of any clear and inexpensive offers interesting peripherals from major manufacturers, emptiness in a hurry to take a small Taiwanese firms and firmochki. At their booths can detect such things, about what a year ago mozhnoo could only dream of. For example, we encountered a few options outside Igor Blinov for Palm, including a flexible, minimizing when moving into a tube. Cables for Palm now makes just lazy. GPS-module for the Palm have done no less than five, not counting Vizorovskih and GSM-nozzle and Springboard generally not amenable to accounting and control. As well as modems: external to Springboard, CF and PC cards. Plus, Recorders, Players, Backup-heads, camera ... In a great number of manufacturers proliferated Flash-memory. The vast majority of accessories anyway svyazyano platform Palm. For Pocket PC third-party showing much less interest. For example, a keyboard for the popular Cassiopeia only does the firm LandWare. Many of the developers of the original decision because they fear for their innovations, even prohibit photography in the stands. So, as soon as I point the camera on a flexible klaviaturku how fragile girl rushed to her as a recess, and begged not to take photographs. Attempt to remove from afar, too failed because heroically stand assistants covered the secret of technology with their bodies. So we had to restrict color catalog, which presented photos of the secret key in printing quality with all the details. One more stand us the biggest secret revealed an adapter with MMC on Compact Flash. Without any irony, the prototype for today is truly unique, and the developers have a chance to do good business. Most funny people - on Motorolovskom stand. Banned photography showcase with conceptual models of papier-mache. Yes, not very much and wanted to have found something to hide. Exhibit, called.
MMC
It seemed nothing could awaken the interest of producers to the standard expansion cards, MultiMedia (MMC) or Secure Digital (SD). However, the cost Palm'u seriously interested in this standard - and all moving. Palm and Hitachi have already demonstrated their plug-ins for SD-cards, followed by Taiwanese, and others were pulled. It turned out that the SD-card can do all sorts of devices entirely of microscopic size. The exhibition shows the memory cards, modems, audio players, and GPS-receivers. Something we have to look at work. Palm has made some sort of SD expansion module Springboard. Just insert the card into the slot, and posted on it on there, among other applications. Card is ready to work in a couple of seconds after installation. Took out a map - the software has disappeared, you can install another. Everything works just fine. Expandability new Palm'ov - a serious test of competitiveness Handspring, Sony, and TRG. They now have to find new arguments for their devices.
Visor Edge, multicolored metallic
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Nail stand Handspring - the new Edge.Almost half as thin Deluxe, but without the slots Springboard. More precisely, the slot is available, but lies in a box separately and connected as needed. Almost like the iPAQ, only free. Feel the trend? Palm makes its handheld expands, and Handspring, on the contrary, from his vaunted expandability refuses. Externally Edge thin, angular and metallic. Whole. Body, cover, buttons and even a pen. And some parts have completely industrial look, and some all too reminiscent of lathes and milling machines of the old times. Inside, there is nothing remarkable: the system 3.5.2, the old processor, 8 megabytes of RAM and everything as usual. ROM is still blacked out. Cool device, and many like it. However, I have to many of these do not belong, Edge is not going to fly, and leave yourself a black Deluxe. The man who today hryapnul the asphalt so that the people stood around and looked back. I picked it up - but nothing was broken, the data is not lost, and in general as if he did not fall. There are miracles in this world ... The stand is very similar to stand Handspring Palm, only instead of the blue is dominated by yellow. Same crowd, same-party developers, partners for individual tables. Standists hung with Springboard, headphones and microphones. Very noisy and hard to talk. But the most conspicuous place Edge in human growth with a color plasma display.
Penbex
You know what this is? I did not know until recently. This is a new operating system designed for ... Language does not turn it called handheld computers. Let's just say: for the expansion of electronic organizer with pen input, are in the lower price category. Type Pocket Viewer. Open system, development tools are available freely. Already several manufacturers have adopted this system, the exhibition shows their prototypes. Dogadayets from once, what they all look like hell? :)) More will try to explain a little later, when the information from the exhibition will be processed and systematized.
Mobile Linux
This is not fantasy. Devices on Linux really sold in Japan under the brand Zaurus. Sharp took the stand on their European presentation, with great success, I must say. With proper marketing and support of normal new PDA from Sharp is quite able to oust Pocket PC into a niche of multimedia devices. More information about the news of mobile Linux - later, the records of the exhibition.
Smartphones
It seems that the waiting period ends, and in the sale is about to appear real smartphones - telefonokompyutery. First, rumors of the death of the joint brainchild of Casio and Siemens have been exaggerated, and Siemens has demonstrated a prototype of a brand new SX-45. Outwardly it is a bit sanitized Cassiopeia E-125 with an antenna and a jack for a headset. SIM-card is located under the battery, which should be enough for a day of work. No information on the new product is not, Siemens is justified: "Yes, we only collected it ... I do not yet managed to figure out what was inside, and opisanitse do ..."
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Nokia revealed its version of telefonokompyutera - Model 9210 Communicator - much more detail, at least 15 tables could feel pre-sale samples, and then take a thick catalog with information. Very pleased that finally something you can open files in Word and Excel directly to your PDA, edit and save again in the "large" format. Finally, work with e-mail may proishoidt normal way, and Windows CE is deprived of a serious competitive advantage. Very good looking screen. Incidentally, he does not touch what is unusual - we always want to poke. However, the interface is very well thought out, and work with the keyboard does not cause any problems, and reminds me of the good old Psion Series 3c. Now the negative impressions.Despite all the unicode operating system EPOC Release 6, no trace of the Russian language in 9210 could not be found. A Symbian only commented that the implementation of Unicode capabilities of the new OS is caring licensee of the manufacturer. If one believes that in addition to English and other languages in the world do not, it is his right. That's Nokia, it seems, and counted. Still surprised that the device is noticeably slows down. Open application requires 10-15 seconds, some menus are turned on for 2-3 seconds. A couple of years ago it would have been acceptable, but today you can not understand such an approach. I hope that in the serial samples, everything will work much faster, otherwise it is difficult to count on success in the PDA market. Smartphones are a few more vendors, but that I will share impressions later.
Psion: Today orders are not sent ...
In that sense, what is most interesting on the stand Psion - it's the stand. Any new products we have not seen. Anyway, in the public domain were only familiar 5mx Pro, Revo + netBook'i so rare ...
Sony Clie
To stand among Sony laptops almost lost the old model of Sony Clie 300 and the next one more empty cradle. We managed to find a manager, presented itself responsible for the product, and ask him a question: - Does the Sony official selling their PDAs in Russia?
