Computex 2007
By John Latta, WAVE
0713 9/17/07
Taipei , Taiwan
June 5-7, 2007
Computex has grown again. In 2007 it has 1,333 exhibitors, 2,926 booths and an expected 33,000 buyers. The actual attendance will be much higher due to the influx of the public on Friday and Saturday. Spread over 4 halls it has become too large for the venue. It will be moving to the new venue at the Nangang Exhibition Hall. This is slated to be completed in 2008 but according to the show organizers it is unlikely in time for Computex 2008. However, the venue is an hour away from Taipei.
Computex remains the best PC hardware show in the world.
What’s Hot What’s Down
Here is a scan of the slow floor on the first day.
HOT
All forms of networking especially wireless.
Solar power panels – very surprising
Notebook docking accessories – new category developing
Photo Frames
Improvement of ID
Cooling as Feature including design
Early indications that home is an opportunity
Down
Mouse and Keyboards – wantabee startups are virtually gone
Computer cases – substantial decline
MP3 players
Flash drives
During our walk around the computer markets in Taipei on the day before the show we saw the continuing trend away from the desktop PC to notebooks. There are less and less system builders on the streets.
ASUS Eee PC
ASUS is seeking to change the potential market for the PC by offering a new price point device. The desire is to break the 1B unit barrier in a manner similar to what the cell phone did in mobility. The logic goes to do this requires a smaller, lightweight and lower cost PC. The intent is that this will allow access to the Internet anywhere, again paralleling the impact of the phone.
The Eee PC is the ASUS entry into this market. There were two units shown: $199 and $299. which have two modes: easy mode and full desktop mode. It is assumed the latter is with Windows XP but not at the price points cited and with Linux at the low price points and the “easy mode.” What marks the Ecc is its 7” display and a weight of only 0.89 kg The specifications include.
Display 7"
CPU & Chipset: Intel mobile CPU & chipset
OS: Linux/ Microsoft Windows XP compatible
Communication: 10/100 Mbps Ethernet; 56K modem
WLAN: WiFi 802.11b/g
Graphic: Intel UMA
Memory: 512MB, DDR2-400
Storage: 4/ 8/ 16GB Flash
Webcam: 300K pixel video camera
Audio: Hi-Definition Audio CODEC; Built-in stereo speaker; Built-in microphone
Battery Life: 3hrs (4 cells: 5200mAh, 2S2P)
Dimension & Weight: 22.5 x 16.5 x 2.1~3.5cm, 0.89kg
Note the use of Flash for device storage.
If this is viable one wonders where is the OLPC laptop?
Going to 1B Units
Wenchi Chen, President and CEO, VIA, opened the VIA Technology Forum. He pulled motherboard modules from his pocket to show the advancement of the size reduction of full PCs. These are based on the VIA x86 chips. Wenchi drove the point that smaller size is key to opening new markets for the PC.
Packard Bell, also at the Via Technology Forum, stated the requirements to put the mobile PC in the same position as the cell phone include:
Computing power and functionality of a laptop
Compactness of phone/PDA
Connectivity
Cost of the calculator
Packard Bell will be selling the VIA NanoBook, called EasyNote XS. Pricing is $499.
Its specifications include:
Processor
1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV Processor
Chipset
VIA VX700 System Media Processor (integrated North & South Bridge)
Memory
DDR2 SO-DIMM up to 1GB
HDD
30GB (optional 60GB)
LCD Panel
7" WVGA 800x400 with Touch Panel
Graphics
VIA UniChrome™ Pro II IGP Integrated 3D/2D Graphics with shared memory up to 64MB
Audio
VIA Vinyl VT1708A HD Audio codec
2 speakers
Networking
Realtek RTL8100CL 10/100 Mbps
Wireless LAN
Azure Wave 802.11b/g (USB interface)
Bluetooth
Billionton (USB interface)
I/O
4-in-1 Card Reader
1 DVI-I port
2 Hi-Speed USB2.0 ports
1 RJ45 Ethernet port
Audio jacks
• 1 Mic-in audio jack
• 1 Array Microphone jack
• 1 Headphone (line out) jack
Status Indicator
Power On; Battery; RF (with power button); HDD; Caps Lock
Battery
4 cells for up to 4.5 hours of battery life (BatteryMark 2004)
Dimensions
230mm (W) x 171mm (D) x 29.4mm (H)
Weight
Under 850g
Operating System
Supports Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and all popular Linux
Notebook Accessories
The mobility accessory category is rising here at Computex. This takes the form of notebook stands, mostly to promote better cooling. Some of the stands elevate the display screen to approximately the same position as a desktop monitor – called risers. As we went about probing products from stand to stand the response was uniform.
Trivial design – mostly molded plastic or stamped metal. Only one product had a professional feel to it. These products usually had a fan at the bottom and this was about it.
Functionality was limited to a USB hub and in one case there was a DC power jack for the fan. Many of the fans ran off of USB power.
No engineering. We were appalled that these were claimed to cool the laptop when it was no more than a fan blowing on the bottom of the notebook. One even blew at on the bottom of the case and the sides of the stand were totally open. Thus, there was no management of the thermal environment.
A few of the products were risers, and most of these did not have a fan. This was no more than a notebook wedge which put the bottom edge of the notebook against a vertical surface. One stand actually rotated so it could be used in a conference room. When others wanted to see the screen the whole stand rotated.
Clueless as to user scenario. The simple question was not asked - In what ways would a consumer use this product? Such elements as audio support, connection with the notebook manufacturer docking station, keyboard use were not addressed. It would also appear that there is value in tailoring the stands to types of notebooks based on the hot spot location, connectivity to the notebook and ergonomics.
None of the products were made in China – all in Taiwan. We never got a good answer why these are indigenous products.
Many of the companies had no spec sheets and could not quote pricing. The frequent response was – we will be in production in 2 months. This is another way of stating – we will go into production if we get orders here at Computex.
If this category is real there is ample room for innovation.
AIWANT
Computer furniture company. Has a portable roll about for notebooks which also serves as a notebook stand. Interesting design. $50 and available in 1 month. No distribution.
Chenbro
Chenbro makes rack mount PC cases and has a very large product offering. Its Notebook Stand Expert is one of the best in ID and use of carbon fiber. However, it has no fan. Cooling is provided by contact with a metal plate on the top of the stand. $10 - $15 for 1,000 unit quantities.
Evercool
Company does cooling products for PC. Plastic cooling stand - $8 - $9. Metal aluminum cooling pad - $13 - $14.
Hiyatek
New product. Simple molded plastic. No spec sheet and no pricing.
Jetart
Jetart one of the most complete lines of cooling products. New product is the Coolstand NC5000. It both cools and stands the notebook. Unique feature is the ability to swivel the notebook on the stand. Production due in mid-July. Price $6.00.
Micro-Mellon
Under the brand name: Long Max they had several stands. Their stand included USB hub with 4 ports and DC power. All plastic. Price estimate is $11.
Photo Frames
The response we received was similar to PMA and CeBIT. We view many of the companies as being in wantabee mode – We want to be in the digital frame business. The serious companies were found at PMA and CeBIT.
Golden Gain Corp
Numerous panels on display. 8.4” 16:9 panel with no memory and I/F for USB and SD. $75 for 1,000 units order. Promised in 2007 they are not using recycles panels.
Landis & Gyr
7” panel with 128MB of memory. Support WiFi. Has the capability of automatically downloading images from many web sites including Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket. Production expected in 2 months. Price is $120. In the conversation it was cited that there is an availability shortage of 7” panels.
Star E Super Corporation
Numerous products. 10.4” frame with 128MB of memory - $120. 7” frame with no memory $59. Both support MP3 and MPEG 4 but not MPEG 2.
From the Show Floor
AboCom
Multiple photo frames. 10.2” with no internal memory. Remote control. USB interface to the PC. $110. 7” frame is $60. Confirmed there is a shortage of 7” panels.
Addlogix
Showing a device which images the PC screen onto a television. The connection to the display is accomplished over a wireless link between the PC and a box called InternetVue. This box has component and composite outputs. Retail price is $250.
Areson
Model P01 presenter with excellent ID. Also claimed the longest life laser mouse – 1 year.
ASUS
The AiGuru S2 is a Windows SideShow device which is a Skype phone. Excellent ID and supports 802.11 b/g. Also plays music including iTune.
Showing were also vision products which include a notebook with an audio mixing panel and an artistic notebook for the creative worker.
Chenbro
Notebook Stand Expert which office multiple capabilities including cooling and stands for notebooks.
Forward Electronics
The 2” OLED picture frame is for sale. Priced at $16. When asked what the lifetime is, 30,000 hours was quoted. We all had a good laugh. 7” frame with no memory is $75.
Geil
Driving seat with steering wheel. What stood out was the seat design and integration.
Globlink Technology
The ring and bracelet mouse are basically the same products. The mouse is in a “1 square housing with a small plastic ball on top. My moving the ball the cursor moves just like a mouse. The ball is actually imaged within the mouse and the movement of the ball with the finger provides the mouse action. Easy to use but one would not wear it. It makes for a good portable mouse. Pricing $8.5 wired, $18 wireless and $21 with laser. The bracelet mouse has not been priced yet.
Glofiish
Three models of Pocket PC phones. One claims to be the first HSDPA phone and it has built in WiFi, GPS and WM6. Excellent ID. All phones have high resolution screens – VGA.
KME
Showing stylish keyboard with built in cover which masks the keyboard until opened.
Netifo
Stylish frames. 7” frame with no memory and USB is $60. Shown was a 10.4” frame but pricing not available.
Netronix
Showing two versions of a HDD Video Recorder. One with Cat 5 and the other without. The one with is priced at $190. It is a iTunes server, and uPnP server but not a uPnP client. The recorder can access content on the PC. There is no dlna support at present. Netronix has done the U/I, which looked simple.
NSP Technology
It has audio amplifiers for the iPod with the characteristics that vacuum tubes are used. ID includes chrome and black surfaces.
Sunrex
Integrated a mouse with a Skype phone. Looked more like a mouse than a phone. Cute if it works well. Works hands free.
Vistor
Its products have a CE look but bring IT class products into the home. These include:
Network HDD Video Recorder – MPEG 2 with 160GB drive
Home HDD Video Recorder – NPEG2 w/180GB and support for NTSC/PAL/SECA
Duo RAID Desktop NAS – to 750GB
Quad RAID Desktop NAS – to 750GB
Wireless Desktop AP NAS – to 750GB with 802.11 b/g
Duo SATA Desktop RAID – support for SATA including eSATA
VoSKY
They have a Skype bridge product which allows for the Skype calls to terminate on a PBX. The Exchange 9140 costs $1,500, the 9180 $3000 and a small business gateway costs $1,000. They have a prototype, not in the booth however, which integrates their bridge with Asterisks.
Zero One Technology
Zero One has created software which bridges between Skype and SIP – basically a signaling protocol converter. This is intended for enterprise customers who want to allow customers on Skype call into a PBX. The company also has a number of hardware products including add-on cards to make a PC into a PBX. The company is seeking system integrators to put its software into enterprise systems. Retail pricing is $800/4 ports. If Asterisks is used on the SIP side in conjunction with the Skype to SIP bridge software it is possible to create a VoIP SIP based switch which had Skype ports for incoming and outgoing calls.
Intel Shows Reference Designs
The following was in the booth.
2006 Montevallo
Notebook form factor which flexible screen placement for airline seat use and more traditional notebook usage. Adopted by 3 OEMs.
Health Care Tablet
Completely sealed PC with wireless connectivity. To be built as a product.
Zephyros
Ultra Mobile concept which was stated to be a design upon which the UMPC products were based.
Erath
Next generation ultra mobile design. Swivel design allows the keyboard to be covered. Screen size approximately 5”
Donley
Latest ultra mobile mobil concept with a 5” display. Swivel design with small keypad underneath.
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