By Michelle Johnson, Boston.com Correspondent, 11/16/99
Hey, isn’t this supposed to be an electronics show? Then what are more than 110 dot coms doing at Comdex? Last year, just four web companies exhibited at the show. This year there so many that they’ve rated their own showcase, the ".Comdex Hub," where 40 dot coms are showing off their latest stuff.
Among them is Cambridge-based anyday.com, which also scored a booth in Start-up City, an area reserved for promising new dot coms. Anyday offers a free web-based day planner that includes features such as scheduling, a contact manager, and localized event and TV listings. "We don’t have a product to sell, but we’re here because so many of our users are," said Jim McManus, director of corporate communications for Anyday.
Presumably, that’s what the other 100-plus dot coms are doing here, too. The chance to pitch to the show’s thousands of wired attendees appears to be a powerful draw for online companies that wouldn’t otherwise bother with a trade show of this kind.
Comdex Comedy Jam
Celebrities often make guest appearances at Comdex, usually as comic relief at less-than-thrilling presentations by CEOs. According to a program listing, Eric Schmidt, chairman & CEO of Novell, will be paired up with Saturday Night live alums Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon to "give the audience a hilarious and zany look at some of the major issues surrounding Internet technology and future trends." Zany? Internet technology? Right.
"I'm a monopoly, baby!"
"I put the 'syn' in syntax, Baaa-bee!" Austin Gates, International Man of Technology, exclaimed as he gyrated with a couple of go-go girls on the big screen in the opening keynote address at Comdex. A crowd of about 7,000 hooted as Bill Gates, decked out in an Austin-esque velvet suit, ruffled shirt, and groovy wig, swiveled his hips in a video clip -- in sync with the beat, no less.
The spot also featured Judge Judy berating Gates and investor Warren Buffet, who supposedly landed in her court in a dispute over a $2 bet. She advised Gates to pay up so Buffet could invest the $2 and "make something of himself!" As Gates stumbled to respond to the judge’s question about what he did for a living, she cut him off with, "So, basically, you’re in sales!"
After the video faded to black, and Gates turned to talk of operating systems, servers, and personalizing the web, the entertaining Austin was sorely missed.
Michelle Johnson, a former editor for the Boston Globe, is an Internet consultant. Her e-mail address is mijohn@mail-me.com.
