By Michelle Johnson, Boston.com Correspondent, 11/17/99
LAS VEGAS - Several new technologies are the talk of the convention floor here at the 20th annual Comdex show, drawing crowds at display booths and turning the heads of industry pundits.
New stand-alone devices, called Information Appliances, are being touted as PC Killers. WebTV, an early example of an Internet appliance, is now being joined an array of products that turn off and on instantly and perform a limited number of tasks, such as sending and retrieving e-mail or connecting to the web. No PC required. New products on display here include Vtech's "Imprompt2," which combines e-mail and wireless messaging into a snazzy unit.
Another hot topic on the floor: Bluetooth. No, it's not the result of poor
dental hygiene. Bluetooth is a wireless technology that allows a variety of
devices to communicate with each other. So that, for instance, you could
connect your hand-held computer to the Internet via your cell phone. But
don't rush out to buy just yet. These products are just starting to be
announced. On Monday, Ericsson unveiled its Bluetooth Headset, which
connects
to a mobile phone via a radio link instead of a cable. It will be available
later next year. And what's up with that name? Harald, a 10th-century
Danish king, got his nickname from a bad tooth that turned blue. But he
united the provinces of Denmark, ao apparently Bluetooth is all about
uniting, not dental hygiene.
E-commerce No. 1 with Attendees
Electronic commerce topped the list of hottest technologies and products,
in a survey of pre-registered Fall Comdex attendees. Digital cameras ranked
No. 2, and wireless technologies came in third. The Pentium III processor
took the 4th spot, and Palm & Windows CE hand-helds and applications ranked
5th.
Play Stations
Trudging across cavernous convention centers ogling the latest electronic
gizmos can leave your mind numb and your feet tingling. This year, the
weary can turn to the Comdex Attendee Lounge where beanbag chairs, couches,
Sony
Playstation, Sega-64, and pinball machines await those seeking relief. More
my speed is the setup out in the convention center hallway. For $21,
Worksite Wellness is offering their 20-minute "Footloose" massage package
in an area dubbed the "Relaxation Station."
Geek overload
As the show reaches critical mass, the locals are griping about the usual
traffic congestion, cab drivers say geeks don't know how to tip, and some
convention goers are peeved about the high cost of food and hotel rooms.
Show attendees say that rooms that normally go for $100 have been jacked up
to more than $300. In their defense, the hotels say they've been forced to
raise rates to make up revenues because the Comdex crowd doesn't gamble. As
late as Monday, rooms were still available, but pricey, at up to $529 a
night.
Some 2,000 taxis are shuttling convention-goers around town. In addition to
stingy tippers, some cab drivers also have a beef with Las Vegas Convention
Center officials over how they pick up and discharge passengers. Early in
the
week, 30 cab drivers temporarily lost their permits for failing to drop off
passengers in designated areas. "When you try to put 200,000 (Comdex
conventioneers) in a funnel, it just doesn't work very well," Bob Anselmo,
a
spokeman for the Taxicab Authority told the Las Vegas Sun.
Despite the annual headaches, the show is expected to bring in at least
$240 million in revenue for the city of Las Vegas. Not a bad jackpot in
this gambling town.
An Old Hand at Comdex
What's a gray-haired "almost 83" year-old doing cruising the convention center floor? "I like to see what's new in the world," said Jean Macdonald of Vancouver, BC, who's been coming to Comdex since 1986. As she waited for a speech recognition demo to begin, Macdonald said she was drawn to the '86 show because she'd heard there was a company that made software that would allow her to type in Japanese. What started as a bid to keep in touch with friends in Japan, turned into an annual trek to Vegas.
Hum Along
Reporters covering the show are being offered a unique mode of
transportation courtesy of Mail.com, the free e-mail service. Call a special number and the Mail.com Humvee is dispatched to pick you up.
Michelle Johnson, a former content manager for Boston.com, is an Internet consultant. Her e-mail address is mijohn@mail-me.com
Attendance: 200,000
