On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

The PDA market is dead, the Ultra-Mobiles never caught on…is it time for a range of wireless internet devices aimed at an alleged gap between smartphones and laptops?

In Shanghai, Intel wants developer buy-in on its MID technology. Introducing products at the Intel event are Asus, BenQ, Clarion, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Lenovo, LGE, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and Toshiba.

Based on their new Atom processors, Intel claims advantage over makers of chips for cellphones (i.e., Qualcomm) because of laptop and desktop compatibility. Intel also has a new partnership with Ubuntu and Red Flag (Linux software).

The new Mobile Internet Devices will be in retail by June.

Go Intel in Your Pocket

Once upon a time, CeBIT complained that conferences would “distract” from CeBIT. Now, in the last five years, CeBIT must be in its fourth reiteration of  a model for its “Global Conference.” Ah, still not right in our opinion.

It’s not very global and it’s oriented towards corporate users who get more at a Gartner conference.

We did find one that might be of interest our audience:

Executive Labs Information Technology (No. 1, March 4th)
It’s a panel discussion of the hits and flops of the last decade and the next 10 years in I.T.

Go: www.tvonweb.de/kunden/dmag/cebit2008/global_040308/content.html 

Or take a look and pick your own:  

Keynotes & Executive Labs - 4 March 2008

 §                                 Keynotes Public Sector Solutions
Global threats - how can the information technology used by civil society help? §                                 Executive Labs Information Technology
Information technology - the hits and flops of the last decade and the next 10 years. §                                 Executive Labs Human Resources
Social networks - the new challenge for companies.

Start stream!  

Keynotes & Executive Labs - 5 March 2008

§                                 Keynotes Business Solutions
How can companies boost their value?

§                                 Executive Labs Finance & Controlling
Transparency or a black hole? Trends in financial reporting.

§                                 Executive Labs Manufacturing
The global value-added chain - myth or reality?

Start stream!

Keynotes & Executive Labs - 6 March 2008

§                                 Keynotes Home & Mobile Solutions
Everyone wants Internet video, but who will foot the bill for 100 Mbit/s access? §                                 Executive Labs Marketing & Sales
Marketing in the Web 2.0 age - and the new power of consumers.

§                                 Executive Labs Procurement & Logistics
Corporate growth through global online procurement.

Start stream! 

While a multitude of non-PC devices will play a role in the connected living room of the future, that doesn’t means the PC will fade away. In fact, according to a new study from ABI Research, PCs are destined to play an ever-increasing role in the management, distribution and playback of multimedia content in the home, with both network-connected PC media servers and in-living room PCs growing in adoption over time.  

Both AV form factor home theater PCs and more traditional home theater PCs will grow to an installed base worldwide of 25 million by 2013.  

“There are two primary ways the PC can be incorporated into the digital living room,” says principal analyst Steve Wilson. “One has a PC directly connected to a client device, a home theater PC, or in the form of a PC integrated with a display. The other involves using an embedded client to extend the PC output to a TV.”  Microsoft’s bundling of the Media Center application with Vista will help solidify the role of the PC in future living rooms, and clients running over home networks and extender technologies will be by far the leading way to connect a PC to the TV.

However, ABI Research believes these efforts will take time, and there will be some bumps in the road, as shown by the fate of Intel’s Viiv program. Further, while new broadband-based services may bypass the home PC initially, the PC model will become more inclusive in the future. There will still be a small market of home theater PC enthusiasts who buy custom-designed home theater PC systems resembling consumer audiovisual equipment. While all-in-one systems are a bit bulky today, in the future we will see more optimized designs for converging the PC and TV.  

“While the custom install market has some appetite for the best high end home theater PCs, it’s a very limited demand,” says Wilson. “Tech-savvy consumers who understand the advantages of a home theater PC are still price-sensitive and unwilling to pay ultra-high prices.” 

Go ABI Research on Home Theatre