The latest in gadgets in near future

The Cebit technology fair is taking place in Hanover. Here is our second look at some of the coolest gadgets on display. Laptop veteran Toshiba has become the first computer maker to ship a portable computer with a HD-DVD drive onboard. Unveiled at Cebit and likely to go on sale in Europe first, the Qosmio G30 is due to be on shop shelves in April and is aimed at consumers with deep pockets, as the price for the machine is likely to be well in excess of £2000. Under the hood it has a 2GHz dual core processor, two 120 GB hard drives and digital and analogue TV tuner. It has a 17-inch display that can cope with the high-definition images on HD-DVD discs. The HD-DVD standard is one of two, the other is Blu-Ray, that are aiming to replace DVDs. To help show high resolution images the Qosmio G30 uses the GeForce 7600 graphics card made by Nvidia.

Small form computer specialist Shuttle chose the Cebit show to unveil its XPC M2000 machine that is one of the first to match the ViiV specifications laid down by Intel. The specifications are intended to help turn PCs into media centres and entertainment hubs for the home. Shuttle is best known for the small, powerful PCs beloved of gamers but the M2000 is intended for the lounge rather than a teenager's bedroom. It has two tuner cards so can be used to watch digital or analogue TV on either a monitor or old-fashioned television set. Eight channel audio means it can act as a surround sound system to play any music stored on it. The machine can also play DVDs and CDs and has an eight-in-one memory card reader for easy transfer of images or sounds collected on other devices. The M2000 is due to go on sale in the summer but prices have yet to be announced.

Cebit technology fair was dominated by news about Microsoft's mini PC project Origami. The first working devices were unveiled along with information about its capabilities. Korean electronics firm Samsung said it would start selling Origami in the next few weeks. Samsung, which has dubbed its first Origami handheld Ql, showed off the black, paperback sized computer at its opening press conference. The machine has a 7-inch touchscreen and a 40 gigabyte hard drive. It also boasts an Intel Celeron processor onboard, runs the tablet edition of Windows XP and uses wi-fi and bluetooth to communicate. Extras for the gadget include a Bluetooth keyboard and a card that lets it use mobile phone networks to communicate. As first described by Bill Gates at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference in 2005, the device is intended to be an ultra-portable PC.

Samsung said the Ql could do everything a regular PC could do and runs in two modes. One involves using it as a cut-down PC running the familiar Windows operating system. The second is as a pure media device that lets users watch video or listen to music without turning on the operating system. Samsung's device also includes a Digital Media Broadcasting tuner so it can handle TV programmes broadcast for mobile gadgets. Introducing the Ql, Dr David Steel, Samsung's vice president of digital media business, said: "This is a very good sign of convergence coming into the computer industry. "Now the consumer has a single mobile computing device that combines the mobile functionality of many different devices." He claimed that the Ql would act as a replacement for mobile media players, game handhelds, palmtop computers and notebook PCs. When it goes on sale the Ql is expected to cost about 1,000 euros. Other ultra-portable computers are expected soon from Asustek and the Chinese Founder Group. Intel too has been working on different designs for the ultra-portable PC. Microsoft is expected to flesh out its vision for the product later on at the show.

As well as being a showcase for gadgets that are about to go into the shops, Cebit is also a show that looks to the long-term future. Japanese hi-tech company NEC used Cebit to show

off some conceptual ideas for what products of the future might look like. Under the umbrella term of Resonantware the products aim to investigate how technology might

evolve. NEC showed an idea it called Sala that integrates a radio tag into an item of jewellery, such as a wedding ring -associated with an important event. When the ring, earring or brooch is placed near a display device that can read the tag it calls up the images, movies or sounds the owner has associated with it. It also showed off a concept see-through mobile phone called Flask which is powered by a fuel cell. Like many disposable cigarette lighters, the transparent sides of the phone let users see when they need a refill.

German retail giant Metro AG used the Cebit trade show to give shoppers a glimpse of what might be coming to department stores in the next few years. On its Future Store display stand, Metro showed a prototype smart changing room that could help those looking for clothes see what they look like wearing them without actually having to put them on. The system used radio tags to identify clothes and when the items of apparel are put near a large display, sensors read the tags and show an image of a model wearing an outfit made up of those items. Early versions of the system show all the clothes on models but future versions will include a body scanner so the exact shape of shoppers can be used in the display. Instead of having to put endless combinations on to find the best outfit to suit the system will allow people to combine shirts, suits and shoes at the touch of a button.

Sports clothing firm O'Neill is set to launch a jacket with a built-in keypad that lets you control your iPod or mobile phone without exposing your hands to the cold. Developed in conjunction with German firm the winter sports jacket has five buttons on the left forearm that link via a control box to your phone or music player that sits snug in an inside pocket. The sales manager said the O'Neill jacket will have buttons to turn devices on and off, raise or lower volume or make and end calls. A microphone sewn into the collar of the coat works via Bluetooth short range radio with the control box in the jacket so wearers can make and take calls while skiing. The jacket should go on sale in time for Winter 2007 and should cost about 500 euros.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 997