56K modems a bust. After IMO reported in June on the 56K modem standards (x2, k56flex), they are in fact quite disappointing. Power output regulations ensure you'll never get past 53Kbps, and any line noise can bump you down to 33.6 or less. Pile this on the two conflicting standard problem, high cost for ISPs to convert and the fact uploads are still only 33.6, 56K just aren't worth it. Hopefully things will improve, but until then, they should rename this technology 46K, because that's probably the best you can do.
The dream Internet connection. At work, I'm running Netscape 4.01 and 3.02 with
Quickseek 3.2 and the PointCast Network on a P90 over a 1.55 Mbps T1 line. Navigating the net
is smooth and seamless, and PointCast pushes news info to me by the hour. The only problem is
the unstable proxy connection, but I can hardly complain.
THIS IS MY FOURTH YEAR going to Comdex, and once again I get to kick the tires on all those new toys and software that will hit the shelves in the Fall and Christmas. Based in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre - including its new digs at the South Hall - on July 9th to 11th, COMDEX/Canada '97 offered over 500 exhibits, 65 seminars (PowerPanels) and 60,000 attendees. COMDEX/Canada '97 was actually three shows in one - Comdex, WindowsWorld, and ConnectedComputing97. However, despite these impressive numbers, I cannot help but feel underwhelmed.
The first quibble was registration. This year, the minimum age limit was raised from 16 years to 21. I suspect companies are now more interested in grabbing the older, executive exhibitors - the ones with the final purchase decisions - than showcase their wares to the next generation technological workforce. I find it incredibly absurd that you can be old enough to drink before you can attend Comdex! Screw it, I went anyway.
In another twist of events, neither Apple or IBM bothered to exhibit. As a result, the whole show became very Microsoft-centric. In fact, the Microsoft booth was moved to the same spot IBM's Internet Village was last year. Microsoft didn't have much to show, however; a few demos of Windows 98 "Memphis", Internet Explorer 4.0, Windows NT and a few CD-ROM titles. Their once-ubiquitous product brochures and CDs were replaced by free-trial MSN discs.
In essence, very few new technologies materialized. Certainly there were bigger hard drives, faster computers, better Internet integration and more featured programs, just not many really new things.
However, there were notable exceptions. One was the DVD-ROM drive showcased at Creative Labs. Near movie quality, on a computer monitor! No wonder the video industry was worried. Too bad it is so expensive (CAN $600+). Another product that grabbed attention was the 800g Toshiba Libretto mini-notebooks with colour screens. I personally did not see it, but heard enough raving about it.
Another winner was the Panasonic PalmCam and Sony DSC-F1 digital still cameras. The size of a deck of cards, the PalmCam is the world's smallest digitizer. The DSC-F1, which the Sony team offered to take your picture with and email it to a special someone, can transmit its photos via a wireless infrared connection to your computer. And was that McAfee holding a fashion show with digital cameras at their booth??
USRobotics was showing off its PalmPilot, a new personal digital assistant (PDA). About the size of a scientific calculator, the Pilot is a fully functional personal organizer that also features quick 'n easy file updating with your personal computer. It also solves the infamous handwriting misinterpretation troubles that has plagued other PDAs by forcing you to learn its own way of penmanship, known as Graffiti. Admittedly, once you follow it, you get near perfect results. The Pilot also offers an onscreen keyboard and a stylus pen.
Personal communication services (PCS) were also out in full force, with Quebec-based Microcell Solutions hawking their Fido wireless communications device. Fido offers a microchip ID, and is a voice, email, text and pager system all in one.
Behind the CompuServe booth in the South Hall were several ergonomic chairs and things. "Things" is the term I will use, because some of them looked like medieval torture racks. Of note is the Nova Scotia born Laptop Laidback, a simple wood easel that lets you use your notebook while lying down in bed.
I also got to see lots of great monitors. Mitsubishi showed off giant Diamondtron displays the size of TV sets. No matter how close I got, the picture remained completely crystal clear. Mitsubishi, along with Sceptre and many others also displayed their new flat-panel LCD monitors. Up to 15-inches and 262,000 colours, these monitors are less than 8 cm thick, and are wall-mountable.
Apple may have not showed up (money problems?), but Power Computing sure did. It took exhibit guests, myself included, some time to realize their machines were not Pentium PCs running Quake II, but in fact Macintosh PowerPCs running Marathon 2. There's hope yet!
The product that gets the "No one knows I exist" award: Microsoft's ActiveX language.
Also this year, companies who offered free Internet access to guests have gotten smarter by installing secondary public monitors in the kiosks as a deterrent to people surfing the more shady parts of the net.
This year's "weapons of choice" were Pentium 133 and P166s. There were some MMX machines, but not as many as you may think. Compare these figures with 1996's entry-level PCs: P100 and P120s. I also noticed more laptops here, obviously due to the fact notebooks are now almost as fully featured as their desktop counterparts.
And now here's the freebies report: sadly, things are more sparse than last year. Adobe was still giving out their great product samplers, which include demo versions of their software, and tons of free clip art and Type 1 fonts. They were so popular, they ran out on the third day. Fortunately, they were also giving out windbreaker bags. Sceptre held a hockey shootout, where scorers could win a plush Brutus, their Komodo dragon mascot. CompuServe was the most generous, with CSi and Sprynet demo CDs, T-shirts and carry-on bags. This last freebie spurred a near riot at the end of the show. The spokesman even gave away his CompuServe vest. "But I keep the pants," he joked.
COMDEX's next stops in Canada are COMDEX/SCIB '97 at Montreal from October 7-9, COMDEX/PacRim '98 in Vancouver from January 20-22, and COMDEX/Canada '98 returns to Toronto on July 8-10 next year. Hope to see you there. [imo]
(C)opyright Gregory Lam, All rights reserved. You are allowed to copy this document sans charge on the condition none of it is altered or used without proper bibliographical references.
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