Thinking Big by Getting Small
Comdex may be known as the king of personal computer trade shows, but this year it is the flood of personal gadgets that has generated the loudest buzz among event visitors.
Every few feet, companies are touting the latest smart phones, identification cards, digital television sets, tiny recording devices and other computerized products falling into the catchall category of personal companions.
Industry analysts see this push toward mobile appliances as a logical reaction to hyper-competitive conditions in the desktop market. Searching for new growth opportunities, scores of companies both big and small are betting that consumers will want more than one digital device to meet their information and communication needs.
A leader in this emerging space is 3Com Corp., whose PalmPilot hand-held computer has spawned both copycat hardware manufacturers and a rush among software developers to create applications. The Santa Clara, Calif., firm has sold more than 1 million of the portables this year, say company officials. The device, which sells for less than $400, allows consumers to store and modify information such as names, addresses and daily schedules.
Considering the enormous crowd surrounding 3Com’s booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center this week, the number of applications for the device is on the rise. This week, Sybase Inc. and Oracle Corp. demonstrated software that lets PalmPilot users access corporate databases remotely.
“Today, nearly all these products are light, robust and functional,” said Michael S. Lasky, an editor with the trade publication PC World. “The difference is size and weight. The industry understands that there will never be a single ‘perfect’ size for these devices that will satisfy all consumers. That’s why you see everyone experimenting with different designs.”
As the industry continually strives toward smaller, faster and more reliable appliances, the look and design of these computers have broadened to fit a myriad of tastes.
A laptop is no longer just a laptop. Today, the market consists of everything from the smallest hand-helds from Hewlett-Packard, to ultra-slim PCs from Toshiba to feature-packed machines from IBM and Compaq Computer.
Then there are the many vendors who have partnered with Microsoft around Windows CE, the software king’s stripped-down operating system aimed at digital appliances. On display were palm-sized PCs that require a pen-like stylus for inputting data along with larger devices with bigger screens and more comfortable keyboards.
One of the most talked-about machines at Comdex is Vadem’s Clio tablet, which runs Windows CE and has both keyboard and stylus for inputting information and using the Internet. But the key appeal of this mini-notebook is its flexible industrial design. The support arms that connect the screen to the keyboard allow people to reshape the device, depending on the situation. Flip the screen down and use the Clio as a tablet. Turn it upside down and use the machine as a presentation tool.
“Someone’s always going to bring out the next gee-whiz product,” said Ken Dulaney, a member of the mobile-computing team at research firm GartnerGroup. “But it’s really the consumers, who vote with their pocketbooks, who decide what works and what doesn’t.”
Indeed, the list of potential hits--or misses--seen at Comdex this week seems endless. Take the E.W. Bridge Pocket BiteMate, a four-inch audio recorder that can store up to 100 minutes of voice or music files. Company executives see an opportunity to have people mix these recordings with their regular mobile tools, such as a portable digital calendar. A gentle voice can remind users of an upcoming birthday, while a tense tone might remind them of when taxes are due.
And Dutch giant Philips Electronics has unveiled a home-entertainment device that aims to be the ultimate universal remote control. The $399 Pronto has a liquid-crystal display touch pad that can control all your digital toys--from TVs and VCRs to cable boxes and DVD players. By next year, users will also be able to attach the Pronto to a PC to download software needed to control other digital devices.
