A Different View on CeBIT 2006

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 23:21:49 +0100

Alright, let's face it: Once you've bumped into "The World's Biggest Plasma TV" - do you really look at any of those hundreds and thousands of 42 and 50 inchers anymore? Well, I don't.

As much as I love to look at CeBIT's shiny gadgets I have to say that after six or seven halls of consumer electronics it's getting old. Each and every company tries to sell their product as the next big thing. Just look at that Origami once more. Is is not a bad device. I might even buy one, some day. But I think I'd be much more convinced if they had found smaller words for it. After all it's just a lappy/PDA hybrid with built-in TV, right? Handy, indeed, but with less than three hours battery life it's certainly far from "ultra portable".

Samsung's CeBIT stand and its overuse of superlatives ("world's first, biggest, smallest") sums up everything I do NOT care about. I'm not shopping for super ultra hyper world records or empty phrases. I'm shopping for devices that actually do something for me.

Do I really need TV wherever I go and get brainwashed by ready to consume daily soaps and commercial breaks that try to sell me even more stuff I don't need? Honestly, no.

I want to DO things, create things. Not just consume. But that's what I am to the companies: a consumer. A cash machine. And I need to be convinced to spend my money on a Creative Zen instead of an iPod. Why? The promotion girl shrugs and proceeds with her corporate talk - pointing me to the pink model because I am female. For technical details refer to the brochure, please.

I'm beginning to feel like in a commercial for laundry detergents. Blue power pearls will wash my laundry whiter. Why? Rest assured, they will.

The companies hate those two days when the CeBIT is open to the public and the actual consumer comes to touch those dreams they're trying to sell. They will talk to you, of course. It is their job. But what they're really interested in is B2B. It's easier to explain how big the margins are, rather than having to explain the actual use of a product. Who they want to talk to is people in suits and ties. Not us.

So, for the first time this year the CeBIT provided a little playground: "Digital Living". One hall dedicated entirely to the end consumer. Play the latest games on the fastest machines. Sit back in a comfy couch and watch HDTV. Win a virtual soccer game. Hey, kiddo, why don't you go to your room and play with your toys while the adults are talking business?

But do you remember that, when you were little, all the new toys would always get old after a short while and you were much more interested in the cardboard box that could be everything - a house, a car, an airplane? And how LEGO was the only toy that survived your childhood and that you cannot resist - to this day?

Creating and building things has always been far more interesting than the latest prefab gadget. And believe it or not: there are a few treasures to be found at the CeBIT.

Project Taurus for example is a self-made high-end watercooled sound machine that focuses on the perfect sound. While it's far from the slim-line designs of the big companies, Taurus breathes the love and determination of its creator. And a low-noise and high quality solution for digital music is certainly something I am looking for. Thumbs up! :)

Another thumbs up goes to Robowerk for their robot kits made entirely of components that can be obtained from any electronics store. They come complete with software that lets you script your own routines. While this is certainly not too spectacular for those of you who have built their own robots, I think it is a nice toy for those who haven't. Try it and download the free simulator for Linux, Windows or Mac from robowerk.com. Enjoy! :)

But the ultimate LEGO of computing is and will always be Linux.

This became quite clear during VDR Mirko Dölle's lecture on HDTV under Linux. After a short introduction to VDR he quickly moved on to tweaking the hardware decoder's performance, which involved additional memory modules and decent soldering skills. ;)

I think everyone who has heard his lecture will agree that the most impressive (and funny!) bit was Mirko's demonstration of what actually happens to a HDTV signal during transmission. The HDTV signal (Mirko holds up a large poster.) won't fit through the narrow bandwidth that's currently available. Compression is required. He crumbles up the poster and cuts it into pieces. Unfolds it again. The audience giggles. But that's not all. To fit on our screens the signal will have to be resized. Mirko resizes the poster with his scissors and glues the sad looking remains onto a piece of cardboard. THIS, he explains, is what we currently call HDTV. Woo Hoo! Let's all rush back to the consumer electronics halls to buy a plasma TV! Very enlightening lecture, thanks, Mirko Dölle! :)

On to the Ubuntu stand. Being a Newbie as far as Linux goes I was still looking for something as cool as Debian, yet as simple as Suse. I had heard of Ubuntu and the nice person at their stand invited me to a little introduction to their OS. Very impressive I must say. I have installed Ubuntu by now and am really happy with it. Thumbs up! :)

A little side note: Almost everyone in the Linux hall seemed to be drinking Microsoft's free energy drinks. The poor person at Microsoft's stand who handed out the drinks looked really, really overworked. ;)

Well, that about rounds it off for today. One more thing: If you decide to visit the CeBIT, bring your own food or be prepared to pay 15 to 20 Euros for a very mediocre meal. ;)

Oh and just for the record: ULTRON had the biggest bags this year. Congrats. :)