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CeBIT 2006: IT industry turns to Europe

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Graeme Wearden ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 06 Mar 2006 13:40 GMT

The IT industry will gather in the German city of Hanover this week to launch the very latest products, unveil corporate strategies and debate the future of technology at the giant CeBIT trade show.

This year's CeBIT comes at an important time for the tech sector. With corporate IT spending enjoying a modest rise, the future is bright for companies that survived the effects of the dot-com crash and can offer innovative hardware, software or services. But a range of factors, from the rise of Google and Web-based applications to the broadband boom and the growing popularity of open source, mean even the largest companies can't be sure of the future — no-one can afford to waste the opportunity to put their upcoming offerings in the spotlight.

CeBIT is huge, and thousands of technology companies will cram into almost 30 halls, carrying everything from fax machines and printers to smartphones and dual-core notebooks. We can't predict everything that will grab the headlines and get people talking at the show, but it's clear that there are some key themes and products to watch out for.

Unless something goes seriously wrong between now and then, you can guarantee that on Thursday morning Microsoft will reveal its Origami device. This "Ultra Mobile PC" will use Intel chips, run Windows XP and is probably a cut-down Tablet PC with a touch-sensitive screen with built-in Wi-Fi and possibly 3G connectivity. Samsung is widely expected to have a model on display, and it won't be alone.

Can Origami succeed where the Tablet PC has largely failed? Find out on Thursday when Microsoft ends the suspense and reveals what the project is really about.

Microsoft will also attempt to use the CeBIT buzz to drive interest in Windows Vista and Office 12, so it could be a good opportunity to find out what approach companies and consumers should take both products.

IBM is another company with a lot riding on CeBIT. It will be demonstrating high-performance computing, including a project where 150 scientists share one supercomputer. IBM will also be showing off the Cell chip, which it co-designed: this will include a demonstration of some prototype Cell blade servers running visualisation software using massive amounts of scientific and other data.

IBM is also expected to announce a partnership with DHL involving RFID tags — which will be a big theme at the show.

CeBIT clashes with Intel's Developer Forum in California, so the chipmaker might not deliver too many bombshells in Hanover. However, one of Intel's vice-presidents, Anand Chandrasekher, is delivering a keynote speech on Wednesday morning, so he could reveal the direction of Intel's mobile strategy, among other developments.

At just under 100 square metres, Intel's stand at CeBIT will be twice as big as in 2005. Business software and technologies designed for the healthcare business are tipped to be key themes, alongside digital entertainment — where media PCs based on Intel's Viiv chip will be prominent.

We expect that most of the major notebook vendors will be showing off notebooks that use Intel's new dual-core mobile processor, the Core Duo.

Shuttle, a maker of small PCs, is planning to announce three new products, including a model that should be smaller and quieter than its previous pint-size computers. Rival AOPEN is also expected to unveil a new mini-PC, with a 15cm×15cm footprint, running on a Core Duo chip, and supporting Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — good news for those of you with limited desk space.

If you're considering investing in new displays, then it may be worth listening out for news from Sharp, who are expected to bring a wide range...

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