From camera phones to wireless computer connections, the freshest crop of gadgets in years are being unveiled to mainstream buyers at this week's CeBIT trade fair, but few may be in a spending mood.
Global economic malaise and the threat of war in Iraq have cast a pall over the technology sector and its traditional sales pitch -- spend money on technology to save money through productivity gains -- is wearing thin.
But vendors converging on the world's biggest showcase of new hardware and software in Hanover, Germany, are expected to pull out the stops to generate some demand.
"We're going to see camera phones from every manufacturer and many other weird and wonderful mobile devices as manufacturers struggle to drive the replacement market," saidanalyst Ben Wood at market research group Gartner Dataquest. Many potential customers will be looking for clear-cut financial benefits from the new gadgets.
"[IT] products and services that shave costs through efficiency gains, help retain customers, or solve the burgeoning integration dilemma in corporate IT have the best chance at success this year," said Tom Pohlmann, a director at Forrester Research. The CeBIT fair grounds will feature fast wireless Internet access over short-range radio networks. These so-called Wi-Fi connections are due to receive their biggest boost ever next week as chipmaker Intel Corp. formally unveils chips that will allow most notebook computers manufactured by year-end to reach the Internet without wires.
Such wireless Internet access networks on laptop computers and other devices promise to become commonplace in cafes, hotels, airports, schools, offices and public places -- pretty much wherever computer users congregate -- in the coming year.
While the latest network gear and entertainment gadgets from Silicon Valley, Japan and China will feature prominently, another featured theme at this year's CeBIT is the battle to define and dominate the "Connected Home," the industry's phrase for the growing links between home computers, home entertainment and other appliances over the Internet. "What is emerging is a once in a decade battle for a new market that could have a dramatic impact on the consumer electronics, PC, telecom and media businesses," Gottfried Dutine, a board member at Philips of the Netherlands.
"Software companies will tell you the PC will be the 'server' of the connected home," Dutine said. "Other electronics companies will argue that the TV will be the center of it. Others will even make a case for the mobile phone."
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
REASSURANCE: The US said Taiwan’s interests would not be harmed during the talk and that it remains steadfast in its support for the nation, the foreign minister said US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would bring up Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea this week. “I will be talking about Taiwan [with Xi],” Trump told reporters before he departed for his trip to Asia, adding that he had “a lot of respect for Taiwan.” “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump said. Taiwan has long been a contentious issue between the US and China.
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
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