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Bikini babes, geeks still rule Comdex
By Jeordan Legon
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- There are still a few scantily clad women taunting the geeks. And a few guys dressed as butterflies, computers and even Ben Franklin trying to draw attention. Despite smaller crowds and a bleak economy, Comdex, the annual technology trade show that closes Friday, managed to retain much of its quirky Las Vegas charm. Even semi-famous one-time Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash made an appearance, "Star Wars" director George Lucas spoke, and America's Fastest Geek was crowned after he beat out others in building a computer. Despite all the buzz, Key3Media Group, which runs Comdex, said the show is not making enough money. The firm is mired in debt and may have to declare bankruptcy -- perhaps even sell the show. "Obviously the ... industry is in a very different place this year than it was in 2000," said Kim Myhre, president of Key3Media International. "You can't really expect Comdex to not reflect the state of the industry." Focus on security, gadgetsThis year's areas of focus were security, wireless, storage, enterprise applications and gadgets that claimed to make life easier. About 1,100 exhibitors showed off plasma flat screens, pocket computers and three-dimensional glasses for video games. More than 400 gadgets were presented in all, Myhre said. The Fossil watch that doubles as a Palm Pilot got a lot of attention as did the Segway scooters, tablet PCs and Microsoft's refrigerator magnets, which tell time and sports scores. And as always, there were plenty of entrepreneurs hoping that their ideas would pick up fuel once the masses at the show saw them. PC chair eases the painTake the eager folks pitching the PC chair, a contraption that looks a lot like a high-tech dentist chair and which claims to soothe the aches of tired computer users everywhere.
Two or more flat-panel displays keep users from straining their necks and a keyboard swings into just the perfect spot. PCs are built under the chair and they're included in the $4,000 to $7,000 price. One CEO attempted to soothe the headaches of his colleagues by predicting a tech sector recovery on June 21, 2003. How did he come up with that date? Brian Halla, National Semiconductor chairman and CEO, said he used a lot of fancy calculations and observed the ups and downs of other industries to come up with it. "If it's right, it will be know as Halla's Harmonic, and my mother will stop being ashamed of me for being a CEO," he told the crowd during his speech. The shower of confetti and wheels of the slot machine that whirled to reveal the date seemed to amuse the crowd. But no one looked too convinced. CNN's James Hattori and Daniel Sieberg contributed to this report.
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