Comdexterity: Gadgets at the show

CNN Sci-Tech's Daniel Sieberg: They sat through the speeches. They waited at security checks. They vied for taxis. But let's face it, what everybody really wants to know about at Comdex is the gadgets. And while hundreds of consumer gizmos dotted the big floor, a few items quickly became the most talked-about at the show.

In the futuristic realm, Sony's two-way communicator wristwatch caught the eyes of many. And when it comes to putting your finger on novelty, it was hard to beat Samsung's "keyboardless keyboard" technology. Someday, we may all make our typos ... in thin air.

Focusing on biometrics at Comdex

CNN Sci-Tech's Daniel Sieberg: One area of technology getting a lot of attention at Comdex Fall 2001 is biometrics. Airport security needs are an obvious priority, of course. And dozens of companies specializing in biometrics are on the massive Comdex floor this year to show off what they're researching, developing, testing, calibrating and selling. Facial recognition, fingerprinting, iris scanning and reading the features of a hand are leading the industry's efforts at this point, but the intent -- and possibility -- is to measure any unique trait on the body that can then be recorded and act as a password or identifier. Will these techniques invade personal privacy? Can they help make airports and other places safer?

Conjuring the future (and Arthur C. Clarke)

CNN Sci-Tech's Daniel Sieberg: At the United States' largest annual technology trade show, there were fewer attendees and more security than last year. But with 2,000 exhibitors in 750,000 square feet of space -- at the Las Vegas Convention Center -- entrepreneurs, developers, researchers and designers still dreamed of bringing more safety to society, leisure time to a day, method to madness and communication to everyone.

Maybe nowhere was this more apparent than in Sir Arthur C. Clarke's live-via-satellite visit with EDS' Dick Brown and the Comdex audience: Just how far are we from "2001" -- in 2001?

Clarke to Comdex: 'Travel by Wire'

Sir Arthur C. Clarke to the Comdex audience: "Science fiction ... seldom attempts to predict the future. And more often than not it tries to prevent the future. That's a phrase that my good friend Ray Bradbury ('Fahrenheit 451,' 'The Martian Chronicles,' 'The Illustrated Man') is always saying: 'I don't try to describe the future -- I try to prevent it.' I think some of us, like George Orwell, have succeeded rather well in preventing some kinds of future."

Gates' keynote: A 'digital decade' dawns

CNN Sci-Tech's Daniel Sieberg: While acknowledging that 2001 has been “one of the toughest years for several decades for the world at large and for business,” the chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates, on Sunday predicted during his Comdex keynote address that the next 10 years will be seen as the "digital decade." Gates seemed at ease with the crowd of slightly less than capacity at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. Organizers had expected more than 12,000 people, but empty seats dotted the upper rows of the venue.

Sony bids for 'invisible network'

CNN Sci-Tech's Daniel Sieberg: Sony's head used several flashy demonstrations during his keynote address at Comdex Fall 2001 on Monday, as he promoted the company's vision of "invisible" networks for seamless computing. Kunitake Ando, Sony president and chief operating officer -- often referred to as the "father" of the popular VAIO laptop -- said technology needs to drive people out of the PC-centric world and into one in which information and data can be accessed anywhere, using any type of personal device. He called this concept the "ubiquitous value network," and predicted that one day all devices will have an Internet protocol (IP) address.

Tech weak in 2002

CNNmoney's Richard Richtmyer: After capping off one of its worst years on record, the information technology business is likely to struggle again in 2002, but there will be pockets of growth and opportunity, spurred in part by growing concerns about security, analysts and investors said at the industry's annual Comdex show here. The personal computer and semiconductor industries are among those that will the hardest hit and the slowest to recover. At the same time, the software industry as a whole, and certain segments in particular, appear to be among the most resilient.

Changing face of Comdex

CNNmoney's Richard Richtmyer: Comdex, the United States' largest technology trade show and conference, kicked off on Sunday. But there will be some noticeable differences this year. For starters, fewer people are expected to attend the Las Vegas event. About 2,000 exhibitors will show off their goods on roughly 750,000 square feet of floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center -- as opposed to last year's 2,100 exhibitors. The shrinking numbers mirror a broader trend in the information technology industry, many segments of which are on their way toward capping off one of the most punishing years ever.

Telework trend rooted in convenience

Telecommuting and remote conferencing -- already growing trends among the world's increasingly mobile and disparate work force -- were given a further boost in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, making them likely topics of interest at this week's Comdex Fall 2001 trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. September's calamitous events forced some workers to toil from home after being displaced from their offices while others opted to conduct remote conferences rather than travel.

Intel to demo 0.13-micron Pentium 4

Sources familiar with Intel's plans say the chip maker plans to demonstrate the first 0.13-micron Pentium 4 processors at the Comdex computer industry trade show -- which runs November 12 through 16 in Las Vegas.