Computex, Asia's leading IT trade show, is winding down for another year.
The show attracts buyers from around the world eager to see the latest products that Taiwan's huge electronics industry has to offer. Deals done here can directly affect the products on display in electronics stores around the world, but Computex is more than just serious business.
Weird, Wild Stuff
The audience at the opening ceremony could be forgiven for thinking they were at a game show. As a hostess announced each of the luminaries speaking to mark the start of Asia's largest IT expo, a clip of bright and bouncy game show-type music played and the crowd applauded as the experts took to the stage. The ceremony's roots were confirmed when midway through one of the speeches someone obviously hit the wrong button and the sound of canned applause filled the room.
Not to be outdone, Advanced Micro Devices took the clippers to a couple of guys that make up its traveling show at Computex. Except for the letters "A-M-D" spelled out on the back of their heads, they had otherwise lost all but a couple of millimeters of their hair. So what's the price of a haircut in Taipei these days? One man told us he was being paid an extra $150 to wear the company brand on his head for the week. And while the haircut and processor box he wore as a costume during the day may not have been the most fashionable attire at the show, it wasn't cramping his style after work: "When I go out, I wear a baseball cap," he said.
Heavy Metal
Taiwanese inventor Thomas Huang was at Computex to push his latest invention: a cloth woven with metal that will stop electromagnetic radiation, according to Huang. A range of samples on display included an apron, cell phone case, and work vest for office workers. Huang demonstrated that all of the products had metal woven into the fabric by prodding them with a current tester. Under the counter he kept his latest invention: a camouflage fabric that will shield against radar waves.
Business has been okay during the show, he said on Friday, but he wasn't ready to name the metal woven cloth his number one invention just yet. Huang, who has been inventing for 27 years, said the top honor belonged to his do-it-yourself hula-hoop, which is apparently a hula-hoop that comes in pieces for the user to assemble.
Looks Familiar
Taiwanese hardware maker BenQ is proud of its industrial design. In pride of place on its stand were several products that recently won "IF Design Award China" honors. Among them was the Joybee 700 hard-drive based digital music player. Its sleek lines, white case, white ear plugs, and square LCD panel attracted the attention of many but we couldn't help but be reminded of another more famous music player.
"It's okay, you can directly say it's like the iPod," said Alex Lin, a product manager from BenQ. "But this was designed by our own industrial design team," he said. The company doesn't have any launch plans at present and says it is now working on a second-generation model that will include video playback.
Get on the Bus
Press attending a demonstration of an onboard video-on-demand system developed by Ho Hsin Bus Traffic Company and based on a server running Via Technologies' C3 processor got more than they--and Via executives--bargained for when it was discovered that the system offered an adult-oriented entertainment option. In addition to channels that offered English-language movies, Chinese-language movies, and video games, the adult-entertainment channel offered several on-demand movies of scantily-clad models in various states of undress. Perhaps Via shouldn't have been surprised: Ho Hsin and other Taiwanese long-distance bus companies have come under fire from Taiwanese politicians in recent years for making adult-oriented entertainment available on their buses.
