Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • PC Hardware

    My 5 Favorite Gadgets at CeBIT

    By
    Alix Paultre
    -
    March 23, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      With more than 280,000 square meters of display space and more than 20 exhibition halls, one can easily drown in the information ocean that is CeBIT, the bi-annual communications, electronics, and IT conference and exposition. Here are some gadgets I found that others may have missed.

      Mobility personified

      Providing a seamless mobility experience for those with physical challenges, this variation of the Toyota NLSV concept vehicle incorporates a wheelchair in a quasi-symbiotic relationship. The electric wheelchair is the drivers seat when the vehicle is in motion, then is deployed on a powered robotic arm to the curb where wheels extend and provide the vehicle owner with sidewalk mobility. When the user returns, the arm picks the wheelchair back up and returns it, wheels retracted, to its role as the drivers seat.

      Self-powered USB hub

      Its very easy to have several USB devices that require power plugged into your computer at any given time, and non-power hubs always seem to come up short. A powered USB hub is the answer, but the accompanying wall-wart and cable are a pain to deal with. Enter the battery-powered 4-port USB hub from CyberPower Systems. This device is not only great for driving power-hungry USB devices like a Webcam, photo scanner, or external pocket drive, it also extends the battery life of your laptop when using simple things like an external mouse.

      Intelligent 2-port charger

      When I travel, in addition to my laptop supply I usually carry three to four other power supplies for my various gadgets. Some laptop chargers include an auxiliary power output for additional devices, but these usually provide only outlet relief as you still need a power adaptor for the device itself. The Vegavolt D-421 is an intelligent charger with two independent outputs that can power any two devices independently, providing the exact voltage and current required.

      The charger actively queries the devices attached to it, showing the separate product IDs on its screen. This means that you only need one charger and a plug adapter for each device and can leave the rest of it at home. (Since it can accept 100~240 Vac or 12 Vdc, it can use the wall socket, car jack, or even that output port on your aftermarket laptop supply.)

      Laptop PCMCIA-card mouse

      I hate using the “eraserhead” in the middle of a laptop keyboard, and touchpads are only a slightly better compromise. Using Bluetooth to communicate with your computer, the MoGo card mouse fits in its PCMCIA slot for charging, stored away until needed. A USB “wart” will soon be available to allow you to use the mouse with non-Bluetooth computers without compromising the MoGo mouses space-saving advantages.

      SanDisk laptop solid-state drive

      Intended to replace platter-based hard drives in laptops, a 2GB 2.5-inch Serial ATA solid-state drive by SanDisk makes the durability, speed, and low power consumption of solid-state flash memory available now to notebook computers. A drop-in replacement for the standard 2.5-inch drive in current laptops, the drive can also be retrofitted into existing computers. In addition to a power consumption of less than a watt in operation, no moving parts, and a random read rate of 7,000 IOPS for a 513-byte transfer (boot Vista in 30 seconds!), the solid-state drive is also completely silent.

      Alix Paultre is a journalist and futurist. You can read more by him at www.smartalix.com.

      Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news in desktop and notebook computing.

      Alix Paultre
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×