CeBIT, held each March in Hannover, Germany, is one of the biggest showcases of new computer technology in the world, and this week Computeractive has been there to check out all the latest products that'll be on sale over the next six months. With thousands of exhibitors there are just too many to list, so we've boiled it all down to the the best products that represent five key trends from this year's show.

1) Loud Laptops

Laptop computers don't have a great reputation when it comes to sound quality, and with good reason: most have tiny, tinny speakers packed into the case as an afterthought. This year, though, several of the biggest computer names at Cebit have been showing portable computers that, they claim, are designed to sound great.

The Asus NX90 is certainly eye-catching: it's huge and completely covered in brushed aluminium. And, alongside some unusual features such as the two touchpads - one on either side of the keyboard - it has a powerful sound system provided by Bang and Olufsen IcePower. Its speaker enclosures have a volume of 108cc, and although it's very hard to judge the quality of sound in a busy trade show we can testify to the volume on offer.

A similar product was also on show at the stand of Asus's key rival MSI. Its GT660 gaming laptop packs a Core i7 processor, Blu-ray, two hard disks and Nvidia 285M graphics, but also a 2.1 sound system from Dynaudio - again, it's impressively thunderous.

2) Smart Storage

Network attached storage devices are to be found everywhere at the show, with the manufacturers seemingly adding new functions each and every year, but a few in particular stood out. The new Thecus N4200 has an unusual case with two displays, but there's also a lithium-ion battery in the back - if the mains power supply fails, this gives it enough power to shut down properly, saving your data.

Not to be outdone, rival Qnap was demonstrating its new QMobile tool for the iPhone and iPod Touch - this gives access to the multimedia functions of its NAS devices from any Apple mobile handset.

3) Neat Networking

Network storage aside, there are plenty of clever networking products on show. We particularly liked Devolo's new Smart+ powerline network adapters: instead of using LEDs to indicate the network status, these use an LCD display to provide far more information on the status of the network. The company was also showing this prototype of a new product due in September - this little white box will run at speeds of up to 500Mbps:

Also, good news for anyone who was tempted by our review of the AVM Fritzbox but couldn't stretch to the price: the company is launching a new, simpler model with the ISDN functions removed and a much lower price. The Fritzbox WLAN 3370 includes 802.11N networking, and should cost around £115 - it'll be available in a few months.

4) Powerful Programs

Although Cebit includes hall upon hall of new computer hardware, there are also dozens of software vendors showing off their new tools. As we reported previously, security firm Kaspersky Lab used Cebit to launch its new PURE antivirus product - read our story on that here.

Another clever new tool could be found on the Laplink stand. The company is adding a new feature to its PCMover software called the PCMover Image Assistant. This allows users to move both programs and files from a hard disk image to a new PC: so, for example, if you have an image backup of a Windows XP computer, and that fails, you can use the tool to move your programs onto a new Windows 7 PC without having to first reinstall XP. As well as appearing in future versions of PCMover, it'll be included with some disk imaging tools from O&O.

5) New and Unusual

From USB keys in every imaginable shape to foldable pianos to somewhat tasteless computer accessories (don't ask) there's all manner of odd goods on show at Cebit. Some look downright awful, but then there are a few unusual products that caught our eye. Thermaltake's Tt eSports brand may have a very strange name - that extra "t" is not a typing error - but its new keyboard might appeal to gamers or workaholics: reach around the back and there's a small fan that can be clipped onto the top of the keyboard to keep your fingers cool during frantic activities such as gaming or filling in an online self-assessment tax form at the last possible minute. The keys also illuminate in any one of 256 colours.

Also, while Asus and MSI compete to show the biggest range of unusual PCs - from 3D desktops and laptops to concept models and Asus's Bamboo range ("panda friendly", we're assured), there's one computer that really sticks out: the Eee Keyboard.

We saw a prototype at last year's Cebit, but with the finished product due in May this device finally seems to be ready for the market. It has a 5 inch capacitative touchscreen built in, runs Windows XP and can link up to your television via an ultra-wideband transmitter. It uses an Atom N270 processor, 1GB of memory and will be available with 16GB or 32GB of solid state storage - expect to see it on sale for less than £600.

Posted by Tom Royal on March 4, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (3)

We all assume that the best place for controls are on the front of devices and flexible touch screens are the current favourite for devices like PDAs and phones. There's a novel alternative over at the Channel 10 website from Microsoft.

The Microsoft Research team created a small device with the controls on the back so that the screen is never obstructed. I like the sound of it, but would prefer to have a go first, before buying a new PDA.

Posted by Tim Smith on April 16, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (8)

Yesterday we caught up with Asus, so today we went to see the latest products from one of its biggest rivals: MSI. MSI's Wind range of netbooks compete directly against the Asus Eee portables, but the focus at MSI's stand seems a little different: rather than the dozens of netbooks Asus is showing, MSI seems to be focusing on fewer models with more unusual features. Here, for example, is its forthcoming "hybrid" Wind U115:



It may look unremarkable, but there's some interesting technology inside. It uses both a solid state  disk (SSD) and a hard disk, but the hard disk can be disabled at the push of a button. This gives you loads of cheap storage space when you want it, but allows you to save battery power when on the move. MSI claims a battery life of nine hours, and we expect it to cost around £400.

More unusual still is the X-Slim series notebook, which looks a little like a white plastic Macbook Air. We got our hands on an engineering sample to take some photos:



And here it is from the side (note the two USB ports - one more than the Air):



This new "X-Slim" range will initially include two models. The X340 pictured here will use an Intel Core Solo ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) processor and include an HDMI output, and is expected to cost around £800. The X320, however, will use an Atom processor and should come in at between £500 to £600, making it a potentially interesting choice for those who want a really thin and light notebook on a budget. The notebooks will be on shelves in May.

Like Asus, MSI is also creating low cost desktop PCs. Here's the Wind Top AE1900, with a 19" touch screen display, DVD writer and an Atom processor:



It should cost around £600 and will be available by the end of March. Several other models are in the works, including one without the touch screen (the AP1900) as well as 20" and 22" models. A 24" version could appear later this year. Slightly more unusual is this model, the Wind Box DE200:



It has a Blu-Ray drive, HD video output and runs Windows Vista Home Premium - making it an interesting Media Center PC. Expect it in May, but prices are not yet confirmed.

And there are many other interesting products tucked away around the show. Icy Box, makers of hard disk enclosures, was showing a few new media player products that support H.264 video:



This model, the IB-MP309-HW, should appear in March, while one with a slot that accepts a 2.5" hard disk caddy will follow in May. Over in another hall, Zotac have what must be one of the smallest PCs at the whole show:

Posted by Tom Royal on March 4, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Hannover's Cebit is the world's largest technology fair, and the place where manufacturers from the world over come to show off their latest and greatest products. Computeractive is there too, and today started trekking between the 26 (yes, 26 - our feet hurt already) exhibition halls of the Hannover Messe to find the latest and greatest products. Over the next few days we'll show you what to expect over the coming six months.

One of the most striking stands at the show belongs to Asus. The company is showing off a vast selection of Eee PC notebooks and Eee desktops, not all of which will be available in the UK. A few in particular caught our eye, though. First, the Eee PC 1000HE:

This looks similar to the Eee 1000, but with a new Macbook-like keyboard and a battery that, Asus claims, will run for 9.5 hours - perfect for a full day's work, a long flight or just if you tend to forget to plug your laptop in. It'll arrive in the UK in March, at a price yet to be confirmed.

Other interesting Eee laptops included a tablet:

And this newer, shinier, thinner netbook:

Aside from the mini laptops, Asus was showing off its Lamborghini notebook range - now available in a rather nice ivory white as well as gaudy yellow - and the Eee Keyboard, first shown at CES and now, unfortunately, locked safely away in a cupboard when we attempted to find and photograph it.

We spoke to Asus CEO Jerry Shen, who suggested an interesting future for the Eee computers encompassing both low-cost netbooks and more powerful and featured products.

"We will try to provide more value", he told us. "In the future, when the Eee Top, Eee Box and Eee Keyboard become more popular we will try to separate into two markets".

He denied, though, that the more powerful computers might outgrow the Eee name, saying that "the most important thing for the Eee is "easy"... ease of use is still the key. We still want to keep the soul of the Eee" [in the more featured computers].

One major focus of Cebit 2009 is the environnment, and one of the biggest displays in the "green" hall belongs to Fujitsu-Siemens computers, here to demonstrate its "zero watt PC" - a computer that, unlike most, draws zero watts of power when turned off. A demo unit was on display, complete with power meters for us to examine:

We switched it on and off a few  times and, as you can see, it seems to work quite well - that's the PC power meter in the middle. The zero watt PC will be available from July, in two versions - a desktop and a small form factor PC - at prices to be announced.

Away from computers, we spotted a few other interesting products. Synology, makers of network storage devices, were showing off this tiny NAS, designed to hold up to four laptop-sized hard disks:
That's the DS409 Slim, available in the UK from April. And finally for today, we caught up with Absolute Software. It'll be launching its laptop recovery system, LoJack for Laptops, in the UK in the next few months - it'll initially be sold online. The software buries itself in the computer's BIOS, calling home periodically and, if you report the laptop stolen, either wiping its contents or attempting to pass its location back to the company, and so to the police: Absolute told us it has a 75% recovery rate for stolen equipment using its business Computrace product.

We'll bring you more from the show over the next few days.

Posted by Tom Royal on March 3, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (7)