CeBIT 2007

On Saturday I took my annual trip to Hannover to visit the CeBIT trade fair. I just want to give my impressions what I have found to be interesting there.

Plasma TVs can have lower power consumption than LCD TVs

This is quite interesting since people still believe Plasma TVs have a high power consumption. However, in contrast to LCD TVs, which always have a constant power consumption (about 160-240 W, depending on the model), Plasma TVs can very in their consumption depending on the current image to display. If the image is very bright, e.g., a white screen or a snow landscape, Plasma TVs have a high power consumption (let’s say 200 W, depending on the model of course). But if the image is dark, e.g. black screen or a night scene in a movie, Plasma TVs consume very less than their maximum consumption (e.g., 60 W only). So, depending on your TV watching habits, a Plasma TV might even save energy compared to a LCD TV!

Mobile phones for older people become more usable and cheaper

I discovered a mobile phone which was especially designed for older people. The “emporiaLife” phone has larger buttons than usual phones, a large display that shows the dialed numbers much bigger, and a special emergency button, which you only have to press to get connected to a number you have previously defined (there can be up to five different emergency numbers). The device is dual-band, can send and receive SMS, and has included a flashlight. At the booth they told me the price will be about 200 Euros.

Car navigation devices get more functionality

There seems to be the trend to integrate a variety of functionality into car (or mobile) navigation devices. I have seen the integration of DVB-T TV or Bluetooth connection to mobile phones at several vendors. One example is Naviflash. Some interesting detail I have also discovered: Naviflash has a flexible bracket with some kind of “ground support” to stabilize the device when attached at the windshield.

Digital picture frames

A lot of vendors now offer digital picture frames, for instance Samsung and its SPF-07N. A digital picture frame displays a digital photo, similar as a normal “hard-cover” picture frame. But a digital picture frame can store several pictures and display them alternately, e.g., changing them periodically or at command. This might become a new big trend; at least if prices are acceptable.

“I’ll call you by trousers”

In the Future Parc, they showed (amongst others) smart textiles. These are clothes which integrate some digital functionality, usually control panels for electronic devices. Funny example: leather trousers with a control panel for a mobile phone. :-)