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Last Updated: Monday, 22 March, 2004, 09:49 GMT
Gadget snapshots from Cebit
Armed with a cameraphone and a wi-fi enabled PDA, BBC News Online's Jon Kossmann picks out the latest gadgets on offer at the giant Cebit technology show in Germany.

FRAUNHOFER 3D SCREENS

3D screen
The institute responsible for the MP3 format has moved on to the third dimension, bringing a plethora of 3D hardware including this incredible screen which displays a 3D image without the need for special glasses.

A camera at the top tracks the position of your eyes to create the effect.

IS IT A CAMERA, IS IT A PHONE?

Sony Ericsson S700
Here is an example of why the manufacturers of digital cameras are starting to get worried - the new Sony Ericsson S700 with a 1.3 megapixel camera.

They are calling these handsets "Dual Front", as one side looks like a mobile and the other like a camera.

I am sure that by the end of the year they will have broken the 3 megapixel barrier on the mobile phone.

THAT'S WHAT I CALL HANDY

MPx from Motorola
The Motorola MPx fits snugly in the palm of the hand. An incredibly versatile Pocket PC device with tri-band GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth and Wi-fi all built in.

It will run the soon to be released Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which has the ability to support landscape or portrait usage. Expected to be available around autumn this year.

MICROSOFT GETS CREATIVE

Portable Media Center
Here is the pocket multimedia player we have heard so much about recently. Sporting a 20 or 40 GB hard drive, this beauty can store and play all your pictures, music files and video files, (in Windows WMV format).

The screen is gorgeous and it is a lot lighter than I expected. This one is going to be a hit until Apple take their iPod into the video/image world.

POCKET CONVERGENCE

USB pocket drive
Everything really is getting smaller and smaller, while at the same time more and more powerful.

At Cebit, there are USB flash memory sticks of every description.

This one, which caught my eye, combines MP3, Mpeg-4 video and an MP3 player in one small device.

VIRTUAL LASER KEYBOARD

Virtual keyboard
This ingenious device connects to a Pocket PC, Palm or Windows device and projects a keyboard on any flat surface using a laser. You can then type using the virtual keys.

It was very responsive and accurate when I tested it, but a shame it does not use Bluetooth to connect to the device. It should be available in the autumn.

VIRTUAL ENGINEERING

Siemens headset
Siemens shows off more 3D hardware, which as well as providing a heads up display of what you are looking at, actually recognises the component in view, then displays information on it to the headset display.

Audi also has shown some recognition devices to help their engineers look like cyber-cyclists too.

CELEBRITY TWINS

Facial recognition
Swedish company, Softhouse, has come with a fun application where you can send a picture to their server by MMS and it then uses facial recognition to match your face with a celebrity.

Apparently I'm an 81% match with Brendan Fraser. Obviously, it's him that looks like me, not the other way round.

FLIP AND CLICK

Mobile from NTT DoCoMo
New mobiles of all shapes and sizes competed for attention at Cebit.

The hall was buzzing with talk of new picture phones, 3G handsets and data phones.

This cameraphone from the people behind Japan's i-Mode service, NTT DoCoMo, comes with a snazzy twist-flippable display.

WHERE AM I?

Cebit guide on gadget
The organisers of Cebit know their visitors. With most of them, like me, armed to the teeth with gadgets, they provide a show guide with maps and info for just about any device you could wish to arrive with.

Invaluable for this, the world's largest technology trade fair.

POCKET GIGAHERTZ

Small motherboard
VIA Technologies, responsible for the Mini-ITX motherboard, which is only 17cm x 17cm, are about to launch the Nano-ITX. This one is only 12cm x 12cm in size and has a 1GHz processor built-in.

Along with built-in Ethernet networking, USB and TV-out, it is sure to be a hit with those wishing to downsize their systems. It also has hardware Mpeg-2 and Mpeg-4 decoding with 3D graphics support.




SEE ALSO:
Showcase for future of mobiles
18 Mar 04  |  Technology
Gadgets galore on show at Cebit
17 Mar 04  |  Technology
Microsoft eyes video in the hand
18 Mar 04  |  Technology


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