TechXNY Preview: Consumers Lured, Too
Tablet PCs, PDAs, and all things wireless expected to highlight the show--along with the usual favorites.PCWorld.com Staff
NEW YORK--Attendees of the annual PC Expo/TechXNY here this week will notice some changes. The 20-year-old event is formally switching its name to TechXNY and is playing host to more consumer electronics gear than in the past.
TechXNY management is still emphasizing the business angle--and predictably, security products are among the introductions this week. However, many of the other highlighted product lines will interest consumers. While wireless and mobile technologies appeal to buinesspeople, they're cropping up in public places and drawing consumer use as well. The usual selection of notebooks, desktops, handhelds, and peripherals are suited for both work and home, and pundits are still waiting to see where Tablet PCs land in the market.
In some ways, the event is mimicking the annual Consumer Electronics Show, but without the breadth of CES, says Rob Enderle, an analyst with Giga Information Group.
"Increasingly, DVD decks are getting MP3 and now WMA support, and are coupled with DVD burners," he says, highlighting another consumer-interest area that is expected to be strong at TechXNY.
Tablet PCs, while new, are still in the early stages--and what's being shown is largely already known, Enderle says, calling such devices, "for the most part, little more than an interesting laptop variant." PDA applications are stalled a bit in anticipation of Palm's upcoming OS 5, he adds.
Several concurrent events are responsible for some of the new product types at TechXNY. Also running is DV Expo East, a professional digital video technology event that features video cameras and accessories, editing products, DVD authoring tools, and related seminars.
Another sibling show is Web Services Edge 2002 East, which focuses on online and enterprise services involving Java, XML, and.Net. Show owner CMP expects 40,000 attendees at the combined events at New York's Javits Convention Center.
Wireless Wonders
TechXNY is the site of one much-awaited debut: Microsoft's introduction of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, the operating system for tablet PCs. It is scheduled for release this fall along with a small fleet of tablet PCs currently in the works. Among the vendors planning to market tablet PC systems running the new OS are Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Fujitsu, ViewSonic, Acer, Paceblade, and Motion Computing. Many are expected to show their wares at TechXNY this week.
HP is separately planning a notebook extravaganza, along with a new push for wireless services. The company has unveiled new versions of its Evo, Presario, and Pavilion notebooks, as well as new Pocket PC models and plans for wireless nets.
HP is marketing both its wireless equipment and its consulting services to private corporations for internal use, as well as to government and business entities interested in establishing public wireless nets. Systems engineers will offer installation consulting, design the wireless nets, set up subscription services, and provide other services, says Michael Flanagan, manager of HP's worldwide wireless LAN solutions and programs.
Partnering with HP are Cisco Systems, IPass, Aptillo Networks, and Boingo Wireless.
A handful of vendors--including HP--are also showing notebooks powered by Intel's just announced 2-GHz Mobile Pentium 4 chips. Dell, Fujitsu, and Gateway are among the others expected to show notebooks bearing the new CPU.
Monitors Unveiled
A new flat panel vendor, AG Neovo, is unveiling LCDs aimed at both professionals and consumers that feature sleek, black designs. The company claims its patent-pending NeoV Crystal Optic Filter lets its monitors provide crisper text and clearer images than many LCDs.
The displays have analog, DVI, and S-Video inputs--which enable them to support LCD TV. Being shown are the X-Series models, led by the 17.4-inch X-174 TFT monitor, which has 1280 by 1024 resolution and an estimated retail price of $999.
The S-Series displays have TFT screens that range from 15 to 19 inches, with a resolution of 1024 by 768 or 1280 by 1024. Estimated street prices for S-Series models run from $549 to $1399.
The AG Neovo M-Series monitors include a built-in amplifier and speakers, plus analog, video, and USB inputs. Their 15-inch TFT active matrix screens have 1024 by 768 resolution; street prices start at $589. The value F-Series displays are available in either 15- or 17-inch TFT models and start at $429.
Other LCD monitors highlighted at TechXNY include new models from Sony and NEC-Mitsubishi.
For additional PC Expo/TechXNY product announcements and news, see PCWorld.com's ongoing coverage.
The IDG News Service contributed to this report.