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Great gadgets at CeBIT

Posted by timothy on from the bank-accounts-prepare-to-die dept.

janeko writes: "CeBIT is propably the largest techno/gadget exhibition in Europe. Every year there is great news of new gadgets and this year is no different. A company from Israel called VKB has created a vitual keyboard that can be displayed, using a laser, on almost any surface. Connect it to your PDA and use your kitchen table as a keyboard. Talking of surfaces, Olympia has created sound device called Soundbug that uses any hard surface as a speaker. Again, attach this to your PDA and kitchen table and enjoy your mp3's. News.com has more." Soundbug was also mentioned in this earlier story; what other gadgets from CeBIT are worth talking about this year?

5 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Cebit was kind of boring this year by cipset · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Ok , besides the fact that it is the biggest IT fair in the world, not Europe as stated, Cebit this year was pretty boring.

    I don't think we need gadgets now, but software and applications for this gadgets. From this point of view it was really dissapointing.

    And I am sorry to say but what really impressed me was Visual Studio .NET and their Web Services on .NET framework. I am really no Microsoft fan, but others still have a long way to develop such tehnologies.

  2. Re:Wraparound fabric keyboard for PDAs by bje2 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    i agree with the vaporware assessment...has anyone checked out the VKB Web Site??? it seems a little lite on information or any actual content...in fact, the only thing there seems to be of any detail is bios of the management and the board of directors...i almost expected it to be one of those fake SEC investment sites...

    --

    "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
  3. Re:Ergonomics? by ricardo2c · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, you may end up with a much better keyboard! If you use a cushioned surface, I don't think you'd get painful fingers. Just don't punch the table! _touch_ it... Besides, with a laser printed keyboard, I could change the key designs the way I want. "Hey, I'm in the mood for a ergo-keyboard now! Separate and twist'em keys!" Or even an expanded keyboard, with as many extra keys as you wish. Sliders. BIG buttons. Piano-keys. Whatever!

    --
    --Drake 2c
  4. Re:Why don't you... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    That is not the official CEBIT website. Moderators, fulfill your duty. The real thing is http://www.cebit.de/.

  5. All the laser displays Iv'e seen.. by RandomInAction · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ..flicker at a frequency seemingly tuned to create horrible headaches. If this thing is real you couldn't use it for more than a few minutes, before having an epileptic fit. Increasing the refresh is not a simple thing, needing more than one laser/mirror combo. It's the mirror that draws the image, the laser remains still in most designs. Unless MEMS tech has vastly improved since last night, this seems to be an investor black hole.