Technofile: Every year, Germany throws the biggest party for technology and gadgets in Europe. The CeBIT exhibition in Hanover is one of the best places to see what we will be carrying around in our back pockets over the next year or so.
Not unexpectedly, telecommunications were a focus this year, both mobile and non-mobile.
For one, Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is hot right now. Inventel, working with BT in the UK has created a DECT digital cordless phone for the home which connects to a PC and makes calls over the internet. Likewise Siemens produced the Gigaset S35 WLAN mobile, which makes calls over any wireless internet connection, in the home or out and about.
In addition, look out for a proliferation of GPS systems for PDAs and mobile phones which will display maps of where you are. Perhaps the most innovative is the Falk Activepilot service, will work with Java-based handsets such as those from Sony Ericsson and Nokia. It's basically just software which downloads to the mobile and acts like a GPS finder - without the inconvenience of having to carry around another piece of kit.
The rival GPS company TomTom - whose annoying robot-voiced navigation devices you will find in more expensive cars - launched TomTom Plus, which delivers real-time traffic and weather information via a TomTom device via a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.
But the usual array of gadgets are at CeBIT in force. Among them the MP-010, a 40GB hard disk-based portable media player from Sitecom at £174.99 (€251). While the DocuPen R700 - claimed to be the world's smallest A4 scanner - also made an appearance.
Showing off its new SCH-V770 seven mega pixel cameraphone - which would put to shame the average digital camera right now - was Samsung. It also highlighted its SGH i300 hard disk-based music phone. Look out Sony, here come the Koreans.
Due to debut in the second half of 2005, Samsung's SGH i300 is aimed fairly and squarely at Sony Ericsson and Motorola's attempts to become the iPod of the mobile phone world. A 3Gigabyte hard drive inside the phone means it will play about 60 hours of music, in MP3 or WMA formats. The 512MB memory from the Sony Ericsson Walkman phone looks a little puny by comparison. And like the iPod it has a scroll-wheel, on the side for easy navigation.
But CeBit is not just about phones. Dyson unveiled its innovative new take on the bagless vacuum cleaner in the shape of the mega-manoeuvrable Ball.
The Ball allows the cleaner to remain in contact with the floor at all times, even when zig-zagging around furniture.
There was no sign at CeBit of an official launch date for Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable), supposedly scheduled for launch in March, but frankly it's anyone's guess. Look for it at the end of June. Or later.
Also at CeBit are the kinds of products that are unlikely to see the light of day in Europe for a while. Like the Pantech concept phone from Korea which opens up to reveal stereo speakers underneath, making it a three-tiered phone. Korea is also a leader in Digital Multimedia Broadcasting, which is sending high-quality TV broadcasts to mobile phones.
At the show, Nintendo said it had a new console in the pipe-line, codenamed "Revolution". The system will work with GameCube games and have wireless connectivity.
In the world of TV and video, Kiss Technology launched a hard disk video recorder which can be programmed remotely over the internet or via a mobile phone so you'll never miss that show wherever you are. The DP-558 also features an integrated DVD recorder and a timeshift function enabling you to pause live TV.
But it almost wouldn't be a gadget column if we didn't mention the iPod. PodGear launched the PocketParty Shuffle, designed especially for Apple's Shuffle MP3 player. If that doesn't suit, there's always the Shuffle Station, a portable speaker system which will charge the iPod Shuffle at the same.
