Ultramobile PCs attracted the biggest crowds at an electronics show in Shanghai over the weekend, although a secret exhibit marked “No Foreigners Allowed” also drew attention, at least of curious reporters.
The exhibit, which consisted of about 100 tables set up to show components and gadgets, was in an area of the conference walled off by 10-foot high white dividers.
“You must have a China ID to enter,” said one of four uniformed guards at the entrance, as he moved to block the view of a reporter.
The existence of such an area conjured up images of imitation iPods, Razr handsets and PlayStation 3 consoles. It’s easy to imagine such pirated gear in China, where DVDs of the new James Bond movie, “Casino Royale,” are already being sold in city streets for 6 Chinese renminbi (US$0.77).
It turned out to be less mysterious. A helpful local resident reported that the area had been set aside for military components, hence the enclosure.
What grabbed the most attention from Chinese visitors was an ultramobile PC display by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. That may have been due to the entertainment nearby as much as the devices themselves.
Samsung’s booth was next to a Korean exhibit that featured traditional dancing, Korean singers, and a Taekwondo exhibition where martial arts experts broke boards with leaping kicks, all of which drew people in for a look at the Q1.
Three of the devices were set out in Samsung’s booth, powered up and ready for action. The crowd around the exhibit was three deep for much of the show.
“I’ve never seen one. It’s small and cute, but it seems expensive,” one attendee said.
The Q1, which runs on a 900MHz Celeron processor from Intel Corp., retails in the U.S. for US$1099.
A manager at Samsung’s booth said a less expensive version of the device, the Q1B, was originally supposed to arrive in China in December, but it’s introduction there has been delayed. She declined to discuss the reason.
The main difference between the Q1 and Q1B is in the processor and the price. The Q1B carries a 1.0GHz C7 microprocessor from Via Technologies Inc and sells for $899.99 at Newegg.com.
Also notable at the event was the cancellation of a forum on creating a China-Taiwan standard for Mobile TV. The meeting was cancelled for no reason anyone cared to discuss. In an interview, Roger Liao [CQ], deputy director of international affairs at one of Taiwan’s biggest industry groups, the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA), said there has been a lot of talk about Taiwan and China teaming up to create industry standards for electronics products, but that no concrete actions have yet been taken by either side.
Cancelling the meeting was apparently another sign that work towards such standards has not gone smoothly.
The Shanghai electronics exhibition was a combination of three shows, the China Electronics Fair (CEF Shanghai 2006), the Asia Electronics Exhibition in Shanghai (AAES 2006), and the 2006 International Electronics Expo (IEE Shanghai 2006).
