CeBIT in Hanover (Germany), it is still the largest computer trade fair worldwide, even with having shrunk in the past years — this year again with fewer exhibitors and fewer visitors. Some companies though have a CeBIT booth for the first time, like the Web gigant Google. Google has built a booth — and now have a guess what they are showcasing there: The search engine? Their online services? Google Earth? Not at all. They show something completely different — and you would be really surprised.

Google Streetview

Now it is not black limousines anymore rolling through the cities, but multicolor painted ones — let’s call them artworks. Much more elegant, true? Will this convince Google Streetview’s adversaries? Hardly, I’d say. A really strange booth, the Google one. Instead of showing products and telling people about the services, Google only does PR. Really surprising.

3D television

To make 3D television possible, everything has to be recorded differently. In 3D, that is. And the devices have to be 3D-ready as well, even computers that should show games in 3D. Well, honestly spoken, I don’t think this trend will succeed.

Subtleties of the Fraunhofer Institute

It is more interesting what the Fraunhofer Institute is playing around with. Namely, they are working on threedimensional objects literally hovering in the air – and that can be moved and directed by hand gestures. Kind of a hologram, somewhat like in the Minority Report movie. So that is what researchers are currently working on — very impressive.

Not much of news for normal computer users

For normal computer users, there are not really that many news on the trade fair. Microsoft presents the new Office 2010, that is, Word, Excel and Co. The main news with the new Office version: Soon we will be able to use the applications for free, as trimmed-down program versions on the Web. You will even be able to use Office with your mobile phone.

More information

• CeBIT 2010 – website (www.cebit.com)

On Monday, 1 March 2010, the world’s biggest IT trade-fair CeBIT starts in Hanover (Germany), with hopes for an upward trend in the high-tech sector.  It is officially opened by German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.  Spain is partner country of this year’s CeBIT.

Until Saturday, around 4,150 companies from 68 countries demonstrate their products and innovations.  Thus, after a hard decrease in the economy crisis year 2009, CeBIT continued to lose exhibitors.  Last year, the number of exhibitors had fallen to around 4,300 — from more than 5,800 companies in 2008.

On Tuesday, the trade fair opens for the public.  The Hot Topic of CeBIT 2010 is “Connected Worlds” — connecting our lives by using the Web.  More big topics includes the fast mobile Web, IT security, traffic telematics and Green IT.  There are also numerous congresses and special shows.  With CeBIT Sounds!, there is a separate music fair this year, connecting music and technology companies.

More information

• CeBIT 2010 (www.cebit.com)

“A business-only trade fair does not work anymore, that has come perfectly clear since two, three years,” Berg stated.  In the meantime, the trade fair has massively opened itself to new topics, included the consumer market.  “For us, CeBIT is a real pearl.”

For many innovations today, it is the private consumers that start innovations, before they are introduced in the business sector.  Berg mentioned the example of the growing market share of smartphones or communication channels like messaging, areas launched just by private users.  “CeBIT has understood that, we consider that to be extremely positive.”

For many years, the leading trade fair had tried to exclude consumer electronics, to get distinguished as business fair in the growing competition.  Once, even Sony have to remove their game console Playstation from the CeBIT booth, after Microsoft complained as they had been forbidden to demonstrate the Xbox.

In this year, the number of exhibitors has decreased again.  With 4,157 companies from 68 countries, the organizator has the lowest participation rate since 20 years.  However, the trade fair could gain some 300 new companies coming for the first time to Hanover, like Google and the online retailer Amazon.

Microsoft is going to present itself with 50 partners on the trade fair starting next week.  One of the absolute hot topics for the company is Cloud Computing in all variations.  Thereby, Microsoft showcases different solutions that store data in the Internet “Cloud” instead of on servers or computers.  Microsoft is also going to demonstrate its new operating system Windows 7 that had been contributing to the push of the PC sector since October 2009.

More information

• Microsoft Germany (www.microsoft.com/germany)
• CeBIT trade fair (www.cebit.com)
• MACHs Live (twitter.com/machslive)

In the past months, the search engine company sounded strong headwind. Germany’s Federal Minister for Consumer Protection Ilse Aigner talked about millions of burglaries into people’s privacy by Street View and called for massive protests against adding houses to the map data. Google has already received several thousand contradictions, Haller confirmed. However, he considers that a “relatively small number” compared to the number of houses added.

After a “flood of complaints from privacy advocates”, Google Germany offers the possibility to file a complaint against displaying houses and non-pixelated faces or car license plates even before they are published. Additionally, the raw data of these photos are deleted as well.

According to information by the German newspaper Hannoversche Allgemeine, Google is going to visit the IT trade fair CeBIT for the first time this year. Google’s decision to participate was taken very short-term. Three days ago, Google spokesman Stefan Keuchel had declared: “CeBIT is (sadly) not a topic this year.” Now, his colleague Kay Overbeck confirmed: “We have booked 100 m² in the Webciety hall to demonstrate Streetview. Not more and not less. Ergo, we’re participating.”