Comdex gets down to business

This year's Comdex is a very different event from the gadget fests of yesteryear, with a much heavier emphasis on business.

The show floor opened today, following yesterday's pre-show keynote from Bill Gates. But while numbers are down, quality is up.

Seasoned Comdex-goers will enjoy more elbow room this year as the event has attracted 40,000 attendees, down from last year's 70,000, while exhibitors have shrunk from 900 to about 500.

The promoter, MediaLive International, has restricted public access, charging $100 for anyone who is not registered. In previous years it would have flung the doors open to increase the numbers.

MediaLive itself is new name, the result of former promoter Key3Media's emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year.

IBM, which pulled out of Comdex in the mid-1990s, is back at the show, if not with a stand, then at least with speakers. And Dell, absent for the past five years, has returned with a stand.

Siebel is a first-time exhibitor, with Tom Siebel delivering a keynote. Intel returns with a booth inside Microsoft's pavilion.

Industry pundits variously detect an increased software or channel focus. The Open Source and Linux session track has doubled in size to 20 panels; there is a channel-related track for the first time; and open source and solution providers have a far larger presence on the floor.

Among the scheduled launches is a wireless product from Canon's IT division. Computer Associates, Hewlett Packard and Samsung also plan launches at the show.