- report done by Douglas Lam Wai Ching
- photos digitally taken by Jackie Lee Choon Yau
Left
to Right : Some members of SOG goes public !!!
AI-EN Booth
@ PCShow 98 : |
Welcome onboard SOG PC SHOW-98! For those who have missed the show for whatever reason, this is your chance to go back to the future with us. And for those who have been there, do view our Show report to see if you have missed anything on that day. Here we go!
The PC show was held in World Trade Center from 25/6 to 28/6. Being members of the SOG, we felt that we had a responsibility to provide first hand information to our supporters and fellow Singapore internet surfers. And so, we were there on the opening day of the show. And now on with the show...
At the entrance, the first thing that caught our attention was a titanic-sized Pentium II processor.(The one behind us) Sorry to disappoint you, but it is only a prop and not the latest processor from Intel. However, we witnessed a person putting the final touch to the prop (putting a final coat of black paint) hmm... some type of remarking of CPU in process? ha ha...
When we stepped inside, a crowd was already present. After a brief stroll around the whole exhibition hall, we realized that the show was not a particularly large one. In fact, only 3/4 of the hall was utilized. Most booths were hosted by major computer makers. However, this did not mean that there was nothing new to be discovered. This below show the order of booths that we browse during the show. |
IPC Booth @
PCShow 98 :
Please do not be mistaken about
the crowd for I specially ask
Douglas and Jerome to stop the crossing traffic to get a clear picture for
you.
Intresource
Booth @ PCShow 98 :
One of our proud sponsors are also
here on show. Showing off their
TeraSound PCI Sound Cards and NEC LCD Monitors.
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First of all, we were fascinated by a display by NEC. It was a 20" active matrix, thin film transistor(TFT), liquid crystal display (LCD) for desktops. Being curious, we asked for the selling price. It was expensive -- even the salesperson commented. A price tag of $11,880 ! Well, it seems very unlikely that this will be showing up in our homes in the immediate future. |
Next, we went round the hall to capture a
few more booths. They mostly specializes
in package PCs for home users. Nothing really caught our attention
until..................
MITAC Booth @ PCShow 98 : Selling package PCs.
dyne Booth @ PCShow 98 : Selling package PCs.
ACER Booth @ PCShow 98 : Selling package PCs. (sorry for the darkness)
COMPAQ Booth @ PCShow 98 : Selling package PCs.
Hewlett Packard Booth @ PCShow 98 : Selling package PCs.
.............. we arrived at the Creative booth. It was one of the largest booth around and there was an abundant sets of computer systems set up to flaunt their latest products. And as usual, they had live demonstrations and presentations going around the clock. Three new products from Creative caught our attention. One was the Sound Blaster Live -- a newly developed sound card that boast the creation of a real-world audio environment, better known as Environmental Audio technology. In order to accomplish this experience, more than 2 speakers are required. This is because most 3D audio solutions only try to emulate the 3D effects with the use of 2 speakers. This is fine as long as the user keeps his head fixed, looking straight at the monitor. But when the listener turns his head (naturally when realistic 3D effects are used), 3D emulation with 2 speakers fails. |
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5.1 Surround Sound
System |
7.1 Surround Sound
System |
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Creative Booth @ PCShow 98
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We were given a demonstration by one of the friendly staff of Creative. It was amazing. The Environmental Audio technology was really incredible. Even in such a noisy environment, distinctively we heard a virtual music source going in a clockwise direction as we moved the speaker icon clockwise using the mouse. This would definitely add a new dimension in 3D gaming experience in the future, we thought. Imagine playing Unreal using such technology. You could hear screams coming from the left rear in a far distance and getting nearer and nearer, and if you turn your head around to face the source, it will still be "in-your-face". |
However, as for now, we are sad to say that no game has support for this cutting-edge technology right now (as told by the technical sales representative). Of course, we can all be pretty sure that games will be written to capitalize this feature in the near future. . Top developers who have signed up to support Creative's Environmental Audio Extensions(EAX) include Accolade, Bungie, GT Interactive's Epic Games and Fox Interactive Another new product from Creative is the Sound Blaster PCI 128 sound card. For readers who are familiar with Creative's Sound Blaster series, the name should tell the basic features of this card. It is a PCI card that has 128-voice (wave-table). Additional features include the support for a 4-speaker system for Real 3D Audio, localized 3D Sound technology that expands the spaciousness of sound in a traditional 2-speaker system, and the ability of choosing between 2MB, 4MB and 8MB sample banks for quality music reproduction using host memory.
Lastly, the Modem Blaster Flash 56 from Creative. It is a 56k BPS internal data/fax modem with voice mail and speaker phone plus video conferencing-interface (V.80). It also includes a Sound Blaster Interface for an incredible sound experience. It has most of the standard specifications that can be found in other modems. After a visit at the Creative booth, we can see the evolution of Creative. From a company that just manufactures sound cards, it has added video cards, 3D graphic cards and modems to its family of products. Overall, being at the PC Show 98 was a great experience for us. As you can see the show mainly only focus heavily on Home PC and a debut of new Creative products. Nothing really spectacular for hardcore overclockers. Thank for coming with us on this back to the future trip back to the PC Show 98 for those who have missed. Hope you have enjoyed the trip. Do stay tuned with SOG to bring you the summary of future PC exhibitions. This is your Pilot, Douglas saying good bye!
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