Comdex Fall 2003: Day 3

Soon to be dust in the desert wind?

Yes, we are still at Comdex, while most of those who bothered to show up this year have already left, and we still managed to uncover some great stuff. However, most of what we saw and did for Day 3 was set apart from the exorbitantly priced booth space at the convention center and took place at peripheral hotel sites. So whether there will be a Comdex 2004 or not will largely depend on how deep-pocketed the show's organizers are.

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

This robot - yes robot - prototype we saw will go where you command it and video relay what it sees as you control it from anywhere over the Internet. The company, based in Beverly Hills, says working devices ready for sale will be available early next year. So, from the comfort of your office, hotel room or anywhere you have Internet access, you can command the robot to roam your house to make sure the cat is not dead or that you did remember to turn off the bathroom faucet this morning. What the robot, whose brain circuitry is based on a Via chipset, will NOT do is fetch you a beer as soon as you walk through the living room door. The designer, however, told THG that the engineering team will work on that essential function for any robot.