More Distributors, BRS, Spire, Conclusions
NEC were showing off their LCD screens by way of a V8 Supercars challenge.
PQI were there, represented by their distributor Golden Leaf Technology. PQI are quite well known as a manufacturer of value and server memory, but they have a new range of "PQI Turbo" modules, aimed at overclockers. One particularly noteworthy thing is that, instead of the more common aluminium heatspreaders, theirs all use nickel-plated copper in a variety of reflective metallic finishes.
 
These fingerprint readers from Bio Recognition Systems were interesting. For a start, it's a completely Australian owned company, and the products are designed and produced here - although production will apparently move to China as volumes go up. On the left below we have the older more conventional system, and on the right a demo rig of the new, smaller system. It's weatherproof, simple to use and comes in a complete retail pack ready for installation for only a few hundred dollars. Interestingly, it scans the fingerprint using RF, so you can have paint on your finger or even scuff off your fingerprints and it will still read the print below the surface. It also checks the fingerprint for a pulse, which eliminates the use of a gelatin model or a severed finger. Apparently they're widely used in prisons and for clock-on, clock-off worker management systems, not just access control.
 
It's not often I come across a company I've never heard of before, but these MetalWare branded components (imported by Impact Systems) were news to me. Apparently they're from a "large ODM/OEM company" based in Hong Kong which is now branding its own products.
 
Anyway, they had a full range of motherboards, video cards and some interesting cases, not the least of which is the tiny MiniITX one at right below.
 
Computeck had quite a few components on display, including these cases and a range of NEXGEN video cards, again a brand I haven't encountered before.
 
PCI Case Group were present again this year. I generally associate these guys with rackmount and server cases, but they did have some enthusiast-level ones this time, including the one at right below, where the front panel slides neatly out of the way down the side of the case.
 
Spire had a fairly small stand, with a few new coolers but nothing too revolutionary. At right below, from left to right, we have the latest incarnation of the venerable WhisperRock, the V model, followed by the KestrelKing V for A64 and the DiamondCool with heatpipes for P4 CPUs. The unusual fan seen on all of them features arms raised above the fan blades to reduce noise.
  
One thing that did catch my eye was this wooden mock-up of a case design for them by Pininfarina, more commonly associated with the design of Italian sportscars than PC cases. They also had a new prototype PSU, which presumably will have a focus on silence, so might be worth keeping an eye out for.
I don't have any pics for this last company because they were packing up early as I arrived, but they're worth a mention. Neurom are an Australian company that produce multimedia help for various applications. For example, instead of deciphering cryptic MS Word help pages, you can watch a short video of the thing you're trying to do. They have packages for a range of software and make custom video help for custom software. With over 600M installed copies of Microsoft Office it's a huge market, and in fact the reason why they were packing up early was they'd organised so much new business that day that they were tired out! Good on them, it's nice to see a small Australian company doing well.
Conclusions:
So, there you have it. It's no Computex, but I definitely came away more impressed than previous years. Twice the size of last year, and with an entire hall dedicated to hardware, there was plenty to catch my eye. A huge number of international exhibitors shows the growing confidence in the show. Here's looking forward to next year! Note to self: start at Hall 4, not Hall 1, that's where the hardware is.
PS: Freebies and booth babes? There were plenty of both.. but in order to enjoy them, you'll just have to go to the show, won't you? :)
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