What to Expect at Comdex Next Week

Comdex, the 500 pound gorilla of IT trade shows, kicks off in Las Vegas on Monday and Palm and its licensees will be very much in evidence. Look for wireless products to be at the center of everything, including wireless Web access and networking.

The big news is likely to be a debate on Monday between executives from Palm and Microsoft over who makes the better handheld. In addition, Palm will be showing off its new portal based on technology it got by buying Anyday.com and the Mobile Internet kit. Handspring will be spotlighting the Xircom SpringPort modem and a GPS receiver from Magellan. Sony will be showing off the multimedia abilities of the Clié, including the winners of the first Palm movie festival.

Various Palm software development companies will also be there showing off their products and we can expect a flurry of announcements during the week.

There has been a rumor in circulation for a few months that Palm will release a color Palm VII at Comdex. This seems unlikely but isn't outside the realm of possibility.

Certainly, "wireless" will be the buzzword at Comdex. Lots of companies will be showing off prototypes of Bluetooth-related products that won't ship until the middle of next year. Hopefully, some of them will be for Palms. The Springboard phone modules will also get lots of attention.

If you are going to be there, you might consider subscribing to the ZDNet Comdex To Go channel on AvantGo. It offers a complete exhibitor list, including their booth numbers; latest details on the keynotes; complete conference schedules; and news.