CEBIT 2006: Playthings for Geeks (and Humans) in Europe

Its that time of year again, when blossoms start to appear on the trees, the air begins to feel a little warmer, and the whole of Europe (and most of Asia) descends on the North-German city of Hannover for the annual CeBIT technology fair.

Among the highlights: soccer-playing robot dogs, gaudy laptops of all descriptions, blade servers that have escaped their racks and a 7-foot android that can mimic your every move.

This years running themes: recycling and other environmental issues, models in very short skirts handing out flyers and ... cars. If I hadn't been absolutely sure I'd gone to a tech exhibition, I'd have thought it was an auto show. it seemed like every company had brought along a car to show off. The bigger the company, the faster the car. Intel brought their Formula One showpiece and raffled off among other things an Asus laptop kitted out with their latest Centrino Duo chipset to the person who could correctly count the number of Intel logos on the vehicle.

So is this the new way to sell computer chips? In the hope that some of the cars' sex appeal will rub off on the nerdier end of the marketplace