Expo's high technology wows visitors
By Xie Jingwei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2004-05-25 16:42

The 7th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo, which opened in Beijing May 21, saw much more visitors than last year's event. Exhibition Hall 1, focusing on information, electronics and communications technology, attracted the most visitors.

-- Shougang's 'robot artists' in spotlight

Shougang Group showcased its two industrial robot "artistry" in hall 1.

Visitors expressed great interest in the two "robot artists" -- one of which was playing electronic keyboards while the other was writing Chinese characters. Although the former machine could only play very simple music and the latter spent 1.5 minutes on a single character, the duo, nevertheless, stole the show.

According to a Shougang engineer, the robots were in fact demonstrating six industrial functions, including welding, cutting and carrying.

The manufacturer, Shougang Motoman Robot Co Ltd, is China's first robot manufacturing and sales company.

-- Samsung's world-largest plasma TV debuts

Samsung also launched the world's largest plasma TV in Exhibition Hall 1 May 22. The TV features a superb resolution of 1920/1080 pixels, an 80-inch wide screen, high brightness (1,000 cd/sq) and a 2,000:1 contrast ratio.

In addition, the company showcased the world's largest LCD TV with high-definition imaging. Its resolution and contrast ratio are 1,920/1,080 pixels and 1,000:1 respectively. Company sources say the TV will go into production soon.

As the biggest participant at the event, Samsung also introduced several series of handsets, digital camcorders and color laser printers.

-- Sony Ericsson K700c camera phone unveiled

Sony Ericsson exhibited a 1.3-million-pixel handset for its China debut and its latest flagship K700c camera phone.

This marked the first time that the K700c hit the public sphere since its release. The camera phone features the latest in imaging, multimedia and entertainment functions, as well as rich advanced messaging and connectivity technologies. The K700c is unique in design, with one functioning as a digital camera and the other, as a telephone.

-- Beijing 'Digital Family' project

An exhibition area featuring nearly 30 computers in hall 1 attracted many families.

The "Digital Family" project was initiated by the Beijing Municipal Government.

It will entail the construction of 100 new "Digital Family" training centers in communities to provide short films about basic computer skills.

To date, some 40 training centers have been set up in the capital city.