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What caught our eye at CeBIT 2009

Interesting exhibits at this year's CeBIT technology show included secure VoIP software for Android, the latest Eee PC netbook and MSI's Winki dongle
By David Meyer, Contributor
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1 of 5 David Meyer/ZDNET

This year's CeBIT technology show was a more trimmed-down affair than the usual extravaganza, as evidenced by the spartan nature of the Green IT section, pictured above.

This does not mean, however, that there was nothing worthwhile on display. Over the following pages, ZDNet UK presents some of the more interesting items being exhibited in Hanover, Germany.

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2 of 5 David Meyer/ZDNET

Pictured above is a network communication device, the Secbox Rabbit, that was designed by the Hungarian security company Navayo Technologies. Designed to be inserted into a laptop's ExpressCard slot, the device enables a private virtual network for secure VoIP communication.

That same functionality can also be enabled in mobile phones using various kinds of operating system. A few weeks before CeBIT, Navayo introduced a mini-SD card for handsets running on the Android operating system, allowing users to implement secure communications through Google's OS.

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3 of 5 David Meyer/ZDNET

Huawei used CeBIT to show off its E182E mobile broadband dongle, the manufacturer's first to use the new HSPA+ communications standard.

The dongle is theoretically capable — depending on network conditions and other factors — of data transfer at up to 21Mbps on the downlink and 5.7Mbps on the uplink. HSPA+ is currently being trialled by operators such as Vodafone, as an interim measure before the long-term evolution (LTE) of 3G, or so-called '4G', becomes a reality.

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4 of 5 David Meyer/ZDNET

MSI had an intriguing product on show. Winki is a lightweight, instant-on, Linux-based operating system on a dongle that plugs into one of MSI's motherboards.

The manufacturer claims that bundling the Winki dongle with the motherboard provides faster start-up times than embedding the OS in the motherboard's Bios — an approach that has been taken by other manufacturers such as Asus.

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5 of 5 David Meyer/ZDNET

Asus used CeBIT to introduce the Eee PC 1008HA, the latest of many models in its line of netbooks.

The so-called 'Seashell' Eee PC has a glossy, pearlescent cover, and is only one inch thick. It also uses an Asus-specific shortcuts menu on top of Windows XP, to provide easy access to key applications.

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