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The City Lights Reporter

 Online News Journal

November 2002 -Volume 6 Issue 4

Day - 4
Microsoft Exhibit

This is the third in a series of reports from COMDEX Fall 2002. Comdex

 is arguably the biggest convention in the world. All this week I have been posting reports from this major tech event with the hope of encouraging more of us to participate in industry trade shows. I've been observing with an afrocentric eye and interviewing people of color that I met on the

convention floor for the purposes of highlighting the opportunities that can be found and the contacts that can be made at shows like Comdex.

I want to thank all those that have been sending in e-mails of support and encouragement. This weekend I will be writing my finial summary of Comdex and promise to touch on all the questions that were sent

in, like what was the hottest exhibit, who had the latest and the greatest, and where can I find ....  Seeing that this report centers on Microsoft, the

biggest exhibitor in Comdex, it is a little long but well worth the read.

Now as promised in my last report (Day 2), I got up early on Wednesday and headed straight for the Microsoft exhibit area on the convention floor. My strategy was this ... I would let all the major press go ahead on Monday and Tuesday, that way I would have the rep's full attention and they would be better prepared for me on Wednesday ..... NOT.  The Microsoft media and marketing representatives on the convention floor

really "Dropped the Ball" this year. Now I promised two of the nicest, most intelligent, charming, sisters that ever worked for Microsoft, that I would not rake their employer over the coals, so I'm not going there

today. All I will say is, "it's a shame when bystanders in your exhibit area know more about your product then you do". Now let me stand up to my

promise .. <smile> .. as the old folks say; If you can't say nothing good, don't say nothing at all.

All in all, there were some excellent Windows   For more information on job opportunities at Microsoft contact Pam at pamy@microsoft.com or Charlotta at cgig@microsoft.com. They are looking for people with

vision, intelligence and tech experience more than then they are certification and degrees. But don't be no fool, Microsoft is a very competitive environment to work in and as a minority we need every advantage we can get ... Please stress your certifications, specialized training, degree or anything else you have earned that entitles you to a leg up above the competition when you contact them. Remember a closed mouth don't get fed.

As I said in my first report, Bill Gates is cooking on all burners. Everything from Microsoft is interconnected, interoperable and mobile. Take the X Box for example, it has one of the most powerful processors on any gamming unit and when tied into the MS Media Center can be played on your living room big screen and recorded to DVD. I like the Voice over IP technology that allows you to talk mess to your opponent when playing over the Internet (imagine an online Spades game). Once you have upgraded to Windows XP you have the capability of WiFi (802.11g) access to any SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology) enabled device in your home; access to your Bluetooth enabled laptop, printer, Pocket PC, or smart phone; and a 14" portable "Smart Display" monitor that allows you to pick up your computer and walk.

We have all seen the previews and highlights of the many ultra light Tablet PC's that are about to hit the market. The thing that takes mobile computing to the next stage is not the memory and power of a full PC, nor the design and functionality of a legal size yellow tablet. But the new liquid paper and character recognition technology that Microsoft has developed. For any business that now has employees walking around with notepads in their hand, they will soon have a digital, network connected, software solution to simplifying their production and increasing their productivity. You sign it in at the warehouse docking bay and seconds later its automatically in the salesmen's Tablet PC complete with multimedia presentations and all. Microsoft had a wide variety of second party .Net partners and vendors on display such as Kinko's showing of the advantage of real time mobile printing and copying on the go with .Net enterprise solutions.

In answer to RE Ausetkmt (ThinkTank and History Notes e-groups) question about backwards compatibility of Microsoft products, I was given the following instructions for Windows XP. All you have to do to open and run an old application like Office 95 Word or Excel, is to locate the execution file (.exe) in your Explorer window and right click it. Then in your properties window you will see a drop down screen under compatibility that asks what mode you want XP to run in (95, 97, NT). Also another reader asked; where they could find development tools and software.  Simply go to www.microsoft.com and run a search for Infoweb - production tools. For research and authoring information Microsoft maintains a complete online library at their resource center.

Every year Microsoft sponsors the most anticipated and exclusive off-site reception/party at Comdex. The only way you can get into this food, drink and gift extravaganza is to show a working Pocket PC at the door. Yes that's right, "Club Pocket PC" the Comdex legend, lived up to their reputation again this year.  They gave away T-shirts, hats, flashlights, PDA accessories and much, much more. As always, Microsoft spared no expense. Club Pocket PC is a traveling road show sponsored by Microsoft and Pocket PC magazine (www.pocketpcmag.com) intended for fans of Pocket PC to see the latest and greatest in accessories such as GPS cards, printers, voice recognition add-ons and more.

This was the most African-American filled event I attend all week; every brother at Comdex must own a Pocket PC. It seems like when you mix free food and high tech gadgets, we will turn out. High above the Las Vegas strip this year's event was held in the Sky Ballroom of Baileys, hotel and casino to a standing room only crowd of happy PDA owners. Speaking of PDA's let me introduce you to Leslie Dotson, a senior Product Manager with Targus Group International (www.targus.com). Dotson is involved in developing and marketing accessories for PDA and notebook products. He's a very sharp brother and up on his game. When we we're kids every lunch box featured our favorite TV star or sports personality. Mr. Dotson is the go to man if you would like to suggest afrocentric add-on concepts for Toshiba, Compaq/IBM, or Sony portable devices. He is open to new ideas and looking for the next big add-on for consumer personalization. He can be reached at ldotson@targus.com.

And for those that are always putting down our Black youth, the number one success story (bar none) was the announcement "Rocket Scientist Places Satellite Communications Inventions With 18-Year Old Venture Capitalist in Las Vegas During COMDEX". Farrah Gray, 18-year-old, Chairmen and CEO of NE2W Venture Fund, founded his Wall Street based company ten years ago when he was ... well do the math and watch your mouth hit the floor. Gray's resume exceeds three pages touting his extraordinary accomplishments that have been the focus of special CBS, NBC and FOX television reports.  Farrah Gray is a sought-after motivator on the speaking circuit. He commands thunderous applause from audiences (young and old) nationwide and is offered upwards of $10,000 for a single lecture by sponsors. Gray has received proclamations and recognition from many federal, state and city governments. The United Way has selected Gray for a three-year term as the youngest member of the United Way Board of Directors. For further information, visit www.FarrahGrayFoundation.com or www.Reallionaire.com book website. All my day-trading friends should keep an eye on this young "Mover & Shaker".

Well it's that time again and I have to go. Let me once again, give a big shout out to all my readers and supporters, who have been feeding me positive emails of encouragement and support. Its good to know somebody out there is listening. In particular, let me recognize the National Urban League newsgroup "Urban Leaders" my friends in D.C. at the DCEntrepreneurs and Black techs in the DimeList at Yahoogroups, The Association of African American Web Developers (AAAWD)

and especially all the members and tech community leaders that make up the 40 chapters and online

yahoo/e-group community of the BDPA (Black Data Processing Association).  Comdex is over today but I will be working over the weekend on a finial summary that will touch on all the highs and lows of this week. I will be publishing that finial overview and pictures next week to not only my

online journal "The City Lights Reporter" (www.citylightssoftware.com) but to AOL, BlackTechMagazine.com, TheBlackWebPortal.com, BlackVoices, BlackMenInAmerica.com and the BlackCommentator.com. Keep those emails coming and tell your friends about this series of reports.

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