At this year's Cairo ICT, Nader Habib finds that an easier life is one click away "Know before you go," was the motto of this year's Cairo ICT, Egypt's annual international fair for information and communications technology. The focus was on products that make living in the future faster, easier and generally more exciting. Once you've figured out what you want to buy, and can afford it, sky is the limit. From super-organised offices to face-to-face phones, it was all there. In fact futuristic living is already happening. A cable company exhibited fibre- optic cables that could transmit not only the Internet, but television and telephone communications, a combination known as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). "We give developers designs of networks and then manufacture and supply them with all the cables and accessories needed to create a competent network capable of transmitting all three types of data," says Dina Hamedin, marketing specialist for Wl-Suweidi cable company. The company also has new electronic metres that can help save energy and water as well as simplify the payment procedure through the introduction of pre-paid cards. According to Hamedin, fibre-optic technology is three times as efficient as the old copper cables, more cost- effective, and quite efficient at long distances (more than 300 metres). Meanwhile, TE-Data has been developing several applications for house automation and control systems for lighting and other appliances. You can have hi-speed Internet, your favourite channels, as well as tele- presence, a service that involves video conferences, says TE-Data director Tamer Gadallah. For this to happen, you will need speeds of anything between 16 and 70 MB on your connection. It saves you money on travelling, of course, so much so that most users are businesspeople. But you can use the high connectivity to make video calls to other people with the same technology. Some of the new services can protect your house from theft and fire. Technology can alert you if someone tries to tamper with your locks or there is a sudden surge in temperature. And for old or sick people, a small device can help them get in touch with clinics when needed. Parents too can use the new technology to keep tabs on children. TE-Data offers a choice of safe Internet at home, a technology allowing every member of the family to have their own profile, giving parents the opportunity to keep up with what their children are up to. Sofian Abdel-Nasser of Ericsson Tunisia has several telephone and Internet applications designed for children and teenagers. The new products provide such basics as Facebook and various chat protocols on mobile phones, so that teenagers on the move can stay in touch. Abdel-Nasser says the new technology allows the user to operate more than one application at the same time. To prove his point, he starts playing a film while checking the Internet on the same LCD screen. Among the products on display are lighter and faster computers and an electronic board for classrooms. And when you need a break, you don't have to step outside. Exhibitors offer free videogames at the exhibition hall to keep the visitors from getting bored -- as if anyone possibly could.
