Government Computer News
Live with the Lab: FOSE Review
Lloyd Batzler - GCN moderator::
Welcome to today’s Forum. The 27th FOSE show wrapped up yesterday at the new Washington Convention Center. The show is produced by Post Newsweek Tech Media, the parent of Government Computer News and Washington Technology.
We welcome your questions and comments on the show and will get some feedback from three GCN folks who spent hours on the show floor, in conferences and in meetings with vendors and government executives.
So, Tom, Carlos and John, let’s start with your impressions.
John Breeden: I was very impressed with the size of FOSE this year. It was 100,000 square feet. That is the largest I have seen it I think. And unlike Comdex, which is about four times as large, at FOSE everything is government focused. At every meeting I attended (and I had one every 1/2 hour of the show for the entire time) I was treated to some really government-centered technologies that can really help the government. All in all, I think this year FOSE was the biggest and best I have seen.
Carlos Soto: I felt like I was in Vegas in November for Comdex. I thought the show was impressive, the vendors diverse and detailed and the convention center enormous.
Tom Temin:
This was our biggest FOSE in many years, both in floor space and attendance. It is evidence of the vibrancy of the government IT market and also to the innovative energy in the supply base. That's one of the things I love about trade shows. A given industry, collectively, can show a remarkable degree of responsiveness to its customers' demands of the moment. In our case, those demands include homeland security solutions, wireless communications and more economical ways to pack in computing power. So you saw all sorts of technical answers.
I think when you add in the conferences and education sessions, FOSE also showed how much the management of technology and the deployment are so closely intertwined.
Toronto, Ontario: I have been researching the ix104 Rugged Tablet PC from Xplore Technologies Corp., distributed by Symbol. Have you tested this product and what are your results? What is the most rugged Tablet PC that you have tested? Thank you.
Carlos Soto:
Although the specs point to this being the most rugged tablet PC available, I know other companies are in the works at releasing rugged tablets as well that may give the Symbol a run for their money.
We haven’t reviewed it yet but rest assured it’s on our ‘to do’ list.
John Breeden: Rugged tablet PCs are going to be big I think. The best in show winner for the New Technology Awards was a rugged tablet from Panasonic. They really need to be rugged because of the way the screen is always exposed. I saw an Eizo monitor at the show that could be put into a tablet. They put Plexiglas for the screen instead of normal glass. If you use standard rugged techniques and then put a solid screen on it, you have a rugged system even in the vulnerable tablet form factor. I am looking forward to testing some in the lab.
Chicago, IL: When will FOSI be section 508 compatible, so I can sit at my desk in Chicago and visit all the booths and educational seminars, and not have to travel to Washington, DC? -kmk-
Tom Temin: That's a good question. The new D.C. convention center is certainly compliant with all the latest in accessibility requirements--and the public areas and doors are wide. Unfortunately, trade shows are inherently in-person oriented. People come to see, touch and feel the technology, and get a measure of the people and companies behind them. Shows like FOSE are also tribal gatherings, so to speak, where the community comes together and interacts. But I do see the merit in someday having an online version of the booth content. I'm sorry you couldn't be with us--but there is lots of coverage on the GCN and Washington Technology Web sites!
Washington, DC:
Do you have testimonials from federal agencies on their experiences with Asset Management Systems (AMS)?
I'm in the process of gathering requirements for an AMS and need information on development/implementation issues with deploying AMS in federal government.
Please advise.
Kenji Brown Technical Liaison Dept of Labor, BLS
John Breeden: I did not get a chance to see PeopleSoft this year, which I believe is the leader in that field. Not sure if they were at the show.I did see some interesting technologies that let people communicate across modules, which is a component of asset management and also some security solutions. But no, I don’t have any type of testimonial like you are looking for.
Carlos Soto: Good question. Unfortunately, I was concentrating on security and didn't look into AMS or gather any testimonials.
Lloyd Batzler - GCN moderator: John, there were more than 100 products entered in the GCN Best New Technology products awards this year. What was the best of show, and why?
John Breeden: There were so many good products at the Technology Awards this time. As mentioned, the Best in Show went to a rugged tablet from Panasonic. It won because it took advantage of the tablet form factor, but did not have the same vulnerability problems as all other tablets. That is the one thing the feds who were at my tablet forum wanted to see, a rugged unit. Panasonic came through for them.
DC: What does FOSE stand for? I asked around and nobody knows. Can this be a trade show with a fake name? If so, it's the only one.
John Breeden: I think it used to stand for Federal Office Systems Expo. I am not sure why they dropped the name, but it no longer stands for anything. The Post, our parent company, described it pretty good in a story. They said it rhymes with posse -- and does not stand for anything.
Tom Temin: The Office Systems Expo is a very old title. It has been simply FOSE for at least 15 years. Just one of those things--like who is John Gault.
Greenbelt, MD: When are digital projectors going to come down in price? I mean the way PC prices really dropped? Our office has such a limited budget.
Tom Temin:
Digital projectors, with which our lab guys have a lot of experience, vary widely in capability and application. The low-end, portable ones mayu not have come down as much as PDAs and the like, but they are a lot better in terms of reliability and even light output than a few years ago. The high-end units for large conference room and professional presentations are still expensive. The computer component in them is a small part of the overall cost when you consider the light generation, cooling and lens systems.
I also wonder why A/V gear in general is so expensive. Let me tell you about my son's new bass amplifier...
Carlos Soto: Good question. They're expensive because the demand, although increasing, isn't as profuse as the need for PC's in the work place. As newer DLP friendly software comes out and they gain in popularity, I think you can see the price sliding a bit, but I wouldn't hold my breath. They're now where LCD's were three years ago. I suspect in three years they'll be more affordable.
John Breeden: The projectors in our last DLP roundup had really dropped in price. The Dell DLP projector, the 320MP was only $2,199. That may seem like a lot, but a year ago a DLP would run you $4,000 and would not even be functional in a brightly-lit room. I expect to see the prices continue to drop, but probably in smaller amounts.
Union Station: Was there a break-out product there or some area where everyone seemed to be at throughout the show?
Tom Temin: Anything having to do with enterprise architectures was packed. The reseller booths looked busy. The e-town pavilion was consistently busy, too.
Carlos Soto: Anything with security also took the cake at FOSE. Saf Link attended their first FOSE and appeared to have a big turn out with they're biometric solutions software.
John Breeden: I thought the homeland security "village" was a nice touch. It seems anything to do with security was a big hit. Even products that were not security focused had to have a security element to be popular this year.
Alexandra, in D.C. for FOSE: I think the most exciting product at FOSE was ther people mover! The Segway. Did you IT gurus hop on one on the FOSE show floor and if so, how do you think it will transform government computing:)
Tom Temin: It might transform government comMuting, if not comPuting. Can't say as I have personally hopped on one, but those folks out on Virginia slug lines might consider Segways. On a lot of mornings, they'd be faster than the traffic. As long as you don't mind getting wet and cold.
Carlos Soto: I wasn’t able to jump on it, the line was actually really long to get on that contraption, regardless of the time of day. Although it may aide many sectors of public industry in the future, I personally find it funny to look at. Perhaps similar thoughts were conveyed the first time a the public saw the prototype of a car.
John Breeden: Sorry, but this is the stupidest technology I have ever seen. It’s a wheelchair for people who can walk. Use your legs and get some exercise when you travel around, though I guess you do get exercise carrying the thing around the office once you reach your destination. Plus, especially around here, the sidewalks are far to packed with people to be driving that thing around. It’s much wider than a standard person’s width.
Al - NY: Which company at the show had the best wireless Handheld products?
Tom Temin: I'll answer very stongly on that one: It was a tossup. Some of the new Blackberry configurations were top notch. I'm also partial to the Palm Tungsten W. Interestingly, I didn't see any camera-phones. Those have been marketed as Gen Y fashion toys, but I think they have serious enterprise potential.
Carlos Soto: The Blackberry section was packed with people and I think they offered the best wireless solutions at Fose with the 6210, although, Palm was a close second with the Tungsten W.
John Breeden: I have to agree with Carlos, the Blackberry was the most impressive. I also liked the Palm products at the show. But I think Blackberry and RIM are going to make some real enroads with the federal market.
Springfield, Va.: What Homeland Security products struck you as the most ready for federal deployment?
John Breeden: I thought the most ready to deploy was the Mobile Data Center from North American Access Technologies. It is a truck that is packed with communications gear. You drive it up to a disaster site, be it a natural disaster or something like what happened at the Pentagon on September 11. Park the truck and you get instant communications. Given that communications were hampered for a few days after September 11, this type of vehicle sitting off-site somewhere can be a huge asset. It won the judges special award at the Best New Technology Awards
Carlos Soto:
I think Saf Link from Bellevue, Wash. is the most ready to be deployed. The software makes it simple for an administrator to develop security policies for biometric solutions and implement those policies to a network of users.
We've used their software in the lab and find them to be easy to use and rather cost effective.
Tom Temin: There were no .45 magnums at the show. But there were a lot of products that can be useful to homeland security, including some of our award winners. The UltraBac v7.0.3 for disaster recovery. North American Access Technologies' mobile communications center (which really needs a Port-a-potty inside if the users will be parked at a disaster site for hours or days). A couple of vendors in the Homeland Security area showed rugged outdoor thingamajigs that integrated various bio hazard sensors and wireless communications for placement in public areas.
Alexandria VA: I saw a lot of ruggedized laptops at FOSE. Do you think eventually most if not all laptops will be ruggedized (maybe not to DOD standards) to help them withstand the perils of traveling and commuting? Then I don't have to worry about shoving into my trunk.
John Breeden: Nope. Most laptops will never be rugged. The problem is that the process to make something rugged adds about $2,000 to the cost. And most people don't need it and don't want to pay for it. Panasonic has a semi-rugged notebook that might be what you are looking for. It is not mil-spec rugged, but better than the average notebook.
Tom Temin: Other issues will always be weight and cost. I think there will continue to be a market for regular laptops, which are a heck of a lot more reliable than they were years ago.
Carlos Soto:
Panasponic hopes it will. They started the marketing of semi-ruggedized laptops that can't stop bullets but can stop spilled coffee.
I enjoyed their semi-ruggedized laptops but unfortunately it makes them too expensive, which is also the case with the Panasonic.
Roberta: How dependent is the IT vendor community on FOSE? How much does it help with sales and product visibility? Are there any vendors that don't do FOSE--I kinda doubt that.
Carlos Soto: Well from the GCN lab point of view we recruit a great deal of our products from Fose. There's always a great diversity of vendors and all the key companies are always there. We get to kick the tires before we get to test them in the lab.
John Breeden: I am sure there are vendors that are not at FOSE. But most are there, at least in terms of government.
Tom Temin: Gee, Roberta, we ought to hire you for our marketing department! Seriously, I wouldn't say vendors are dependent on FOSE, but we hope they recognize that the high concentration of federal and nearby state/local government makes for good quality traffic. I've been going to trade shows for 25 years and believe shows remain an essential part of companies' efforts to be seen. There's nothing like the excitement of a trade show floor when the technology and the visitors are in sync, as they were at FOSE. (Pardon the pride of ownership.)
Union Station: You mentioned the high interest in Saf Link software, what is it and what does it do?
Carlos Soto: Saf link is a company that makes third-party software for the implementation of biometrics on a PC or network. They facilitate the install and use of these devices as well as allow users to use multiple different forms of biometrics to logon.
Arlington:
We saw a lot of new wireless products at FOSE, but many government buyers seem relunctant to buy wireless solutions until their agencies established clearer policies and standards.
Are you hearing the same thing?
And do you know whether the government will get its act together in this regard?
John Breeden: I actually talked with some feds over lunch on Tuesday at the show about this point. They are not allowed to invest in wireless until their agencies adopt better policies. I have to agree, especially in terms of 802.11a where the security is not very tight. Carlos and I wrote an article a while back were we were invited to log into five LANs in the federal areas around DC because they were using the ANY wireless client and the signal drifted out to the street. The secret service is using our tips on how to shore up your wireless networks in a training effort for feds. But the agents I talked with said even with the evidence, some agencies are hesitant to put security in place.
Tom Temin: If we're talking about wireless networking, the standards are there. DOD has very clear ones. And the WiFi crowd has beefed up the security standards for 802.11 equipment. The real problem is discipline of security implementation. There is no reason at this point for agencies to be afraid of wireless. I've seen those familiar rabbit-eared access points starting to pop up in government conference rooms and reception areas here and there.
Tom from Rockville: How close are commercially focused products and government-focused products to each other? Is the gap really narrowing or is it hype?
John Breeden: In some areas the gap is pretty narrow. Like with office suites, there is nothing special about ones the government buys. In other areas like security there are rivers of difference and the gap is not going to ever narrow I don't think. That is why FOSE is a good show for us at GCN, because we can see the products that are marketed just to government.
Tom Temin: Tom, you've hit on the essential question. Government is officially committed to buying COTS--commercial off the shelf (one of my least favorite phrases). Yet government has unique requirements. Yet again, some agencies try to change their processes so commercial products "fit" better without modification. It's an endless conundrum. But in the end, the government is the biggest consumer of PCs in all forms, of software packages and of computer services. Some commercially-developed items migrate to government--like modern supply-chain management or customer relationship management systems. Sometimes government-developed things move to the private sector. GPS stuff comes to mind. General Motors even sells a "Hummer lite" to people willing to shell out 50 grand for the world's ugliest (and least practical) car.
Carlos Soto: In the hardware sector I see the gap narrowing and almost gone in some instances such as in digital photography and wireless technology. However, with software a strong gap continues to grow, such as with Enterprise Architecture Software and such.
Lloyd Batzler - GCN moderator: There seemed to be more of an international presence this year. Why? I was impressed with the collection of smaller companies from Korea.
John Breeden: For a number of years Korea has made a huge effort to be at trade shows. The government of Korea is a huge supporter of IT companies there. They are at Comdex every year and I have also seen them, of all places, at E3 Expo – the big computer game trade show. It’s nice to see that FOSE is now also on their radar.
Carlos Soto: I read somewhere that South Korea is one of the most IT integrated nations in the world and I've actually seen Korea in many shows in the past couple of years.
Tom Temin: Korean companies have become, in many cases, extremely high-quality manufacturers. Many branded products have their parts and pieces subbed out there already, so they figure, why not build and market under our own flag?
Lloyd Batzler - GCN moderator: Lots of guests were collecting the giveaways -- T-shirts seemed quite popular this year. Even saw some fuzzy dice. Any favorite souvenirs?
John Breeden: Lloyd, interesting question. I actually no longer collect souvenirs. I have a closet full of so many t-shirts, puffy squeeze toys, stuffed animals and coffee mugs that I could open my own company. It's neat to see people so excited about that stuff, but I guess I have just been over-exposed to it. I still do like some gifts like exotic pens, but I am a lot more selective about what I carry with me. If only I had a Segway, I could get more free gifts!
Tom Temin: Being a frequent road racer, I have so many T-shirts I'm going to send them to be made into quilts. So it has to be all cotton and my exact size, and since everyone gives out XLs, I skip the T-shirts. I got a great car-visor sunglasses clip with a jaguar pattern from the Apple booth (where I developed a bad case of yearning for a 17-inch Powerbook).
Carlos Soto: PENS PENS PENS!!!! I found a higher quality of pens this year and collected some very nice ones.
Douglas: Did your experts test any biometric products? How did they work and were they facial, fingerprint or iris?
John Breeden:
Carlos Soto: I'm actually in the process of conducting a biometric roundup looking and one iris and four fingerprint recognition devices. They’re all working well, so far, but stay tuned to the May 6 issue of GCN for the final word
Lloyd Batzler - GCN moderator:
Thanks for your time and questions! We had fun. If you'd like more information on FOSE, check the web site, www.fose.com
And you can read GCN's daily coverage from FOSE by clicking on the links on our home page.
Have a great weekend!
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