Reflections on BETT 2007 The show and exhibits

The first of many posts .
My first reflection is the changing nature of BETT and it's audience.
It is now :-

• Huge bigger (maybe better) with almost an American feel about it ! Though Olympia doesn't have the huge presentation theatres of US venues.
• The current venue is quite difficult to orientate yourself in.
• The international component is growing all the time huge numbers of European visitors and vendors had international sales people on stands.
• Its still great and if I am honest getting even better.

My predictions were partially correct.

• Wireless was every where in kit. Coolest kit in show was wireless see later .The problem now is to much wireless in terms of finding the network you want.
  

• Handheld well wow what a prediction loads of handhled stuff Dave Whyley of www.learning2go.co.uk did a key note or two . Graham Brown Martin of www.handheldlearning.co.uk had a better placed and bigger stand that last year and was bonkersly busy . Future lab www.futurelab.org.uk where there and I gather had seminars that were over subscribed. Samsung and Intel were showing very cool ultra mobile PC's (yes they are still handhelds). Tribal CTAD were there showing there cool mobile offerings
  

• Blogging was everywhere but not in your face it has the feeling of a stealth technology on education that along with other web 2.00 tools appear to be a small technology with enthusiastic followers ( how wrong they are !!) but will pop its multiple heads up and change the world !!! The fact BCS asked Terry Freedman and Miles Berry to present on Social software in the classroom was testimony to this , Both are complete legends in their own lunchtime. As regards suppliers study wiz seemed to have integrated a lot of blogging tools into there existing great offer
  

Kit at the show

• Whiteboards every where prometheans new software looks cool, Mimio the whiteboard emulators just gets better for certain uses it appears to be thee solution. Smart had some interesting mounts and combinations with projectors.
• The orange coloured for education only projectors ( a Becta suggestion I believe) were much in evidence a simple but great idea !!!
• Sound speakers are getting such good quality (Bett was very loud !!).
• Toshiba and Samsung laptops 3 g enabled and 8011N ready
  
• Beautiful Apple stuff its looks so nice and works well ( I must buy one!!).

• Go to gyration site and see the

its a wireless presenter combined with 1GB memory and I think non PC related presentation software. plug into any PC wander off and present its needs checking out more. At £130 odd pounds isn't cheap.
But my major reflection even if you were there all week you couldn't see it all and the chance and planned conversations with friends at the show was the only way to get an overview. A very verbal blog type approach maybe web 2.00 is gossip by another name !!!