INTEROP EXPO 25-29 April 2010

May 1, 2010 Utah Channel 3

When I first entered the Exhibit Hall at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and saw the various displays put forth by top of the line companies I was reminded of an answer that then candidate Obama gave Pastor Warren in an interview. He answered one question by saying the subject was “above his pay grade”.

Cloud computing was perhaps the main theme of this convention. There were many well known, as well as new companies that have entered this field. Many new companies have developed bigger, better and more efficient data centers. They have increased the use of visualization to a wide extent. More reliance is being made on mobile devices with great emphasis on cooperation and collaboration.

There was not much at the Expo that dealt directly with improving the daily life of Seniors. Oops that was proven incorrect when the visitor realized that much of that cooperation and collaboration between companies ended up with a product that helped provide better service, more efficient, and greener products at the end of the line. So yes, without understanding any of the technical jargon, one came to realize that this was a vast technical leap that would have a huge impact on the world that we live in.

The movement of data (information) is critical to Seniors in many areas. It applies not only to e-mail messages and pictures of grand children, but also to critical data about a patient to a doctor in the emergency room. The list for that is endless.

In addition to the vendors there were many speakers who brought the most current information to those with technical knowledge (that left me out).

I found the vendors most helpful in trying to explain how their product would be useful directly to Seniors. One example of a product allowed a Senior with a keyboard and a mouse to use the computer of his son/daughter or grandchildren. I will happily leave the explanation of how this works to Scott, but it means that if something goes wrong with the computer it is not on our desk and offspring does not have to drive/fly or a tech at some cost come by to fix the problem.

As in all of the Conventions and Expos that I have had the pleasure of visiting two facts stand out:

1) They are huge and encourage physical fitness and good feet;

2) The people who run this event are great and do a truly amazing job of organization.

By, John Lustig, Senior Reporter