Latest gadgets on show at electronics fair

A wide range of goods from monkey-shaped TV remote controls and motorised armchairs to candy-producing machines were on display at the 24th annual Hong Kong Electronics Fair held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai last week.

The four-day event, the biggest in Asia and the second largest of its kind in the world, attracted more than 2,000 exhibitors from 23 countries and territories, as well as thousands of buyers.

The goods that appealed to both the young and old included MP3s, CD players, radios, large, plasma-screen television sets and other household items. An inflated armchair powered by a motor which could be used for 'leisurely cruises' in swimming pools also aroused keen interest.

There was some monkey business among the state-of-the-art gadgets. Visitors were offered a television remote control shaped like a monkey, with the feet for changing channels and the hands for lowering or increasing the volume.

Machines capable of producing all sorts of snacks, including popcorn and cotton candy, were also popular.

Then there was a clock which projected the time on the bedroom ceiling, or anywhere else for that matter, in all light conditions, with the touch of a finger. While the fair attracted a large number of visitors, only traders could lodge orders and make purchases, meaning that the members of the public will have to wait until the latest models hit the stores.