Weekly global technology agenda: Cloud Connect, SEMICON China

During the week of March 15, more than 100,000 IT and electronics professionals will be checking out the newest microelectronic technology at the Shanghai International IT and Electronics Fair and SEMICON in China. In Silicon Valley developers will be discussing the challenges associated with cloud computing at Cloud Connect.

Cloud Connect
March 15-18
Santa Clara Convention Center
Silicon Valley, California, USA

Cloud Connect is branded as the event "that brings together the entire cloud computing community." The event comprises a conference, business summit, IT workshops, Developer Workshops and a LaunchPad for new cloud-based startups. It aims to connect IT leaders with developers and industry executives in order to invoke a broader discussion about cloud computing. Conference topics include Cloud Futures and Roadmaps; Cloud Risks, Challenges, and Governance; Developing for the Cloud; and New Infrastructure: The Fabric Beneath the Clouds.
http://www.cloudconnectevent.com/

Shanghai International IT and Electronics Fair and SEMICON China
March 16-18
Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC)
Shanghai, China

More than 100,000 professional visitors are expected to attend SEMICON China 2010, an event that will once again be held under the banner of the Shanghai International IT and Electronics Fair. For the first time, SEMICON China will be held in co-location with SOLARCON China and FPD China. The massive "industry flagship event" is targeted at professionals working in the microelectronics market. Highlights of the 2010 SEMICON China include theme pavilions focusing on innovation, green manufacturing and sustainable development and a thorough program of technology conferences that includes the China Semiconductor Technology International Conference (CSTIC 2010), The 6th China SoG Silicon and PV Power Conference, and the 2010 China FPD Conference.
http://semiconchina.semi.org/scchina-en/index.htm

IEEE Virtual Reality Conference
March 20-26
Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

The 17th IEEE Virtual Reality conference is a week-long event touching on the subjects of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and interactive user interfaces. The conference is bookended by the 5th IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces (3DUI) and the 18th Haptics Symposium. The fully packed program includes tutorials (such as "Building your own Projection-based VR Display System), workshops (covering topics like "Cloud-Mobile Convergence for Virtual Reality" and "Medical Virtual Environments"), and keynote speeches (like Takeo Igarashi's "Interactive ‘Smart' Computers").
http://conferences.computer.org/vr/2010/index.html

CTIA Wireless 2010
March 23 - 25
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, NV, USA

CTIA will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2010, welcoming more than 1,000 exhibitors and tens of thousands of spectators to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Discussions about wireless and converged communications, wireless broadband, mobile web computing and data industries will be held over a period of three days. Companies will demo the latest in enterprise solutions, energy-saving products, and emerging mobile entertainment technology. Developers, manufacturers and industry leaders will be on hand to discuss the latest trends including Location Based Services (LBS), Smart Energy, Wireless Health, Intelligent Transportation, Cloud Computing and Mobile Money.
http://www.ctiawireless.com/

2010 O'Reilly Where 2.0 Conference
March 30-April 1
San Jose Marriott
San Jose, CA, USA

The Where 2.0 conference will explore location-based Web 2.0 innovations and the rapid development of new geolocation software, applications and ecosystems in the expanding location-based media market. The conference will cover three distinct tracks: Mobile Innovations, Mapping for Consumers, and Local Opportunities and Models. Speakers from Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Adobe Systems, NAVTEQ, Microsoft, TechCrunch, Nokia, Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp will ignite discussion about the future of geolocation and the web.
http://en.oreilly.com/where2010

Apple iPad goes on sale
April 3
Various locations worldwide

Apple announced that WiFi models of its latest invention - a touchscreen slate device called the iPad - will begin shipping in the US on April 3. 3G models will start shipping at the end of April. WiFi and 3G versions of the device are also expected to become available in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland in late April, with iPads going on sale in additional countries later during the year. Prices range from $499 for the 16GB WiFi model up to $829 for the WiFi & 3G 64GB model. International pricing will be announced in April.
http://www.apple.com/ipad

Black Hat Europe
April 12-15
Hotel Rey Juan Carlos
Barcelona, Spain

The Black Hat Briefings are comprehensive events focused on internet security. The Black Hat Europe conference provides attendees with useful and relevant information about the most pressing security issues currently found in Europe and across the world. The event aims to alert people of the possible threats and suggest viable solutions to combat any foreseen security issues. Conference goers are treated to a series of lectures, hands-on sessions, training workshops and keynotes on topics such as CyberWar, SAP Backdoors, Adobe Flash and Reader vulnerabilities, Next Generation Clickjacking, and Hacking the Smartcard Chip.
http://www.blackhat.com/