Network World’s DEMO conference always features a wide range of flashy new consumer and enterprise technologies and this fall’s show is no exception.
Products from DEMOfall ‘09 run the gamut, from cloud video surveillance technology to Web 2.0 patent databases to software that helps you scope out your dates for sketchy Internet activity. In this article, we’ll run through 13 of the new technologies generating the most buzz and highlight some of the innovations on display at the show.
Company: Third Iris Corp.
Product: VIAAS
With IT video surveillance becoming increasingly more complex, Third Iris Corp. has developed the Video Intelligence-as-a-Service (VIAAS) system that outsources analysis to the Third Iris cloud. The company’s package includes video cameras that users can manage from a central Web site and that use “intelligent camera” software to provide analytics.
Company: Armorize Technologies, Inc.
Product: Armorize HackAlert
This software-as-a-service automatically scans Web Sites for injected malicious codes and links and also provides users with real-time alerts if their computers are visiting a site containing malware. According to DEMO, this product has had success in Asian markets in recent years and is coming to the U.S. for the first time this year.
Company: Intelius
Product: DateCheck
Online surveillance -Are hiring managers checking you out?
This is a mobile application that allows you to check up on your potential date any place where they have a presence on the Web. So for instance, if you have their e-mail address or phone number and their e-mail address or phone number is linked to their Facebook and Twitter accounts you can check up on them to see if they are who they say they are or to find out if they have any sleazy interests. The slogan that the company is using for the app is (we’re not making this up): “Look up before you hook up.”
Company: Hewlett-Packard
Product: HP SkyRoom
If you want to participate in a video conference from your office computer, you typically have to use a puny Web camera that provides low resolution and high jitter. The HP SkyRoom video conferencing service aims to change that by providing high-definition videoconferencing technology that HP says can support “up to four people using rich media content over standard business networks.” DEMO says that while the system shouldn’t be seen as a strict replacement for high-end conference room equipment, it does provide improvement for people working at individual stations who want to collaborate more easily on projects.
Company: Hashwork
Product: Hashwork
This is a sort of Twitter for your workplace that can integrate Google Calendar and Twitter to give workers a hub they can monitor throughout the day to see what their coworkers are up to. The folks at DEMO claim that Hashwork has become a staple in their daily work environment.
Company: dotSyntax, LLC
Product: Digsby
One annoying feature of having multiple accounts with different social networking and instant messaging protocols is the need to keep multiple windows open at once if you want to keep track of them all. Digsby is a program that aims to consolidate all these protocols by merging all instant messaging screen names onto one single messenger and by merging social networking sites to give real-time updates on all of them simultaneously. For instance, if you had accounts with MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, Digsby would serve as a one-stop hub that would tell you every time a friend wrote something on your wall or responded to your tweets.
Company: Article One Partners, LLC
Product: AOP Patent Studies
The goal of this technology is to apply Web 2.0 collaborative technology to the field of patent research. In other words, if you are a company looking to see if your patent claim will hold up in court, you can use AOP’s community of patent advisors to help you out. Article One says that it charges clients for an annual subscription that will give them “real-time access to validity evidence” and communication “with AOP’s scientific community… to optimize their research.”
Company: Tungle Corp.
Product: Tungle for iPhone
Tungle, which debuted last year at DEMO, is a planning application that helps friends and coworkers share their calendars and create schedules for meetings based on availability. The application is now available for the iPhone and it will let iPhone users sync with Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple iCal and Entourage for Macs.
Company: Waze, Inc.
Product: Waze
Waze combines the open-source editing capabilities of Wikipedia with the real-time immediacy of Twitter to provide users with fast-breaking updates on traffic conditions. Essentially it works like this: If you’re stuck in a traffic jam, you send an update explaining your location and the density of the current traffic. This technique can also be used to flag areas that have speeding cameras or areas that are well-known police speed traps. This mobile app is available on Android phones, the iPhone, RIM devices and Windows Mobile devices.
Company: Micello, Inc.
Product: Micello
We all love Google maps for helping us get from one place to another on the road. But what happens when we’re inside a large building such as a stadium and we’re looking for a particular restaurant or souvenir shop? That’s where Micello comes in. This application supports user-generated maps of large public places that will eventually help you find a public restroom no matter where you are.
Company: Piryx, Inc.
Product: Piryx
Think of Piryx as sort of a PayPal for politics. It essentially lets users send contributions to political candidates, action committees and non-profit groups. DEMO praises the Piryx platform for bringing “smart payment processing technology to the $300+ billion non-profit sector.”
Company: Answers Corp.
Product: Answers.com
Answers Corp, which already maintains the popular WikiAnswers, is launching this new Web site as a way to provide “one-stop answers about anything, combining the world’s best licensed and user-generated content.” The site will incorporate similar features to WikiAnswers, where users ask questions and rely upon a team of open-source writers and editors to answer them. DEMO says that the new site’s strength is that it integrates “the depth of ReferenceAnswers with the breadth of WikiAnswers.”
Company: Symform, Inc.
Product: Symform Cooperative Storage Cloud
This is new approach to cloud storage that Symform describes as a “storage potluck.” When users sign up for the Cooperative Storage Cloud, they can get as much storage space as they want within the cloud as long as they contribute an equal amount of storage space on their own premises for Symform to use as storage for other customers. As Kevin Brown, the vice president of sales and marketing for Symform, explains it, the customer “contributes what they consume.” So for example, Brown says that a customer “can contribute from an internal drive or some external drive, e.g., a $100 USB drive, and backup an unlimited amount.” This cooperative approach to storage makes Symform’s cloud storage cheaper than other kinds of cloud storage.