Television to your cell phone. Paying for your drive-through fast food with your cell phone. Typing on a virtual keyboard. Think these innovations are far off in the future? Think again. They are just around the corner.

These were just some of the great products and services demonstrated at this year's DEMOmobile show in San Diego. Produced by IDG Executive Forums, a division of Network World, this conference showed off cutting-edge technologies that will untether us from our desktops.

Idetic, a Berkeley, Calif.-based start-up, tackled the challenge of streaming media to wireless devices. With the Far Reach Platform, service providers can offer users a great view of streaming content, such as the latest headlines from CNN. The company hones in on the creation, customization and deployment of data across wireless networks, streamlining heavy traffic loads.

While Idetic hopes to bring the user experience of watching television to the cell phone, iPin wants to turn your cell phone and other handheld devices into a credit card. Imagine going through McDonald's and not having to stop at the payment window? With iPin's e-commerce platform, wireless service providers can supply users with electronic payment capabilities via their cell phones, in-car wireless device, or keychains. Rather than focusing their energies solely on phone service, providers will be transformed into e-commerce centers.

A big hindrance for mobile devices is their lack of an easy-to-use keyboard. Some companies have tackled this challenge by making foldable keyboards. But start-up Canesta says who needs a real keyboard anyway? Using what it calls a perception chipset, the company offers handheld manufacturers the chance to embed their devices with a "virtual keyboard." Devices enabled with the Canesta product project a light-sensor keyboard onto a flat surface. Users can enter words and symbols as they would on a normal keyboard -- they can even adjust the sensitivity.

Couple that technology with Tcom International's Oyster remote workstation and you've got a powerful package. The Oyster turns the docking station paradigm on its head. Users slide their open laptops into the Oyster stand and turn their screens into monitors. The Oyster is designed to save remote users from hunching over their laptops with its ergonomic design. It also saves network managers from purchasing monitors and docking stations for all home and remote users.

To see other products that were unveiled at DEMOmobile 2002, visit http://napps.nwfusion.com/weblogs/cool/ .

DEMOmobile Web site

 

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