So two guys are standing in an otherwise empty hotel hallway as I make my way by them last week at Network World’s Demo@15 conference outside Phoenix. …
Eavesdropping is such an ugly word given that most of the time we can’t help but overhear the conversations of passers-by and those we pass. That it’s a bit of a hobby is beside the point.
So two guys are standing in an otherwise empty hotel hallway as I make my way by them last week at Network World’s Demo@15 conference outside Phoenix.
“I lied to the CEO yesterday,” says one.
To which the second deadpans: “For the first time?”
They must have heard me chuckle. And while I kicked myself the rest of the day for not stopping to hear the full account, Demo offers so many stories – 70-plus vendors pitching their latest IT gear and gadgets – that time is of the essence. In the interest of maximizing yours, let’s separate the show highlights into work stuff and fun stuff, with the understanding that one theme of the conference was that more and more technology is overlapping both categories:
WORK: Ready to tackle password management? . . . Oh, you say you’d rather eat a router? When I suggested that this sense of futility/dread poses a challenge for his company, Imprivata CEO Patrick Morley smiled and insisted: “You can realistically solve the problem.” Imprivata intends to help with a single sign-on appliance that it says can be deployed in days without custom programming. Imprivata OneSign supports a variety of authentication methods and Win32, Web or mainframe applications. Companies are ready to buy, Morley says, citing Imprivata survey data that shows the number of IT departments with budgeted password management projects has doubled from 18% to 36% in just eight months.
FUN: The makers of home-monitoring systems have promised to let us watch over and remotely manage our households for years: keep an eye on Gramps or the kiddies from our desktops, turn up the heat or the lights from our cars, that kind of thing. While an appealing concept, early offerings have been stymied by technological complexities and high costs. Stepping up to the plate next is iControl Networks , whose Web-based iControl system is “simple, affordable, complete and, most important of all, compelling,” says CEO Reza Raji. The iControl starter kit sells for less than $500 and looked simple enough for Gramps and the kiddies to install before you get home for dinner.
WORK: Up to 40% of mobile phone minutes are burned by workers while they are on corporate campuses and, at least in theory, within shouting distance of a wireless LAN, says Kamal Anand, vice president of marketing and business development at Meru Networks . Meru’s new wireless LAN controllers and System Director Version 3 software support the toll-quality wireless VoIP that large corporations demand, Anand says, and “we’re on the cusp of widespread adoption.”
FUN: The lines at Intellifit‘s booth never slacked off – and it wasn’t only that the company was giving away a free pair of Levi’s to all comers. The Intellifit System uses 10 seconds’ worth of low-power radio waves to take the measurements of fully clothed individuals who stand in a glass cylinder about three times the size of a phone booth. The information is supposed to let you know what sizes best fit you across different clothing lines. Everyone loved it and many had ideas about how Intellifit can make money. Just taking the guesswork out of gift-buying would be value enough.
WORK: It’s said that there are 30 million PowerPoint presentations a day foisted upon captive audiences, who greet them with all the enthusiasm generally afforded someone else’s vacation photos. Software called Ovation from Serious Magic won’t turn PowerPoint flops into blockbusters, but for $99 (less with an enterprise license) this simple tool will instill your slides with TV-like production values. Best of all, it will help keep your presentation delivery on schedule. And for that we thank you in advance.
FUN: Why does the ‘Net need yet another photo-sharing service? “Photoleap works exactly like e-mail,” explains CEO Paul Colton, which means that, unlike other services, people already know how to use it. More impressive to the geeks gathered around Photoleap’s booth was its ability to send unthinkable numbers of high-resolution photos – 250 in Colton’s stage demo, almost a gig’s worth – in a single message. You say you don’t want that porker anywhere near your in-box? Check out www.photoleap.com to have your fears allayed.
WORK: The first time I saw the Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard by VKB was on a TV news report . . . and my jaw dropped. This pocket-sized device uses a laser to project the image of a full-sized, two-dimensional keyboard onto any flat surface from which the user types, thus reducing the tedium and carpal-tunnel common to “typing” on the keypads of smart phones and PDAs. Trying the virtual keyboard at Demo showed me the device works as advertised, although touch-typists should know that we’re talking hunt-and-peck here, not anything you’d want to use for routine work. Now a stand-alone product, VKB showed me a prototype embedded in a mobile phone that will give the technology a leg up on widespread acceptance. They’re talking about using it on car dashboard displays, too.
FUN: Don’t know why the check-engine light is on? CodeScout from AutoXray plugs into a port under your dashboard and spits out the reason in a report you take to your mechanic. Think of it as rip-off insurance that costs $150.
WORK: Browster CEO Scott Milener says his free plug-in for Internet Explorer will “cut the time it takes you to go through search results by 50%.” Believe him. The plug-in – also called Browster and available at www.browster.com – lets you see a quick preview page for each search result by simply running your cursor over an icon. Like what you see? Dig deeper. Not what you want? There’s no need to hit the back button, just move the cursor off the preview pane and back to the search list.
WORK: It’s blogging for grown-ups. The version-control and workflow capabilities of BlogUnit Series, an appliance from WhatCounts , will give companies peace of mind that their employee-written blogs won’t cause more harm than good.
FUN: And perhaps profit. LiveDeal Local AdWiz – www.livedeal.com – looks to give bloggers a chance to turn a buck. Interesting, but don’t give up the day job.
Want to chime in with your thoughts? The address is buzz@nww.com.
