From Demo: 10 technologies to watch
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
From Demo: 10 technologies to watch
February 20, 2003
By: Jon Fortt
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Out here
amid the cliffs and crags not far from Phoenix, a few dozen companies
gather each year to show off the most promising new technology. The
show is called Demo because it's focused on demonstrating how new
products work -- no PowerPoint slides allowed.
Demo tends to be attended by fledgling companies with bright ideas,
though the likes of Microsoft and IBM are also invited frequently. This
year many companies showed products that squeeze more value out of the
technology we already have, a seeming response to the fact that not
many businesses seem eager to take chances.
Of the 60 companies invited, I picked 10 I think are poised to change
the way we interact with technology in the next three years or so --
either because their product itself was so impressive, or because their
idea is sure to inspire others in the industry to pursue similar goals.
Pixim D2000 Video Imaging System
What it does: Displays streaming video in better detail despite bad lighting
Customer: Businesses
Availability: 2003
Company: Pixim
Web: www.pixim.com
The technology we have always seems pretty good until we put it up
against something better. Pixim's D2000 Video Imaging System,
technology developed at Stanford University, displays more detail in a
higher range of lighting conditions than I've ever seen. For now Pixim
is going after the security camera market -- we live in a paranoid
time, and Pixim figures The Man is willing to pay a little extra to
peer through car doors or scrutinize facial features.
Pixim manages this trick by building an image processor and image
sensor that work together, allowing each pixel in a digital image to
adjust for the lighting. The company expects its technology will find
its way into professional and high-end consumer cameras in a few years.
Until then, not only is Big Brother watching -- now he's got night
vision.
