Short and Sweet is the Secret to the Sell at Second Annual istage
October 20, 2009 |
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By Joseph Gizzi
Green, Gaming, 3D and Remotes for the iPhone.
These were the themes behind products leading the way in CEA’s second annual i-stage competition, and it’s no surprise why. Consumer interest in eco-friendly products, innovative gaming solutions and a reinvigorated 3D movie market have all been major tech stories this year. The Apple ecosystem continues to inspire developers, and a number of i-stage contestants built in apps and social feature that could be supported on iPhone.
Unlike last year, when the audience favored the endearing presentation of Minoru 3D webcam over the judges’ selection of the accomplished application Boxee, this year’s audience agreed with the judges, picking Regen Inc.’s ReNu, a family of stylish solar-powered products, as the standout winner in the competition.
Other “wows” came throughout the day, especially from runner-up The eDGe, which married the netbook with the eBook. Judge Natali Del Conte of CBS and CNET TV praised The eDGe for providing just the right amount of functionality without too many distractions to pull her away from a great read.
Del Conte and her fellow judges injected a welcome amount of humor into the competition, especially when Natali discussed her do-it-herself in-home tech solutions.
The judges also handed out a few cautionary tales based on their own personal experiences. Jeff Pulver, founder of Pulver.com and co-founder of Vonage, stressed the importance of consumer privacy throughout the day, and questioned whether some products could be used to steal content.
Ross Levinsohn, no stranger to content pitches as former head of Fox Interactive, was wowed by the advances in green technology shown throughout the day.
And Blake Krikorian, a man behind his own successful startup, the Slingbox, warned contestants that focusing on too many features weighed down their wow factor. He repeated to several contestants the need to find a focus and drive their message home. Del Conte echoed the sentiment, asking for an elevator pitch she could give to her viewers on TV.
The judges had some stern criticism for some of the contestants — namely identify your market niche and do your competitive research — but also made it clear that it was a huge accomplishment just being present for the contest. All in attendance were more than pleased that innovation is still alive and i-stage gave it a home for continued development.
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