SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Feb. 7, 2006 -- DEMO Executive Producer Chris Shipley opened the DEMO 2006 conference today with a state of the industry address, noting that the next big challenge for the technology market is to develop products that are powerful, yet simple to use.

"Unless, as an industry, we commit ourselves to a better user experience, clearer choices, and greater value, many people may just sit out the market. Needing no more new features, and being overwhelmed by options, these individuals are going to stop -- or at least slow down -- the acquisition of new technology," Shipley said in her opening remarks. "As we simplify technology, we open it to new buyers -- and that will bring personal technology back from the brink of diminishing returns."

DEMO 2006 is an information-packed 48-hours loaded with product debuts, industry analysis, and future forecasts. Investors, journalists, and business development executives attend the event to be among the first people to interact one-on-one with the technologies that will shape the industry.

"Each DEMO conference is at least six months in the making," said Shipley. "The 68 companies at DEMO 2006 were chosen out of a strong entrepreneurial pool of more than 300 companies. The end result of all that research is a conference packed with real ground-breaking product introductions and a decided grasp of the future of our industry."

In today's two General Sessions hosted by Shipley, 34 companies demonstrated their new technologies live on stage. The demonstrators, each working against a six-minute time clock, showed DEMO's audience the value and benefits of their technologies. It is through these product demonstrations that DEMO attendees begin to see the trends that are shaping tomorrow's technology markets.

A Technological Smorgasbord

DEMO conferences feature a mix of both enterprise and consumer technologies, truly reflecting the industry's areas of concentration. DEMO 2006 is nearly balanced in its demonstrator class between technologies designed for improving work and those designed for improving life outside of work. DEMO opened with 17 product innovations, sampling the standout products that offer unique functionality, exciting new capabilities, or thought-provoking new business models. This group of demonstrations included:

Accomplice Software -- "Accomplice" is a simple, effective application that helps you -- and those you live and work with -- get and stay organized.

Blurb, Inc. -- "Blurb BookSmart" gives individuals the ability to create, publish and market bookstore-quality books.

Bones in Motion, Inc. -- "BiM Active" re-purposes mobile phones into performance monitors for outdoor activities.

GarageBand.com -- "Gpal" organizes your music library and helps you discover new music based on your prior downloads.

GuardID Systems inc. -- "ID Vault" is the only two-factor security token available for purchase directly by consumers.

NetworkStreaming, Inc. -- "SupportDesk" is an easy to use, efficient and effective remote IT support tool.

Disruptors

"When developing the program for this DEMO 2006, I immediately noticed three technologies that stood apart for their potential to disrupt markets, challenge conventional thinking, or threaten existing business structures," said Shipley. "These three companies are Gravee, LocaModa, and eVoke TV Corp. I look forward to watching their progress in the coming years."

eVoke TV Corp. -- "eVOKE TV" uses Web 2.0 techniques to transform the static nature of TV Listings into a dynamic forum connecting TV watchers to the wealth of content available on the Internet.

Gravee -- "AdShare" fundamentally changes the economic model for search, shifting power from content distributors (such as search engines) to content owners.

LocaModa -- "StreetSurfer & Wiffiti" services bridge networks to allow consumers to access and manipulate information displays from the convenience of their mobile phones.

The Year of Collaboration

Shipley identified 2006 as the year collaboration -- a year when the collective work of groups and individuals will find solutions to some of technology's biggest scalability issues. The second DEMO 2006 General Session focused on collaboration and featured demonstrations from:

Krugle, Inc. -- "Krugle" is a vertical search engine that gives programmers instant access to open source code and relevant technical information.

Plum -- "plum.com" allows users to grab content from the Web and from their desktops and share the resulting info in many different forms.

PolyVision -- "Thunder Enterprise Collaboration System" easily captures, saves and shares dynamic information.

Riya.com -- "Riya" applies face- and text-recognition technology to a convenient consumer photo service.

VSee Lab, LLC. -- "VSee" is a clear, low latency video conferencing platform.

Optimizing The Network

The network is the heartbeat of any business and, just as in the human body, maintaining the fitness of the network, reading its vital signs, supporting and building its strength are critical. Some of the best minds are working to keep information networks in strong running order, as exemplified by these product introductions:

Avokia -- "ApLive" provides continuous availability for any database management system.

Extricom, Inc. -- "Extricom WLAN System" overcomes the limitations of today's WLANs, enabling the throughput of bandwidth-intensive services.

Persystent Technologies, Inc. -- "Persystent Enterprise" combines proactive automated support for device self-repair and flexible policies to help manage the costs of PC support.

FutureScan

John Patrick, president of Attitude Inc., took the DEMO stage to lead one of two FutureScan sessions, which delve into the technologies that will shape the technology landscape in five-10 years. In today's session, Patrick explored computational biology in conversation with Ajay Royyuru, PhD. and senior manager at the IBM Computational Biology Center. At this intersection of information technology and study of living systems, computational biology is driving new insights into the human genome, medical informatics and systems biology. This frontier of information technology will spur great advances in health and science and lead to new business opportunities in areas not yet imagined.

The first full day of DEMO 2006 closed with the demonstration of iGuitar.USB, a plug-and-play peripheral that allows guitarists to compose and record their music with ease. Tune in to demo.com for more engaging new product announcements.

DEMO 2006 Sponsors and Partners

DEMO 2006's platinum sponsors are Ceonex, Digital Deck, HP, and Qualcomm. Gold sponsors are Porter Novelli and Sharpcast. Strategic partner is the Guidewire Group. Media partner is PR Newswire. Marketing partners are the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), PRSA Silicon Valley, Tech Coast Angels, The Tech Museum of Innovation, and VC Experts.

About the DEMO Conferences

Produced by Network World Events and Executive Forums, the semi-annual DEMO conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products, which are hand-selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring, and U.S. Robotics, helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters. Each DEMO conference features approximately 70 new companies, products and technologies. For more information on the DEMO conferences, visit http://www.demo.com/ .

The DEMO community also benefits from the award winning DEMOletter. A weekly e-newsletter designed to reach the people who are creating companies, building products and launching new ideas, DEMOletter provides smart insight and analysis of entrepreneurial business issues.

About Network World

Network World, Inc., the Leader in Network Knowledge, empowers Network IT Executives through education, information and community. Network World, an IDG company, is the leading provider of news, analysis, reviews, events and education on information technology. Network World publishes the leading newsweekly, Network World, hosts the most active online community (http://www.networkworld.com), and produces educational seminars and events worldwide. Network World's portfolio of strategic marketing programs provides marketing and agency professionals with the tools to generate high-quality leads, optimize marketing campaigns, and create new revenue opportunities. Additionally, Network World is the event organizer of DEMO and DEMOfall, the leading events for new technology innovation.

About IDG

International Data Group (IDG) is the world's leading technology media, research, and event company. A privately-held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers including Bio-IT World, CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World, and PC World. The company features the largest network of technology-specific Web sites with more than 400 around the world. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, MacWorld Conference & Expo, DEMO, and IDC Directions. IDC provides global market research and advice through offices in 50 countries. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com .

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Chris Shipley http://profnet.prnewswire.com/ud_public.jsp?userid=521786