Twenty20 introduces VholdR wearable camera at CES

It all started four years ago as frustrated students at the University of Washington. 

Disenchanted with a lack of cameras for capturing action on the slopes, avid skiers and undergrads Marc Barros and Jason Green set out to make it easier. The result of a UW business plan competition, their first product was a $250 helmet camera connected to a backpack-worn camera.  

They sold 7,000 units.

The semi-portable solution wasn't convenient enough (who wants to carry a backpack full of camcorders and cables, anyway?) and had joined with a newfound desire to share videos on the web. With stacks of tapes from winter adventures waiting to be posted online, the always-challenged pair knew they could make the process easer.

A year and much effort later, the VholdR is being shown for the first time here at CES.  A rugged camera about the size of a mobile phone, this new gadget easily mounts to handlebars, helmets - just about anywhere.  With an integrated recording device, the VholdR requires no camcorder, no backpack, and no cables to operate.  

"We've put in one box, for $350 retail, the ability to shoot and share video," said Co-founder and company CEO Marc Burros. "You can go from camera to community in a couple of steps."

When I caught up with founders Marc and Jason on day three of the show, the smile on each of their faces said it all. The collective expression told me they were proud. Years of hard work to get to here paid off and - perhaps just a bit- the long days on the show floor were starting to run their course.

"We hoped that when we showed up here we'd have something different," Green said of pre-show expectations. "The reaction has been a lot of open mouths and big eyes.  People are excited about the possibility of a wearable camcorder."

These reactions range from those who who experience the camera range from disbelief (I was in the "can they really do that?" camp myself) to suggestions for new ways to use the product. 

The VholdR received an International CES Innovations Honoree Award (an official sort of "best in show" awards) earlier this week and when I personally saw how simple it was to use, I appreciated why.

Capturing video is as simple as sliding a large, oversized on/off switch on the top of the camera.  Dual indicator lights display Micro SD-style storage space availability and battery life on the rear.  The body rotates 192-degrees and two small lasers on either side of the lens help ensure the camera is level (until, if you're like me on a snowboard, you fall on your bum).

Transferring videos from the camera to the web is doe via. a USB cable and bundled software.  Videos are posted on VholdR.com for easy sharing, or can be transferred to other devices (yes, that includes the iPod).

CEO Barros explains of the CES experience, "When you come here, you compete with booths that are half the size of a football field and you have a 10 foot by 20 foot booth.  Everybody competes almost at the same level despite your booth size."

It may not be the largest booth here at CES, but they've got the smallest camcorder. And for Seattle's Marc and Jason, plenty to be proud of.

For the tech-savvy:  The camera captures 640x480 video and stores as an iPod-friendly MP4 file. The battery lasts about 2 hours and the camera weighs just 4.8 ounces.  $350, available online at http://www.vholdr.com

LaCie Showcases New Drives, Peripherals at CES for the First Time

It was a schedule change that brought Hillsboro, Oregon's LaCie to the Consumer Electronics Show.  Having previously conflicted with the annual MacWorld Expo in San Francisco, this is LaCie's first exhibit at CES.

While on what we in the CES Press Corps call a "booth tour" with an excited-to-be-in-Vegas Tech Support Lead Jim Finicle, I learned of the companies product lineup, new releases and chatted about the company's experience at CES.  

Jim did make one request before we began the interview, but we'll get to that later.

If I were forced to theme the "What's New" page I'd sum it up:  more storage in small, stylish cases. 

LaCie is well known for their external storage.  New hard drive models include the d2 Quadra Hard Disk with three popular interfaces, a larger-storage Big Disk Extreme+ with two interfaces, and  the itsy-bitsy thin  "USB Key Max".

But wait, there's more!

Jim also told me about the new LaCie LaCinema Premier - designed to store movies and watch them on your TV and a new LCD monitor targeting creative professionals.

"LaCie's been in monitors for a long time, a lot of actually people don't realize this, but those that do keep coming back," Mr. Finicle adds.

Jim obviously enjoys his work, is clearly passionate about the company and the new product lineup.  After he and his colleagues have spent more than half the show in a consistently crowded booth answering the same questions over-and-over ("What's New?"), honoring Jim's request was the least I could do.

"Hi Mom!"

Learn more about LaCie and their 2008 CES / MacWorld offerings at http://www.lacie.com


RAM Mounting Systems: Mounts for anything, Made in Washington

Seattle's own RAM Mounting Systems makes vehicle mounts for a long list of electronics. The company creates GPS mounts for motorcycles, laptop stations for SUVs, phone mounts for cars and more combination thereof.

In the 10 years RAM (which, I've since learned means "Round-A-Mount") has been exhibiting at CES, they've found it to be the most relevant trade show domestically, according to sales representative Patrick Hanson.  

Meeting with potential buyers, partners, and connecting to the customer are all objectives for the 115-employee company in Seattle's Southpark neighborhood while at the show. 

One of the 115, Sales representative Patrick Hanson, showed me how the system worked and walked me through different sizes and styles.

Their product is based on a fairly simple concept: one patented ball that mounts to your dash or other surface and another, also patented, wraps itself around your device. Then, an also-patended arm covers both balls and allows flexible positioning.

I had no idea the "world leader in mounting systems and solutions" was right in our own backyard. 

Then again, I also had no idea I'd be spending the rest of the afternoon thinking which devices I could mount where.


HumanityOnline Brings Virtual Personalities to the Real World

Online avatars, animated talking heads helping customers through the virtual world, are being created each day.  Seattle's HumanityOnline uses a unique approach to accurately capture the subtle nuances of human speech in an animated representation.
Here's how it works:

First you choose either an off-the-shelf character to become your personality, license an existing demo exclusively, or have HumanityOnline create one (of your CEO perhaps?) for you.

Next, record a video of a real-life person you would like the virtual site host to represent - an executive or a spokesperson perhaps.

HumanityOnline then creates a clip of your virtual representation, or avatar, speaking the same words from the previous step. This avatar is then hosted on HumanityOnline's servers and can easily be added to your website guiding customers through the online experience.

Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Dan Horton said that what sets them apart from the competition is that HumanityOnline avatars are much more lifelike.  He says initial customers such as real estate companies and mortgage brokers are seeing major increases in conversion - more people stay longer and buy more when guided by such a virtual assistant.

While here at CES, Dan is most excited to make contacts with executives and potential customers.  "Being at CES really validated our market," he said, describing the warm reception these talking animations have received.


Seattle-area Sunfire SubRossa Subwoofer Scores in Speakers

Famous audiophile Bob Carver's latest company earned him a victory in the home theater speaker category.  Sunfire took home the International CES Best of Innovations 2008 Design & Engineering Showcase Award and they proudly call the Northwest home.

If the Las Vegas Convention Center with its towering booths and flashing displays were compared to The Strip itself, Sunfire's Hilton suite is a welcome break of "off-strip" tranquility. 

The demo room offers Chief Technology Officer Bob Carver and his sales staff the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the distributors and dealers that come to the International CES from around the world.

Eric Harper, Director of Marketing and Product Development for Sunfire Corporation, and I talked speaker design as he walked me through the history of this Kirkland, Washington-based company which has been a regular part of CES since the company was formed in 1994.

Eric was especially proud to explain what sets the award-wining SubRossa 2700 watt subwoofer apart from its competition.  Sure, it's powerful, but a sneak behind the product reveals a curious I-shaped device.  I learn quickly that this is no stability support, rather an active countermeasure to a bass speakers natural tendency to shake things up. When the bass speakers shake, the anti-shake technology rolls - when one yings the other yangs.  The result is a reduction in the annoying wall shake normally associated with bass speakers.

Suddenly, I became perplexed, mostly of the "Why didn't I think of that?" variety.

I admit, I don't know a lot about speakers, and I'm certainly not a target customer for their high-end custom-installation product - but for a few precious minutes it was fun to step inside a quiet suite to hear some very loud speakers with incredible sound.

You can learn more about Sunfire on their web site:  http://www.sunfire.com

...there are literally dozens of Northwest companies at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show (to say nothing for the big guys with Northwest roots: Microsoft, Intel, Real Networks to name a few) and each of them excited to be a part of the industry's signature event.  Whether it's introducing your product to the world, reminding customers of a diverse product lineup, or closing big deals with partners -- for these companies, the road to CES began in the Northwest.

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More of Brian's CES coverage for KOMO:

• A bizarre peek at tomorrow's technology
• CES 2008: Technology in the toilets
• Logitech products a TV-surfer's dream
  
• Lost? Help's a gadget away at the 2008 CES
  
• New cameras by Casio: One for size, one for speed

Brian M. Westbrook covers the Internet, the latest technology and the hottest gadgets. To reach Brian send an e-mail to techexpert@brianwestbrook.com .