ForbesOnTech

Microaoft Nils VR "D'Oh" Moment-- Business Over Entertainmnt Apps.

Anyone tracking emerging virtual/augmented reality technologies last week may have seen this category’s first real Simpsons “D’Oh“ moment when a senior Microsoft HoloLens marketing maven admitted that in the rush to push sexy entertainment titles and other content opportunities the world’s most well-known PC software supplier may have been initially blinded to the value of the commercial market for VR software.

Microsoft’s observation points out one of the most glaring errors in the VR market: although entertainment software and content libraries may be sexy, they don’t pay the bills like commercial software does.

There is and has always been a bifurcation in the design philosophies that shape entertainment and commercial software. The former most often taxes the capabilities of hardware, whereas the latter is designed to run on industry standard hardware configurations.

Since the advent of Window 3.1, Microsoft has pushed the boundaries of existing hardware, going so far at one point to introduce and support a hardware accelerator card that improved the performance of 8086-based desktops.

There are two other companies whose past strategies can be used to examine how to launch new technologies such as virtual reality. The most important of these is Apple Computer, which pundits believe is still a long way away from a VR announcement. The other company is Sony which is using its PlayStation platform and a new headset to leap into VR/AR.

Both companies have been able to separate past and current products through the use of intensely loyal brand advocates.

My major criticisms of VR and AR is this: its advocates aren’t getting down in the weeds and talking about the increased costs of accessing and implementing  the technologies, and the actual market for VR and AR content could be adversely effected by the cost of hardware.

It’s for these reasons I think we’re about to see hardware makers announce, launch and actively market hardware aimed specifically at VR and AR; and headset makers will be forced to bundle content to gain traction. Of the two technologies, VR may have the lowest entry price and could see the first major wins with commercial software running in real estate “viewing centers” where prospective home buyers can use VR to “walk through” multiple properties.

Although there’s no shortage of commercial and educational applications where VR will be in wide spread use, there is a catch in the recipe for success. The catch : there may be more opportunity than there is specialized talent needed to edit and code new content.

I never ever thought I’d write this but now may be the perfect time to be a film school or animation student. Oh Dear! –Jim Forbes 9 March, 2016.

Virtual Reality, Round Em Up and Evangelize 'Em Now!

 

The coming stampede towards virtual and augmented reality applications will be a greater rush than the previous tectonic shift from character-based to graphics based applications. But unlike that earlier shift which mixed innovation and remediation, the move to VR is going to force content providers to look far and wide for new talent, including recent graduates of learn by doing film schools nationwide.

It would be easy to look back at the computer games market as an isolated, similar model. But that doesn’t scale here.

There’s likely to be as much demand for VR and AR educational and training applications as there are entertainment apps. But the economics of those two segments eclipse entertainment content, plus therer is an implied refresher revenue stream that’s absent in the entertainment model. And smart investors are much more likely to put their money into companies and technologies that play in a large markets.

But where will the talent needed to develop applications and content come from?

The answer is obvious: film schools nationwide plus lower level educational institutions that already teach the basics need to produce VR and AR content. Obviously students who understand the mechanics of developing stories and the basics of filmmaking are likely to be at the breaking curl of the first wave of professionals who will be hired to develop VR and AR content.

PBS and cable television stations that produce original content such as WGBH, KCET, KPBS and KTEH, Nat Geo TV, and the Discovery networks are also potential reservoirs VR and AR talent.

I’ve lived through enough revolutions to understand that new technology often needs pushing and that corporate product evangelists can supply that force.  Apple’s original Mac marketing manager, Mike Murray, gets kudos for pushing hardware into the hands of developers in an effort to foster innovative applications for the Macs graphical interface.

 I sincerely hope that companies like Facebook Samsung, HTC, and most of all Microsoft, seed not only developers but also four year universities and community colleges. There’s a lot coming and I can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon.—Jim Forbes on 13 March, 2016

Yes HTC's Orders for More Than 15,000 VIVE Virtual Reality Headsets May be a Harbinger, But There's More to Come.

 

Chinese personal electronics maker HTC this week began taking orders for its $799 Vive virtual Reality headset, booking orders for more than 15,000 units in less than 10 minutes.

HTC’s VIVE’s orders brought in more than $11 million in revenue, according to published reports.

The massive rush to buy the $699 HTC virtual reality headset in being interpreted by some of VR’s proponents as solid proof that Virtual Reality is the next big thing,

What’s missing so far are reports and estimates of who is buying the new technology. In previous technological gold rushes, in addition to early adopters many first purchasers have been to hardware and software developers plus technical marketing and other specialists performing competitive analyses.

More VR systems will appear before the end of this summer, including Oculus Rift’s (Facebook) first product and perhaps Avegant’s Glyph personal theater. Further down the road Google is expected to introduce its second VR/personal theater product, which according to published reports that have appeared over the last several weeks, is now under development.

Microsoft is also in the mix at the high-end with its $3,000 HoloLens, which is expected to begin shipping at the end of March.

AS s products begin to appear, acquisition and system hardware overhead could become issues. Secondarily, standalone systems could become more popular than headsets and other display technologies that require a tethered cable between a headset and hardware.

I believe  virtual and augmented reality devices will ignite a Gold Rush in wearable computing, but I’ve lived through enough technological revolutions to know there will be big losers and winners in the race to easily mined riches. Like the California Gold Rush in the mid-19^th century, some of the real fortunes will be made by technology companies that mine the miners. And from that category I believe we’ll see huge advances in Interface, usability, gesture control and other technologies. I’m not going to be among the first purchasers of any high end VR system. I have a kid headed back to college. But eventual I’ll buy a system, and when I do, I’m hoping for immersive historical content. That will be me, huddled in my fluffy jacket in a corner of my office looking at an inside view of the Donnor Party as I snack on some Barbecue ribs in North San Diego County.—Jim Forbes on 2 March, 2016

 

 

 

An Observation on VR for Investors. VR's Most interesting Early Adopters are our Warfighters Taking Google Carboard on Deployments

Virtual Reality has become an important part of the personal kit of our military as thy load out their personal possessions prior to forward deployment in conflict zones.

As a veteran who deployed to a combat zone a long time ago, it’s hard not to imagine the written or memorized matrix of personal items that go overseas with ground troops:

                Extra tooth brushes and rags for cleaning your assigned weapon? Check.

                Nonstandard gun lube and rifle cleaning supplies? Check

                Laptop computer loaded with Skype? Check.

                Ear buds? Check.

                Extra cans of your favorite dip or snuff (just in case the nearest PX doesn’t have it)? Check

                Large screen GSM cell phone? Check.

                32 GB micro SD cards loaded with entertainment content? Check.

                Google cardboard head set dissembled into its flat components? Check.

                VR shooter  games? Check?

                Leather Goddesses of Phobos on an extra SD card? Check.

                Extra $10, $20 or $5 dollar bills (poker money) hidden securely in your ditty bag? Check.

                All of this is to make the point that basic VR doesn’t need to be costly. And for the first time ever, enlisted war fighters are among the first group of users to adopt new computer technology. The force that’s driving adoption is Google $25 Cardboard headset and free or inexpensive VR software that can be down loaded from Google’s PlayStore.

               The example above is being overlooked by most VR hardware suppliers and touts who think people will stampede to buy multi-hundred dollar VR headsets. For VR to take off it has to be inexpensive enough to conform to a wide scale, mass market model. Once a consumer becomes a true believer, they're more likely to become a buyer of  multi hundred headsets, or computers configured for VR.

              there are other, equally important infrastructure plays that need to appear in VR. Most importantly is software that lets any studio building VR titles, to adapt existing content for VR, has to appear.

                It’s not Sandhill venture capitalists looking for a niche that will drive this. It’s Hollywood movie, music and animation studios who will make it happen. You don’t need to be an Oscar winner to understand that the studios can lock up competitive technologies now by investing in startups that play to the VR content development market.

                There is a VR example of being too early to market. That demographic market is Japan, where Sony launched its VR headset more than two years ago.  To date, the headset has not been widely adopted, although it is beloved by up-market gaming enthusiasts.         

                In VR there are some critical questions that still need to be answered:

                Who is the target market for these systems?

                How sensitive is the target market to pricing, and what software needs to be bundled with VR headsets to push them into the mainstream?

                And finally what kind of baseline performance will be required in hardware that powers VR headsets?

                If basic questions such as these are not answered, in a collapsing bubble investment environment, some players in the VR space risk suffering the fate of Momenta Inc in the earliest days of pen computing, or any of the legions of digital photo frame and USB radio startups.

                I’m hopeful VR does take off. You can bet that the next smartphone I buy will be a model that’s positioned for VR. The promised technology was important enough today that it was a factor in my buying a top of the product line  new Microsoft Surface Book  two months ago.

                And so, Mike Edelhart and Chris Shipley, we're once again on he barricades of another revolution.

                   But for now, Google is in the driver’s seats and some of it strongest supporters are young enlisted guys with Google cardboard headsets on their noggins, playing games and VR content in tents in and neart conflict zones. This post is for technically savvy terminal lance corporals preparing kits prior to deployment. I was once a /x\ too.—jim forbes, east of Camp Pendleton, CA on February 2,2016.

Welcome to the 21st Century: I'm Smitten by a T-mobile ZMAX Phablet.

I recently switched cell service providers. celebrating the occasion by treating myself to my first large screen Android smart phone-- aka, my first “phablet.”

 

I am glad I waited to get a phablet. When I first started pricing the devics and comparing service contracts and features I quickly realized that a phablet would  cost about $100 a month. for service.

Wow, was I ever wrong.

Some of the reasons I left my previous carrier included my desire to lower my monthly comm bills and because they really didn’t offer a true” phablet.” in my price range

Which is why I found myself at a local T-Mobile store looking at an approximate  $225 (out the door)ZTE Zmax house brand Android smartphone with a six-inch (measured diagonally) screen.

My phablet has changed how I use a smartphone. First, I send a lot more text messages than I ever did on previous phones.Second: I’m much more likely to use my phone to connect to the Internet.

A big reason why I didn’t use my previous phone’s Internet capabilities is simple: Displayed information on itsf ive-inch-inch screen taxed my middle-age eyesight.

With a bigger screen, I immediately found myself installing and using more applications. but I still don’t like using my phone for email, except for cursory glances.

I have a simple rule for my family and close friends, ‘if you need to reach me, text me.”

I can always call them later and most often I can answer their questions by texting.

I loved the increased memory of phablets;My Zmax has 11. 64GB of storage versus 8GB on my previous phone.More system memory means I can install and use more applications.

Some of the applications I use are pretty obscure. I love a fishing app that uses my phone’s GPs reporting capability to provide me with tide and solumnar  (moon and sun phases) data.I don’t consider myself a “technical fisherman”“ but i’m approaching that rubicon because of my smart phone.

Agrivi is nother go-to app that makes managing my fsll things agricultural more enjoyable and productive.i I was first heard of Agrivi while visiting Cal Poly Pomona ( an ag and engineering college here in Southern California.)

Agrivi lets its users tap into “best agricultural practices” this app lets me track my plants and trees crops on the go.I really like a feature in Agrivi that works with three and seven day weather forecasts and multi-year weather records.

Weather and field monitoring are critical to growing avocados and peaches here in San Diego County and until I encountered this app i’d never seen or used a smartphone program that has Agrivis capabilities.

Most of the other applications on my phablet are pedestrian customer loyalty or shopping apps. the most important of these is the What’s App messaging platform

User messaging apps could force smartphone makers -- or Google-- to offer larger screen data input keyboards. Their absence  as a native feature in Android Kit Kat is a serious shortcoming.

Mandatory disclosure: I have large hands, wear a size 16 man’s’ ring. and am handicapped because of a stroke that wiped out the fine motor control on my left side-- I am “deeply embedded” left handed so I can not switch my dominant handedness.

I do have a major criticism of today’s smartphones that carries over specifically to phablets, Despite better battery life and oversized cases the  “VIbrate on ring” feature is too anemic. Manufacturers,I believe absolutely have to make this feature more powerful, and thus more useful.

Until this feature is improved,I’m resorting to a wearable $30 bluetooth wearable dongle called “Ditto” that vibrates when my phone rings, or when I get out of range of my phone’s bluetooth transceiver.

Although my ZTE Zmax is built like a Panzer, , I opted for the $10 a month replacement insurance.

I have been very surprised by the  battery life of this phablet. I’m able to go three days without recharging, despite more internet use than “I've ever experienced on a a smartphone. the battery life of the  ZTX  phablet is, much longer than other smart phones I’ve owned by a long shot and Adroid Kit Kat’s power management software is a big reason why I no longer worry about battery life, or carry a fully charged power pack in my book bag..

The Phablet form factor has  changed how I use and rely on a cell phone, which I’ll circle back on in a future post. For now, I’m a true believer in phablet computing, a dream I thought I wouldn’t live to become mainstream in my life. More on phun phablet computing in subsequent posts. Jim Forbes on 02/23/2015

 

After Cutting my Internet Connection While Camping, I Want a Small Footprint standalone Word Processor for my Ultrabook

As a result of doing the unthinkable: slashing  my technological overhead and going without my cell phone or a wireless internet connection on a recent four-day vacation. But I always have a notebook stashed away when I travel but for the first time in five years I couldn’t use it when I felt the urge to write.

Which brings me to the point of this short post: There is an immediate need and major opportunity  for a small footprint stand-alone word processor that works on Wintel hardware.

Although i’[ve used Microsoft Word going back to the dark ages before Windows, that application has become too  bloated for me.

So tooling down I-5 from the Sierra, my mind drifted back to previous word processing programs and why I liked them.Lets look back:

Wordstar-- whether you hated it or loved it (or dreamed of Control K commands in your sleep) this dinosaur blitzed along on computers equipped with only 64K of memory.

XyWrite-- another of my all time favs because it closely resembled the ATEX text composition software used in many newsrooms. and it ran very nicely from loppy disks on Dos omputers with 512K of memory.

Microsoft Write-- an inexpensive Mac word processor that was a gateway to Word.it ran very nicely on 128K Macintoshes. A Windows version of this program, was also available through the introduction of Windows NT

Microsoft WordPad-- included with Windows and incredibly versatile. Like Microsoft NotePad, WordPad can be used to open and edit many types of documents.

T/Maker’s Write Now-- an incredibly fast word processor that initially ran on 128K Macs but which in its basic version offered indexing and a feature that remembered where you were in a specific document and booted up to that place.I still mourn WriteNow. It had everything I needed and could save files as pure Ascii text.

So there I was, my ultrabook  on a picnic table, battery powered lantern by its side,  forgetting for a moment that I was technologically untethered.I wanted to writeup my notes about golf prospectors i had interviewed earlier that day but had no Internet of connecting to the Google mothership because I couldn’t tether my cell phone

My solution was right there in Windows, Wordpad

So, why would I buy and install a commercially developed small footprint word processor and how much would I be willing to pay for it?

I’d buy one if generated files that could be cut and pasted seamlessly into my blogging application, Typepad and if it didn’t require that I install a larger SSD on my ultrabook. And come to think about it,I would be willing to pay somewhere north of $75 to have a good word processor on my “every trip” notebook.

But to put a point on it, Apple had this figured out along time ago when it began bundling applications on its macintosh portables, all in one desktops and its Macbook Air.

So if you're in the Sierra this weekend and you see some dude banging on a portable by lanternlight, have no fear, I don’t bite, but I do laugh at myself.--Jim Forbes on 07/15/2014

 

SMart Phone Health and Medical Apps--- The Tsunami Approaches

The next big thing in health improvement may be no farther away than your smart phone.

Patient self-monitoring could be one of the most important emerging categories of applications for Android and iOS phones. The initial offerings in this category are standard fare; calorie counters, dietary databases and pedometers are obvious examples. But technologists are moving forward with more advanced applications that monitor your pulse and which trigger alarms when preset values monitored by wearable or implanted sensors are exceeded.

But below the current horizon are a new generation of devices that will use smart phones to transmit the history of implanted (AICDs) cardioverter/defibrillators and which could connect the two devices using the human body as a transmitter. Also now in development are implantable glucose sensors for diabetic patients that transmit data to smart phones and which trigger alarms when blood sugar levels fall above or below preset clinical levels.

Many of the new health related smart phone applications are being investigated or developed by senior technologists whose life and industry experience fall outside of the current “found- a-startup- and-sprint-for-liquidity” model that defines industry.

No one makes this point better than Philippe Kahn, whose post Borland career includes pioneering software that allows readily sharing digital pictures on social media and other platforms. Mr. Kahn’s new venture is called MPath Technology, which uses a smart phone’s abilities to capture physical motion and turn data points into accurate maritime or terrestrial navigational systems. “The MotionX wearable sensing platform at FullPower (is protected by dozens of patents. We are 75 scientists, engineers, technologists working  in Santa Cruz, CA, focused on inventing and staying away from business battles, et cetera”.Some of the areas
MPath may next explore are smart phone-based health apps, according to the company web site.

Although MPath’s Mr. Kahn eschews today’s MBA-cookie cutter entrepreneurial model, the complexity and cost of any next-generation health app that works in conjunction with pharmaceutical or critical patientvital signs monitoring may favor startups with very deep pockets or direct ties to established medical companies. A single phrase in this smart phone application category—regulatory agency approval—adds months and mega buck research development costs to product delivery.

But topical applications such as those measure physical activity and deliver caloric burn rates, Or which allow individuals to download and store personal health records and insurance plan data (including info on in-plan physicians) are well within the range of most start-ups and represent
fast paths to liquidity or cash injection points.

AN Open Letter to Software and Hardware Vendors And My New Fiskars Hatchet

An open Letter to all SAAP, Software and Some Hardware Vendors.

From: Jim Forbes, Retired Demo Event Producer

Subject: Opt-in,Opt-Out and My Willingness to use a Hatchet
When Reviewing

I”ve agreed to test a lot of new software in the last three decades. Mostly, it’s been a rewarding experience.

When a new company asks me to participate in the testing of anew application or service, I take the challenge seriously and I try to be as honest as possible about my experiences with the application—or hardware. In fact I make a point of testing applications on what I define as “my everyday machine” or in “common usage scenarios” when I agree to test something.

I am intensely interested in several emerging categories ofapplications. Some of these include note taking (or outlining), mobile commerceand consumer group conferencing applications, web-based office productivity and other packages.

I recognize most new software developers don’t have deep pockets and are under enormous pressure from investors to initiate revenue streams. Unfortunately some developers have resorted to partnerships with bloatware providers to trickle coins into their purses.

If someone agrees to test any company’s software, the developer should never assume they are also explicitly agreeing to install some lame ass, second string search toolbar dredged up from the Nineties. I’m perfectly happy using Google or Microsoft Bing.

Moreover, many of my primary apps are video intensive, so I do not want to waste valuable memory assets with some silly software that was selected for extinction by consumers 14 years ago.

My recent experience with a consumer video sharing application is one example. I installed the host based kernel and bigger than life, an Ask.com toolbar obnoxiously attached itself to some of my primary apps. Damn it! If I wanted to use Ask.com, I’d consciously install it. Not directly asking my permission to install it is a violation of my trust.  And that’s something that makes me question
the competence and integrity of a company’s management all the way up to its Board of Directors.

I absolutely hate bloatware in all its sundry forms. My computer is my property and I deliberately choose how and what programs I install and use. Because I agree to test an application doesn’t mean I’m opting to also use a dinosaur from Computing’s Triassic age. In fact, all three of the
most recent problems I’ve had with my computer have been caused by bloatware that’s accompanied new software I’m testing.

Opt-in,Opt-Out is an ongoing marketing strategy, yet again.

SO here’s the deal, I will savage any application that doesn’t allow me to easily opt-out of companion installations. Given the maturity of technology, any assumption by a developer that my testing of a program constitutes an axiomatic agreement that I’m opting in forces me to question a
software company’s understanding of its user base. And when I go down that road,
I am forced to look at the experience of that company’s management, its board of directors and all its investors.

My screed isn’t limited to software. Once again, bloatware has become a huge problem in hardware.

I have a nicely keened Fiskars hatchet I’m willing to use on any product that violates my beliefs in opt--in, opt-out. I also have a strong hand that’s willing to use that edged instrument.—Jim Forbes on 12/07/2012.

Geo Tag and other Meta Data technologies Really Shine at Demo 2012-- John Fortt's Intuit Q&A Sets New Standard

Demo 2012 was a little like watching a road being revealed in the bright light of high powered quartz halogen high beams – what’s unveiled by the light is sometimes overlooked the casual observers

Up front, I need to disclose I have strong opinions about Demo. I produced Demo branded events and interviewed thousands of companies in conjunction with this family of technology showcases.

There was a lot to see and experience at Demo 2012 last month. More than 1,000 attendees saw about 70 companies with new consumer, business and enterprise technologies. What was shining brightly in Demo’s hi beams was CNBC business reporter John Fortt’s interview with Intuit’s CEO, Brad Smith.

Fortt was at the top of his game. His interview of Smith completely reversed my somewhat negative view of conference Q&A sessions. It was the best CEO interview I’ve seen at a conference since the days of Stuart Alsop’s legendary one-on-ones with Bill Gates at the Agenda Conferences.

Fortt’s preparation for his one on one with Smith was stunning. By the time his segment ended, I fully understood what drove Intuit’s usability efforts and had new insight into the company’s intrapreneurial and external acquisition strategies. Frankly, I’m surprised Intuit’s executive management hasn’t been selected for any executive technology show case one-on-one conversation before now. This veteran technology company is literally the 10,000 pound gorilla that dominates a large part of the Silicon Valley jungle.

The CNBC correspondent’s Q&A with Brad Smith illuminates the uneven nature of most conference panels. When a discussion leader and panelists prepare for their discussions and are not allowed to venture into self-serving pitches on portfolio companies, panels can provide attendees with deep insight into emerging trends or real market opportunities. And ultimately it’s up to an event’s producer to map out their expectations on the purpose of the panel.

After sitting through two presentations by companies with technologies that enhance the important of geotags I understand that there are still major opportunities in mining metadata information. GeoTrex—which lets organizations push enhance content to patrons’ smart phones and tablets based on their physical location in a facility appears to have good commercial potential and fulfills an underserved need. This company did the one thing that helps to validate a Demo stage presentations— a customer endorsement. GeoTrex’s first installation is Midwestern zoo that uses the technology to provide visitors with additional information on its animals or exhibits.

As a San Diego zoo and Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry patron, I immediately understood why some organizations should adopt GeoTrex’s technology.

ShareWith911.com was an alpha startup at Demo 2012 with a Geotag related technology. The idea driving this Chesapeake Bay Area company is the capability to send photos taken with camera phones of scenes where emergency services are needed to a centralized site that’s designed to be accessed by emergency dispatchers.

If the idea sets off alarms in your head that this might be too much information, settle down. It’s not. Moreover, ShareWith 911.com does something that’s not been done before and provides several pieces of critical information needed by emergency responders—the physical location of an accident scene and mixed media (graphics and text)—that increases first responders’ situational awareness. But what really impressed me about this startup was a feature that extracts and displays the geotag data in about one second.

ShareWith 911.com came to Demo2012 via a partnership with StartupAmerica. This demonstrator’s technology may seem to have a small market, but the technology comes at a time when the federal government is pumping millions of dollars into first response agencies nationwide. Moreover, this is exactly the type of application that providers of computerized automatic dispatch systems can use to differentiate their products or make them more appealing and useful to law enforcement, fire departments and other services who serve rural areas with landmarks or mile markers that are not apparent to 911 callers.

There were sveral pother Demo2012 companies and tends I want to spotlight in tomorrow’s post—jim Forbes May 9, 2012.

On Your Mark, Get Ready, Pitch; It's Demo 2010 Time

Demo, the annual technology show case featuring new technology and the startups that hope to bring them to market starts next week and I’m excited about what’s been cooking in various incubators and stealthy small companies for the last year.

I view Demo as a “must attend” event.  It’s the only long lasting show that’s consistently served up technology that breaks new ground or defines existing categories.  I started attending the show 19 years ago and ended up co-producing the event with its longtime executive producer, Chris Shipley until I was forcibly retired by a stroke in the hours before Demo opened eight years ago.

This year Demo has a new producer. Venture Beat’s Matt Marshall has taken the well-worn baton from Chris Shipley, now the CEO of Guidewire Group. Matt’s strength is his deep knowledge of venture capital, access to which has always been a huge draw for any company that appears at Demo. But Matt is much more than just a connected observer of Venture Capital trends and emerging funding areas, he’s also a very skilled reporter—which I believe may be the paramount qualification for running a show such as Demo.

Demo is now Matt’s to conduct and he’s already expanded the players in his technological symphony orchestra. He’s doing this by using Demo to highlight not just consumer and infrastructure technology startups, but also bringing in new classes of companies in clean energy and health sciences.

It’s the expansion of Demo’s scope that makes me hopeful Demo 2010 will mark a new era in the history of this world class event.

If you attend Demo next week don’t be surprised to feel the hulking presence of the proverbial three thousand pound economic elephant in the room with you.  That elephant has been very busy for the last year not just among start-ups but also in the media sector where there have been numerous layoffs of technology journalist’s nationwide.  Anecdotally, I know at least three reporters for national print and other media outlets that have been pink slipped since the last Demo. All three were long term Demo attendees, but now that they have to travel on their own dime. They’ll be glued to Demo’s Internet site watching streamed onstage presentations and then  hitting Twitter and blog posts with reports.

Demo changes from year to year and no matter what firm is backing an individual entity; it remains a time sensitive snapshot of entrepreneurial efforts. But there are some obvious changes in how Demo is being presented now and they will benefit the show and the companies that have been selected to appear or pitch at Demo. One of the m most obvious changes is the presentation of information relating to how successful Demo presenters have been in raising venture capital and in overcoming the economy. According to Demo’s PR firm, Porter Novelli, over the last five years more than nine of every ten Demo presenters have survived, or been funded within nine months of appearing at the show.

Over a  longer, 20-year period, almost one quarter of all Demo demonstrators have received funding.

Kudos to Demo producers Chris Shipley and Matt Marshall as well as Porter Novelli for researching and presenting the information.

I’ll bed on site at Demo beginning Sunday afternoon and look forward to seeing this year’s crop of Demo demonstrators as well as the selected early start-ups who have been picked to pitch their ideas as part of Demo’s new Alpha Pitch program. Oh, if you want to meet me,  I’m hard to miss, I’m the guy in a tie-dyed shirt intently watching presenters on stage and in the Demonstrator Pavilion. Jim Forbes on march 03/2010.

(Mandatory disclosure:  I am the founding producer of Demo Mobile and co-produced Demo with Chris Shipley.  I also wrote DemoLetter Monthly and Weekly as well as Demo Mobile Monthly newsletters).