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Next2Friends is very proud to have been selected as a CEA i-Stage Finalist.  And since we are thrilled to be sharing this distinction with so many innovative companies, we thought we would take a moment to highlight our fellow finalists.

THE FINALISTS

LightGlove is a cool new way to control virtually anything, from computers to game consoles to car doors!  It straps to your wrist and scans palm, hand and finger motion with visual and infrared light.  It has the capacity to replace many “input” devices in common electronics such as game controllers and PDAs.

GridSearch is a new way to navigate through video.  You can speed up, slow down, jump to a frame, scroll, and create grids over time, much like the menus of a DVD.

Occipital is a little mysterious.  It definitely has something to do with photos and visualization.  A quote on their website says “photos no longer need to be static snapshots”.  And their blog deals with topics of computer visualization.

Pongr is a free mobile price checking service.  It allows you to snap a photo of a product or text the name or UPC to the service and get a list of the best prices available on the web.  You can then purchase the item from your phone or turn to the sales associate in front of you and begin haggling your way to a better price!

AstoundSound, by Genaudio Inc., is a 4D audio software engine that produces advanced psycho-acoustic information.  What the heck is that?  Normal audio is in two tracks and can move between two speakers.  With AstoundSound audio will appear to move not just back and forth but will completely surround a listener without the use of special devices.

Avaak makes Wireless Video Sensor Networks.  With innovations like ultra-low power integrated wireless video sensor platforms and battery operated cameras smaller that 1 cubic inch, they are attempting bring computerized video technology to almost anywhere for security, monitoring, automation and detection applications for consumers, commercial, defense and homeland security customers.

Boxee is social media center.  With boxee you can play videos, music and pictures from your PC or from the Internet. You can also share with your friends what albums you’re listening to, what movies and TV shows you’re watching, send recommendations and more.  Check out the very informative Boxee blog for updates.

Amulet Devices produces voice controlled home entertainment systems. Not only can their devices be voice activated they contain advanced motion tracking technology, which allows the remote to sense when you are talking to it.  And the Amulet can talk back too!  If you’re wondering what song is playing or what show you’re watching all you have to do is ask and the Amulet will tell you.

Instinctiv is an application available on all operating systems, browsers and mobile OSs, that enhances random shuffle by analyzing skip behavior to quickly determine what songs fit your current mood.  They also have a personalized radio platform called Instinctive Radio.  And all this integrates with the Instinctive Music Store that reports a 4x greater music purchase rate than the iTunes music store.

Ipevo is a maker of several different computer peripherals related to VoIP.  They have several USB phones and cameras for use with services like Skype that greatly augment the VoIP experience.  They’re nominated for their digital photo frame for which there is no information, but if it’s like any of their other devices it should be promising.

YouBundle is a promising new search engine that allows users to bundle searches so that others can follow pre-made bundles by other users who are passionate about a subject.  Instead of typical search engines that utilize mechanization to find search results, YouBundle turns search into a social experience.

While Taggle, Frontline’s Fitness Interactive Technology, and Minora’s 3D Camera are also nominees, we couldn’t find much information on them.  We’re looking forward to seeing what they have to share!

And last but not least is Next2Friends’ People in Motion (TM), that is built upon our suite of Mobile Tools seamlessly integrated with a Social Network to deliver real connections in real time where ever you are.  Features like Next2Friends Live allow you to stream live video from your mobile phone while features like Next2Friends Ask let you to ask real time media rich questions of your network. Next2Friends Tag brings proximity awareness to the package and Next2Friends Snap-Up enables you to instantly snap and upload photos.

Good luck to all our fellow contestants and we look forward meeting you in October!

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