[DEMO09] This session of DEMO was smaller than usual but it was great, in fact, it helped us provide a better coverage. This show is always very intense and now that I have recovered, I made the time to upload some pictures of the great people I met and some of the cool products that I saw there. The 6 minutes demo videos of the 39 companies that launched a new product in Palm Desert are available at demo.com.

List of our DEMO 09 articles after the jump.

DEMO is over! Congrats to all the participants for their hard work and their cool products. It's hard to say, but we do have our own favorites, and for DEMO 09 here are the coolest products and companies:

• Touch Book
• Avaak Network Camera
• eFormic
• Skout
• Gazaro
• Home Account
• Zuora
• Gwabbit
• Asurion Mobile Address Book
• Vokle.com
• Silverstone Solutions

Thanks for following our live coverage (subscribe to RSS or Twitter to get future Live updates) and if you’ve missed it, check out our posts in the DEMO category.

[DEMO 09] Due to the global recession, this was the quietest DEMO I have ever attended: only 39 companies presented instead of the 70 per session for the past year. This session was in fact very interesting, showcasing more realistic solutions regarding business models and Internet usages.

Here are the main trends that emerged at this session of DEMO:

[DEMO 09] Today Avaak launched Vue a cool video streaming network solution powered by wireless tiny cameras that have a great battery, so this product is somewhat green. The mounts are magnetic and very easy to install anywhere in the house (see photo), they allow any camera angle orientation as well. Super easy to configure, unlike traditional IP camera systems, the Vue Network provides a good solution for remote video monitoring and surveillance.

With a 300 feet range and a proprietary ultra-low power wireless network technology that transmit one million frames on a single battery, this personal video system comes with a web account at vuezone.com where users can manage their multiple video feeds from any Internet enabled device. As much as fifty cameras can be connected to a single gateway (photo vertical device). It retails at $299 (including the web service) and it will be available in early, pre-orders can be placed at www.VueZone.com.

[DEMO 09] We published this morning about the launch of this new Texas Instrument ARM-powered Netbook that has a 10 to 15 hours battery life. There is a photo gallery too! It is a prototype and I did not get to try the 3D interface and the touchscreen yet, Gregoire Gentil, Always Innovating CEO, wanted to save the battery life for his demo... strange knowing that it can last over 10 hours. Well, it is a prototype. The device cover will be magnetic so you will be able to stick it to your fridge.

Specifications

• 9.4" x 7" x 1.4" for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
• Internal USB plugs
• ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
• 1024x600 8.9'' screen
• Storage: 8GB micro SD card
• Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
• 3-dimensional accelerometer
• Speakers, micro and headphone
• 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
• 10h to 15 hours of battery life

[DEMO 09] This is the perfect product to launch in 2009… I wish it was created two years ago, it may have prevented the mortgage business insanity. HomeAccount.com is a web-based service helps consumer select the best options for their mortgage, just like Consumer Reports, does. Leveraging its large database, the application analyzes the homeowner and his/her mortgage and present the best financial options available, the user then select the one that he/she prefers.

If you have an interest in the hottest startups out there, you might want to keep an eye on live.ubergizmo.com, where we'll keep you up to date with what's being unveiled at DEMO in Palm Springs right now.

Our regular coverage of DEMO is located in the DEMO category. Check it out, we've already published many posts about new products released minutes ago!

[DEMO 09] Coveroo is launching new finishes and color for its line of custom lasered Artwork. Customers can go at www.coveroo.com, select their desired design, and the Coveroo team will hand craft a new back cover for their phones, price starts at $9.95. Coveroo now supports color, stainless steel, gold and glow in the dark personalization. New artwork categories have been added to the line of brands available, including Garfield, Family Guy, Dexter, The Tudors, Resident Evil 5, and Todd Harris Goldman.

[DEMO 09] Asurion new address book is developed for the Android platform, but more version will be developed. I like this approach of the address book that lets users interact with their contact using various type of messaging and social networking sites' features without having to go to different "windows" or applications in the phone. The Palm Pre's user interface has the same kind of high level concept. Users can also add "smart contact" such as Starbucks and find the nearest coffee shop in two clicks directly from their contact list. It is an open platform so developers are invited to create as many "mix-ins" (smart contact widgets) as they want. The configuration of this smart address book is flexible and easy to manage by simple drag and dropp from the desktop website. Asurion will offer its technology as a white label, skinable customizable address book solution for wireless operators, handset manufacturers and web-based services. A limited beta will be available directly for consumers shortly after DEMO.

[DEMO 09] The well-known bookmark synchronization add-on Foxmarks today announced Xmarks, its bookmark-powered web discovery engine. Leveraging over 600 million bookmarks, the new application use the wisdom of the crowd to provide site recommendations into the browser and directlly on search results pages. Working with Google, Yahoo and MSN Live Search, Xmarks highlights the three most popular result based on its bookmarks database directly on the search result page, provides information for the best sites on the web, lists users review and ratings, shows similar sites and related topics. Xmarks, is available now as a downloadable add-on for Firefox here: http://www.xmarks.com/download

[DEMO 09] Incubated by Apption Software, a company specialized in Artificial Intelligence solutions, GazaroGazaro is a customizable online sales flyer that keeps track of what consumers want to buy, aggregates and classifies sales found in flyers, catalogs and websites in real-time and delivers the best deals as alerts via email, RSS or Twitter. The application is powered by a patent-pending Artificial Intelligence system that collects, organizes, filter leading sales information and presents it as a personalized view.

Configuration is touted to be simple, users just have to select brands, products and stores and Gazaro creates a personalized flyer with the sales that match that selection.

Competitors include FatWallet, SlickDeals on the deals side; Yotify and Google Alerts on the electronic delivery side. Talking about momentum, this is a great application to launch in these economically troubled times! It looks pretty cool on the paper, I cannot wait to test it.

[DEMO 09] I am surprised to see a web video service launching at DEMO today, knowing that even Google struggles to monetize YouTube. When I attended the first DEMO in 2007, loads of startups launched video services, but I thought that the trend had totally fade out, may be not. Vokle is a social news site with live video communication capabilities. It allows people or brands to promote content through live video discussion hoping that it will transform rapidly in a serious viral "word of mouth" visual conversation. One neat application is the focus group for company who wants instant feedback on their products or brand from consumers via video. Another application is video conferencing; I need to see the demo to see what is new about this service.

[DEMO] Presto is a pre-boot operating system that aims to get you connected to the web "in seconds" after you push the "ON" button of your laptop. It works by using a variant of Linux that is optimized to boot quickly. Existing pre-boot systems do take 15 to 30 seconds to boot, but it is interesting to note that most competitors come pre-installed with a new computer in the form of a flash memory. Presto can be sold directly and installed/uninstalled by consumers for$20.

After booting in Presto, users have access to a set of applications that can be extended through downloads from an App Store. Firefox, Skype, Real Player, IM apps and productivity software come pre-installed. Note that Presto can connect to many types of internet connection: WiFi, 3G, xDSL, LAN and cable.

It remains to be seen what "instant" means (we can't say that 15-30 seconds is instantaneous), and we will check this out on the show floor of DEMO. Presto requires XP or Vista and 4GB (!) of free disk space. A beta version (expires on April 12) is available on myprestopc.com. Beta testers will receive a $10 discount.

[DEMO 09] Today Symanted is launching a new web application that allows tech experts help their friends and family with technical support securely over the web. There are many web services available for tech support but none is really dedicated for people helping their friends and family. We all know Microsoft Remote Desktop that can be used for this purpose, but a web app could be more convenient, (I have not seen a demo yet, so I just suppose).

Providing a secure web environment, Project Guru is based on the same technology developed for Symantec’s Software as a Service (SaaS) Online Remote Access. Users have to sign up as “Gurus” and invite their friends and family to join their circle, once the invitation has been accepted, the Guru can connect remotely with a secure encrypted and authenticated connection to the other system to troubleshoot, diagnostics tools and software identification tools are available in Project Guru. A pilot release will be available to consumers for the second half of 2009.