Indie tech: Small companies, big breakthroughs

At the end of four days of haunting the concrete corridors and electric acres of the huge convention center in Las Vegas for CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, I’ve found some real highlights mixed in with the been-there-done-that offerings. If I sound a little underwhelmed, it’s partly because the nature of CES has annually been about flash (sometimes literally; read more here ) and novelty; but this year’s version has been more evolutionary than revolutionary. Refinements of products are getting lots of play from manufacturers, instead of huge product introductions.

Of course, there are exceptions, and interestingly enough this year, a few of the most exciting ones come from lesser-known brands or smaller companies. Below, some of the coolest finds at CES.

Vitality GlowCaps for prescription medicine bottles
Anybody who has an older parent, relative or loved one will consider this new product a breakthrough: A way to know for sure if patients have taken their medications, even if you’re not around to see. This is potentially a huge health and even cost issue, because missed medications can cause major problems. GlowCaps, from a company called Vitality, has invented universal twist-on caps that glow as a reminder every time a bottle is supposed to be opened. The GlowCaps box even comes with a free nightlight that also glows, along with the medicine bottle, as a reminder. But here’s the magic — you can connect this system to the Internet, through your home telephone line. In the same way a security system is often linked to a central office, Vitality sends e-mails — and if you want, makes phone calls — if a bottle doesn’t get opened. And the message doesn’t just go to the person taking the medicine. Anyone — kids, friends, etc. — can be on the list. Rxvitality.com

LG.Philips flexible display

Perhaps the most exciting technology on display at CES is is flexible. Literally: Imagine a television that you can wear on your clothing or that wraps around a curved surface. The implications are pretty big — screens that are not constrained by the rectangular or flat plane could mean information and entertainment and colors and just about anything you can think of being delivered on all kinds of surfaces. If anybody is taking orders, I’d like a car covered with colors that I can change just by pressing a button, and I’d like a laptop I can roll up and bring with me. Pretty soon, you won’t have to imagine it — made by LG.Philips in Korea, the new EPD or “electrophoretic display” screens are made of ultra-thin metal foil, and use what they call thin-film transistor technology. Translation: With no back light necessary to make a picture (the picture is formed on the surface, not under it), you can make these displays any shape you want.lgphilips-lcd.com

SentrySafe fire-safe and waterproof hard drive
With all of the emphasis on bigger, faster and more powerful out here at CES, it’s nice to see somebody creating something truly practical. And in this case, timely: In the floods, fires and storms lately, the untold story in all of the property-loss tragedies has been the loss of information. To put it bluntly, digits can be delicate. If your precious digital pictures, videos and other personal information get wet or hot, they are often destroyed. SentrySafe has created a 160 gigabyte hard drive that you can store important information on, but in a totally waterproof and fire-safe case. So in the unlikely event of a fire, the backup hard drive (made by Maxtor) can withstand temperatures up to 1550 degrees F and can be totally submerged in water for 24 hours. Better yet, the company will work with you after a fire or flood to recover your data, for free, and will send you a replacement drive. $259.99 for 80 gigabytes; $339.99 for 160 gigabytes; sentrysafe.com

Asus U2E flash drive laptop computer
From the manufacturer that makes iPods for Apple comes a laptop computer that is leading two different trends here at CES — fashion and aesthetics in high-tech and also a powerful device driven by solid-state or flash memory. In addition to the on-board 32-gigabyte flash hard drive, the ultra-slim U2E contains a DVD burner and weighs only 2.87 pounds. If it had a moving hard drive, it would likely weigh almost a pound more. The Asus is clad in black leather. $2,100-$2,400; www.asus.com

GE DECT 6.0 phone with one-touch free directory assistance button
OK, so it’s not a touch screen. But I love that this latest GE-branded, Thomson-made home phone will have a dedicated “411” information button that gives you free access to what phone companies have traditionally made us pay $2 for — directory assistance. Instead, just press the blue button above the dial pad on the phone, and you’re connected to Google’s lightning-fast information universe. And did we mention the “free” part? (Note that GE is the parent company of NBC.) The phone should be available in April of this year.

Paul Hochman is the gear and technology editor for the TODAY Show and a “Fast Company” magazine contributor. He covered the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Athens and Torino, Italy, for TODAY. He was also a three-year letter winner on the Dartmouth ski team and has a black belt in karate. Paul’s blog can be found at: Paulhochman.blogspot.com

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