Regen Shines as Another i-stage Success Story
November 22, 2009 by admin
Regen’s ReNu is proving that i-stage will not hit a sophomore slump, as the winner of the second annual competition has already garnered critical praise on par with the inaugural champ boxee. In the same month that boxee announced expansions to its own product line, Regen took the spotlight and charged up tech and environmental blogs alike, with TreeHugger saluting it as the sexiest of solar chargers.
Regen’s star power has also made it the first i-stage winner to take home a CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award, in the portable power category.
Check out some of the early praise for Regen’s line of solar-powered products, which won’t even hit the market until 2010:
- Alternative Consumer
- CNET
- Gizmodo
- Earth Techling
- Engadget
- Fast Company
- High Tech Lounge
- Inhabitat
- Mother Nature Network
- TreeHugger
Natali Del Conte Covers the 2009 Competition
November 22, 2009 by admin
Judge Natali Del Conte of CNET wrapped up the 2009 i-stage competition in both video and blog format. Check out her coverage from Phoenix below and on the CNET website.
Short and Sweet is the Secret to the Sell at Second Annual i-stage
October 19, 2009 by admin
Green, gaming, 3D and remotes for the iPhone.
These were the themes behind products leading the way in CEA’s second annual i-stage competition, and it’s no surprise why. Consumer interest in eco-friendly products, innovative gaming solutions and a reinvigorated 3D movie market have all been major tech stories this year. The Apple ecosystem continues to inspire developers, and a number of i-stage contestants built in apps and social features that could be supported on iPhone.
Unlike last year, when the audience favored the endearing presentation of Minoru 3D webcam over the judges’ selection of the accomplished application Boxee, this year’s audience agreed with the judges, picking Regen Inc.’s ReNu, a family of stylish solar-powered products, as the standout winner in the competition.
Other “wows” came throughout the day, especially from runner-up The eDGe, which married the netbook with the eBook. Judge Natali Del Conte of CBS and CNET TV praised The eDGe for providing just the right amount of functionality without too many distractions to pull her away from a great read.
Del Conte and her fellow judges injected a welcome amount of humor into the competition, especially when Natali discussed her do it herself in-home tech solutions.
The judges also handed out a few cautionary tales based on their own personal experiences. Jeff Pulver, founder of Pulver.com and co-founder of Vonage, stressed the importance of consumer privacy throughout the day, and questioned whether some products could be used to steal content.
Ross Levinsohn, no stranger to content pitches as former head of Fox Interactive, was wowed by the advances in green technology.
And Blake Krikorian, a man behind his own successful startup, the Slingbox, warned contestants that focusing on too many features only weighed down their wow factor. He repeated to several contestants the need to find a focus and drive their message home. Del Conte echoed the sentiment, asking for an elevator pitch she could give to her viewers on TV.
The judges had stern criticism for some of the contestants — namely identify your market niche and do your competitive research — but also made it clear that it was a huge accomplishment just being selected for the contest. All in attendance were more than pleased that innovation is still alive and i-stage gave it a home for continued development.
Live from Phoenix
October 18, 2009 by admin
We’re only a few short hours from this year’s i-stage finals, live in Phoenix at the Arizona Grand Resort.
Our 11 competitors are spending the day in rehearsals, hoping to fine tune their presentations, which will be unveiled publicly for the first time tomorrow when our judges arrive onsite.
Who’s taking home the prize money? Who gets to debut at CES? You can follow all the action as it happens on CEA’s Twitter feed and contribute to the discussion using hash tag #istage.
Good luck to all of our finalists!
Finalists Announced for Phoenix!
September 30, 2009 by admin
Eleven finalists will unveil their products before a live audience at the second annual i-stage competition, the technology event featuring the most innovative new consumer technology products that will soon come to market.
Products include 3D and environmental technologies, new platforms that bring together converging markets, and accessories that facilitate connectivity.
The 2009 i-stage finalists, listed by company and product name, are:
- Cubicvue LLC, CubicVue 3D Filter
- Entourage Systems Inc., The eDGe
- Immerz Inc., KOR-FX
- Meld Technology, WholeHomeHD™
- Regen Inc., ReNu™
- Tenrehte Technologies, PICOwatt
- Thinkeco Inc., the modlet
- Thinkoptics Inc, iWavit™
- Valencell, Healthset®
- Zagg Inc., ZAGGbox
- zero1.tv Gmbh, VooMote
i-stage will be held during CEA Industry Forum on Monday, October 19, at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, AZ. Register for i-stage by purchasing Monday-only tickets or attend the full CEA Industry Forum for networking, research and business development sessions with hundreds of leading electronics manufacturers, buyers and press.
Last year’s winner, Boxee, went on to receive over $10 million in venture capital and was named by BusinessWeek as one of the “20 Most Important Inventions of the Next Ten Years.” Other finalists continue to make the news and rise up the retail charts, including the Minoru 3D webcam, the IPEVO Kaleido for digital photos, and Occipital’s expanding product line.