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Gadget Gurus

Friday
Sep 10th
Home arrow "Best Of" Lists arrow Best of TechCrunch 2007
Best of TechCrunch 2007 Print E-mail
Written by Rich McComas   

 

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TechCrunch 40 is what DEMO used to be in the early days, a way for struggling young startups to find venture capital.  These days, however, the best presenters at DEMO are already fully funded before the show even starts, and most of the presenters are extremely polished and anything but "struggling."  This year, we sat through two days of fairly-good and not-so-good presentations by companies who (1) didn't pay anything to present, (2) were competing for both capital and press exposure, and (3) could win a $50,000 prize just for doing a great presentation.  At TechCrunch, the Gadget Gurus developed our own list of companies that we think are most likely to actually come out with a product that either we really liked or we think will make the world take notice, including:

  • mint.com - Categorizes your bank & credit card transactions and offers discount suggestions (winner of the $50K TC40 Grand Prize)
  • Cubic Telecom - Trying to reduce international roaming rates
  • Orgoo - Integrates all your email accounts and IM accounts into one screen (now in public beta)
  • BeFunky - Quickly create cartoon avatars online

 

 
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TECH2 LAKE HOUSE

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UPDATE - The exterior of the Technology Lake House is complete and we are now working on interior finishing and electronics.  Last year, San Francisco's Channel 7 ABC News ran a special video report on the construction progress of the Technology Lake House, and we expect them back for a follow-up soon.  Click HERE for a DLINK Live Video Feed with pan and zoom features (userid=user, no password, daylight hours only). 

Ron Rosberg's current project home, the Technology Lake House, is currently under construction on the shores of Clearlake in Northern California.  Even though the house is a wireless demo house, we have installed more than seven miles of wires in the walls for dozens of flat panel TVs, speakers, control panels, and sophisticated lighting. So far, more than a dozen technology and fixture manufacturers have agreed to sponsor this project, which has been simmering in Ron's head since he attended the first CES show in New York in 1967.  The 7,500 square foot project (plus three existing rustic cabin guest houses) is being built on a five-acre Honeymoon Cove resort with 500 feet of beach directly across from Konocti Harbor Resort.  This summer retreat will host  technology gatherings annually, inviting Western states home builders, contractors, and technology consultants for a live open house showcasing the latest in home technologies.  There is room to park plenty of boats, so plan on coming up for some lake fun after the project is complete.  For more info, send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 707-995-2683.  To see the latest photos, visit Ron's Flickr gallery.

We are currently looking for products to evaluate in these areas:

  • Home automation: lighting, security, and entertainment
  • A/V technology for the 500 SF home theater media demo room
Hot News on Cool New Features: The ENTIRE front of the home is made of 21 sliding NanaWall glass panels that fold into the walls, opening the entire home up to the lake during demo days.

Who are the Gadget Gurus?

peopleatsign.jpg Gadget Gurus technology reviews are heard and read by millions of people across the United States, including more than a dozen print publications, dozens of tier-one radio stations, on third-party websites, and more than ever, online at our own website.

NEWS: This year, you will see a number of exciting announcements from Gadget Gurus, including podcasts, our syndicated "Gadgets-in-a-Minute" broadcasts, and our ever-expanding "Best Of" lists.   Also, you will be seeing our portfolio of magazine "gadget pages" growing into a number of vertical markets.