What you get is often much more than what you see these days in the computing world, where digital imaging is quietly revolutionising everything from security to coupon clipping.
Many video concepts once in the realm of science fiction were on display this week in Taipei at Computex, the world's second-largest computer show, where the latest in portable video and televisions filled many of the aisles.
But between the rows of sleek flat-screen TVs and PC monitors and high-definition mobile phones, a growing number of firms are using video imaging with high-speed communications to create a new generation of sophisticated interactive applications.
The security sector is one of the technology's biggest users, making devices that use biometrics such as fingerprints and retinal scans to verify one's identity, or combine imaging with broadband to set up surveillance systems.
"People are using bits of existing technology and sticking them together to create a camera with wireless connectivity whicher.
DOWN ONE AISLE AT COMPUTEX, MO-SOFT MOBILE SOFTWARE TECH CO LTD WAS SHOWCASING THE LATEST IN HOME SECURITY: a system of sensors and cameras that can be installed at various points in the home or office, then viewed on command using a cellphone or any PC terminal with a broadband connection.
Systems can be set up not only to allow people to check in on their homes, but also to notify them when unusual motion, light or temperature changes are detected, said Glover Chu, manager of the company's enterprise marketing department.
"It also allows you to turn devices on and off," he said. "It's designed to be a do-it-yourself system.
Outside the home, another group of small but fast-growing firms are scrambling to see who will become the industry standard for a new kind of video technology using bar codes that can be photographed and read by cellphone cameras.
Japan's NTT DoCoMo is one company trialling such systems which, for example, could allow someone to photograph a bar code on a movie poster, then be taken to a film's Web page for more information, or receive a virtual ticket or coupon for admittance to a show.
The list of firms offering their own bar code solutions consists mostly of small start-up such as OP3, AURA Group, Mobiqa and Nextcode Corp, which has partnered Qualcomm and Nokia.
"The mobile industry is always getting excited about these great new technologies, but things like business models and other factors can often take years to resolve themselves," Inglebrecht said. "We tend to overlook demand-side issues."
While some firms search for the next big thing, YouTube, a year-old California company that recently received $8 million in venture funding from Sequoia Capital, is also experimenting with combinations bringing together digital photography from the cellphone and the Internet.
"You can e-mail your videos taken from your phone, then use their process to put it onto the Web site for you," said Aloysius Choong, an analyst at International Data Corp.
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