30 Days of Innovation

Through an agreement announced Tuesday, the Alex e-book reader from Spring Design will be able to access and download more than a million books at the Google Books project.

Alex, a dual-screen electronic book reader, is based on Google's Android operating system and therefore can run some Android applications. The reader includes a Web browser, wireless networking using Wi-Fi or 3G, and audio and video playback.

"We are excited to be part of Google's initiative to digitize and deliver the world's books and look forward to the markets and opportunities these efforts will open up for readers more

Wi-Fi speakers have made some appearances over the last few years, in the form of prototypes and high-priced novelties. Finally, San Francisco-based Blackfire Research will release the Wi-Fi speakers we've been waiting for.

When the SmartSpeaker launches this summer, consumers will be able to stream audio, including Internet radio and movies, from Wi-Fi-enabled cellphone and computers.

Software for the speakers is still in development and will be available for the iPhone, Zune, Palm, Android, iPod Touch, and Blackberry by the time of launch.

Ravi Rajapakse, CEO of Blackfire Research, became interested in audio at the age of 12, when

Innergie may have found a solution to the traveler's burden: carrying various power adapters for each device. The mCube90 is a universal power adapter and surge protector that can be used on airplanes, in cars, or at home. And it fits in the palm of your hand.

It's the result of a joint effort with Green Plug, a company that created technology which allows communication between devices and power sockets.

Green Plug's GreenTalk technology stops devices from drawing energy when fully charged. Innergie joined forces with Green Plug "because of the open systems power interface provides for

Analysis of your sleeping habits (or perhaps, lack of) usually involves an overnight stay at a hospital where you are covered in wires and surrounded by machines. However, in 2003 three sleep-deprived students at Brown University in Providence, R.I., thought that consumers should be able to monitor their own health.

Enter the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach, a device that lets uses measure, track, and analyze their sleeping patterns at home.

It's a gadget that, according to Zeo, functions like a professional sleep monitor, but with only two parts: a headband and a wireless receiver designed as an alarm

Thanks to Saygus, a small firm that specializes in video-calling software, Verizon will be the first to carry a two-way video-conferencing phone complete with a large touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 3D accelerometer.

They're calling it the VPhone, which may outshine its brother, the Droid, and its rival, the iPhone.

VPhone will be the first mobile device approved through Verizon's Open Development initiative, a program that encourages developers to build technologies to run on Verizon's network. So far, the company has only approved nonconsumer products.

Utah-based Saygus walked away with the Best of Innovations

Flaws in shipping sometimes result in cracked, shattered, or dented televisions. Useless? ShopJimmy.com doesn't think so. The Minnesota-based company had a revenue of $3 million this year by salvaging functioning parts from damaged televisions.

Every week, ShopJimmy receives between 800 and 1,000 broken TVs to disassemble in search of sellable parts for small repair shops.

"We're looking to limit the random e-waste that ends up in landfills," said Ryan Zarlengo, marketing director at ShopJimmy.com. The company is also sparing resources by lowering the demand of brand-new replacement parts (which are far more expensive than Jimmy'

There might be a solution to one of the most obnoxious linear relationships: as Grandpa gets older, the TV gets louder. TV Ears is a wireless headset that allows Grandpa (or anyone) to listen to television audio in isolation. And though its design screams "geek!" the wearer can sacrifice fashion for a peaceful household.

A small transmitter plugs into the audio-out ports located on the back of the television set, satellite box, or cable box and wirelessly transmits the television's audio to the headset. The user can adjust the volume and tone dials on the headset, while television volume more

Entourage Systems, Inc. is a first-time CES exhibitor readying its release of the Entourage Edge, a hybrid gadget combining two trending technologies: e-readers and Netbooks.

Asghar Mostafa, president and CEO of the McLean, Virginia-based company, has a strong entrepreneurial background, mostly building technology businesses. Although a variety of people might find it useful, Mostafa sees the Edge catering to college and high school students who could benefit from a lighter backpack.

Amazon vied to fulfill the same need with its Kindle DX, but college students are reluctant in accepting the technology, especially because of its price point.

Entourage Edge delivers

Although Rock Band comes pretty close to the "real thing," there's something missing: the vibrations that hit your heart when playing a real drum set.

Immerz, which until recently was a one-man company, created a device that lets you feel real-life sensations of a game, movie, or music. KOR-fx is made up of two plastic devices that lay on your chest and synchronize vibrations with received audio signals.

President and physicist Shahriar S. Afshar, calls it acousto-haptic technology, something he turned to after three years participating in privately funded research. The result of Afshar's experiment contradicted a fundamental