R&D throughout the industry has led to significant steps in innovation this year. VARBusiness Tech Innovator Awards recognize the most innovative of these offerings from several different sectors.
Vendors submitted hundreds of entries for the 2008 VARBusiness Tech Innovator Awards, but only a handful emerged as purveyors of unique, groundbreaking products. Here's a look at the winners.
HP's first touch-screen notebook for consumers has plenty of options for work and play.
Touch-Screen Debut: Motorola's Krave ZN4 Hits U.S. Market
12:40 PM EDT Tue. Oct. 14, 2008
Motorola's Krave ZN4 is supported on the Verizon Wireless network and features two layers of touch—on the interactive clear flip outside and a full touch screen inside. Without opening the phone, the clear flip gives users one-touch access to various features and services. The flip design also helps cut down on touch-screen wear and comes with a side lock key so that the phone is not accidentally turned on.
Verizon Wireless services provide the bulk of the phone's bells and whistles, such as a dedicated voice recognition key, the Verizon Visual Voice Mail, a virtual landscape QWERTY keypad, haptic feedback and direct access to personal e-mail accounts with mobile e-mail from Verizon.
Fancier features include Verizon's GPS system, the VZ Navigator. Also included is Verizon's V Cast Mobile TV, which includes shows from CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox, MTV, NBC and Nickelodeon. Verizon's V Cast Video service displays clips in landscape mode on a 2.8-inch color display. V Cast Video also has "snack-sized" video clips, such as sports highlights, breaking news, entertainment and weather.
V Cast Music with Rhapsody lets users pick from more than 5 million songs. Users can buy full songs over the air; download master copies of songs to their PCs free of digital rights management software; and sync favorite tracks, albums and playlists from their PCs to their phones using a USB cable, which is sold separately.
The ZN4 supports Bluetooth stereo technology, a 3.5mm headset jack and up to 8 GB microSD optional removable memory for more music, photos and video storage. The phone also comes with a touch-controlled 2.0-megapixel camera.
The Krave ZN4 retails for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year customer agreement. Monthly access packages for V Cast Mobile TV, V Cast Video and V Cast Music with Rhapsody range from $13 to $15 per month; Visual Voice Mail is available for $2.99 monthly access, and VZ Navigator is available for $9.99 monthly access.
Q4 Enterprise Solutions Reseller Incentive (Americas Region Only)Q4 Enterprise Solutions Reseller Incentive (Americas Region Only)
