Overview: 16 Israeli companies at CES 2008 this week

Over 20,000 new gadgets and technologies will be unveiled at CES in Las Vegas starting tomorrow, and over 2,700 companies will present over the course of the following four days.

The International CES conference is produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and has been a prominent platform for companies producing “all things consumer electronics” to get launched / noticed / partnered up for over 40 years. This year’s conference will feature exhibitors from 30 product categories – ranging from a radio for the hearing-impaired to a wireless HDTV LCD screen.

Among the exhibitors will be 16 Israeli companies. Here’s a short overview on the companies and their latest consumer gadgets:

1) 3DV Systems – A few weeks ago I covered 3DV’s breakthrough game controller on VC Cafe. It makes the Nintendo Wii look obsolete. Israel-based 3DV developed a camera that uses imaging technology to capture the three dimensions of objects, enabling users to control games and personal space through intuitive body gestures and to replace video background in real-time.

2) Celeno Communications – a leading provider of WiFi semiconductor solutions for emerging multimedia home networking applications. Celeno’s technology enables consumers and service providers to quickly and easily deploy robust, whole-home entertainment home networks.

3) Epos – is a leading provider of advanced digital positioning technology. Together with its partners, EPOS brings next-generation, positioning-based consumer electronics products to the input device, touch-screen, and interactive whiteboard markets, among others. In the conference, Epos will demonstrate the following products: Digital Pen & Mouse, Digital Pen & USB Flash Drive, Touch-Screen and Interactive Whiteboard technologies.

4) Horizon Semiconductors – Horizon designs, develops and supplies complete SoC solutions enabling secured video and audio compression & transmission for the consumer electronics and home entertainment markets targeting satellite, digital cable & IPTV STB’s, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray player/recorders, HDTV, and Home Media Centers.

5) Jungo – a subsidiary of the NDS Group (NASDAQ: NNDS), the leading supplier of open end-to-end digital pay-TV solutions for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to television set-top boxes and personal computers. Jungo Ltd is a leading provider of residential and business gateway software platforms and applications.

6) Lumus – I covered Lumus on VC Cafe exactly one year ago, calling it “the mission impossible high tech glasses” founded in 2000 by Dr. Yaakov Amitai, whose disruptive and patented LOE technology is the basis for the company’s core technology and business. Lumus created see-through video eyeglasses that represent a new dimension in personal displays using cutting edge transparent display technology.

7) Mempile – Mempile’s game-changing 2-photon 3D technology will revolutionize consumer and enterprise archiving – with high capacity, low cost, permanence, removability and ease of use. Mempile has demonstrated its TeraDisc™ technology to be capable of storing up to 1TB of data on a DVD-size optical disc.

8) Metalink – Publicly traded Metalink Ltd. (NASDAQ: MTLK) is a leading provider of silicon solutions for high performance wireless and wireline broadband communications. Metalink’s prLAN and DSL technologies revolutionize the broadband experience by facilitating the convergence of telecommunication, networking and entertainment in high-speed.

9) modu – still in stealth, it’s hard to tell what Modu is all about. However, I was able to find out that it was previously called “Infone-tech” and that it was founded in 2007 and looking to “change paradigms in the mobile world by bringing freedom and boundless possibilities to the world of personal communication”. Modu’s CEO Dov Moran was previously the founder, Chairman and CEO of msystems (NSDQ: FLSH), that grew in 18 years to close to $1B in Sales. Should be interesting to follow.

10) Morel – manufactures a wide range of award-winning speakers and audio drivers for car and home, delivering uncompromising sound quality at competitive prices. Celebrating over 30 years of technological innovation and design excellence, Morel products are sold in over 55 countries around the world.

11) Primesense – the first company to offer affordable 3D machine vision technologies for the consumer market. Primesense develops of a revolutionary technology for low cost, real-time capturing of colors and depth. It enables users to control digital entertainment and consumer electronics devices using natural and intuitive hands and body gestures as well as manipulate background in video calls. Primesense is led by CEO Inon Beracha, who previously led the DSP Group (NASDAQ: DSPG) and by Aviad Maizels, who co-founded the company in 2005.

12) RCS Rampal Cellular Stockmarket– the world’s largest international trader of mobile phones began trading digital cameras & portable electronics in 2006. RCS’ website is the industry’s leading online platform and a pioneer for B2B online trading. RCS maintains strong connections with over 3,000 cellular phone manufacturers, operators, distributors and wholesalers in 128 countries.

13) Runcom Technologies – a technology company pioneering OFDMA based silicon solutions for User Terminals and Base Stations that comply with the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard for WiBro and Mobile WiMax applications; Runcom Products include the PHY and MAC communication layers.

14) Spetrotec – Founded in 1985, Spetrotec specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of advanced Automatic Vehicle Location Systems (AVL) and automobile security systems. Israel-based Spetrotec manufactures and designs the following products:AVL fleet tracking devices, GPRS, iDEN, GPS, call center software, car security, anti-hijacking, RF proximity cards, “hands-free” keyless car entry, biometric immobilizers, motorcycle alarms and vehicle security sensors.

15) Walletex Microelectronics – maker of Wallet Friendly USB devices. Housed in a credit card sized USB Flash drive, they are the world’s slimmest USB devices, and the only ones that can be carried in a wallet. Walletex has a proven track record in developing and marketing super-slim consumer electronics.

16) Yoggie Security Systems – creator of award-winning Yoggie Gatekeeper™ and Yoggie Pico™: miniature security servers that connect to laptops and PCs, providing 13 levels of security. The company was founded by Shlomo Touboul, former CEO of Finjan and inventor of behavior-based blocking technology.

I wish all the companies a successful show. If I had to put my money on it (how appropriate to Vegas), I’m betting that 3DV Systems and Primesense will generate some buzz and and that Modu might announce a smart phone, or a technology to integrate VOIP into other devices/ appliances.