From the sci-fi episodes of Mission Impossible to the real world applications being deployed today, self-destructing messages is one of the many ideas being introduced at DEMOfall 2006. VaporStream is a messaging system being introduced by Void Communications LLC that does not keep records of messages passed from the sender, through their system, and ultimately to the recipient.

At VaporStream, the most important element or [sic] our Stream Messaging system is its recordless nature. What we mean by recordless is that, once a message is sent and ultimately read, no record remains on any computer or server-not ours and not yours.

So what? Exactly... So what. New ideas and products are brought to the market everyday. What does the introduction of a new technology mean to me? New technology, whether it is high-tech or bio-tech, can be an investment opportunity with high growth potential. Subsequently, it can also be a volatile investment with the potential for sizable risk. It is the investor's task to wade through voluminous amounts of research, claims, and hype to determine if the technology is real, viable, and able to produce a return on investment for the company and subsequently, on to the shareholders.

Think practically... *Tick*

A good way to begin the evaluation process of any new technology based investment opportunity is to think about the product, service, or idea in a practical light. What does it mean to me? What does it mean to the world? Would I buy or use it? If, however, you are not the target market for the product, transform the personal perspective to a secondary perspective. Imagine yourself as a company manager, a student, a male or female, or whoever the target market may be. Use that perspective and again evaluate from a practical standpoint. By answering some of the most basic questions from a personal point of view, an initial analysis should begin to form. Your real-world experience can often be the most powerful analytics available to you.

Think technically... *Tick*

A secondary evaluation method for any new technology is to think about the technical aspects of the product or application. This may often be a more difficult task, as everyone's technical background and understanding is different. It is, however, worth the effort to dig around a company's website or to send an email to the IR department and try to understand the technology as best you can. From there, we can switch hats and ask more questions. Is the technology new and viable? What are the barriers to entry? Are sufficient patents in place? What is the lifespan of the technology before it is replaced by a newer technology? By answering some technically basic questions, we can add to our initial analysis of the product.

Think investorly... *Tick*

After evaluating a new technology from a practical and technical standpoint with a positive analysis, the next thing to do is to investigate any investment opportunities. We'll assume the company is publicly traded so there would be an opportunity. Using the analysis previously created, there are three key components that can be used to evaluate an investment opportunity:

1. Impact - What is going to be the impact of this product?
2. Market - What is the size of the target market?
3. Life-Span - What is the life-span of this technology before it is obsolete?

The bigger the impact, the larger the market, the longer the life-span: the better the investment opportunity. One note of caution: depending upon when you are evaluating a new technology as it relates to a stock price, these factors may already be priced in. Watch timeframes, when the technology was released, and subsequent moves in stock price as gauges as to these factors already being priced in.

Self-Destructing Companies *POOF*

Be wary of investing in companies that have poor practical applications, no real technological advancements or barriers to entry, and where the investment opportunities are thought to be poor. Generally, if you are thinking it is a bad investment, chances are everyone else is thinking that also. New tech related ideas are a dime a dozen and products are brought to market continuously. By analyzing fundamentals, quicker and better conclusions can be drawn and better investment decisions can be made.

Homework Assignment: Analyze This

Here is a company that has introduced new technology. Analyze it and come to a conclusion. The company is New Medium Enterprises (OTCBB: NMEN). The stock opened today ( 9/26/2006) at $0.26. A summary of their current marketplace and the companies answer to a consumer need follow: Currently, there is a DVD standards war going on with two technologies fighting for acceptance and market share. A new standard (one or the other) is crucial to the widespread deployment of HD DVDs as this format requires much more capacity than is currently available. These new standards provide that increased capacity. The industry has been at a standstill waiting and watching which standard will prevail. New Medium Enterprises' answer to the problem was released today. To put both versions onto a single dual layered DVD. What does that mean? It means exactly what you think it means. It means to put both versions on to a DVD so the publishing industry does not have to wait for a dominant standard and can begin publishing titles with both. Well, you might ask, why hasn't anyone thought of this before and why isn't anyone doing it? Good question. The answer, according to NMEN, is that the process of creating dual layered DVDs in the past has been problematic, inconsistent, and thus, costly for it to be a viable consumer product. They claim to have developed a method to create these dual layered DVDs reliable and cost effectively, thus allowing for publishers to publish both formats onto a single DVD.

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