1. ANIMOTO

Animoto is a tool for the photo-elite and video-challenged… who like music. Their motto: “Welcome to the end of slideshows.” Thank the gods, for I despise slideshows.

Upload your pictures, find a song you like, and Animoto creates a video out of it. The booth was so crowded, all I got was a measly postcard.

2. UTTERZ

Excuse the grainy less-than-up-to-date-camera-phone photo. It has nothing to do with Utterz and its coolness, mostly based on the fact that its mascot is a cow.

It also has to do with its benefits (I suppose), which lets an avid mobile phone user (one with a better phone than I apparently have) to post to a blog or social network using audio, video, or text.

Ideally, I could use it for this blog, but my quest for a new phone is cut short by the black hole in my pocket.

3. KICKAPPS

When the dude at the KickApps booth tried to explain to me exactly what KickApps does, he told me that it was the “Movable Type of social networking.” I was partly skeptical until I saw an article describing AOL’s potential comeback from desperation was its interest in buying the customizable social network site–pretty impressive for a 2008-launcher. By becoming an “affiliate,” (their word for a registrant…free of course) a complete customizable community rests at the gentle push of fingertips for posting links, videos, blogs, and profiles. It’s a feature that can just be another page to a website. I’ll give it additional street cred for its clients, which include ABC, Vibe magazine and the DIY network.