SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In the old days -- three or four years ago -- the Demo technology conference teemed with flashy technologies that were frequently short on substance or far from final in form.

That was then. This is...well, a different era for tech companies. They're decidedly more cautious, and Demo is a different show. At Demo 2003 here this week, emphasis is on practical products and services, most of them only a few weeks from general availability.

But even though exhibitors are stressing the useful and here-and-now, they also show a fair share of innovation -- and enough surprises to keep attendees on their toes.

Here are a few highlights, lowlights, and sidelights from Demo 2003, which was produced by IDG Executive Forums, a sibling company of PC World.

Spotlight on Security

The big themes: Many products on display involve security, e-mail, or some combination -- from patch manager BigFix to automated e-mail sorter Ella Pro from Open Field Software.

Looking at you: Security camera sales are booming, and Pixim is going for a big piece of the action with a new imaging system that makes even very high-contrast scenes clearer. The company's D2000 Video Imaging System has already been adopted by five major camera makers.

Revamped old reliable: Even old-timers are giving security a second look. PKWare has added up to 256-bit RSA encryption capabilities to PKZip 6.0 Professional Edition. The downloadable update costs $70.

New Angles

Oddly interesting, interestingly odd: For $30 yearly, Oddpost takes on Hotmail and Yahoo Mail with its Web-based e-mail service. It has a slick drag-and-drop interface and -- as befits the name -- a quirky personality (for example, the menu that any other app would call "Help" is labeled "Menagerie").

Groupware to watch: Kubi Software's Kubi Client melds simple-looking workgroup tools into Outlook's and Lotus Notes' user interfaces -- sidestepping folks' traditional resistance to learning and using stand-alone collaborative software.

What's old is new again: Windows utility ActiveWords SE launches programs and fills in text based on keystrokes you define. The new program works much like popular macro utilities such as ProKeys did in the DOS days.

Listen Up

Music for misers: All was not mundane and practical at the show. FullAudio showed a fee-based music service that starts at $5 a month.

Heard this one before? Unlike the Internet radio flops of the past, TerraDigital Systems hopes its TerraPlayer TR-100 will rejuvenate a tough market. It wirelessly connects to a PC (with an included USB base station) so you can instantly access your MP3 or WMA collection, stream online music, or play standard AM/FM radio. Choose tunes on a color touch screen from within 500 feet of your PC. The TerraPlayer TR-100's powerful 75 watt-per-channel amplifier and built-in speaker system will fill a room with music, but it empties your wallet; its projected price is around $900.

Tales of Demo-Goguery

Knock-your-socks-off demo: Mok3 showed off a prerelease version of its reality designer, which it says can turn 2-D photographs into 3-D landscapes in a mostly automated fashion. The product targets folks like architects and game designers -- but the results are so darn cool I was wishing I were an architect or a game designer.

Compelling-like-a-car-crash demo: Sprint tried to show upcoming voice and data services with a presentation hosted by an "independent corporate spokesmodel." The stilted onstage drama about a damaged fiber optic cable on the San Mateo Bridge seemed to baffle its performers as much as it did the audience.