Five best start-ups of 2009

iAmplify.com:

iAmplify.com has a web-based downloadable library containing a variety of advice and entertainment content to meet the needs of consumers. These audio and video podcasts can be uploaded to iPhones, laptops, desktops or most popularly to iPods from Apple Inc(NASDAQ: AAPL). "We're all living a mobile lifestyle... shorter content, that you can take with you, are the trends," says Murray Hidary, CEO of iAmplify. With over 30 categories of quality content published by high-profile experts such as Martha Stewart of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) and Suze Orman, it is easy so see why this startup has been featured by CNN, New York Times, LA times, NBC, and Time Magazine to name a few. Similar to Audible, the audiobook leader, which was acquired by Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) early last year.

iContact.com:

iContact is an industry leading email marketing service with 47,000 customers and 400,000 users. Delivering a cost-effective and organized online interface that provides custom e-mail marketing services for both small businesses and large corporations. With a choice of over 300 templates, iContact caters to experts and amateurs alike, allowing them to add features to meet their needs such as subscription management, autoresponders, open and clickthrough tracking, spamcheck, bounce-back handling, integrated surveying, and other advanced analytics. While giving customers the tools to implement efficient e-mail marketing, iContact also has a database of free educational content, training sessions, and live chat support. Their largest accounts include Ford Motor (NYSE: F) , Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), Remax, and International Paper (NYSE: IP).

Phonetag.com:

If you hate wasting your valuable time listening to voicemail, this latest product may just be the answer. Phonetag will send you a text and e-mail with the exact message received from your home or cell phone within 3 minutes. The phone number can be easily added to your contact list and you now have a searchable and dated note. Say goodbye to your assistant, because this service has it all! Phonetag also compiles an unlimited inbox for you, available through your personal webpage. You can e-mail or text directly from the transcribed message, as well as play the audio version attached to the e-mail. Phonetag can be used though Alltell, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), T-Mobile, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), and Skype (owned by Ebay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY). The press has called it a 'must-have' while Laptop Magazine and SmartMoney say it's the most accurate in its class.

Stylecaster.com:

This upcoming fashion website caters to all your shopping needs with a personalized portfolio dedicating every angle of their platform to the user. While enhancing the consumer experience, Stylecaster also caters to businesses through targeted branding and product integration. While displaying a 360 degree view of your daily outfits from your wardrobes, they also deliver style ideas that coordinate with the local weather and events you plan on attending. With editorial advice from the most prominent experts, trendsetters, and stylists in the industry, Stylecaster offers a collection of videos, interviews, and blogs to further expand your fashion education. Although not yet launched, there are a few VIP registrations available HERE and the site has received rave reviews from the fashion world including W magazine and Thestilletoeffect.com. Their consumer behavior analysis could change e-commerce advertising and sponsorship in fashion and beauty.

XG Technology:

XG Technology, Inc has been developing an innovative product that may potentially revolutionize communication systems through Xmax, their proprietary 4G technology. It is a FCC approved VoIP (Voice-over-internet protocol) that utilizes low frequency radio waves, deploying from South Florida. The consumer will benefit from a low-power, low-cost, long-range telecommunications XG Flash Signal. Independent from other networks such as AT&T (NYSE: T) and Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), users will have a flat fee and unlimited usage structure. The handset device, called the xMax TX-60, is equipped with the essentials of a cell phone with the addition of the patented xMax VoIP ability. XG promises to soon roll out their service, "consumers will start to have access as we sign up commercial partners throughout the US and the world...South Florida is a show-case at this stage", says Richard Kromka, Director of XG Technology, Inc.