Press conference news
Press conference news Throughout the years, Sennheiser has always been there! Sennheiser at IFA 1950 For several decades, Sennheiser have been at IFA and among their historic milestones at the show were the first headphones with a completely open design, its first wireless infrared headphones at the fair, and the first electrostatic headphones. In 1991, it was the world’s best and most expensive headphones, the Orpheus. Sennheiser’s new top-of-the-range HD 800 followed in its footsteps in 2009. And once again this year, the audio specialist will be showcasing its latest product innovations, the new PXC 360 BT and MM 550 TRAVEL wireless travel headphones. Other new products are the PX 360 BT and PX 360 collapsible maxi headphones and eight headset models for the iPhone and other Apple products. Mobile music and wireless transmission technology remain the key issues in the ‘private audio’ sector. Sennheiser Hall 3.2, Stand No. 124 Loewe’s Individual take on TV L o e w e ’s I FA p r o d u c t highlights include the Individual TV, which launched in May. Since then, new versions have been brought out, including most recently a 32-inch model. T h e c o m p a n y i s a l s o showcasing its range of 3D TVs in Berlin, which are due to launch in early 2011. “The latest research by GFU shows that 10% of consumers will be considering buying a 3D TV in the next 12 months,” said Oliver Seidl, Loewe’s Chief Financial Officer at the company’s press conference yesterday. Seidl added: “We have also been working hard to keep updating the Connect homeentertainment system, which was originally showcased in 2007. It is now slimmer and more flexible than ever.” It is already 15 years since L o e w e i n t ro d u c e d i t s first multimedia TV with internet connectivity – and now, finally, the global infrastructure has caught up with the idea. “It hasn’t been as long a process as HD, which took 20 years to catch on,” Seidl said. “But I’m happy to say that now is the time for such devices. Our service aggregates the very best of the Internet, and it is also customisable. In addition, we have also formed a partnership with Philips and Sharp in order to try and standardise access and interfaces.” Seidl also took the opportunity to announce a corporate restructure: “After a difficult year in 2009, we have returned to profitability in the first half of this year. We have i m p l e m e n t e d comprehensive restructuring in order to be more reactive and flexible, and we are actively reducing costs on the procurement side.” Huawei launches mass-market Android smartphone Shenzhen-based global telecommunications provider Huawei announced the launch of the Ideos handset – a device aimed squarely at the burgeoning smartphone market – which uses Google’s Android, the operating system that is booming this year. Huawei, in partnership with chipset manufacturer Qualcomm, has devised Ideos as an “affordable and innovative smartphone” equipped with a number if applications including Google’s voice recognition software. Victor Xu, CMO at Huawei, told delegates at IFA that he thought there was a “very bright future” for the smartphone market – “more and more mobile users are using the internet at any time at a cheap price”. He added: “This is world’s finest affordable smartphone, developed in partnership with Google. We are providing a mass-market handset at an affordable price. We believe that you should balance quality, speed and service,” he said. Xu highlighted the importance of smartphones such as Ideos in Google’s growth strategy, pointing to research by Morgan Stanley, the investment bank, which estimated that Google is now making (€18) a year from each smartphone user using Android. Ideos, which will be launched globally this month, has a retail price of around 0 and has been devised to combine high-quality hardware with Android’s 2.2 operating system providing mobile users with a device that is “cute and easy to carry”. Ideos is wi-fi enabled, providing internet users with five times more speed than earlier versions. 12
O f f i c i a l D a i l y V i d e o S o u r c e f o r I n t e r n a t i o n a l V i s i t o r s a t I F A News New routes to market for Navigon Navigon is introducing two new services, Fuel Live and Events Live. The navigation specialist from Hamburg is expanding its existing services as part of the Live Services Pro package. At the same time, the company is introducing a new price model for its realtime services. The Clever Flat now costs €49.95 for 12 months and €99.95 for 24 months. In further news, the Navigon 70 Premium Live combines navigation technology with dynamic information, providing greater flexibility and reliability. Users will soon be able to upgrade their 84 series device with six new features, including the active lane assistant, Navigon Sightseeing and City View 3D 2.0. The Navigon 8450 L i v e P re m i u m Edition upgrade also includes the new Fuel Live and Events Live services. The company is also expanding i t s p r o d u c t range for users of Android smartphones. Users can now customise their navigation solution with the Navigon Select Telekom Edition for Android. And those who already navigate using the MobileNavigator need not miss out: a free update of the full version is now available. “With these upgrade, we are making sure that our customers, particularly those in the premium segment, have access to new developments for their Navigon devices,” said Jörn Watzke, the company’s Executive Vice-President of Product Line Management. World Cyber Games at IFA! Continuing in their 10th year of sponsorship, the “World Cyber Games 2010 Samsung Euro Championship” will kick off on today until the Sunday (5th September) in Halls 14.2 and 15.2! Expect to see fierce battles in Counter-Strike 1.6, WarCraft III, Guitar hero, Trackmania and FIFA 10. HiQ enhances ‘the DivX experience’ San Diego-based digital media specialist DivX has launched HiQ, which is spearheading its drive to provide innovative solutions for user-generated content while expanding its productlicensing offer. H i Q , w h i c h e n a b l e s c o n s u m e r s t o w a t c h online videos with fewer interruptions and smoother playback, is powered using the DivX Plus Web Player, rather than a website’s default video player. The delivery of high-quality digital content over the Internet to all types of devices — including DVD and Blu-ray players, digital televisions, mobile phones, game consoles and settop boxes — remains a key business driver for DivX. Matt Milne, DivX’s Executive Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, said: “We aim to be ubiquitous across all devices and use cases for content. Whatever way a consumer views content, on whatever device, we want it to be a DivX experience.” DivX recently announced a partnership with Media Markt, Europe’s largest c o n s u m e r- e l e c t r o n i c s retailer, to provide a VOD service. Milne said the growing trend for digital video to be screened across all categories — including 3D TV and mobile devices — sat squarely in DivX’s “sweet spot”. He added: “We have had to focus on the entire ecosystem in order to deliver 300 million certified devices. F r o m t h e c o n s u m e r s ’ perspective, they need to know that all their devices will play back DivX in high quality.” DivX HiQ is available on a variety of websites, including YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook. The service also enhances battery life and limits CPU usage. Vodafone launches IPTV in Germany Mobile phone operator Vodafone announced the launch of an IPTV service in Germany, at IFA on Thursday. Vodafone is the third mobile phone operator to enter the IP-TV market in the country. Speaking at the launch of the service at the Vodafone press conference, head of Vodafone Germany Fritz Joussen, said that the new service can learn from the mistakes of the pioneers in the IPTV market. “It is important to avoid the mistakes of our competitors,” he said. “Our new service is ambitious in its technology but our initial goals are modest. We will be content with an initial target of 100,000 users." Vodafone TV combines different types of reception incorporating cable and satellite, with f o r w a rd l o o k i n g D S L solutions. HD movies will be available via broadband with the Vodafone network designed to be compatible with a variety of home entertainment devices. The launch of Vodafone TV plugs into the emerging trend of hybrid TV where content is delivered via the Internet for viewing on the new generation of HDTV sets. The new Vodafone TV service is a major evolution from the existing Vodafone mobile TV offering for UMTS phones that has been test marketed in Düsseldorf, and supplies dedicated channels for sports, music, news and entertainment channels. REPORTS ON ASTRA 3D For the first time, news from IFA Berlin will be broadcast via satellite in glorious 3D! IFA International TV – official TV producers of the IFA show (run by IFA International – the Daily) and ASTRA have partnered to bring exclusive video highlights from IFA to households and retail outlets across Europe on the ASTRA 3D Demo Channel. Filming and editing IFA International TV in 3D is supported by Panasonic, a worldwide leader in 3D cameras and televisions. Tune in… … every day, every 2 hours starting from 10 a.m. on the ASTRA 3D Demo Channel Start of programme: 3rd September End of programme: 18th September For satellite details: www.ses-astra.com I F A international TV www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Friday, 3 rd September 2010 13
