I NEWS I HONOR V PURSE:
I NEWS I HONOR V PURSE: DESIGNING THE FUTURE HONOR CEO unveils new ultra-thin foldable Magic V2 HONOR Chief Executive Officer George Zhao revealed the brand's ultra-slim flagship foldable smartphone, the HONOR Magic V2, at the company's IFA 2023 Opening Keynote After launching its first foldable smartphone, the HONOR Magic V, last year, the company has been busy developing an even better, thinner, lighter, and more powerful version. In line with HONOR's efforts to transform the way people communicate and express themselves through technology, specifically with foldable smartphones, HONOR CEO George Zhao took the main stage at IFA 2023 for his "Unfold Tomorrow" keynote speech, where he unveiled the brand's latest and most advanced book-style foldable phone to a global audience: the HONOR Magic V2. FLAGSHIP FOLDABLE After entering the foldable phone market in 2022 with the Magic V, HONOR has endeavoured to spearhead foldable smartphone innovation and has achieved remarkable advancements with respect to design, functionality, and durability. With the new Magic V2, HONOR has tackled the issue of thickness, and is now offering users what the company claims to be "the thinnest foldable smartphone in the world". At just 9.9mm when folded, with one interior screen and another exterior screen the HONOR Magic V2 is flatter than many bar phones. According to Mr Zhao, the company is taking foldables into what he called "the millimetre era." The Magic V2, which can be folded out into a book format, at just 231g is also lighter than many traditional smartphone models. To achieve this ultra-thin and light design, the CEO said the company used “proprietary steel” and a specially developed titanium hinge, breakthroughs that arrived after an extensive design process. As Mr Zhao stated in an exclusive IFA International interview, "we had to completely overhaul the design multiple times, each time experimenting with new materials and manufacturing processes, before finally arriving at where we are today." BATTERY LIFE Not only is the HONOR Magic V2 slim and lightweight, it also possesses exceptional battery life with a powerful 5,000mAh battery, which at just 2.27mm thick is also astonishingly thin and can fit inside a credit card holder. With the HONOR Magic V2, the brand has demonstrated its design prowess offering what Zhao termed its most comprehensive interactive experience in foldables, allowing for multitasking, free hovering, and dual screen handwriting with a stylus. In summing up the development that went into HONOR's latest foldable smartphone and the desire to take foldable models a step further and make them mainstream, Mr Zhao said “HONOR can make it happen” Hall 6.2 / Stands A103 & A201 In another exclusive announcement, HONOR's CEO revealed the brand's other big development, the concept phone HONOR V Purse. “Not only can a smart phone help us in our daily life, it can also be a fashion accessory,” said Mr Zhao. To this effect, the HONOR V Purse is a new concept that reimagines a foldable smartphone as a wearable purse. Offering "endless possibilities for style and self-expression", the HONOR V Purse transforms the foldable smartphone into what Zhao called a phy-gital fashion statement, thanks to a series of customisable alwayson displays (AODs) that mimic a handbag design, including design elements like chains, feathers and tassels that react and sway with the smartphone as it moves. The concept phone is also compatible with a choice of interchangeable straps and chains that clip onto the hinge and allow it to be worn like an ordinary handbag. Created with sustainability in mind, the HONOR V Purse features sustainably sourced materials while encouraging users to cut down on their consumption of fast fashion thanks to its adaptability. "With our phone-to-purse concept brought to life through the HONOR V Purse, we are exploring sustainable solutions that leverage emerging foldable technology to empower creativity and shape tomorrow's lifestyle," Zhao asserted. In parallel, HONOR has teamed up with fashion and design talents across its HONOR Talents Global Design Awards platform, including Burberry menswear design director Bram Van Diepen, to create custom AODs for the device. As a next step, the brand plans to invite emerging designers and artists from around the world to come up with their own designs 12 IFA INTERNATIONAL • MONDAY 4 TH SEPTEMBER 2023 www.ifa-berlin.com/content-hub
I NEWS I Fresco: Cooking up the next generation of smart kitchens In today's tech-driven world, the new Kitchen OS by Fresco is revolutionising the smart kitchen experience. Fresco's platform connects various appliances to offer a seamless experience across devices. Fresco's Chief Product Officer, Anthony Sullivan, joined us live on the IFA TechTalk Podcast to tell us more, in an episode launching later this year. Here, we share a sneak-peak of what he had to say in this short extract released exclusively for IFA International 2023. "Kitchen OS stands for 'operating system' which is what we've built for the smart kitchen," Mr Sullivan told the podcast. "We are a neutral platform, meaning we work with all appliance partners. It has been designed with the industry in mind, offering appliance partners a plug-andplay solution. This greatly reduces the time, complexity, and cost of delivering a world-class smart appliance experience." Speaking from the studio, Mr Sullivan explained how Fresco has built and designed an experience "not confined to" the mobile phone. "It can exist on a website, on a smart screen in an Alexa app, and it can also be embedded within an appliance UI," he said. "We've invested a lot of time thinking about this because transitioning between different appliances with varied control mechanisms can be challenging. Thus, what we've designed works seamlessly, even down to the level of a smartwatch." Another unique benefit of this Fresco technology is the cooking data that comes from the platform. "Lastly, we've partnered with a customer communication platform that allows appliance partners to send targeted marketing, be it emails, push notifications, or in-app messages," Sullivan explained. That said, privacy and security concerns are "paramount", Mr Sullivan assured. "Partners need to trust that when they collaborate with Fresco, their concerns will be respected and addressed," he says. "We have a full-time head of security at Fresco, and every aspect of security is built by design throughout the platform" Anthony Sullivan Chief Product Officer, Fresco STAY TUNED FOR MORE! Listen to the full interview on the upcoming IFA Tech Talk Podcast, launching later this year. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out. IFA INTERNATIONAL • MONDAY 4 TH SEPTEMBER 2023 13
