News ShowStoppers 2011
News ShowStoppers 2011 Innovation abounds at IFA This year’s ShowStoppers featured a wealth of inspirational products The 2011 ShowStoppers event, held on 1 st September in halls 14.2 and 15.2, was attended by over 600 trade journalists and featured 48 companies, ranging from start-ups to global brands such as Ford and Samsung. iROBOT “We are a 21-year-old company specialising in all manner of robotics including machines that were used to mop up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and others that have defence roles,” said Marc Dinee, Vice-President, Sales & Marketing EMEA. “But we’re here to promote our Scooba and Roomba vacuum cleaners, which were initially launched in 2002 and have since sold over 6 million units. We have a new Roomba model, the 700 series, which features a pre-set timer and is ideal for busy professionals as well as elderly people.” DEVOLO “Our plug-in devices facilitate the transmission of wireless internet connections through the electrical wiring in homes, which means that the user can focus a much more stable internet connection in to any room of the house,” said Christoph Rosseler, Devolo’s Vice- President of Marketing and PR. “It works by using a higher frequency than the 50Hz that electricity runs at, and it can carry up to 80 Mbps. We think it’s the ideal, simple-to-install solution for homes that are increasingly networked.” AGLOVES “We’re a mother and daughter company operating out of Washington DC. The whole thing started when I got sick of having to take off my gloves in the freezing cold winters that we have there, in order to be able to use my smartphone,” Jean Spencer, Vice- President of Communications said. “We developed a fabric that consists of silver-nylon thread and, in fact, the name of the company comes from Ag, which is the symbol for silver on the periodic table. We sell exclusively through the internet and, so far, have sold well over 60,000 pairs. We have also been nominated Top Winter Gadget by PC Magazine.” INVOXIA OTTERBOX “We make rugged cases for the whole range of upmarket smartphones such as Apple, Blackberry and Nokia, and our focus is on real protection on several levels. For example, our iPhone Defender has three layers of protection, which means that if you’re in a job such as construction it’s the ideal product for a worry-free day on site”, said Christopher Trebon, Business Development Manager EMEA. “We also make a range of waterproof cases, which is in fact how the company started. We now have offices in Asia, the US and Europe, and we’re currently at number 70 on the Inc. 500 stock market listing.” MHL “Our motto is Mobile Goes Big because our device offers connectivity between smartphones and the big screen so that users can transfer the content on their mobile phones to the TV,” said Sherrie Gutierrez, Sales, Marketing and Communications Manager. “It also allows for sound optimisation. It transfers audio-visual content in 1080p and 7.1 sound, so it really creates a genuinely immersive experience. It also recharges the mobile device via the TV and it links the TV’s remote control to the mobile device." “We felt it was time that the concept of the telephone moved forward. It is, after all, 135 years since the phone was invented and we believe that we have revolutionised the idea of the desktop phone with our NVX 610, which uses iOS devices as a control interface and is aimed at simplifying business telephony,” said CEO Eric Carreel. “It has a highly innovative acoustic design and offers excellent sound quality in both hands-free and personal modes (the latter using a handset). It also features eight widebandwidth speakers and eight digital microphones. It also uses In Vivo acoustic technology which has echo and background noise cancellation systems for optimum quality of communication.” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Saturday 3 rd & Sunday 4 th September 2011 11
