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| Main themes at IFA  Once again, the fascinating displays in the TecWatch Hall at this year's IFA are attracting major attention and drawing large crowds. With its outstanding exhibits this section is again proof of the innovative capabilities of the digital world. For the first time 80 exhibitors from 15 countries are taking part, as are 40 startups on five "theme days". In Hall 11.1, visitors can find out about the digital media of the future, for example. Web and broadcasting content meet on a single screen, as they seamlessly merge with HbbTV technology. This next generation of technology is on display for the first time at IFA TecWatch, along with exciting innovations, which includes tablets as second screens. Other themes are the smart home and the Internet of Things (IoT), which is currently a hot topic. At IFA TecWatch several small and medium-sized enterprises are displaying products for everyday use in the networked household, where the Internet of Things is becoming a more and more dominant feature.As soon as you wake up the "Interactive Mirror" from Panasonic not only shows your face but also your weight, your body-mass index and the recommended amount of calories for the day. The mirror also offers suggestions for facial cosmetics and advice on buying skin care products. This is all made possible by sensors in the bed, on the chair in front of the make-up mirror, and a camera, with a computer and monitor behind it. Users not only see their reflection but also, through a semi-transparent mirror area, their unreflected image on the monitor. Remote control will be incorporated in smartphones and tablets in the future, enabling the user, prior to shaving, to try out what kind or beard, and for women, what sort of lipstick or what eye shadow, is most suitable. Even the ambient lighting is simulated by the mirror, because the make-up that looks best in a bar is different to that seen in a brightly lit office. Together with the cosmetic and dietary advice, the interactive mirror also inserts recipes, and enables products to be ordered immediately online. The Interactive Mirror being exhibited by the Japanese company at IFA is a prototype. It is due to go on sale in 2017, according to Rieko Asai from the Department for Home Appliance Development. A new and innovative security system for helmet-mounted cameras is being presented by Rollei at IFA 2015. The "Rollei Safety Pads" are designed to ensure that the camera is released in the event of an accident, and does not present a deadly hazard. If the rider falls, a helmet-mounted camera may intensify the impact, in the worst case scenario exerting a concentrated force at one point, causing the helmet to split. Until now mounting systems have not been designed to allow the camera to be released even when force is exerted. The new Rollei Safety Pads, however, act in a similar way to a ski binding: In normal use the camera is reliably fixed to avoid vibration, but if a dangerous force is exerted it is released from the helmet. The new safety pads use adhesive technology from 3M and are available for flat and curved surfaces. Pre-determined breaking points ensure that, in the event of an accident, the camera is released from the helmet, thereby protecting the wearer from injury. With its new ME smartphone range GIGASET combines attractive design with state of the art technology to produce an exceptional experience for the user. The contrast-rich, five inch full HD display of the "GIGASET ME" and "GIGASET ME Pure" ideally meets the everyday requirements of most users, while the 5.5 inch full HD display of the "GIGASET ME Pro" is ideal for gaming and entertainment applications. Innovative professional level photo technology and the GIGASET ME range of cameras, which are protected by sapphire glass, can be relied upon to produce brilliant images. The specially developed autofocus of up to 0.16 seconds in the GIGASET ME and GIGASET ME Pure, and 0.2 seconds in the GIGASET ME Pro produces photos at lightening speed. Ultra-modern eight core processors on a future-proof 64 bit basis, combined with powerful graphics processors, provide the best possible performance based on the Android version 5.1.1 for efficient multitasking, sophisticated applications and 3D games. In addition to navigation systems, TomTom is also focussing more attention on the sporting sector. The GPS fitness watch Spark, with a built-in music player, which is being launched on the market in October, is making its debut at IFA 2015. In a single unit it combines the display of the most important training data and the sportsperson's favourite accompanying music, which is transferred wirelessly via Bluetooth to suitably equipped headphones. One's own playlists can be downloaded directly from iTunes or the Windows Media Player, and the watch's 3GB memory can hold more than 500 tracks. The multi-sport mode enables all sporting activities, both indoor and outdoor, as well as swimming and workouts in the fitness studio, to be tracked. TomTom has also announced the appearance of its Trucker 5000 at IFA 2015, a portable navigation unit that warns drivers of heavy goods vehicles about where tailbacks end and also about speed checks. Based on a vehicle profile and real time traffic information, it can also calculate a realistic arrival time. Using high quality carbon, Jura has improved the front and top panels of the Z6 coffee maker. As a result the top-of-the-range model from this Swiss manufacturer also reflects the claim to be "a combination of premium technology and premium material". The colour also matches the shape of the front, which suggests an Arabica coffee bean. Internally the Z6 also has a whole range of innovations. For each individual unit the carbon is cut and applied by hand. Behind the elegant front panel the special "P.E.P." (pulse extractions process) brewing method ensures that, especially for short coffees such as ristretto and espresso, the hot water is forced through the coffee powder with a pulse that is exactly coordinated with the amount of water. The adjustable temperature of the milk and the milk foam and automatic recognition of the filter cartridges for clean water round off the new features inside this unit. As in previous years the stand of expert at IFA is primarily a service centre for the cooperative’s retailers from Germany and abroad, says chairman of the board Volker Müller. ”It is the place they should head for and where the “experts” can exchange opinions about impressions, trends and new products. Naturally, we also welcome non-members on our stand in Hall 1.2, although we are consciously not inviting consumers.“ Müller pointed out that while the company’s stand is the same size as last year’s, it features a new design. “The stand has been redesigned from the ground up and features an exclusive lounge atmosphere.” “IFA is a world leader for consumer technology goods and a driving force where innovation is concerned”, said the chairman of the Hannover/Langenhagen-based cooperative, commenting on the importance of the fair. “It traditionally sets the tone for end-of-year business.” A substantially expanded range of its My Cloud personal storage devices is being featured by Western Digital WD at IFA. They include a new and updated “My Cloud OS 3” operating system, a software developer kit that improves app integration, and a dual drive, the “My Cloud Mirror”, a personal cloud memory. It offers more capacity and faster processing than earlier generations of products. WD My Cloud OS 3 offers numerous benefits. For example, this new operating system has an intuitive user interface offering a productive content sharing experience, as well as back-up and sync capabilities. The private sphere and control possibilities are retained, regardless of whether the personal cloud devices are physically at home or in the office. Moreover My Cloud OS 3 has new, high performance photo functions via two new utilization paths. For example, via the homepage “MyCloud.com” an intuitive, web browser-based user interface offers users worldwide access to their cloud. With the OmniCam-360 the Berlin-based Heinrich-Hertz Institute, part of the Fraunhofer organization, is presenting a unique system at IFA 2015 for capturing high definition panoramic videos. This is a reaction by researchers to the present shortage of newly designed content for the next generation of virtual reality smart glasses. Sporting or musical events or other occasions can be recorded in a 360 degree panorama in ultra high definition quality. This involves seamlessly combining the images from ten individual camera segments in real time to create a video which can be transferred to any VR glasses. With UHD-Zoom, which can be seen on the Deutsche TV-Plattform stand, HHI is displaying yet another possibility for presenting ultra high definition content. With a tablet as a second screen and using a special app, it is possible to navigate to a chosen perspective of the video panorama. For example, with football games this enables a particular player to be automatically followed. The two new Easy Fit fitness trackers from the Italian accessory specialist Cellularline not only monitor the wearer’s sporting activities, by counting steps and calories, but also, at night, by monitoring phases of sleep. The watertight OLED display is charged by being removed from the wristband and inserted in a computer like a USB stick. Other new items from this company are the Scorpion headphones which, in their on-ear version, are wirelessly connected via Bluetooth, as well as arm and waistband mountings for a smartphone. The new products go on sale in October and will be followed by the Fast Charge range of chargers, which have an adaptive fast charge function for compatible smartphones, and especially for those equ write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Exhibition News :: home page |