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BenQ Smart Window, transparent, opaque, translucent..

Posted by – September 25, 2016

BenQ demonstrates their smart window concept that allows a transparent pane to turn opaque on passing a current through it. The display room shown here also demonstrates their H.A.D.E.S. system, a network of devices that allows one to control window opacity, ceiling light intensity (lit by LEDs), and a privacy window that blocks light from outside but allows users from inside to see out. Power consumption for the prototype is 10mW/m^2.

AirButton NFC multi-functional button

Posted by – September 25, 2016

Air Button is an NFC patch that can be stuck on to the NFC region on one’s smartphone. The only requirement is that the phone itself have NFC; here we see the Button demonstrated on a Sony Xperia Z1, being used to launch the camera application as well as take a picture with the same button. It uses its own app and can launch any installed phone app, audio file, or even a sequence of actions. The company is founded in Hong Kong, and has successfully completed their crowdfunding attempt on Kickstarter.

Airboard personal mobility scooter from Motor Norway, FreeGoChina scooter

Posted by – September 25, 2016

The primary scooter shown here is the Airboard, product of a company from Norway. This scooter is meant to be intuitive to use; the only way of controlling it is to lean forward or backward depending on the direction on wants to travel in. There are some bugs with the scooter but they are easy to sort out. The company, Motor Norway, also manufactures dirtbikes, ATVs, electric bicycles and scooters in addition to the AirBoard. It is not fit for outdoor/winter use, though. We also see a few other manufacturers such as FreeGoChina displaying their personal mobility products.

CarDroid auto data logging and diagnostics module

Posted by – September 25, 2016

CarDroid is a solution used to gather data in real time from a running car, and log this data onto the microSD card that can be mounted inside. Featuring 4GB of internal memory, microSIM card slot, GPS for positioning, two WiFi modules in case there is no WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth and a standard OBD-II port for connecting to the car’s diagnostic features, the CarDroid costs US$150 and is meant to track car location, detect theft and break-ins, in addition to displaying real time data such as speed. It uses an ARM Cortex-M3 CPU.

Avaid wireless charging phone case

Posted by – September 25, 2016

Avaid Technology Co., Ltd, based in Shezhen, China, is a company that here displays their phone case, lending wireless charging capacity to phones that weren’t designed to incorporate the feature. The displayed model is an iPhone 6 Plus placed on a 5000mAh power bank, charging wirelessly through the case in multiple orientations. With an MoQ of 1000 pieces, the charger is expected to cost US$19.5.The company also manufactures DVD players and speakers that double up as lights.

Freelander foldable electric scooter

Posted by – September 25, 2016

Freelander is a Shenzhen-based company that demonstrates their own electric scooter. Being foldable in design, the X70 scooter is opened up and used briefly. It can last for 25-30km before dying out, and is expected to cost US$260 per piece on a minimum order of 100. The scooter can be specified in various colours. The company also makes a scooter akin to the Airboard from Motor Norway, selling for US$160 with a minimum quantity of 100. It uses aircraft grade materials and weighs 8.2kg.

Innodoo RCKCOM smartwatch, bicycle-mounted headlight + music player

Posted by – September 20, 2016

Innodoo, a part of RCK Communications Ltd, makes smartwatches and Bluetooth speakers, both of which are displayed in their booth here. The smartwatch seems to feature a normal watch dial with Bluetooth connectivity, vibration functions and LEDs that light up to indicate various things. For example, tapping the dial of the watch flashes LEDs to indicate the percentage of the daily walking steps target achieved. The Bluetooth speakers showcased use BT 4.0, a unique stereo configuration (though the host device only sees one BT speaker). Lastly they have on display their LED light meant for bicycles, which also doubles up as a music player through its SD card slot.

Platysens SEAL swimming sensor for force and lap time measurement

Posted by – September 20, 2016

Platysens shows their “SEAL” finger-mounted sensors that are meant to help swimmers improve techniques. The force used against the water by the swimmer’s hands as well as the path of the hands made as the swimmer proceeds along a path, are both calculated and recorded inside the device. Battery life is rated for 3 hours and price is US$150 for a pair. “Marlin” is a “swim meter” that involves a small unit strapped to the head, with a single earphone plugged into the swimmers ear. It reads out loud the lap time after a lap is done.

Socoole GPS trackers and waterproof wearables

Posted by – September 20, 2016

Shenzhen Socoole Technology Co., Ltd was established in 2008 as a small mold shop, specializing in waterprood cases/bags. Now Socoole mainly focuses on manufacturing of waterproof wearable device and GPS trackers. Here we see both on display – the GPS tracker closely resembles a normal watch and has a battery that lasts for up to 7 days, or 4 days of intermittent GPS use. The other waterproof smartwatch features an LCD screen with a cutout at the bottom like the Moto 360.

EAMEY smartwatches with LCD display and sleep monitoring function

Posted by – September 20, 2016

EAMEY makes smartwatches, and on display here is their idea of a smartwatch – it features a normal watch bezel and dial, with a small LCD in the center that displays stats. The watch connects via Bluetooth to iOS and Android devices, and charges through a cradle connected to two pins on the back. The company behind the smartwatch, Shenzhen Tianyi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd, is based in Guangdong. The price is US$34. Also on display are their Bluetooth earphones that also support sleep monitoring, selling for US$16.

GIO Pillows – music playing pillows with inbuilt speakers and Bluetooth connectivity

Posted by – September 20, 2016

GIO Clavis Co, Ltd., is from Korea (established in 2011) and specializes in pillows, earlier baby pillows. Here they show their smart pillow which features two small speakers inside for night time listening. The speakers cannot be felt by hand so there is no chance of injury to the head from hitting the pillow too hard, though harsh use is not advised. The pillow is also washable, and comes with an external optional controller for music track playback control.

OceanRich dirt cleaning products

Posted by – September 20, 2016

OceanRich is a Taiwan-based company that manufactures home appliances such as fans, humidifiers, kitchen appliances etc. Seen here are their smart cleaners that do not use any sensors. The movement of the appliances is random. There is a ball (called the “Mopet”) that picks up dirt and lint that can be brushed off. The price for one is US$8.8, and it runs on AA batteries. Next is their mopping device, also random in movement, which can run for 8-9 hours on two AA batteries. There is also a model with a water dispenser inbuilt for faster cleaning.

For more information visit: http://www.oceanrich.tw

Merlin Leonardo VR kit for on-screen editing

Posted by – September 20, 2016

Merlin shows the Leonardo virtual reality kit that allows one to control 3D images displayed on the screen, using their proprietary controller that uses 3 IR sensors to monitor the position. The software also allows for direct import of 3D CAD files, supporting output to 3D printers. Based in Budapest, Hungary, the Leonardo sells for US$1000 and uses an open API that can be used for creating 3D games. The kit includes a pair of 3D glasses, the software suite and the wired controller.

Drone Lead-Go smartphones with MTK6735P, MTK6572/6582

Posted by – September 20, 2016

Drone Lead-go (HK) Digit Technology Co., Ltd is a HongKong-based manufacturer of that shows here their DLG502 smartphone running a 5” 720p display, MediaTek MTK6735P chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB ROM, 8MP + 2MP front/rear camera configuration, and LTE connectivity for Chinese TDD bands. It sells for US$52 at an MoQ of 3000 units. The DLG5W5 uses MTK6582, 5” TN LCD display (854x480px), 512MB RAM, VGA+2MP camera configuration, 4GB ROM and 3G connectivity for US$33. Their 3G tablet with an 8” display costs US$39.

XiaoYi cameras with Sony Exmor R sensor, Ambarella A7LS

Posted by – September 11, 2016

XiaoYi is Xiaomi’s camera business, here they showcase their smart camera that sells at US$65. There is a 360 degree camera setup using 6 units that costs US$500, allowing one to create stitched pictures and records video at 2K. It uses an Ambarella A7LS processor and 16MP Sony Exmor R CMOS sensor units. It is waterproof and can be used underwater for up to 40 meters depth.

Shenzhen Banana tablets and smartphones with MTK6582, RK3688


Shenzhen Banana Technology Co., Ltd., is based in Shenzhen and started off as a trading company. They now have their own manufacturing plant and make tablets. Manufacturing approximately 50k pieces per month, their most popular tablet is shown here. It uses an Intel chipset and costs US$65. The other, larger tablet uses a RockChip RK3688 CPU and has what seems like a 10.1” display. The 7” Intel model sells for US$40. Tablets have been made for 5 years and smartphones for 2 years – they show a model with a MediaTek MT6582 quad-core CPU that sells for US$53.

Fira de Barcelona General Manager Constantí Serrallonga

Posted by – September 11, 2016
Category: Exclusive videos, MWC

Mr Constantí Serrallonga is General Managar at FIRA, the trade fair organization that was responsible for Mobile World Congress 2016. He discusses footfalls at the event, with over 100,000 people having attended, and future possibilities of the organization. The show has changed venues to Fira Gran Via after being hosted at Fira Montjuïc earlier, which was built in 1929.

Quality Industrial glasses-free 3D smartphone

Posted by – September 11, 2016

China-based Quality Industrial manufactures a range of smartphones, also on display here. The highlight is the flagship  3D model, which features a 6” 1080p screen that allows playing of 3D content without having to use glasses. It runs on MediaTek  MTK6752VL which uses ARM Cortex-A53 architecture at 2 GHz. The phone ships with Android 5.1. It has 13 MP rear and 5MP front camera which  shoots 3D pictures using only a single sensor, taking multiple shots for depth.It costs US$175.

Panasonic Nubo LTE surveillance camera

Posted by – September 11, 2016

The Panasonic Nubo shown here is a surveillance camera that shoots 1080p video and broadcasts it over WiFi or Vodafone’s LTE network in Europe. The camera accommodates a SIM card to use this feature and is powered over microUSB, meaning it can be connected to power banks for places that lack power sources. The camera comes with 4 data plans measured in terms of “mobile events” – periods of detected activity which initiate the actual recording of the video stream for the next 30 seconds. A separate magnetic Nubo Mount is sold.

Oppo N3 swiveling camera smartphone

Posted by – September 11, 2016

The Oppo N3 is a smartphone with a swiveling camera above the screen that rotates through a motor, as demonstrated here. This allows one to use the same camera for the front and the back, as well as the flash. The phone runs Oppo’s ColorOS built on top of Android v4.4 KitKat. It features a Snapdragon 801 chipset with 5.5” 1080p display, 32GB of onboard expandable storage, 2GB RAM, and a fixed 3000mAh battery.