Back in the Amsterdam offices now we’re still a bit tired post-IFA but wrapping up some final things and surfing through all the online coverage. We hope that you’ve enjoyed reading our little blog and I’d like to just thank everyone who contributed. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed making it.  

I will leave you with some parting photos that we took on our way to Berlin airport and which to me will be one of my most enduring legacies of IFA 2007  :-). Cheers and goodbye.

Morven, Ina and the rest of the Philips blogging team

After the show the work of course continued – all the equipment needs to be dismantled, packed and transported back to wherever it came from.  A very very special thank you to Erwin Van Ling, on whose broad shoulders this monumental task was lying!  Here is Erwin, preparing himself for the long evening ahead! 

I hope you have enjoyed reading our posts as much as we have enjoyed writing them for you.  Until the next time then!

Reshmi

Below however, is a list of my favourite top five less-well-known Philips gadgets that I absolutely want to have in my home.  What’s so delightful about these products is that they are all based on very strong consumer insights, so each of them gave me the impression they had been made especially for me! 

1. The Power Squid 

This is a power surge protector with multiple power sockets to connect upto 5 devices.  What is so clever about this simple gadget is that each socket hangs from a cable rather than being lined up in a row on a power strip as is usually the case.  The fantastic benefit of this is that your devices will not block the other sockets, which is usually the case on a standard power strip.  And I love the funky design!  The product has already won several awards from leading publications like Fortune, Business Week and the New York Times.  Will be available in Europe from December 07 onwards.  Can’t wait!

2. Power4Life 

This is a universal charger that is small enough to go in your handbag, and can be used to charge all mobile devices and MP3 players.  Adapters for devices by leading brands are all included.  So I can now take my Nokia N95 (newer smaller Nokia charging connector), my old faithful Nokias (older charging connector), iPod (oops!), Sony camera (oops again!) with me, and carry ONLY ONE charger!  Isn’t that wonderful? 

(And why does a woman need to carry 3 mobile phones?  you may ask.  The only sensible answer I can think of is….I used to work for Orange…) 

3. Philips Swarovski Active Crystals 

I have been wearing one of the Philips Swarovski Active Crystal creations all week, and I do not want to give it back! (Natasha are you listening?!)  Philips Swarovski Active Crystals are USB sticks cleverly concealed in elegant jewellery created in a collaboration between Philips and Swarovski.  Here is one of our hostesses displaying some of these beautiful creations. 

4. Limited Edition Photoframe 

I love the photoframe and it is always a conversation starter when people come home.  Here is the exclusive and elegant limited edition 10” version that I absolutely want to get my hands on!

5. Philips Imageo Tea-Lights 

Ok so these do not qualify as consumer electronics devices nor as accessories, but I still want to have them at home so I will use my bloggers discretion and include them anyway!  We have had these displayed on all the tables in the press area, and they are also fantastic conversation starters.  Just pick one up, turn it upside down, and wait for the gasps before demonstrating how you can turn the tea-light on and off just by tilting it!  They charge by induction, look like real candlelight, and can stay lit for upto 24 hours.   

So… that’s my list of Philips favourites….what’s yours?

Reshmi

The pre-requisite for attending the party was that you had to have ‘something red somewhere on you’. Here in pictures, are some creative executions!

Yesterday a German minister, Kurt Beck, came to visit the Philips stand, a great honor for us. He arrived promptly on schedule (15.18) and left again on schedule (15.40) and was photographed enjoying playing on our big gaming set-up in the consumer area to promote the AmbX gaming systems. Lasse from the German PR team did a great job of taking his photo playing on AmbX and then rushing across to our dealer area to load it onto our Digital Photo Frames – so by the time Minister Beck got there he could view his own photo on our photo frames!

Two of our products won EISA Awards this year – the Philips 47” LCD Full HD Flat TV & Philips Soundbar HTS8100 Home Theatre System. We had a small group representing Philips, and had a great night, see the image and short video clips below of Des Power and Mieke De Schepper receiving the awards.

Check out the clip below to see how it works.

http://www.research.philips.com/stream/personal-tv-channels/200708-pers-tv-channels.wmv

Have a nice day,

Saskia 

3D has been at IFA for a few years already and every time the viewing experience is better and new products are involved. The 42 inch screen for example is already sold in the professional signage industry and we are still working on more and more improvements so we can make it accessible for the consumer as well. It is always difficult to say when this will be so all the feedback we get is becomes part of the finished product, which means IFA is a very successful and important event for us.

Saskia

This is great to see because it’s what we aim for - to create toys that are not only fun but which also test and improve cognitive and motor skills. It’s fun for children of course, but many people also see the interesting opportunities presented for elderly people with cognitive decline. TagTiles popularity is futher emphasised by the number of press that want to cover this new innovation, and hopefully we’ll have a finished product at next year’s IFA, to please all those people that want to buy it now already!

http://www.research.philips.com/stream/tagtiles/200708-tagtiles.wmv

At this year’s IFA, I noticed the leading brands are making themselves heard not only through the scale and quantity of products on show, but also through interaction. Products are there for visitors to touch, feel and experience instead of behind glass windows.

What is interesting is the emergence of a ‘micro environment’, whereby the large exhibition space is carved out into more manageable areas where visitors and products mingle intimately. In many parts of the show these micro environments reflects the context of use, such as a living environment.

(more…)