Philips shows off future tech ware
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who's the smartest of them all? Land is scarce and it's all about being creative when you want to save space. At the Philips Simplicity booth, a flat-screen TV doubles as a mirror when not in use. But what's the biggie? All you have to do is wave this stick called a Wand (yes, a wand, an electric one, just like those used in magic shows), gesture a couple of motion strokes, and kaboom, the mirror rotates from portrait to landscape orientation--the action which switches on the TV.
To make it even better, a horizontal panel of speakers, which initially camouflage themselves as background decoration, curl up at both ends to give you a surround sound system once the TV is activated. There's also Mercury, which is a home media center sitting beside your sofa. Slot in a music CD and you can start listening to audio without ever having to move your butt. Put everything we've mentioned together and you get Philips' next-gen Illusion system--a home entertainment concept that's as simple as pointing at what you want.
Touch me not
Move aside, Post-it notes. In Touch is the next big thing. In short, this nifty device is a mirror that transforms into a touchscreen message center upon activation. You can leave a note in the form of text, picture, video or voicemail by simply writing on the screen with the dedicated stylus or your finger. To delete a read message, all you need do is hold your stylus on the message for a few seconds and it will be deleted. You can also send an SMS or MMS via this board. The process is as straightforward as drag-and-dropping the message to a portrait photograph of a family member on the screen. Now who doesn't want one of these in their homes?
amBX me
Enough with the fanciful names already. amBX, unabbreviated, stands for Ambient Experiences. Are we looking at something similar to the Ambilight technology currently available in the company's flat TVs? Yes and no. Ambilight TVs and amBX are guided by the same philosophy--that is, to let consumers interact with technology in the simplest way possible. What's unique, though, is that amBX allows individuals to generate effects where, when and how they intend it to be experienced. For instance, you will be able to feel the wind from a plane, or a blast from an explosion with a set of fans. Now you can "feel" the game instead of just watch and hear it. The core peripherals of the amBX consist of LED multicolor lights, a 2.1 sound system, fans and a vibration unit. Talk about an immersive gaming experience that literally blows you away.
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From 2D to 3D
