Impressing with developments for mobile technologies on global stage

THE IRISH CONNECTION:SOME OF the major developments in consumer electronics in recent years have provided a platform for Irish firms to bring their expertise to a global market. That was in evidence at CES, where Irish businesses showcased developments for mobile technology, audio codecs and home entertainment.

It’s an attractive market for companies, with experts estimating that gadgets and consumer electronics could have sales of about $1 trillion this year.

With 3D and high definition content becoming a major part of consumers’ lives, the market is opening up even more for firms like Redmere, which provides high-end cables for use with mobile devices.

Speaking at the show, Redmere chief executive Peter Smyth made it clear that future proofing technology – a concern in today’s fast paced developing market – was high on the company’s agenda.

“Straight out of the box, our products support 3D,” he said. “Our second generation products will support the highest possible resolution for 3D and will do so for a long time.”

At a show where much was made of connecting smartphones and tablets to other devices to expand their scope, Redmere’s products appear to fit perfectly. “We’re in the middle of major developments in terms of where out technology sits . . . I think there’s a convergence beginning to happen here. If you connect a smartphone to a TV, you instantly web-enable the TV. Any TV becomes web-enabled for content consumption and you have a large display that connects to the internet.”

The exhibition also provided Dublin-founded Amulet Devices with a platform to showcase its voice-controlled remote control for Windows Media Centre, which is now looking at expanding into voice control for electronic programme guides (EPG).

The firm was working in conjunction with SMK Electronics, one of the largest manufacturers of remote controls in the world, to showcase the technology.

“It’s quite a coup for us to be so closely aligned with SMK,” said Amulet’s chief technology officer Eddy Carroll. “They’re actively pushing our voice and remote technology towards a number of high-volume third-party set-top box vendors they work with.”

President of Amulet’s US operations Pat Lawless was on hand to show off the latest capabilities of the device, which enables people to use simple voice commands to access TV programmes in the EPG.

Profiles for different users can be created to allow the device to recognise the speech of distinctly different users.

“We’re talking to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] right now,” he said. He predicts that some interest could come from companies that sell cable tuner cards that work with Media Center, and with the newest addition to the system, companies that use set-top boxes.

“We’ve talked to several of the largest multiple system operators, the cable and satellite companies here,” he said. “One of those sales would be massive.”

The company is now waiting for European Commission approval to sell the remote in Europe.

Last year, Belfast-based Apt-X caused a stir as it won an award at CES for its Bluetooth audio technology, scooping the Bluetooth SIG Best of CES prize. The company was back again this year, but under the CSR banner after it was acquired by CSR in July 2010.

The company announced a deal with Samsung that will see Apt-X compression and decompression technology incorporated into the mobilemaker’s handsets and accessories, the first time that Apt-X enabled Bluetooth stereo will be featured in such mobile devices.

“We were quite successful with the playout systems, the speakers, headsets, but we needed a big win in the source side,” said Jonny McClintock.

Apt-X has already done deals with companies such as Sennheiser, Creative and Apple to bring its technology to their devices.

“Apt-X has gone beyond an aspirational differentiator to being a technology must-have,” McClintock said. The company is now targeting low latency solutions that will see the technology used for TV speakers, allowing it to move into home audio and gaming.

“We’re in the process of launching low-latency Apt-X. Low latency Apt-X in Bluetooth makes Bluetooth speakers suddenly a commodity that can be used for TVs,” he said.

On the accessories side of the market, Allsop, which has operations in Waterford was also showcasing its wares. the company offers accessories that include everything from mouse mats to iPhone and iPad stands.

The company recently added a line of Clingo products – stands for devices that are designed to be universal, keeping devices in place through a sticky pad.