issue: February 2009 APPLIANCE Magazine Expanded Web Coverage From Communism to Crossover	Share  Printable format  Email this Article  Search
Paul Roggema, Europe correspondent ON LOCATION: APPLIANCE magazine was there when Philips unveiled its latest concept appliances in Moscow’s Red Square.

Concept Appliances 2009:

Expanded Online: Connected Concepts

Expanded Online: From Communism to Crossover

It’s been some time since Communism fell in Russia. Still, to see a high-tech Western multinational company with an exhibition in Red Square, not far from the Lenin pavilion, is a unique sight. For its annual Simplicity event, Philips flew in its most important customers and the global press to demonstrate its newest products and its concept products for the future.

Philips seeks to exploit the expertise in its lighting, medical equipment, consumer electronics, and small appliances businesses to create new crossover products. Successful crossovers have included sonic toothbrushes (medical devices and small appliances) and the Living Colors LED light fixture (lighting and consumer electronics).

Concepts

Three major new concept products were demonstrated at the Moscow event. The first was Circle of Life, in which a consumer visits a store for a new TV and recycles his old one as well. The consumer answers questions such as size, options for audio and video quality, and design, and the software presents the final product design, then produces the TV on the spot. The design (material, patterns, colors) options were clearly inspired by the cell phone skins. The TV can then be transported home in a special recyclable shoulder bag.

The second concept, called Light Blossom, consists of a light pole, equipped with LEDs and built-in solar cells, resembling sunflowers. When the sun shines, the ‘petals’ open and turn themselves toward the sun. When the wind blows, the petals close halfway and begin to rotate and drive a generator that charges the units’ batteries or delivers power back to the grid. After dark the petals close and LEDs come on, but react with extra light when people pass by. While still conceptual, one can easily see the potential for its features to be implemented in actual products.

The third concept, called Green Cuisine, was an interactive kitchen table/countertop with several functions: cooling and heating surfaces, a Healthy Steamer, an electronic water tap with sensors, and a compost machine producing tablets for a built-in minigarden. It is all contained in a slick, modern design with flashy illumination.

Products

Clearly, business is also about offering innovative products and making money, so Philips showed a wide range of new products from all its divisions.

In the main presentation, two products particularly impressed the audience. The first was the Flavors flat-screen TV. The company confirmed its status as a TV innovator with three sizes of TVs with removable, decorative frames. A system is set up to allow consumers to design a frame on a PC and have the finished frame shipped within a few weeks; 12 ready-made frames are available also. The fashion-conscious Italian market is the first country where the product will be sold. There is also an audio set available with frames.

Second, the medical division showed a new portable heart defibrillator. The catch here is that the data (collected in the ambulance) can be transferred directly to the hospital. For outsiders it might have come as a surprise that this had not been invented before.

A typical crossover product is the new version of the Wake-Up Light, an alarm clock radio with a lamp built in and operating in concert for a smooth awakening experience. Is it a consumer electronics product or a home wellness appliance? In this version, the product design, which had been the biggest flaw of an earlier version, was improved. It now looks like a lamp, so customers understand the function.

In lighting, Philips is focusing on the same kind of crossover products in the form of LED lighting. Here, knowledge of lighting and electronics is combined using the resources of Belgian fixture manufacturer Massive, which became part of Philips in 2006. The new Ledino (in Italian ino means cute or small) line has 54 indoor and 16 outdoor models, all with high-power LED technology, contemporary design, dimmers, and a warm white light color. There is also a premium line for office lighting called DayWave, which enables colors and light levels to be adjusted during the day.

Returning to Russia

It is interesting to note that the first large export order for Philips, back in 1898, was the illumination of the St. Petersburg Winter Palace, now called the Hermitage. Philips announced at the Moscow event that it will once again be providing lighting for the Hermitage. But will the annual Simplicity event return to Moscow soon? Maybe not<visitors were plagued by traffic problems, poor service, and a generally run-down atmosphere. And Philips must have had headaches from the horrendous hotel prices ($400/night is typical). Moscow stands in stark contrast to the experienced organization of Philips, its smooth-running event, and its shiny new products.