Changing retailer needs spur tripling of retail digital signage market

EL SEGUNDO, USA: The changing needs of retailers are prompting them to move away from traditional advertising and seek alternative means, including retail digital signage, whose shipments will more than triple by 2013, according to iSuppli Corp.

Global shipments of digital retail signs are set to rise to 2.5 million units by 2013, generating a CAGR of 26.8 percent from 758,122 units in 2008. The figure presents iSuppli’s digital signage growth forecast.Retail signage spans a range of display types and functions, from LCD screens to LED video displays that are used for digital merchandizing, enhancing ambiance as well as customer and brand communication for both indoor and outdoor settings.

“Competition is getting fierce among retail outlets, and they are seeking innovative ways to attract new customers and increase average transaction size and frequency of visits among existing clientele—making digital signage a perfect fit for their needs,” said Sanju Khatri, principal analyst for signage and professional displays at iSuppli.

Another factor driving the adoption of retail digital signage is the demanding and rapidly changing product or service revisions inside retail outlets.

As products change quickly and revisions with new features come fast and furious, maintaining active communication with end-customers is key for successful merchandizing. Retail digital signage offers a way to communicate these changes and revisions on a real-time basis, but also allows advertisers to control, schedule, monitor and change content locally or even remotely.

“Television and print are costly and not really suitable in communicating with target audiences in a real-time manner,” Khatri said. This has prompted advertisers to seek more effective ways of communicating to their target audience groups and to maximize their return on investment.

Because of this and other factors, iSuppli believes many retailers will accept the initial costs of migrating to digital signage platforms given that the benefits to retail establishments are greater than the current non-digital signage they are using.

Red hot IPTV set top market is cooling

USA: The IP set top box market grew 55 percent in 2008, but such breakneck growth will not continue, reports In-Stat.

Many telcos have already launched TV services, so there are fewer new customer prospects. In addition, the economic climate is sapping investment in new telco TV systems.

Established telco TV providers like France Telecom, AT&T, Free, British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and China Telecom provided much of the subscriber growth that drives the demand for IP set top boxes. We expect this situation to continue in 2009 and 2010. However with few new deployments, unit shipments of IP set top boxes will see only slight increases in 2009 and 2010.

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
* More than 50 percent of 2009 IP set top box unit shipments in Western Europe will have hard disk drives.
* Among the key technology trends are improved power management and support for 3D graphics, multiple codecs, and open software platforms.
* The average bill of materials for an HD IP set top box will fall below $50 in 2010.
* Among the semiconductor competitors providing solutions for the IP set-top box market are Broadcom, CopperGate, Intel, NXP, Sigma Designs, and STMicroelectronics.
* Motorola held onto the top market share position in IP set-top boxes in 2008, but its market share slipped from 2007 as Cisco ramped up shipments.

HCL showcases future gadgets at Computex

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: HCL Infosystems, India’s premier information enabling ICT system integration company today showcased its future range of products and launched breakthrough customer service technology at the four-day 'Computex 2009'.

HCL unveiled two new upcoming products at the event -– ‘HCL Electron’ –- a WiMAX enabled nettop and ‘HCL Leantop Series’.

Besides these, HCL also showcased the world’s first ‘in-built design for support’ in the form of HCL Touch key and EC2 key on HCL desktops and laptops -- a unique concept that helps customers with quick support at the touch of a button. HCL plans to launch its upcoming range of products showcased at the exhibition soon in India.

“Computex 2009 is a platform for us to showcase our latest offerings that will continue to enhance consumer experience. In line with our strong heritage of product innovation, we have launched HCL Touch key and EC2 key in our desktops and Leaptops that will offer consumers quick customer service support at touch of a button. The ‘HCL Electron’ Nettop which is WiMAX enabled, is envisioned to cater to growth in broadband technology expected in India over next few years”, said Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman & CEO, HCL Infosystems Ltd.

Key highlights
* The four-day 'Computex 2009’ is the largest computer exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world being held at Taipei, Taiwan.
* HCL showcasing its upcoming range of products at the event.
* HCL unveils world’s first ‘in-built design for support’ –- HCL Touch key and EC2 key on HCL desktops and laptops for instant customer support.
* HCL announced ‘HCL Touch for Desktops’, the unique 24X7 customer support service for desktops users.
* Showcases two new upcoming products, ‘HCL leantop Series’ of leaptops and ‘HCL Electron range’ of WiMAX enabled nettops.

Among the products showcased by HCL at the ‘Computex’, is the ‘HCL Electron’ nettop. The new product is WiMAX enabled. This product underlines company’s strong heritage of offering latest in technology and enabling affordable IT solutions for the masses. HCL’s ‘Electron’ Nettop not only facilitate these but also promises to propel growth of broadband in India.

Under the upcoming range of consumer ultra low voltage (CULV) category, HCL also showcased its ‘HCL Leantop series’. The notebook weighing just 1.5 kgs, comes with never before feature, ‘Hot Keys’ for HCL Touch & EC2 for instant customer support.

By pressing HCL Touch key the customer gets linked up through internet to HCL technical specialist for any remote support they might require. HCL also announced launch of ‘HCL Touch’, the unique 24X7 customer care service for the desktop users.

EC2 Technology, Self-healing in 60 seconds -- Revolutionary ‘Embedded Continuity & Control’ (EC2) technology enables self-healing of computers, in case of a system crash or accidental loss of data by the user. EC2 technology automatically stores and updates an image of its own working state at regular intervals.

This image is a complete record of all data, including software and user data, residing inside the computer at any given point of time. In case of a system crash, malfunction or accidental loss of data, a user can simply reload the previously recorded image and thus have the computer working exactly like it was when the image was recorded. EC2 takes less than 60 seconds to reload the complete image; therefore the computer never has a downtime of more than a minute, no matter how grave the fault was.

HCL Touch -- Landmark 24x7 global customer support service, is delivered through India’s largest IT Service & support network. A network that, reaches out to over 4000 towns, The HCL touch network consists of 14 remote support centres, 505 service offices, 390 warehouses and 150 repair centres, all of which are company owned, making it India’s largest direct IT service infrastructure. The service offers telephonic support in 11 Indian regional languages, response and repair within 24 hours, SMS & Email based support facility among other highlights.

Xandros creates enhanced user experience for Netbook users with Moblin V2

COMPUTEX TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Xandros announced it is developing software products based on the recently released Moblin Version 2 project for Intel Atom processor-based platforms.

The new version of Moblin will enable Xandros to provide customizations with advanced Internet, media, social networking and graphics capabilities for the ASUS Eee PC. A turnkey Xandros software solution employing new Moblin v2 technologies will be demonstrated for the first time at the Intel booth at Computex, Taipei, Taiwan, June 2-6, 2009.

The Eee PC defined the netbook revolution by combining fast boot, low-power technologies together with a next-generation user interface. Moblin v2 enables Xandros to further enhance the Eee PC user experience by delivering advanced graphics capabilities such as drop shadows, spin, bounce and 3D animation that are universally available to all applications.

By combining core Moblin v2 technologies with Xandros' own proprietary technologies to provide social networking, multimedia content management, PIM, Web, and other services, Xandros will exceed the needs of today's consumers and provide advanced next generation touch-friendly applications specifically designed for netbook and mobile computer users.

All Xandros Moblin v2 solutions include a rich graphical user interface and an integrated application store with "click and run" access to additional software, games, multimedia and web applications for mobile devices.

"By employing Moblin Version 2 in its future products, Xandros will be able to deliver new, compelling user enhancements to Intel Atom processor-based devices such as the ASUS Eee PC," said Doug Fisher, vice president of Intel's Software and Services Group and general manager of the System Software Division. "Xandros was an early adopter of Moblin technologies and we look forward to its offerings based on the new, community driven platform for Intel Atom processor-based systems."

"The new Moblin 2 for Intel Atom processors provides the foundation to build dynamic interfaces with integrated social networking, to satisfy the media-rich lifestyle of today's mobile users in a timely manner," said Andreas Typaldos, CEO of Xandros. "Working with ASUS on products like the ASUS Eee PC has demonstrated the wisdom of creating Linux-based 'netbooks', and we are excited to be working with the Moblin v2 palate to further enrich the user experience."

Consumer confidence jumps in May: CEA-CNET Indexes

ARLINGTON, USA: Consumer confidence in the overall economy moved up sharply in May, according to figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The CEA-CNET Indexes also show that consumers continue to feel more confident about future spending on technology and consumer electronics (CE).

The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE) climbed in May, reaching 174.6, up nearly six points from last month. The ICE, which measures consumers’ confidence in the overall economy, is at its highest level since February 2008 and up over eleven points year-over-year.

“We see significant indications that consumers believe an economic recovery is underway,” said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s director of research and economist. “Consumers are showing increasing signs of optimism as both their outlook for the economy and their personal financial health improve.”

Confidence in technology and consumer electronics also reached its highest level of the year. The CEA-CNET Index of Consumer Technology Expectations (ICTE) climbed to 81.1, an increase of nearly four points from last month. The ICTE, which measures consumer confidence in technology and consumer electronics, is nearly eight percent higher than the same period last year.

“Consumer spending on technology appears to have bottomed,” said DuBravac. “While the economy continues to deteriorate, albeit at a slower rate, consumer spending generally and specifically consumer spending on technology are likely beginning to rebound, which is inline with the timing of consumer spending in past recessions.”

The CEA-CNET Indexes are comprised of the ICE and the ICTE, both of which are updated on a monthly basis through consumer surveys. New data is released on the fourth Tuesday of each month. CEA and CNET have been tracking index data since January 2007.

Source: CEA, USA

Prime View reaches agreement to acquire E Ink!

TAIPEI, TAIWAN & CAMBRIDGE, USA: Prime View International (PVI), a leading small and medium display provider and the world’s highest volume supplier of ePaper display modules, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire E Ink Corp., a leader in electronic paper display materials and intellectual property for approximately $215 million.

The new company will expand capacity and develop improvements for ePaper display screens that are easy on the eyes, long-lasting, and highly portable. ePaper is ideal for reading of digital documents which are less wasteful, more convenient and more up-to-date than paper documents.

“The ePaper display module market will grow to over $3 billion by 2013. This market will see further growth with the emergence of color displays and flexible displays, serving eBook/eTextbook, eNewspaper/eMagazine and eDocument markets. Currently, electrophoretic display technology has more than 90% market share in the overall ePaper displays, and E Ink is the #1 supplier of electrophoretic materials," according Dr. Jennifer Colegrove, DisplaySearch’s Director of Display Technologies.

“The market for electronic book devices such as the SONY Reader and Amazon Kindle is forecasted to grow from 1.1 million units in 2008 to 20 million units in 2012, a cumulative annual growth rate of 105% over the four-year period,” said iSuppli analyst Vinita Jakhanwal, “PVI and E Ink enabled this market back in 2005 and they have been the display market leaders ever since.”

“The world is searching for green technology that saves energy and cuts waste and still provides an outstanding experience,” said Scott Liu, Chairman and CEO of PVI, “E Ink’s electronic paper meets those needs, especially in electronic publishing and mobile displays. The people in both companies will unite to provide the world’s best digital reading experience and that will benefit all our customers and end users.”

“Combining E Ink and PVI creates a single public company that is dedicated to electronic paper,” said Russ Wilcox, co-founder, President and CEO of E Ink Corp. “With a common ownership structure, we can get closer to customers around the world, streamline the supply chain, and speed up new product development.”

The deal is the capstone in a transformation at PVI over the past four years to focus on electronic paper displays. In 2005, PVI acquired the ePaper business of Philips Electronics and partnered with E Ink to provide displays for electronic books including the popular SONY Reader and the Amazon Kindle 2 and Kindle DX. PVI also invested heavily in dedicated driver chips and touch screens for ePaper, as well as flexible displays, which will be marketed later this year.

In 2008, PVI bought a 74 percent stake of Hydis Technologies of Korea, quadrupling capacity for the transistor backplanes used in ePaper.

E Ink and PVI currently support nearly 20 eBook manufacturers worldwide. In addition to electronic books, E Ink’s Vizplex imaging film is used in cellphones, signage, smartcards, memory devices, and battery indicators. E Ink sales were $18 million in the first quarter of 2009, up 157 percent over the same quarter in 2008.

With the merger, PVI gains substantial intellectual property and employee talent, while securing supply of a critical component during the rapid growth phase of the market, and adding alliances and relationships across the ePaper and flexible display industry.

E Ink will continue to supply its products across the display industry and will have access to increased operating funds to boost production and accelerate new technology and product developments.

PVI will finance the acquisition with an equity placement and a convertible bond offering led by Taiwanese securities firm KGI. The transaction is subject to shareholder and customary regulatory approval and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Since its inception, E Ink has collaborated with a wide range of partners to develop a global ecosystem for electronic paper displays. E Ink also amassed a portfolio of hundreds of patent applications, including 150 issued in the United States. IEEE Spectrum ranked E Ink’s patent portfolio as number three worldwide for computer peripherals and storage.

In the past 12 months, customers have announced many exciting E Ink-enabled devices.

* Oprah Winfrey endorsed Amazon’s Kindle on live television calling it “her favorite gadget”. Subsequently Amazon’s Kindle 2 has proven highly popular and the Kindle DX enters the eTextbook and eNewspaper space with a large 9.7” screen.
* SONY launched a new PRS-700 Reader with integrated touch screen.
* Chinese astronauts brought the Hanwan N510 eBook into outer space on a recent Shenzhou 7 mission.
* PVI, Epson, LG Display, PolymerVision, Hewlett-Packard and Plastic Logic demonstrated flexible active matrix displays using E Ink Vizplex imaging film.
* E Ink teamed with Esquire Magazine and Ford on the first ePaper animated magazine cover.
* In May 2009, Verizon announced the Samsung Alias 2 cellphone, with a changeable keypad made with E Ink Vizplex imaging film.

E Ink was recognized with top business and industry awards in 2008, including The Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) Top Innovator Award; the Boston Business Journal’s List of Boston’s Fastest Growing Companies; and, The FineTech Japan Display Components & Materials Category Grand Award, among others.

E Ink will remain headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and plans to expand its employee base from 127 to 150 people during 2009.

PVI was advised on the acquisition by investment bank Credit Suisse and law firm Baker & McKenzie. E Ink was advised by investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners and law firm Bingham McCutchen.