Translated from 日本語 • View original Click here for the previous article SXSW 2016 Field Report - Basics -
Hello, this is Aimi Nakajima, who is in charge of marketing at ISAO.
At SXSW (South by Southwest), you can find new products that will excite any IT person or marketer.
In fact, some of the new products and services announced at SXSW have already been released on crowdfunding Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
However, it is a unique opportunity for both exhibitors and visitors to gather together and actually touch it, and to get feedback on the spot.
Finalist Showcase and Tradeshow are a treasure trove
There are two main opportunities to see products.
- Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase
- Tradeshow
Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase
The Interactive Innovation Awards are the **centerpiece event of SXSW's IT section. **
The most innovative products and services from 13 disciplines will be awarded on the final day of Interactive.
Since it is a showcase that collects 65 points from the finalists, it is quite eye-catching.
Despite this, the showcase was only one day out of five days, and it was only three hours, so the venue was quite crowded.
If you want to see it for sure, line up before it opens!
Tradeshow
As I mentioned in the previous article, it is a large-scale and diverse exhibition.
Many exhibiting countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Brazil, have a large area.
In Japan, Todai to Texas, a startup of students from the University of Tokyo, exhibits every year.
IoT is popular, but do you actually use it?
I've been looking at various devices, gadgets, and services, and I think they are all great ideas and technologies.
Honesty,
"It's interesting!
There are many things like that.
So, as a single girl in her early 30s, I picked up 5 products that I really wanted ♡ to do!
1. Once you use it, you'll be addicted! New high-performance earphones.
Wireless earphones with a round shape.
As the name "active listening" suggests, you can control the sound interactively and effectively.
I actually listened to the music and tried it, and even in the noisy exhibition hall, the music sounded as dynamic as if I were in a large concert hall!
In addition to LIVE MUSIC, there are modes that turn off noise in three different scenes.
- AIRPLANE (engine noise or baby crying)
- OFFICE (Conversations around the office)
- CITY (car noise and subway sound)
Earplugs are a must on an airplane, so I'm expecting quite a bit from AIRPLANE mode
I can't buy it yet, but I've signed up for the Wait List!
This one won the MUSIC & AUDIO INNOVATION award. Congrats!
■Here Active Listening https://www.hereplus.me/
2. Control your brain and control your tension freely!
It's a suspicious looking putt, but it's amazing.
A small amount of electric current from this pad acts on the brain, and even when you are tired, you can feel energetic.
You can switch between three modes from the app.
- Calm
- Energy
- Fitness
**When you want to be energetic, when you can't sleep, or when you want to exercise, control it with the optimal brain! **
Can you really do that? I have some doubts, but it may be possible now that research on brain waves and artificial intelligence is active.
It takes courage to buy it, but I want to try it when I'm really tired!
This one is already available for $199.
■thync http://www.thync.com/
3. Diet allies!? Portable "gluten checker"
This one is palm-sized and cute in the shape of a rice ball.
Put a piece of food in the tube on the left side of the photo, insert it into the main unit, and wait for 2 minutes.
Then, it will determine whether it is gluten-free or not.
Some people are allergic to gluten, but the "gluten-free diet" has become a hot topic in Japan as well.
Gluten is a type of glycoprotein found in wheat products such as noodles and bread, and is said to cause internal irritation and physical discomfort.
In Europe and the United States, more people choose gluten-free for their health than in Japan.
I also try not to eat too much wheat as much as possible. (I love pasta and ramen, but only once in a while as a reward.) ）
By the way, it seems that it is not a form conscious of rice balls. I told you that there is a similar food called ONIGIRI in Japan!
■Nima https://nimasensor.com/
4. Coming from IKEA! A desk that can charge your smartphone
It is also familiar in Japan and is exhibited by IKEA.
If you place your smartphone above the + icon, you can charge it wirelessly. Some types are embedded in the table.
With this, you will be free from the clutter of cables! I wonder if you can release a long desk for the office.
It seems that this has already been commercialized, but it was not listed on the Japanese website, so is it only in Europe and the United States?
As an aside, IKEA is pronounced "eye care" in English. In English-speaking countries, it doesn't work even if you say "IKEA", so be careful!
5. From Japan! The world's most fashionable weather forecast
This is an exhibit from Hakuhodo's corporate accelerator, TBWA\HAKUHODO\QUANTUM.
This panel tells you the current weather and the weather 12 hours ahead by lighting and flashing.
Depending on the setting, you can also see the weather at a distance.
It's a stylish interior IoT that you want to put at the entrance of your house.
■kizuki http://www.q-m.jp/kizuki/
Conclusion
What did you think? I liked products such as music, health, and weather that took my daily life to the next level.
Will it be popular? Can I buy it in Japan? I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the future!