Philips Liveable Cities Award

IQare has been shortlisted for Philips Livable Cities Award! From more than 450 ideas received from 29 countries across the world, a shortlist of eight innovative ideas has been selected for the Philips Livable Cities Award - and now you can help decide the winning entry.

IQare is an innovative online set of tools, designed to offer organizations, large and small, a cost effective way to develop new service and delivery options.

The aim is to give users a simple to use touch screen 'home hub' that provides them with an easy way of keeping in touch, informed and remain independent and safe.

By using the iQare system, companies can release or redeploy existing resources. Key areas that are constantly under review now that budgets and resources are under real pressure.

Eve Hatton’s short listed idea, ‘iQare’, works by simplifying how elderly people in Edinburgh, UK, access the latest digital tools. Thus making it easier to remain independent, stay in touch with friends and family, and access service providers and retailers.

Visit www.philips.com/yourvote now and cast your vote!

DIVA TV launches its Viewster consumer service

From Digital TV Europe, Diva TV's Viewster service has been launched in beta. I had blogged about DIVA TV in September.

The company has struck partnerships with TV manufacturers including LG, Loewe, Philips, Samsung and Sharp to promote the service. The Viewster service will initially be available in over 30 countries, according to the company. In addition to offering content via connected TVs, the service will be available to mobile users with Android phones, with Apple's iPhone and iPad to follow. Content can be purchased as single shows or as packages, with payment made via credit or debit card, mobile debit of PayPal. A subscription model is set to follow when Viewster is fully launched in the first quarter of next year.

Synaptics and Philips Partner on Touch-based Remote Control

On September 13,Synaptics announced that its capacitive TouchPad solution is featured in the Philips Dual remote control, that was introduced at IBC 2010 in Amsterdam.

To develop the remote remote, Philips Home Control combined a variety of leading-edge innovations including ZigBee® RF4CE technology (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics), a QWERTY keyboard, and Synaptics TouchPad solution. The 2-inch diagonal TouchPad recognizes gestures such as pointer navigation, flick, and tap for simplified navigation of digital entertainment. Users can push down on the touchpad surface to easily make selections on their home entertainment system.

New Online Video Service and the Philips Net TV

UK technology company BiBC is launching an internet TV service. The over-the-top service will be deployed via TV manufacturer Philips’ new range of connected TVs. IT will allow consumers to watch content from ITV, Cartoon Network and others for £2.99 (€3.57) a month.

Connected CE: Aimed right at Joe Sixpack?

Given the highly-aggressive nature of companies such as VIZIO (whose products are widely distributed at retail warehouses such as Costco) and now Funai Electric Co., which makes products branded Sylvania, Philips, Magnavox, and Emerson-branded HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc (BD) players, I'm thinking that connected and Web-enabled consumer electronics products will quickly move from the early-adopter to a more mainstream market. Today, Sonic Solutions announced that it will provide access to its Roxio CinemaNow™ movie service across a range of soon-to-be-released connected TVs and Blu-ray Disc Players.