On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

Microsoft's gesture-sensing 360 console  add-on, the Kinect, enters the Guinness World Book of Records-- not for being the device most likely to cause its users to make fools of themselves, but as fastest selling CE device ever. So far, at least.

Beating even the continually fast selling iDevices, the Kinect sold an average of 133333 units a day W.W. in its first 60 days of sale-- a total of 8m units sold from 4 November 2010 to 3 January 2011.

Microsoft has every reason to be happy with the Kinect-- as one of its most successful recent offerings, Microsoft even warned of unit shortages in January. The device even moved beyond gaming, with features like control-free Hulu and the promise of PC support. It also proved popular with the hacker community-- so much so that Microsoft is now releasing a non-commercial SDK for the Kinect this spring (no doubt after watching any of Kinect hack videos available online, which entertain and amuse in equal measures).

Go Kinect Confirmed as Fastest-Selling CE Device

Asus shows off its next generation of personal computing device concept at CeBIT 2011-- IRIS (Inspirational Research for Immersive Space)-- a device that turns into whatever its user needs it to be.

Using a form of paper thin flexible display, the device concept is stretchable; sliding the display's edges turns it from wristwatch size (attaching to a bracelet) to phone, tablet and gaming device.

The concept video also shows off a couple docks with built-in projectors, including an alarm-clock sized example that produces dynamic sleep environments (complete with ambient lighting and interactive 3D alarm projections).

Asus has a penchant for weird and wonderful hybrid creatures (like the Asus Eee Pad Slider), and the example shown at CeBIT actually works (sort of), but one seriously doubts the IRIS will get to exist someday. Then again, who knows what the future holds?

Go Asus Design Centre-- IRIS Project

Wireless and Motion-sensing wizard CyWee showed buyers the AirShuttle,  the first (and only) MFi-certified accessory that enables real-time audio and video transmission from an iPod, iPhone, or iPad.  Without the use of cables, users can now share mobile content on-the-go and at home via TV.

International Sales Manager Thomas Hartung [in photo] demonstrated the product at CeBIT inside the ICP Pavilion.

CyWee is a privately-held company funded by SB China Venture Capital and Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Based on research at ITRI that started in 2003, CyWee holds 52 key patents associated with motion-sensing. CyWee’s partners include HP, Fujitsu, Acer, Marvell, China Unicom, and China Telecom.

Go CyWee

Alastair Dryburgh, management consultant and our contributor is in a contest to publish his manifesto and we can help by adding our votes…

"Continuous improvement is a good discipline, but sometimes it just isn't enough. If you are behind the curve, or your market is changing too fast, or you are just too ambitious be satisfied with slow steady progress then you need to do something discontinuous.

Discontinuous improvement is often safer than it seems, while continuous improvement may be more dangerous than it appears. In times of rapid change, continuously improving something which the market no longer values may be the worst possible thing to do.

The manifesto will inspire business owners and managers to raise their sights, giving them a range of techniques for achieving discontinuous improvements in a wide range of areas..."

If you click to vote, we’ll pass on a link to a cost-free pre-publication draft of this manifesto about how to bring innovation to your company approach.

Vote to Publish the Discontinuous Improvement Manifesto