Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The world's first dial-free radio


Introducing the Q2 Cube - internet radio with a twist Q2

Consultants’ design and engineering expertise helps Armour Group PLC take novel internet radio from concept to market in nine months.

The Q2 Cube, a novel internet radio developed by Cambridge Consultants and Armour Group PLC, is being demonstrated for the first time at IFA Berlin, 4-9 September 2009 in advance of its pre-Christmas launch.

The product’s user-friendly and intuitive design makes internet radio fun, taking it from the desktop to the bedside table and turning it into a desirable consumer object. The user selects one of their four pre-selected stations by turning the Q2 Cube onto one of its four ‘live’ faces. A fifth face is dedicated to the speaker - tilt it forward to turn the volume up, tilt it backwards to turn it down.

The Q2 Cube from Armour will launch in Autumn 2009 and will be available in selected stores in time for Christmas. It is based on a concept first shown by Cambridge Consultants at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Kevin Taylor, E-Commerce & Marketing Director at Armour, commented: “When we first came across Cambridge Consultants’ concept for a cube-radio, it was the revolutionary user interface that caught our attention. At last, here was a way to make internet radio fun, and to turn into a truly novel consumer product with mass appeal. Having agreed to commercialise the technology, it was Cambridge Consultants’ expertise in developing low cost wireless platforms that helped us get the product to market so quickly. We’re now in the position of being ready to launch the Q2 Cube, a really innovative product which we believe will change the way people interact with and listen to the radio forever.”

Duncan Smith, Head of Consumer at Cambridge Consultants, added: “We’d had a hugely positive reaction when we first demonstrated the concept, but it was Armour that saw its true commercial potential. We worked closely with their technical product development teams and their manufacturer, adding our own electronics and software expertise to Armour’s strengths in consumer product development and home entertainment. Working together in this way, we’ve kept the development cost low and helped Armour bring the Q2 Cube to market in just nine months.”

Cambridge Consultants is demonstrating the Q2 Cube at IFA 2009 (Hall 10.2 Stand 119), giving visitors a sneak preview of Armour’s revolutionary internet radio. The company’s display will also include examples of its other consumer product development work, including CatchNet, a unique platform for delivering web-services to consumers via a range of single-function devices.

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Organisation: Cambridge Consultants Ltd
Source: cambridgenetwork.co.uk