Fashion Electronics (FE), a popular electronics and wireless accessories company, has a new strategy effecting their product design direction this year.
FE says that indicators show slow economic growth abroad as well as the strengthening Chinese Yuan, inflation, increasing costs of raw material and labor as bringing about low expenditure and high costs, which is inturn causing deflation and a market downturn.
“The market downturn for traditional wireless communications and associated industries in 2007 will accelerate in 2008,” said Hanson Cheng for Fashion Electronics.
“The once low priced car chargers, cases, and faceplates are seeing changes.” On the upside of these trends, FE believes that high-tech wireless electronics products will be excluded in the recession and not only “unaffected”, but will actually expand, Cheng said. Stating Bluetooth communication and entertainment electronics, GPS, MP3/MP4 and digital stereo products to be “invincible in consumer electronics in the US in 2008.” What they also believe is that with the merging of consumer electronics with wireless industry technology, wireless can be a part of the popularity that consumer electronics is experiencing.
“Electronic devices can be integrated into wireless,” Cheng says.
“How the transformation can be made effective will be the most important key to surviving in 2008. Upgrade or downgrade is unavoidable.” At 2008 CES show, FE proved that they would do just that.
They expanded their product line to include everything from wireless accessories to mobile electronics using Bluetooth applications and high-end stereo as well as MP3/ MP4 players, and PND such as GPS.
As a result of their focus, FE has brought new brands to market. BlueAction for Bluetooth, and eVogue for GPS are two new brands that were introduced.
“Our BlueAction Bluetooth earpieces have sold more than a half million units with less than 1% return rate,” Cheng said.” The most important breakthrough is that FE is the first to use the more powerful Broadcom Bluetooth chips in its earpieces.” Cheng informs that Broadcom chips are high-power, super stable and were used exclusively in large electronics such as computers and printers until brought to communication applications by FE in 2008.
He says that, “not only are the chips RF stable, but they have longer effective range; several times that of CSR’s 30 feet.” Cheng continues, “We have designed a series of application for Broadcom chips. These fifth generation chips have more memory to store more software such as noise suppression, text to speech (TTS), and multiple pairing, which provides unlimited application for future development of wireless earpieces, car kits, and speakers.
We will add many features and expand the application for the Bluetooth in 2008.” Cheng also says that FE is partnering with the China’s second GPS manufacturer, Blueberry, and introduced a new brand for North America called eVogue GPS.
Blueberry is responsible for manufacture, software and search engine design and maps purchase, and Fashion Electronics maintains market channels and customer service. “Compared to the two major players Garmin and TomTom, FE’s eVogue GPS is second to none.
Besides faster CPU computing speed and more sensitive satellite receiving chips, it can receive the signal in 40 seconds after cold start and will not lose signal in any location. No other GPS can achieve this function right now.
Other advantages are four hours running time (compared to other GPS have only 3 hours), ultra slim design, and build-in MP3/MP4 Players. EVogue GPS has integrated portable maps, address search engine, and media players to become personal assistant device.
At the end of March, eVogue will introduce $99.00 GPS, to which FE says, “that is the lowest price in the market”.
Cheng concludes to state that, “Fashion Electronics, under the leadership of President Quincy Xiong, will open a new era in consumer electronics for undergoing transformation in wireless industry. She will also lead FE and all of its customers to take advantage of the economic downturn to grab more market share and take ground on a higher stage.”