Next Experience Lab looking for new ways for consumers to interact with digital media
18 December, 2007
category: NFC
NXP Semiconductors recently opened a center for showcasing advanced concept and product testing, the Next Experience Lab located in the Netherlands. The new Next Experience Lab, which joins a network of four other centers globally, will allow NXP and its partners, such as BMW, to examine the impact of technologies on consumers, seeking answers to questions such as, how will the convergence of media such as music, TV, video and internet impact consumers of the future? What standards and partner eco-systems are needed to ensure a seamless, compelling user experience?
‘Next Experience Lab’ opens at Eindhoven, the Netherlands
NXP Semiconductors, the independent company founded by Philips, today opened a centre for showcasing advanced concept and product testing, the Next Experience Lab. By bringing together external partners from industry and research organizations, NXP will use the Next Experience Lab in the Netherlands to test its strategic vision, products and concepts aimed at improving the digital consumer experience.
Combining demonstration and discussion, the new Next Experience Lab depicts how consumers will connect to digital content within the home, the car or on the move. NXP and its partners will examine the impact of technologies on consumers, seeking answers to questions such as, how will the convergence of media such as music, TV, video and internet impact consumers of the future? What standards and partner eco-systems are needed to ensure a seamless, compelling user experience?
By actively engaging with partners such as BMW, NXP’s Next Experience Lab in Eindhoven will enable collaborative product testing. Have you ever had difficulty finding your car in a big city? Have you ever wished you could use one device as your phone, car keys and wallet? These are just two examples from everyday life that BMW and NXP are tackling through their research. ‘The key to the future’ is a prototype technology currently in development. Using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), NFC (Near Field Communication), and GPS (Global Positioning Systems), the key fob or smartcard enables authorized users to automatically unlock their car door within a short range of the vehicle, start the ignition with a push of a button, control music or other digital content from nearby devices (e.g. other passengers’ MP3 players) or upload maps.
“With NXP as innovation partner, we are cooperating in the area of research on future car key technologies,” said Dr. Klaus Bengler, BMW Group Research & Technology.
Rene Penning de Vries, chief technology officer, NXP, commented, “Remaining wholly focused on what customers want is critical to NXP’s success now and in the future. As consumers increasingly connect to digital content on the go, NXP is committed to improving the quality of that experience. This means rethinking traditional parameters that separate industries – working collaboratively with our partners and customers to leverage expertise and focus on an increasingly customer-centric approach to product development.”
The Next Experience Lab in the Netherlands joins a network comprising of four Next Experience centers globally. The other centers are located in Southampton, UK; San Jose, USA and Bangalore, India.
About NXP
NXP is a top 10 semiconductor company founded by Philips more than 50 years ago. Headquartered in Europe, the company has 37,000 employees working in more than 20 countries and posted sales of EUR 5 billion in 2006. NXP creates semiconductors, system solutions and software that deliver better sensory experiences in mobile phones, personal media players, TVs, set-top boxes, identification applications, cars and a wide range of other electronic devices. News from NXP is located at www.nxp.com.