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Essential Extras
Computer Accessories
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| This USB collection from Sharper Innovations Ltd includes (from left) a hand warmer, a radio with rear-view mirror and an LED light strip |
The range of computer accessories that is currently available is almost as limitless as the imagination and keeps growing every day
New and exciting gadgets may be constantly being brought to market, but some companies are working on refining more popular products to the point of perfection.
Such is the case with Starline Int'l Group Ltd, a young company that began in 2004 with big design ideas and has just won the prestigious iF Product Design Award 2008 for its Sly'd Ultra USB Flash Drive.
One of the world's oldest design competitions, Germany's iF Product Design Award has recognised and rewarded outstanding designs for more 50 years.
Starline Int'l Group Ltd Marketing Manager, Offline Media, Yvonne Ng notes that there were 2,771 products from 1,002 contestants in 35 countries vying for the award this year. "We are very proud that our in-house design did so well and we are looking forward to winning more awards in the future," she states.
The Sly'd design contains a mechanism that enables the flash drive to be opened using just two fingers. "The product is quite small, slim and simple," Ms Ng explains.
It is also smooth and sleek, with the added bonus of a large area for logo customisation. "We're very flexible on colour and metal plate materials," Ms Ng adds.
Starline's range of ergonomic and trendy designs includes Bean/Orange, Freezer/Big Red, Zoom/Transparent and RGB/Rainbow models available in 10 vibrant colours, and unit-priced from US$7 FOB Hong Kong for 1MB and US$11 for 2MB.
Equally innovative is aptly-named Sharper Innovations Ltd, whose Original Patented USB Vacuum Cleaner (VC-180) has proven enormously successful in the US, European and Japanese markets in the three years since its inception.
"It's one of our most successful overseas lines," Marketing Executive Janice Poon observes. "We patented it because of the enormous difficulty involved in developing a motor that will deliver the power needed for suction from a USB, and have also patented the nozzle that we designed to fit between keyboard keys."
The USB Vacuum Cleaner, which markets for US$1.50 FOB Hong Kong per unit, delivers just enough power to clean a computer and desk space.
Ms Poon says other companies have tried to copy the VC-180's patented motor design, without success. "A lot of customers have come back to us because the Hong Kong-designed motor is the only one that works reliably," she claims.
Safety-oriented products such as Fujikon Industrial Co Ltd's Multimedia Headset with Audio Level Control (BHP-90ALC) are also perennially big sellers.
Fujikon Assistant Manager of Corporate Planning and Business Development Natalie Yu says the unit is designed to protect users from hearing damage due to prolonged exposure to excessive volumes of sound from movies, music or games.
"Nowadays PMPs (portable movie players) are very popular but sound levels emitted via headsets may not always be healthy," Ms Yu explains.
Experts agree that exposure to dangerous sound levels can damage hearing - especially in young children. "This headset allows parents to set the maximum volume level and prevent this damage from occurring," she claims.
The Multimedia Headset with Audio Level Control headset also features a noise-cancelling microphone, which eliminates background sounds in noisy environments.
"The headset was designed in Hong Kong by Fujikon's product creation team and has only just hit the market following successful trials last year," Ms Yu adds.
Determined to keep at least one step ahead of an ever-evolving communications market is Innoproducts Ltd, which offers a USB Mobile Partner SIM plus Micro SD/M2 Reader (MP-20072).
Sales Manager Kenneth Ngan says the device serves two main functions - a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card reader and a micro SD memory card for mobile phones.
"The user can access phone numbers and update them, synchronise with Outlook or Lotus software, and group up to five SIM cards into one," he explains.
The locally-designed Micro SD/M2 Card Reader supports the "very latest mobile technology", and is unit-priced at US$4.50 Hong Kong and up. "It is aimed at the European market," Mr Ngan adds.
Other features include plug and play for micro SD or M2 card readers and the ability to read/edit/write SMS messages or phone book entries on the SIM card.
The USB Mobile Partner can also back-up and restore the SIM card phone book to a PC/laptop. "We're strong in SIM card products, and quality is our main concern," Mr Ngan avers. "We're constantly updating our software and we have a technical engineer available to advise our customers anytime."
Concentrating on USB items, Tonzex Industrial (HK) Ltd's USB Coffee Warmer (TC-1118A) is a four-port USB facility with the added advantage of a temperature plate to keep cups of coffee or tea from going cold.
Another hot idea is the Aromatherapy Diffuser with USB HUB (TC-1122C) with four ports, which allows the user to keep the office environment smelling fresh by placing a couple of drops of aromatic oil on a plate.
"These devices are designed in Taiwan and are proving popular in Europe and the US, where we target retail department stores and overseas wholesalers," Tonzex Marketing Executive Tim Chan says.
The computer accessories may be getting increasingly crowded but there are certainly plenty of new, exciting and profitable items to be found in Hong Kong.
TEXT BY JOHN CHURCH
FAST FACTS
| Fujikon Industrial Co Ltd 16/F, Tower 1 Grand Central Plaza Sha Tin, New Territories Hong Kong Tel: 852-2688-8264 Fax: 852-2694-1338 Email: marketing@fujikon.com Web: www.fujikon.com |
Year Established: 1982 Major Product Categories: headphones, earphones, headsets, microphones & speaker systems Brands & Certificates: Hi-Tex; ISO 9001, ?ISO 14001, TS 16949, QC 08000 (HSPM IECQ) Minimum Order: - Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: - Factory Size & Location: Dongguan Workforce:- |
| Heng Yu Electronic Mfg Co Ltd Rms 1003-4 HSH Mong Kok Plaza 794-802 Nathan Rd Mong Kok, Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: 852-2394-1852 Fax: 852-2394-1865 Email: hy-sales@hengyu-tech.com Web: www.hengyu-tech.com |
Year Established:1999 Major Product Categories: POS keyboards, industry keyboards, readers Brands & Certificates: Heng Yu; ISO 9001 Minimum Order: 100 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 4 weeks Factory Size & Location: 16,800 square metres; China Workforce: 300 |
| Hotronic Ltd Rm 116, 1/F Genplas Ind Bldg 56 Hoi Yuen Rd Kwun Tong, Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: 852-2492-9392 Fax: 852-3426-4808 Email: sales@hotronicltd.com Web: www.hotronicltd.com |
Year Established: 2002 Major Product Categories: USB flash disks, digital photo frames, MP4 players Brands & Certificates: - Minimum Order: 500 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 7 days Factory Size & Location: Shenzhen Workforce: - |
| Innoproducts Ltd 7/F, Paramount Bldg 12 Ka Yip St Chai Wan Hong Kong Tel: 852-2140-9722 Fax: 852-2140-9702 Email: kennethngan@innoproducts.com Web: www.innoproducts.com |
Year Established: 1998 Major Product Categories: internet radios and SIM card readers Brands & Certificates: - Minimum Order: 1,000 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: 20,000 pieces Delivery Time: 30 days Factory Size & Location: 10,000 square feet; Dongguan Workforce: 150 |
| Joyas Mfg Ltd 22/F, Park Bldg 476 Castle Peak Rd Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: 852-2408-0880 Fax: 852-2408-0906 Email: sales@joyas.com.hk Web: www.joyas.com.hk |
Year Established: 1992 Major Product Categories: - Brands & Certificates: ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949 Minimum Order: 500 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 25-40 days Factory Size & Location: Shenzhen Workforce: 3,000 plus |
| Sharper Innovations Ltd Rm 14A, Blk A Chung Mei Centre 15 Hing Yip St Kwun Tong, Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: 852-2341-3332 Fax: 852-8147-4113 Email: sales@sharper-i.com Web: www.sharper-i.com |
Year Established: 1993 Major Product Categories: computer accessories, lighted mirrors, car accessories, speakers, flash lights, smokeless ashtrays Brands & Certificates: Disney; ISO 9001, HKEIA Award for Outstanding Innovation & Technology Minimum Order: 2,000 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: 20,000 to 100,000 pieces per model Delivery Time: 21-30 days Factory Size & Location: 6,300 square metres; Dongguan Workforce: 400 |
| Starline Int'l Group Ltd Units 1818-19 Nan Fung Commercial Centre 19 Lam Lok St Kowloon Bay, Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: 852-2388-8255 Fax: 852-2388-8455 Email: sales@starline.hk Web: www.starline.hk www.tdctrade.com/starline |
Year Established: 2004 Major Product Categories: USB flash drives, memory cards, MP3/MP4 players, Web cameras, wireless presenters Brands & Certificates: Exigo; ISO 9001 Minimum Order: 100 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: 2 million pieces Delivery Time: 7 days Factory Size & Location: 3,500 square metres; Shenzhen Workforce: 600 |
| Tonzex Industrial (HK) Ltd Unit A6, 4/F, Blk A HK Ind Centre 489-491 Castle Peak Rd Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon Hong Kong Tel: 852-2605-3383 Fax: 852-2603-2745 Email: info@tonzex.com Web: www.tonzex.com |
Year Established: 2005 Major Product Categories: electronic products, paper products, PP products Brands & Certificates: ISO 9001 Minimum Order: 5,000 pieces Monthly Production Capacity: 100,000 pieces Delivery Time: 45 days Factory Size & Location: 40,000 square metres Workforce: 2,000 |
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