News

Abrocour joins forces with technology industry leaders at Ideal Home Show to create the digital home for the 21st Century (16/3/2004)

Abrocour, the company which has joined forces with BT, Intel and Microsoft to offer the latest home technology to the residential property market, will be exhibiting its Openhome solution at the Space Air show house at the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show from 10 March - 4 April.

The Space Air show house, which has been created by climate control company Space Air and furnished by celebrity designer Linda Barker, will feature the latest wireless broadband internet, home security and e-home devices that Abrocour brings together from BT, Intel and Microsoft through its Openhome solution.

The house is one of three luxury show homes featured in the exhibition's 'riverside' show village. It will be fitted with a totally wireless home network solution, superfast BT 1mb broadband access, and will feature a number of wireless e-home applications and the latest hardware. This includes an Intel(r) Centrino(tm) mobile technology-based laptop, a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center PC powered by the Intel(r) Pentium(r) 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology, 40 inch LCD screen, touch-screen PC and wireless Xbox.

Sam Sethi, Abrocour's CEO commented; "As technology takes on an increasingly important role in our lives, people are becoming more curious about the opportunities offered by 'smart-living'. However, there is still a lot of confusion about what's on offer and what actual benefits the 'e-home' brings.

"The Space Air show house will give people the chance to see Openhome in action and will show the practical advantages of having a wireless broadband home network. With great devices such as the Media Center and the Intel Centrino mobile technology based laptop on show, we hope people will see that the latest home technology is liveable, practical, easy to use and here to stay."

Chet Patel, General Manger of BT's Retail Division, says: "BT has a vision where broadband creates more possibilities in the home. BT launched its Home of Possibilities portfolio at the Ideal Home Show 2003 - we are thrilled to be back this year, making this concept a reality through our partnership with Abrocour.

"Broadband is not all about technology, but about what you can do with it. We see the provision of 1mb broadband and home networking as the first stepping stone to the delivery of a whole range of new digital possibilities for e-Home owners. Intel Centrino mobile technology and our alignment with Abrocour will enable us to deliver these services and eventually make wireless broadband a standard feature in people's homes. This heralds a new chapter in the way broadband is provided to new homes in the UK.

Andrew Allison, Director of Mobility, Intel UK and Ireland said, "Wireless living is now being enthusiastically embraced across the UK, with over 5,000 public wireless hotspots available in places such as hotels, pubs, cafes and motorway service stations. Intel is delighted to work with Abrocour, Microsoft and BT to provide visitors to the Ideal Home Show with the opportunity to see the digital home of the future. Here, people will see for themselves the next generation of connected homes that will bring Britain yet closer to realising Intel's vision to unwire Britain by 2005. I'm sure that once home-owners have a taste of a true digital home experience, with an Intel-based wireless PC at the centre of the home, they'll be eager to unwire their home and enjoy the digital home experience with their own family."

Paul Randle, Microsoft Windows Product Manager said: "Technology today provides a whole host of solutions on offer for entertainment in the home. Abrocour's choice of Windows XP Media Center Edition illustrates its broad appeal and ease of use to all types of homeowners that want to access pictures, movies, TV and music in the home from a single remote control. The Openhouse initiative is a fantastic way for buyers of new homes to enjoy cutting edge technology with a minimum of fuss."

Intel's vision of the digital home is a place where consumers enjoy digital content, regardless of the source, across various devices and stream it to any location throughout the home and beyond. Intel is helping make this a reality by supporting innovative companies like Abrocour, driving industry initiatives, such as establishing a $200m fund for cutting-edge consumer electronics providers, and by delivering the technology building blocks that will power the digital home.

Intel expertise integral to the digital home includes Hyper-Threading technology, which enables the PC at the hub of the home to run multiple applications simultaneously at high performance. Intel Centrino mobile technology is designed to enable extended battery life, thinner and lighter notebook designs, and outstanding mobile performance, combined with integrated wireless LAN connectivity, enabling people to work and play on their laptop without wires.

www.abrocour.com