globalEDGE International Business Blog

We have all learned to ignore the pile of cables connecting the pieces of our home entertainment. But how great would it be if we could just get rid of them? This is something consumers and engineers have been dreaming of for years. Now, it is a reality.

Israeli startup Amimon has developed a way to link audio-video devices without cords. This is not the first product of its kind, however, it is the first to do the job efficiently. Unlike previous wireless proposals, this Wireless Home Digital Inteface technology (WHDI), offers high speed and great quality - there is no time lag and images are crystal clear.

Furthermore, other companies are working on developing alternatives. These are mainly members of the WiMedia Alliance, including Texas Instruments. Also, companies are working on creating an enhanced version of the Wi-Fi standard that is now used for wireless networking in hotspots. Another product in the same category is WirelessHD by chip startup SiBeam, which operates in different frequency but offers similar features as WHDI.

Will this new kind of product be successful on the market? The likely answer is yes, in a couple of years. This is an amazing advancement in technology that is both convenient and wanted by consumers. This is why many electronics companies began building WHDI wireless video modems into their products but they are holding back on introducing new products to the market. However, whether the world market is ready for this new breakthrough is questionable. Consumers definitely want the product, but do they need it? This is a crucial question in the current state of the economy because consumers are trying to save money and luxury products are not a priority.

Wireless electronic systems are not only desired by consumers, but they are seen as a needed advancement in some businesses. Stkryker, for example, has expressed interest in this kind of product as the company is seeking a way to reduce cabling in surgical rooms.

We are presented with another advancement in electronics. It will be interesting to see what impact it is going to have on the market, the industry, and business in general.

Produced by XPLANE in partnership with The Economist, this video provides an informative, easily-digestible scope of various shifts in the Media and Communications Industry.

A couple of days ago we posted a video on the importance of innovation, but it left me wondering: who's best at it?

Luckily, a survey done by the Boston Consulting Group, working with the National Association of Manufacturers' Manufacturing Institute, seeks to answer just that question. They rank the top 30 most innovation-friendly countries on the basis of government policy and real business results.

A recent report by the Boston Consulting Group which measures the government policies and corporate performance most encouraging to innovation has Singapore as the number one global leader of innovation, followed by South Korea at number two. Former innovation leaders from the west such as the United States and Germany dropped to numbers eight and nineteen, respectively. What exactly has contributed to this?