British brand Gear4 invades Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Established in 2004, United Kingdom-based Disruptive Limited was one of the first companies in the world to launch a dedicated brand of iPod accessories under the Podgear label. Since the rebrand to Gear4 in 2006, its products can now be found in many of the leading UK retailers. Gear4 currently holds one of the highest sales volumes in the European market for both the docking audio and MP3 accessory markets. The passion for music and the desire to do justice to the capability of iOS devices have helped Gear4 evolve into what it is today. This year the British brand has partnered with Iontech Inc., one of the Philippines’ leading distributors for IT and consumer electronics, to introduce its speaker systems and accessories in the country. Iontech believes that Gear4’s sound quality and the innovation that it introduces into every product from the entry level to the flagship models will make a big impression in the Philippine market. Speaker docks like the 16-mm thin StreetParty Size 0 will find its way to many bags and backpacks of teens who love to share their newest tunes. And the 30-watt boomer HouseParty 4 Evo is sure to host many living room parties. “Filipinos love gadgets for music but would like to have more functions attached to a product and we feel Gear4 has more than what it can offer,” said Ted Tinedo, product management head of Iontech. Gear4 has also kept note of today’s growing definitions of freedom and people’s increasing desire for mobility by creating a range of wireless Bluetooth speakers. The HouseParty Rise 2 Wireless and the HouseParty Portable Wireless know that whether at home or on the beach, you just cannot dance around when you are docked. The flagship AirZone Series 1 will let audiophiles sit on their listening chair, at their most preferred distance, and listen to inspiring reproductions of their favorite jazz and standards through Apple’s AirPlay wireless technology. Another aspect of Gear4 that excites the people at Iontech is the brand’s avant-garde attitude. It has collaborated with entertainment media company Rovio to create an Angry Birds line of speakers. Now don’t mistake them for flimsy rip-offs, these are well-crafted speakers that play loud and sound real good. Also, with the launch of the Bad Piggies game, the upcoming Angry Birds animated series, and the much-awaited holidays, Gear4 has timed the release of the Angry Birds mini speakers. Get ready for five adorable birds from the famous game that fans will love to collect. And they probably will because they can be linked in series to make a long speaker line as well. With apps being able to do almost anything imaginable, Gear4 created the SmartLink App. Free from the iTunes store, installing it will work wonders for a Gear4 SmartLink compatible dock. The app features a music player that allows access to your music library and display album artwork in full screen. It has an FM radio that can auto tune, save and organize your favorite radio stations. It adds clock and alarm functions that will sync to your iPod, iPhone and iPad. The app will tell you the current climate on the animated weather display and up to five days of forecast to help you plan the week ahead. SmartLink will also let you do all these wirelessly if you wish. Beyond amazing speaker docks, Gear4 has products that make your iOS devices and your lives, a little bit more interesting. The Unity Remote is a Gear4 product that has earned a CNet UK Editor’s Choice Award. It is an infrared module that, together with the Unity Remote App, turns an iPod, iPhone, or iPad into a universal remote control. Fully command a TV, radio, receiver and DVD player all from an iPhone. Highly intuitive and customizable, stop wasting time going through different remotes; control all of them, surf the Net, and post a status all from an iPad. “Gear4 is not only gadgets for music but it also has features which monitors sleeps,” said product manager Miguel Cruz. For those who are looking for something more than the benefits that music gives, the Renew SleepClock offers what eludes a lot of people these days — better quality sleep. The Renew SleepClock is a unique alarm clock dock that has a built-in wireless sleep monitor. Designed to detect sound, breathing and motion, it knows when you fall asleep and will gradually quiet down your bedtime music. It also senses your sleep states and will wake you up with your personalized alarm at the lightest point of your sleep in a given time period so you start your day feeling light, refreshed and happy. The Renew SleepClock app will record your sleep patterns throughout the night, sharing information such as the time you spent in bed, time it took for you to fall asleep, time spent in deep and light sleep, and how many sleep interruptions you had. It will then compile and analyze weeks and months of data, along with your sleep journal entries to give you advise on how to make you sleep better and to track your progress over time. Gear4 will surely catch the attention of Filipino teens and young adults who not only love to share their music, but those who are also looking for value in the small investments they made. More than just pumping out exciting sound, Gear4 throws in thoughtful features with its products that add function and convenience to have them around. Gear4 and Iontech are also aware of what the market wants and needs, so in the next few months they will be launching a line of universal speaker docks and apps for the fiercely loyal Android users and their devices. Gear4 Speaker docks and accessories are available at major consumer electronics and IT retailers nationwide. -