Manufacturers to showcase variety of novel products
FROM EGG-SHAPED jigsaw puzzles to clocks designed to help you sleep, there is no shortage of off-beat products being exhibited at the China Sourcing Fair: Gifts and Home Products. Manufacturers are showcasing a wide variety of products in the hope of capturing buyers' interest.
One of the biggest exhibitors is Unima. The Taiwanese company invented the world's first 3D plastic spherical jigsaw puzzle. It has no interior support and no glue, but is held together when the interlocking pieces are assembled. The company's products are distributed to leading dealers in Japan and Germany.
'Our director came up with the idea when he was choosing birthday presents for his wife,' said Roy Yeung, system administrator of Unima. 'He wanted to buy her a puzzle but then he thought, wouldn't it be more fun to have a 3D puzzle? The spherical jigsaw puzzle was a big hit once it was out. We are trying to make puzzles in different 3D shapes.'
Unima is launching its cylindrical and egg-shaped puzzles at the fair. The company has also improved on the original idea by making the puzzles functional, the cylindrical puzzle, when completed, becomes a penholder.
Offering a more interactive experience is Advance Bright, a leading company in plug and play TV games. Over the years it has created Gunboy, Dance Master, Croaky Karaoke and many other successful products, all of which meet international standards including RoHS, WEEE and ICTI.
This year, Advance Bright is focusing on family fun and educational games, said Simon Lee, senior sales and marketing manager. It is introducing Wireless Kick Boxing and the
4-Player System. Like its other products, users simply plug the game into the TV and start playing. Wireless Kick Boxing is a 16-bit super arcade graphic game. Each package consists of a main console, a pair of gloves and kick pads. The gloves and kick pads have sensors to detect the strength of each punch and kick by the player and the game will react accordingly.
'There are no other kick boxing games like ours on the market. There are boxing games, but kick boxing gives the user a totally different experience. With four sensors, users can use their kicks as well as their fists, or separately. It is wireless and users can move freely,' Mr Lee said.
The 4-Player System has four controllers with 10 games built in. 'The games are designed for teenagers and are not really for the very young. Some are strategic games that four can play together as a team.' Mr Lee said.
J & W Global is a company specialising in multifunctional electronic products. Its Projector Clock, as the name suggests, is a clock that projects the time on surfaces.
It is also a table lamp that can flash in three colours.
'This actually is a clock designed for sleeping,' said Wilson Tsui, marketing manager of J & W.
'The three colours that flash are green, red and blue. Studies have shown these three colours help people sleep more peacefully, and the projector is designed to let people see the time in the dark.
'Press a button and you can see the time on the ceiling.'
The Dynamo Multifunctional Torch is designed for people living in earthquake-prone countries. The torch uses dynamic energy which can be charged by cranking a handle.
A radio is also installed.
