HOME TecTotal targets increased consumer services reach
This week’s DISTREE Brazil & Latin America channel event will also feature a range of companies offering value-added services for retailers. One such company is TecTotal, a leading provider of technical support, installation, configuration and customisation services for technology and electronics products. The company will use the event to meet partners that can help drive consumer awareness of TecTotal’s service offerings and open up new routes-to-market.
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Nest extends European retail channel reach
Smart home products and solutions outfit Nest Labs will extend its product availability into Belgium, France, Ireland and the Netherlands later this month. The Nest thermostat and Nest smoke and carbon monoxide alarm will be sold in 400 retail stores across Europe, with a further 150 stores to be added by the end of the year.
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Vendor giant Samsung has acquired SmartThings, a leading open platform for the smart home and the consumer Internet of Things (IoT). With Samsung’s resources and support, SmartThings hopes that it will be able to expand its platform and become available for even more partners and devices. SmartThings supports an open and growing ecosystem of developers, who are producing new types of connected devices and apps in the cloud that change how everyday objects work.
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DISTREE Events has launched a new summit series focused on how the retail channel will evolve to deliver smart technologies, solutions and services to consumers. The new session, entitled ‘Smart Channels: Retailing Connected Devices, Wearables and Internet of Things (IoT)’, will make its debut at DISTREE APAC in Singapore in October 2014. The ‘Smart Channels’ summit series will continue at DISTREE EMEA in Monaco in February 2015.
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INTERVIEW: Holger Knöpke, Deutsche Telekom
Holger Knöpke is head of connected home at Deutsche Telekom and is one of the driving forces behind the company’s QIVICON smart home project. QIVICON is an alliance of companies, initiated by Deutsche Telekom, with the aim of promoting the field of smart home technology and providing solutions for customers on a multi-manufacturer basis. Knöpke gave Channel EMEA some insight on what to expect in the smart home space in the years ahead.
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QIVICON ready to work with European retailers
The European technology retail channel has a pivotal role to play in driving consumer adoption of smart home solutions and delivering installation and support services, according to Thomas Knops, head of marketing at QIVICON. Knops said: “How smart home solutions are sold and consumer awareness is raised is a question that has not been answered yet. QIVICON has spoken to some 30 German retailers recently. They know that they can’t survive just selling flat screen TVs and they understand that smart homes are the future.”
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INTERVIEW: Faraz Ali Khan, Quantum
Fast-growing tablet PC brand Quantum is preparing to scale up its channel reach in Africa in the months ahead. Quantum is Platinum Sponsor of the upcoming DISTREE Africa channel event, which unites ICT and electronics distributors, resellers and retailers from across the continent in in one place at one time. Channel EMEA spoke to Faraz Ali Khan, marketing manager at Quantum to learn more about the brand’s ambitions in Africa.
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DISTREE Africa to deliver powerful exhibitor mix
DISTREE Africa 2014 will unite a broad cross-section of technology and electronics vendors focused on developing and managing both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) channels. Major distributors have also confirmed their participation at DISTREE Africa, using the event as a platform for three days of pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings with senior executives and buyers from the continent’s top resellers and retailers.
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Dimension Data expands in Ghana
IT solutions and service provider Dimension Data has increased its presence in West Africa, opening a new office in Ghana. Dimension Data has been operating in West Africa for a decade with an operation in Nigeria. In addition, Dimension Data has offices in Nigeria through its subsidiary Plessey, and in both Nigeria and Ghana through Internet Solutions.
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Devoteam picks up EMEA award from Google
Consulting and IT services group Devoteam was named EMEA top new partner 2013 by technology giant Google at a recent global partner summit. Devoteam was among more than 400 partners that attended the event in Mountain View, California.
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