Peel Gives Out “Pears” at SXSW

Peel, a Silicon Valley startup, has created a new device that personalizes the home media viewing experience. Peel celebrated the public debut of its personalized TV interface last week at SXSW and, according to their calculations, over 15,000 Pears were passed out.

To my personal misfortune – I was at SXSW, walked up to their booth in the trade show, but there was such a crazy line there that I simply didn't wait – damn I could have been Pear recipient #15,001 !!

Insight

Shaped like a pear, Peel's universal remote is capable of seamlessly controlling the user's entire entertainment system. Implementation is virtually foolproof. By setting up Peel's “fruit”, connecting it to Wi-Fi and downloading the free application, Peel turns Apple products like the iPhone or iPad into control systems that manage TVs, DVD/Blu-ray players and more. The Peel universal control is now available at Apple Stores nationwide. – THAT's the money maker right there…get into the Apple Retail Store and life is good.

“We certainly couldn't afford to give away actual units to every festival attendee,” said Peel's Vice President of Marketing, Alec Marshall. “But we did want to do something that was creative and out-of-the-box. We're confident that impressing the shape, feel and look of our product upon the crowd at South by Southwest will be impactful – particularly because innovative products are welcomed and appreciated in this environment.”

Usage / Features

The Peel Universal Remote designs a personal programming package based on the viewer's TV preferences. As you watch, Peel fine-tunes your TV recommendations based on your likes, dislikes and social interactions.

Peel universal control features:

• Seamless control of entire home entertainment systems: TV, Blu-ray and DVD players, Apple TV, Roku, stereos and more
• No cords, dongles or cables – powered by a single C battery
• Easy 5-minute setup – simply plug in and follow instructions on Peel app

The free Peel app is available for download at the Apple App Store and the universal remote is available at Apple Stores nationwide and online for $99.

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