The NEO remote receives a prestigious design award

The German Design Award 2020 – Excellent Product Design is a shared achievement of Telekom Slovenije and ruwido, the Austrian company with the leading position in design and manufacturing of interactive remote controls, and marks a milestone in a string of recognitions that the smart living platform NEO received in its first year on the market.

​When the NEO remote was announced as one of the winners in the entertainment category, the 19-member jury of the German Design Award wrote that "as a minimalist, futurist and outstanding product, the NEO remote is the answer to the latest user needs, while also finding a smart way to integrate parts of the brand. High-tech elements support voice commands, which means less demand for physical keys and the space they take up on a remote, while the basic functions remain easily accessible."

The design of the NEO remote stems from the characteristic blue tones that represent the brand and its core. “Telekom Slovenije is one step ahead. The NEO remote, which we designed together with ruwido, brings a completely new experience to our homes, simplifying our lives. We added some completely new features and included fewer keys to find the perfect design. The remote supports voice management of TV and other content, as well as smart home devices, and is also aesthetically prominent in our living rooms," said Ranko Jelača, Management Board member of Telekom Slovenije.

"We are exceptionally proud of our collaboration with Telekom Slovenije, as we share the same values and visions with the overall aim to touch the emotion of the user," added Ferdinand Maier, CEO of ruwido.

At the end of 2018 Telekom Slovenije launched the NEO platform for smart living, which allows users to manage TV and all other content and smart home devices from a single device, using voice commands in Slovenian. With its sublimely aesthetic design the NEO remote stands out, connecting with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and providing a simple and intuitive user experience for finding content.

The globally awarded NEO smart living platform has been recognized as the best smart living platform among users, as it understands its users' needs and combines all the content in one place.

Along with the latest award NEO has received eight prestigious international and national awards:
• NEO won the Best IoT product technology or application award and was also shortlisted in the Best TV user experience category at the 2019 CSI Awards;
• At CES 2019, NEO received the Honoree award in the Tech for a Better World Product category;
• NEO was shortlisted in the Best TV Everywhere or Multi-Screen Video category at the 2018 Content Innovation Awards (CIA);
• At the 2018 CSI Awards it received the highly commended recognition in the Best IoT/smart home or 5G Technology category, and was also shortlisted in the Best TV Everywhere or Multi-Screen Video category;
• NEO received the bronze innovation award in the Central Slovenian region, conferred by the Slovenian Chamber of Industry and Commerce;
• NEO was the winner in the Advanced Technology Use category at the WEBSI Awards, which highlight the finest Slovenian digital solutions.

About German Design Award
The German Design Award competition recognizes and presents unique design trends that drive progress in design. The German Design Awards are conferred only on projects that truly constitute a pioneering contribution to the German and international design landscape. This is ensured by the independent jury that picks the winners, which consists of experts in design, industry, and education.

About Telekom Slovenije
Telekom Slovenije is a comprehensive communications service provider in Slovenia. It is recognized as the leader in the introduction and connection of new generations of mobile and fixed communication services, system integration and cloud computing services and multimedia content. NEO, smart living and entertainment platform, integrates an open, secure, state-of-the-art Smart Home solution, supporting Pay TV services, gaming and e-commerce. It is much more than just TV. NEO is set to inspire the whole household with a next generation user-centric content-driven home entertainment system.

Additional information:
Telekom Slovenije
Katarina Prešeren, Public Relations
E: pr@telekom.si, +38612341118