iMagic's co-founder and executive director Justin Tsang says his firm was behind the world's first commercially deployed public media touch screen platform, PowerPhone, implemented in Hong Kong

iMagic's Powerphone, a product of the company's innovative platform, received the Financial Times Global Telecoms' Most Innovative Fixed Product of the Year at the Geneva ITU Convention in 1999 and since then, has made great strides in the commercial market.

"The FT award for an innovative fixed line product got us noticed in the telecommunications industry for web-based powerphones and raised awareness of this channel," said iMagic's co-founder and executive director Justin Tsang.

According to him, the technology has been around for years. "What is unique is our combination of technology and innovation. We've practically innovated a virtual store," Mr Tsang said.

Leader in technology services

iMagic has further enhanced the powerphone system in Hong Kong into a convenient, user-friendly product for a vast array of services ranging from ordering cinema tickets, downloading ring tones and photo printing to selling insurance and making hotel reservations.

Hanging on the walls of the iMagic office is also a citation from the Hong Kong International Airport for the company's "contribution in making HKIA Airport of the Year 2004" - presumably for its powerphone kiosks in making the lives of visitors to Hong Kong more hassle-free and fun.    

Set up in 1995, iMagic has survived the dotcom bust. "A lot of tech companies went down because they had a concept but no market. We are very customer focused and have frequent focus group meetings to be in touch with our customers," Mr Tsang said.

Talented team

A multinational and multidiscipline Hong Kong team worked on the company's innovative products, and Mr Tsang said he is very proud of their talents. "It shows Hong Kong has the technical and design skills to put together high quality innovative products."

The multimedia platform is also applied to the PowerConsole customised for usage in the home or hotel. "When used in a hotel setting, the PowerConsole can convert traditional in-house entertainment into an integrated experience with one-touch room service, Internet access, email service, TV and radio programming, DVD player and pay-per-view movies."

Mr Tsang is hopeful that his multimedia platforms will find niche markets overseas especially in Europe and the US. "As the web becomes more and more essential to our daily lives, our products will be more popular. We provide a point of presence for merchants, service providers and consumers."

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iMagic Systems Limited