MLS (Making Life Simple) S.A.

MLS (Making Life Simple) Multimedia S.A. is a Greek software engineering company founded in October 1989 in Thessaloniki. In May 2001, it was officially listed on the Athens Stock Exchange. Its headquarters are based in Thessaloniki while the company keeps a commercial department in Athens.

Headquarters

MLS Headquarters in Thessaloniki

In November 2014 MLS moved its headquarters to Thessaloniki's Technopolis ICT Business Park, in order to take full advantage of the fastest growing area of Thessaloniki, which had already evolved into a centre of innovation and technology. The headquarters occupy a total area of 2.800 sq.m. which houses the following departments:

Administrative services
Financial department
Sales department
Logistics center and warehouses
Engineering
Customer service

MAIC (MLS Artificial Intelligence Center)

MAIC is the most important innovation in the history of MLS, which is now incorporated in all its devices.^[1] MAIC has dramatically evolved the user experience of all MLS devices while interacting with the user. MAIC uses voice recognition technologies to perform the following actions (non exhaustive list):

calls,
messaging and email,
search the Internet or YouTube,
tracking, navigation and calls to open pharmacies, hospitals, banks, petrol stations,
information on nearby parking, traffic on the road or weather report,
launch installed applications,
encyclopedic searches and dictation of their summary,
translating words or sentences and spelling out the correct pronunciation from Greek to English and vice versa.

Products

Navigation Devices

In 2003, the company developed the first automatic navigation system in the Greek market and, in 2005, released the MLS Destinator, its standard-setting automotive navigation system, which quickly attained a leading market position. In 2006, the company marked another breakthrough with the release of the MLS Destinator Talk&Drive, the first voice-recognition driven navigation system. Since 2011 the company has undertaken a new direction addressing to the international markets with the roll-out of the MLS Destinator Talk&Drive® navigation system, entering the Turkish, Chilean, Moroccan, Nigerean, Saudi Arabian, Jordanian and Cypriot markets.

Educational Boards

In 2010 MLS entered the educational technology market and completed the development of its own innovative interactive touch board, the MLS IQBoard, for use in all forms of classroom-based instructional technologies. MLS undertook the supply and installation of approximately 1,100 interactive boards, totaling 1.6 mil. Euros.^[2]

Smartphones

In 2012 the company expanded its commercial activities in the mobile phone market by launching the first Greek Android smartphone MLS iQTalk.^[3] The Greek smartphone combines voice recognition and artificial intelligence technologies as well as the incorporated innovation Talk&Call which enables users to verbally pronounce the contact’s name in order to automatically dial it. The follow-up model MLS iQTalk Crystal additionally incorporated Talk&SMS which allowed users to dictate the content of their text message before sending it automatically. Focusing on research and development, MLS evolved its new innovation Talk&Post for Facebook that was incorporated in its MLS iQTalk King model. The Talk&Post for Facebook application enabled the user to upload posts by using exclusively his voice. In November 2013, MLS iQTalk Crystal max entered the market, introducing the first MLS mobile phone at 4,5 inches to incorporate the application Talk&Email enabling the user to dictate an email while it is automatically written on the phone. In January 2014, MLS launched the latest smartphone MLS iQTalk Silk, providing the feature of locking and unlocking the phone by a voice command. Talk&Lock enabled the storing of an oral command which would lock and unlock the device.

MLS Diamond

At the end of 2015, MLS announced the creation of a new category of products with the brand name "Diamond", which included the premium smartphones models MLD Diamond 4G, MLS Diamond 5.2 4G and MLS Diamond Fingerprint 4G.^[4]

Tablets

In 2013 the company expanded its field of action in the tablet market by launching the first Greek Android tablet, MLS iQTab. MLS iQTab incorporated the Talk&Post for Facebook and Talk&Email innovations, with the latter enabling the dictation of emails by voice. In a short period of time, MLS additionally launched three more models of Android tablets; MLS iQTab 3G, MLS iQTab King and MLS iQTab Crystal Alu. In November 2013 MLS iQTab Navi was released, incorporating the innovative MLS Destinator Talk & Drive application, which guided the user to the named destination by oral command. MLS iQTab Astro 3G, one of the next models to be brought into the market, incorporated the “family” function which provides the coincidental use of a single MLS iQTab Astro 3G by many different users.

Smart TVs

In 2015 MLS promoted the first integrated MLS Android Super Smart TV. The MLS Super Smart TV was a comprehensive Android device with multiple features and applications. As with other products in the field of "smart" devices with Android operating system, MLS Super Smart TV incorporated MLS's voice recognition technologies which allowed a user to change channels, find and play movies or songs, search on Google (Greek or English), post updates on social media, etc.right on the screen of his TV.

2-in-1 tablet & laptop

MLS Magic is MLS's latest innovative product, which was launched in 2016 and belongs to the 2-in-1 category of products, allowing the user to own both a tablet and a laptop. It is also dual boot, meaning that it combines two operating systems, both Windows and Android.^[5]

Corporate Bond

MLS announced on Tuesday 19th July 2016 the trade of a total 400 common registered titles, each worth 10,000 Euros, which would begin trading in the Fixed Income Alternative Market of the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE). The duration of the corporate bond is four (4) years with an option to extend for one (1) more year. At the end of every coupon period , which will be quarterly , the issuer will deposit the coupon amount to every holder of the Corporate Bond title(s), calculated based on an annual interest rate of 5.30%. (coupon rate).^[6]

European Projects

Research & Development is the core of the company’s activities and so MLS Multimedia has been engaging in various partnerships and research programs while providing its expertise to third parties by developing and supporting applications in the fields of educational technology, linguistic technology, telematics and multimedia applications. A non exhaustive list of European projects where MLS has participated in is shown below:

Inlife^[7]
Movesmart^[8]
Prosperity4All^[9]
Choreos^[10]

Market share

At the end of 2015 MLS reached the top of tablet sales in Greece, with an impressive 17% market share.^[11]

Prizes and distinctions

1998 European Information Technology Prize^[12]
2008 Product of the Year (Τ3&PC Magazine) – MLS Destinator 4800 awarded Product of the Year 2008 Title^[13]
2008 Business Innovation Award as part of the event "Money Business Awards 2008"^[14]
2009 Product of the Year (Τ3&PC Magazine) – Voice recognition system MLS Destinator Talk&Drive™ awarded Product of the Year 2009 title^[15]
2010 Product of the Year (Τ3&PC Magazine) – Live recognition system with voice MLS Destinator Talk&Drive liveTRAFFIC awarded Product of the Year 2010 title^[16]
2011 Product of the Year (Τ3&PC Magazine) – The navigation system with voice MLS Destinator Talk&Drive™ liveTRAFFIC 500 won Product of the Year 2011 title^[17]
2013 - Greek Exports Awards - Technology-Innovation Award (Greek Exports Forum 2013)^[18]
2013 Business Award in the category "Business Innovation Prize" (organization of business Money Awards)^[19]
2014 - LIGHTHOUSE RETAIL BUSINESS AWARDS - Supplier of the Year 2014^[20]
2014 Greek value - Innovation Award from the institution GREEK VALUE Federation of Industries of Northern Greece (SBBE)^[21]
2014 Supplier of the Year - Industry and Retail Trade Retail Magazine Business Awards^[22]
2015 Greek Branded Product Honors - Industrial Products (Made in Greece Awards)^[23]
2015 High Growth Business Award (organization Ethos events - Money business Awards)^[24]

References

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