Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Making a Statement with Starrylight Umbrellas

Aired May 28, 2002 - 05:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well do you hate your umbrella? Well there's a new umbrella on the market for those rainy days.

Our Andrew Brown takes us on a wet walk in Hong Kong to show us the light.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Hong Kong, it doesn't rain, it pours. And when the heavens opened so did the umbrellas. On wet days, umbrella users have to jostle for position as they race along the narrow sidewalks. And at night when visibility is poor, umbrella collisions are commonplace. The problem is you just can't see an umbrella coming until it's too late.

(on camera): If on the other hand you have an umbrella that actually flashes, then other pedestrians will be alerted to your presence and they will stay out of your way as you walk down a busy street.

(voice-over): Just look at the way the 'brella winks its way through the crowd. The manufacturer, Taiwan-based Enson International, says you can't miss it.

PHILIP WU, ENSON INTERNATIONAL: During a very othoric (ph), rainy night, you can see this umbrella as far as 200 meters away.

BROWN: In the late 1990s, Enson concluded the market for standard umbrellas was totally saturated so it came up with this line called Starrylight. Consumers in the U.S., Japan and the E.U. have been soaking it up. One hundred thousand Starrylights were shipped last year. The innovation seems to have paid off.

WU: Umbrella, it's a very labor intensive and low-end business. Well in order to survive, you have to make new special items.

BROWN: Perhaps Enson's getting a little carried away, though. It's now equipping Starrylights with sirens so they can be used by police on foot patrol.

WU: You don't need a motorcycle or a car to have those lights on.

BROWN: In the meantime, look out for a Starrylight in a storm near you.

Andrew Brown, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I don't know, I'm trying to imagine a police officer running down the street with an umbrella with a siren. I don't know.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com