Tekpix

Key takeaways

Tekpix belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tekpix to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tekpix from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tekpix (also stylized as TekPix) was a line of technology products from the Brazilian company Tecnomania. It became best known for its multifunctional cameras, which started being sold in the early 2000s, but stopped in 2013 due to the growing popularity of smartphones. The Tekpix TV announcer, "Juarez from Tekpix," became a meme for his catchphrases, such as "Let's talk about good things," and for claiming that the Tekpix was the best-selling camera in Brazil; however, this was never proven. The line also included an Android tablet, the i-TVWF7x-4.0, released in 2013. The products received negative reviews regarding low quality and high price, with several comparisons being made with other products of lower value and better quality by technology sites.

History There are few sources regarding the origins of Tekpix. On Agora É Tarde and The Noite with Danilo Gentili, the Tekpix advertiser on television, Juarez Aparecido Pontes Fernandes, known as "Juarez from Tekpix", revealed his history before being hired as an advertiser for the products.

Around 2001, Juarez was working in a call center for the group that now owns Tecnomania; at the time, neither this company nor Tekpix existed. Juarez says he was the most hyperactive in the call center, and was always the record salesman; he said his secret was "focus. So the president of the group brought Juarez into his office and asked him to sell Tekpix on television. The Tekpix was made in China, but the concept was Tecnomania's. Juarez says that the success of the product was so great that the manufacturer started making only Tekpix cameras. He stated that there was a time when 1,200 to 1,300 Tekpix products were sold per day, and that the popularity of the cameras "exploded outside the big centers [...] that big audience was from the countryside." In television ads, Juarez became known for his catchphrases "Let's talk about something good, let's talk about Tekpix" and "No need to put your hand in your pocket", becoming a meme.

The TV commercial claimed that Tekpix was the best-selling camera in Brazil, but this fact was never proven. The advertisement also stated that whoever bought the Tekpix would receive a surprise gift. On The Noite with Danilo Gentili, it was revealed that the gift changed over time, but some of them were a case to store the camera, battery charger and free shipping. In 2013, Tecnomania released an Android tablet from the Tekpix line, the i-TVWF7x-4.0. Initially, Tekpix cameras offered fewer features, but it came to support up to nine features in 2012, and the latest Tekpix model filmed in Full HD (1080p). Nine different camera models were sold until the cameras stopped being marketed in 2013; according to Juarez, this was due to the growing popularity of smartphones, so "there was no longer any point in you marketing a digital camera." He reports having every Tekpix model ever made. Even years after Tekpix was discontinued, Juarez says he is still known as "Juarez from Tekpix." On The Noite, he commented:I can sell a helicopter, I can sell a yacht, a mansion, and I will [continue to be] the "Juarez from Tekpix". Which is the greatest pride of my life. [...] I want to die known this way.

Reception

In general, Tekpix products have received negative reviews, especially for their high price and low quality. Ana Nemes, at TecMundo, wrote an article especially about the price of Tekpix cameras, showing other camera models that, according to her, had better quality and price. She also compared the DV-569 model with a camera from the Chinese company Winait: "with some research you can connect the equipment to a Chinese company called Winait, which exports electronic devices to the rest of the world. [...] the models are practically the same and it is possible to affirm that, if they are not the same device, they are at least made by the same manufacturer." This Winait model was sold for $70, but would arrive in Brazil for over a R$1000. Finally, she noted the low rating of the seller, Tecnomania, on the complaint site Reclame Aqui. In a post about Tekpix curiosities, Taysa Coelho told TechTudo that the I-HD18 model was sold in late 2012 for 3,516 reais, while a Samsung mirrorless model was sold for around 1,400 reais, only. In a similar way, Misael Amaral, writing for the same site, noted that the Tekpix tablet, the i-TVWF7x-4.0, was twice the price of an iPad 4. He said, "The R$3,000 value is hard to justify [...] the device certainly owes innovation and justification for its high value."

In 2012, Renan Hamann published to TecMundo the article "The impressive numbers of the Tekpix", where he showed an infographic comparing the device with others of its kind. He commented:We did a very quick analysis of other products that could fulfill the same needs and found that it was possible to purchase several different electronics and still save a little more than R$ 1000. It is worth saying that the research was very shallow and we did not go after lower prices.The infographic compares the price of the Tekpix with other "big name" cameras on the market, such as Canon, Nikon and Sony, as well as the price per megapixel. The survey also answered the question, "How much would the 9 functions cost on separate devices?", coming up with savings of over 1000 reais. Finally, it was answered "what can you buy with the price of a Tekpix?", generating answers such as "11,000 paçocas."

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tekpix

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tekpix claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tekpix before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tekpix ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tekpix

In research: Tekpix appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tekpix in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tekpix is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Digital audio players, Digital audio recording, Digital cameras, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tekpix outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Tekpix in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tekpix means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tekpix out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tekpix in simple terms?

Tekpix (also stylized as TekPix) was a line of technology products from the Brazilian company Tecnomania. It became best known for its multifunctional cameras, which started being sold in the early 2000s, but stopped in 2013 due to the growing popularity of smartphones.

Why does Tekpix matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tekpix?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tekpix.