Strategy in TECH...
Granite countertops – at one time considered an amenity – are now considered a standard option for most folks building new homes. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that the next granite countertops – is solar panels.
How hot are solar panels? According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, demand for systems that generate electricity at home will jump 56 percent nationwide this year. In fact, two communities in California have passed legislation mandating solar panels in all new construction.
Apple, Inc. announced on Tuesday the long-awaited update of its key iPhone 5 smartphone, only to see its stock pummeled – losing more than 2% of its value on Tuesday and another 5.44% on Wednesday as investors appeared under-whelmed by the announcement. But is this reaction fair? Has Apple lost its innovation mojo? Or is Apple the victim of unreasonable expectations?
One of the hottest trends in the automobile industry over the last few years is the emergence of a whole new category of vehicle called the “crossover.” A crossover combines the capacious body design of a modified SUV (sport utility vehicle) with the enhanced handling and drivability of a car-based chassis. The result is something that doesn’t exist in either of those independent categories.
Now, Salamander Designs, Ltd. and Leon Speakers have partnered to create their own version of a crossover for our industry as Salamander launches a new line of accessory custom speakers from Leon, perfectly designed to integrate with their cabinets.
Imagination is one of the last remaining legal means you have to gain an unfair advantage over your competition.
Pat Fallon, Fallon McElligott Rice
Being in tech, we’re supposedly in the innovation business. The fact is when it comes to marketing, we’re not very innovative. Our advertising follows predictable patterns which are NOT innovative – and leaves us open to ridicule. Well, one website is calling us on the carpet – CollegeHumor.com who has launched a video parody of tech advertising.
I found this parody courtesy of David Pogue, the New York Times tech reporter, who says he can’t stop “cackling.” I, too, laughed heartily as I recognized all those formulaic tactics advertisers use to sell generic tech products. But the more you think about it…a sour – and painful – after-taste sets in.
We told you last week that the ALERT was being discontinued – and it has. This morning, we distributed the first version of our new Strata-gee SYNCH newsletter. You were emailed a copy. Did you receive it?
As we mentioned in our post last week, the Strata-gee SYNCH is coming from a new email address:
info@strata-gee.com
If you did not receive your Strata-gee SYNCH today, the first place to check is your junk mail folder. Your system may not have recognized the new email address and assumed this was junk mail from an unapproved sender.
Savant Systems, LLC said today that it has launched a new Wi-Fi-based universal remote control designed with today’s media room in mind. The sleek designed remote is said to fit well in your hand and is designed to be intuitive to operate…even in a multiple sub-system set-up. Even better, when connected to a Savant control ecosystem, the remote fully configures itself – eliminating the need for complex programming routines.
Jiji Press in Japan is reporting that Google has sent its Street View vehicles into at least eight municipalities in the devastated Fukushima District in Northern Japan. The area was devastated in March 2011 as the result of an earthquake and tsunami that fatally damaged The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor causing the greatest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in Russia.
Last month, we reported that CEDIA released its 2013 Benchmarking Survey with certain select data highlighted. Now CEDIA has offered Strata-gee.com an exclusive look at the full report (the summary version provided to all CEDIA members) with the opportunity for us to highlight any results we found particularly enlightening. And in the process of reviewing their results – we discovered a much more comprehensive read on the “typical” CEDIA member than we had originally expected.
Today, we learned that Microsoft Corp. is acquiring Nokia Corp.’s mobile phone and services business in a deal valued at $7.2 billion. This news seemed to be a real surprise to many who have viewed Microsoft’s mobile efforts (i.e. Windows Phone) as weak at best. This news follows Google’s move in 2011 to acquire Motorola’s mobile hardware business. What’s this all about? Well at least in part, it shows that Steve Jobs was right all along…
