As we were first to report on Sunday, October 8th, well-known industry manufacturer sales representative Steve Zaboji was tragically killed in a plane crash the previous day (Saturday). We can now report that the Zaboji family has set the arrangements for his funeral.
Archives for 2017
Where Are Consumers Putting Smart Speakers in Their Homes?
ProSource Adds a Lucky 13 New Members
ProSource, one of the larger retail buying groups in the U.S. announced today that it has added 13 new members to their organization. As a multi-tiered group, these new additions were in two different groups – 12 dealers were added as custom integrator members, while one was added as an Associate PRO level member.
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Confirmed: B&W Closes Classé HQ; Staff Dismissed
We have now confirmed that at the end of the day last Friday, October 6th, the Classé headquarters facility was in fact closed by Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) for the last time and all remaining employees were dismissed. This move is a sad and sobering end to a once proud brand celebrated by many audiophiles as one of the finest performing lines of high-end electronics available.
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Iconic Industry Rep Steve Zaboji Killed in Plane Crash
Industry Stunned as Zaboji Died Pursuing His Love of Flight
UPDATED: Yamaha Responds to News
One of the most iconic manufacturer sales representatives in the consumer electronics industry in the Mid-Atlantic territory, Steven B. Zaboji, was killed Saturday just before 2:00pm, when the Piper Pawnee aircraft he was piloting crashed shortly after releasing a glider it had towed into the sky. According to the Virginia State Police, the crash occurred near the Front Royal Airport, the airport it had taken off from, in Warren County, Virginia.
See more on this shocking death of Steve Zaboji… [Read more…] about Iconic Industry Rep Steve Zaboji Killed in Plane Crash
A First: The Technology & Business Summit Hits the Big Apple
For the first time ever since the creation of the Technology & Business Summit in California some seven years ago, it comes to the Big Apple…and the big show made a big impression. Held over two days – Tuesday in Long Island; Thursday in Northern New Jersey – organizer Mark Cichowski tells us it was a huge success.
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Shares in Japan Display Jump 24% on OLED News
Japan Display Inc., a unique public/private partnership that was once Japan’s largest supplier of LCD panels but has been struggling of late, saw the price of shares of its stock jump as much as 24% Wednesday on news that it had developed a new lower cost manufacturing process for OLED panels. The company, which had been struggling with slackening global demand for LCD panels, will seek outside investment to pursue the opportunity provided by this new OLED manufacturing process.
See more on this surprising announcement out of Japan… [Read more…] about Shares in Japan Display Jump 24% on OLED News
Sonos Finally Gets Smart with Sonos One
After many months of rumors and promises, Sonos announced today the new Sonos One, their first wireless speaker with voice-control capabilities built-in – in other words, its first smart speaker. And we have to say, Sonos was pretty smart about how they approached the smart speaker market.
See why Sonos, and the Sonos One, is so smart… [Read more…] about Sonos Finally Gets Smart with Sonos One
Savant’s Savvy was Showing at CEDIA 2017
At CEDIA 2017, Savant displayed and demonstrated a whole roster of innovative new products – the very fact of which was an in-your-face proclamation that this new company era under founder Bob Madonna intends to use innovation to drive growth. And while we had only a limited time available at Savant, we were fortunate enough to grab a few moments of Mr. Madonna’s time to get a real cook’s tour of a couple of his latest offerings.
See what new products Madonna showed us at CEDIA 2017… [Read more…] about Savant’s Savvy was Showing at CEDIA 2017
In Epic Legal Battle with Sonos, D&M Dinged Again
Will a Change of Judge Bring a Change of Outcome?
The battle for patent supremacy between Sonos and D&M Holdings is picking up significant steam. In one 30-day period of this year alone (June), we counted no less than 110 docket items. That’s more than four filings a day if you take out weekends. The vast majority of these items were heavy legal motions and other multi-dozen page document filings.
The lawsuit, originally brought by Sonos against D&M Holdings and their HEOS line, and ultimately reciprocated with a D&M counter-suit, has been raging on since October 2014. Yet as the matter is plunging headlong towards a trial by the end of this year, D&M is handed another loss, as Judge Richard G. Andrews denies two key D&M Motions for Summary Judgment in his last ruling before turning the matter over to a new judge.