iPatrol, a provider of home-monitoring solutions for the smart home, announces the availability of your own personal security robot they call Riley. Riley is an app-controlled Wi-Fi enabled roving security that patrols your house in the evening and alerts you via a notification if there is an intrusion.
Brands
LeEco, the Netflix/Apple/Tesla of China, Acquires Vizio
Le Holdings Co. Ltd. (LeEco), a Chinese company with unusual multi-business aspirations, announced this week that they had acquired Vizio, a U.S. manufacturer of affordable televisions, in a deal worth $2 billion. The deal will serve as LeEco’s entry into the U.S. market with its unusual mix of products.
See more on this deal which will bring a whole new line of technology to the U.S… [Read more…] about LeEco, the Netflix/Apple/Tesla of China, Acquires Vizio
Remember When Crestron Said It Was Pulling Out of CEDIA Expo? Surprise!
BREAKING NEWS
Even Bigger Surprise: Who Crestron Has Partnered With
We have learned from multiple sources, and now confirmed with the company, that leading control systems provider Crestron will in fact have a presence at the upcoming CEDIA Expo this September in Dallas, TX. This news will come as a surprise, perhaps even a shock, to many considering that just a few months ago, the company announced its departure from the residential custom integration industry’s biggest annual event.
But perhaps a bigger surprise is with whom they’ve chosen to partner… [Read more…] about Remember When Crestron Said It Was Pulling Out of CEDIA Expo? Surprise!
With BluOS, is Lenbrook the Apple of High-End Distributed AV?
Company Expands BluOS into NAD Line, Expanding Its Options
Back in the Fall of 2013, we told you about the birth of a new brand called Bluesound – a new networkable, high-quality wired and wireless multiroom music system. Almost simultaneously, and in response to the obvious success of Sonos we suspect, new systems from Bose, D&M Holdings (HEOS), and Lenbrook were all introduced. But Lenbook officials maintained that their system had an advantage over most of the other systems – they had created their own operating system called BluOS.
And now BluOS is expanding in very interesting ways… [Read more…] about With BluOS, is Lenbrook the Apple of High-End Distributed AV?
Horns Now Available from Chane Music and Cinema
A dramatic new high-end line of loudspeakers, Horns by Auto-Tech, is now available from Chane Music and Cinema, the newly appointed North American distributor/retailer for the brand. The brand offers five different systems, each of which features the use of “well-tried” horn technology. Paul Klipsch would be proud!
See more on Horns by Auto-Tech… [Read more…] about Horns Now Available from Chane Music and Cinema
Pokemon Go Hits Major Milestone, Already
Now On More Smartphones Than Twitter
This morning we learned a stunning statistic – Pokémon Go, that new game that incorporates augmented reality and that is all the rage right now – has hit an impressive milestone. According to data from MFour Mobile Research, Pokémon Go is now on more Android smartphones than Twitter.
Why is this stunning? Read on to find out… [Read more…] about Pokemon Go Hits Major Milestone, Already
AVAD Sold to Private Equity Company
BREAKING NEWS
Industry Veteran Tom Jacoby is AVAD’s New CEO
News comes this 4th of July holiday week that Ingram Micro, itself just recently acquired by a Chinese shipping company, has sold off AVAD, LLC and AVAD Canada Ltd., to Kingswood Capital Management, a private equity company. In an announcement from Kingswood, the company says it has brought in a new upper management team – including a new CEO, industry veteran Tom Jacoby.
See more on the sale of AVAD to private equity… [Read more…] about AVAD Sold to Private Equity Company
Nexia Brings Echo-Based Voice Control to Home Automation
Voice Command is ‘One of the Great Technological Breakthroughs’
Nexia, a division of monster company Ingersoll Rand and supplier of smart home products and solutions, announced this week that Nexia-certified products will now be able to be controlled with simple voice commands through Amazon’s Echo. Clearly joining the new wave of companies who believe voice-command is the “next big thing” in home automation, Nexia is moving quickly to embrace voice control.
See more on Nexia’s new initiative in voice control… [Read more…] about Nexia Brings Echo-Based Voice Control to Home Automation
Samsung’s Head is in the Clouds; Acquires Joyent
With Samsung’s Backing, Joyent is Poised to Become Major ‘Cloud’ Player
Samsung announced late Wednesday that it has acquired Joyent, a relatively new start-up company that offers cloud computing services, according to a report by Recode. The specifics of the deal were not disclosed, but Joyent management has said it will be joining the Samsung management team.
Why has Samsung acquired a services company? See our thoughts below… [Read more…] about Samsung’s Head is in the Clouds; Acquires Joyent
Skullcandy Stock Skyrockets on Hint of Buyout
Skullcandy, the lifestyle headphone company in which design is as important as performance (some would say more important), saw its stock skyrocket some 16% on Wednesday as word leaked out that the company’s founder was exploring the possibility of taking the company private in a buyout. This idea was revealed in a filing with securities regulators by Skullcandy founder Richard Alden.
