Strategy in TECH...
On Tuesday, Harman Luxury Audio Group, a division of Harman International focused on high-end audio products, announced that it has appointed manufacturer representative firm Progressive Custom Integration as the company’s representative of record in seven different geographic territories across the U.S. The announcement, which was released retroactively, said that this appointment took effect on July 1, 2025.
Yelp, the social media site that was started to help you find the best local Chinese takeout, but now covers a very wide range of interests, such as home improvement, has released a comprehensive report of the latest trends in site user interest. In a report titled 2025 Summer Home & Outdoor Trends, Yelp noted a recent surge in user interest in a wide variety of home remodeling projects, including a huge leap in those making project requests for “home theater installation,” up 562% as compared to 2024.
Cambridge Audio seems to be single-handedly attempting to dispatch the intense summer heat by introducing two new products that are pretty darn cool – the Evo 150 SE Streaming Amplifier and the Melomania A100 true wireless earbuds. Both embody the traditional strengths of Cambridge Audio products with thoughtful component selection and matching, careful engineering, and extensive listening/tuning.
The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) announced on Tuesday that it is launching its first-ever consumer advertising campaign – something members have been asking it to do for years. The campaign is a professionally conceived, created, produced, and now distributed advertisement that includes, amongst other things, a 60-second video that educates consumers on the “magic” of a well-designed smart home and the need for a professional installer.
One of the remarkable stories to emerge from the demise of high-end loudspeaker brand THIEL Audio, which went out of business in 2018, was the phoenix-like rising of THIEL Service from the ashes of the bankrupt company. Long-time head of service Rob Gillum, sensing the continuing needs of a significant installed base of THIEL owners, purchased service-connected assets out of the bankrupt company and launched the independent Coherent Source Service (CSS), a full-fledged repair center dedicated to servicing the ongoing needs of THIEL legacy model owners everywhere.
Now, in the wake of Rob Gillum’s recent retirement, CSS has been acquired by Gary Dayton, another long-time THIEL service executive (trained by Gillum), who seeks to carry on the mantle of offering THIEL owners ongoing exceptional service of THIEL legacy products.
If you are a fan of premium loudspeaker maker Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), you are likely familiar with the fact that Abbey Road Studios – the famous London, England recording studio that was the studio of choice for mega groups like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Oasis, Lady Gaga, and many, many others – utilizes B&W models as monitor speakers for its recording engineers. Some of the most famous music singles and albums were tracked and mixed on 801s, offering superior sound quality and providing engineers and producers with a more accurate sound to produce a better end product…the music that you and I listen to every day.
This “enduring and influential collaboration” has existed for 45 years, and to honor this unique history, B&W has introduced a limited edition model of its top-of-the-line speakers, the 801 Abbey Road Limited Edition Loudspeaker.
In what has been one of the longest-running patent infringement cases I have ever reported on, GeigTech East Bay LLC vs. Lutron Electronics Co. Inc. finally wrapped up last week in the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York before the Honorable Judge Colleen McMahon who delivered a blistering Final Decision and Order full of fire and brimstone…for both parties. Know that as you read this report, you are reading about a case originally filed on June 12, 2018…that’s right, seven years ago!
Says Judge McMahon: “After two trials and many opinions over the past seven years, the Court assumed familiarity with the facts and major players involved in this case.” And you know what they say about familiarity – familiarity breeds contempt!
As I write this, it is exactly one month to the day since I was involved in an accident that ended with me in the hospital for three days. That was a frightening wake-up call that resulted in my medical team shifting into high gear and conducting all sorts of assessments, diagnoses…and, recommendations for an effective recuperation process. What is a primary recuperation technique? Read on…
We got a blockbuster announcement late this afternoon as AVPro Global announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Remote Technologies Incorporated (RTI), a well-known control and automation solutions provider for residential and commercial markets. AVPro Global is the parent company of AVPro Edge, AudioControl Pro, Bullet Train, Murideo, and ThenAudio and is an industry-leading provider of AV signal distribution solutions in the residential and commercial integration spaces.
With the addition of RTI, the company makes a bold move into the control and automation space and ties together its expanding universe of sector-specific brands.
Law360, a legal newsletter, reported on Tuesday that U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup – a judge in the Northern District of California – has filed papers with the court notifying it that he will likely take “inactive status” sometime in 2025. Calling him a “larger-than-life jurist” who has presided over some of the most consequential cases in America, Law360 says Judge Alsup is “legendary” in the U.S. legal system. I concur…
Judge Alsup was featured in one of Strata-gee’s most popular stories ever written on patent battles, this one between Sonos and Google. There was a remarkable twist at the end of this story based on real-world detective work by Judge Alsup.
