CE Week kicked off last week with a Research Summit where the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) market research experts presented the latest market data, along with their assessment of its meaning – and their prognostications for the future. In past years, this was a presentation that was included as part of the Line Show – now it has been split off as a separate day-long event including not only raw data, but various discussion panels as well.
News
After Just Six Months, DDG Loses Latest Executive Director
*BREAKING NEWS*
Strata-gee.com has learned that the Digital Delivery Group once again finds itself without an executive director – only six months after naming Daniel Kippycash as Executive Director at the end of December 2012. The group remains embroiled in turmoil as it was in the midst of a major change of direction and a membership recruitment drive to replace several members who had departed the group for newcomer Catalyst AV. After having been briefed on the group’s progress in late March, we recently contacted the organization for a new update and learned of the executive director’s departure.
See more on this surprising turn of events… [Read more…] about After Just Six Months, DDG Loses Latest Executive Director
CE Week: Hot City, But Will It Be a Hot Show?
When it’s 90+ degrees where you are…it’s hot. And when, where you are, is New York City – land of concrete, steel, and glass – it’s even hotter. This week the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) kicked off it’s newest event, CE Week, in New York City. And the summer weather has definitely turned hot – so hot the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory, not for the NY Metro area, just for New York City.
But will CE Week be an equally hot show with hot technologies?… [Read more…] about CE Week: Hot City, But Will It Be a Hot Show?
New Survey Verifies Your Suspicion: Retailers Stop Buying from Brands that Sell Direct
Results from a new survey released today verify what you may already know – or at least suspected – retailers will either stop or dramatically cut back on purchases from brands that choose to compete with them by selling directly to consumers on the Internet. And a lot of retailers feel this way…71% said they would stop or reduce spending with brands that chose to do so.
See more about this survey, including other interesting retailer insights… [Read more…] about New Survey Verifies Your Suspicion: Retailers Stop Buying from Brands that Sell Direct
Gibson and Onkyo Go Wireless
The Wireless Speaker and Audio Association (WiSA) announced on Tuesday that it has signed up several new members and a couple caught our eye – Gibson Guitar Corp. (now Gibson Brands) and Onkyo Corporation. Also joining the organization are loudspeaker manufacturer Dali and Australian distributor Amber Technology who markets a line of speakers called Accent Digital.
Who is the WiSA and why would Onkyo and Gibson join? See more below… [Read more…] about Gibson and Onkyo Go Wireless
Top Advertiser Trends in Q1 2013
As marketers, we are always watching who’s doing what in advertising. Below is a list of the top advertisers in the first quarter of 2013. There are many familiar names here…familiar largely because, as aggressive marketers, they are regularly investing in marketing and therefore regularly appearing on this list.
Did TECH make the list of top advertisers? See here… [Read more…] about Top Advertiser Trends in Q1 2013
Increasing Skepticism by Market of Tech Industry Advances

Several years ago, while driving home from my job at a leading industry electronics manufacturer, I was – as usual – listening to my favorite New York Metro-area network news radio station. Since the commute took an hour or more (depending on New Jersey traffic), I got to listen to a lot of news. Sometimes, I was only half listening, as traffic concerns – or boredom – draws my attention away from the news.
But I snapped to rapt attention that day when I heard one of the show’s co-anchors promote an upcoming segment (“after the break”) on the latest technology news. Little did I realize that I was about to have my sensibilities shocked – not by the news – but by the anchors’ reaction to their own story.
What occurred that day is a cautionary tale for our industry – one that is being repeated again… [Read more…] about Increasing Skepticism by Market of Tech Industry Advances
ESPN Will Stop All 3D Productions
In a move that technology blogger Gizmodo says marks the official death of 3D, it has learned that sports network ESPN will cease all 3D productions by the end of this year. ESPN 3D, which started in 2010 on largely a test basis, never really got off the ground – and as Gizmodo wryly noted, “won’t be broadcast in any dimension soon.”
See more on what Gizmodo calls this “huge news”… [Read more…] about ESPN Will Stop All 3D Productions
Sharp Adds Smarts to Its Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Sharp Corp. announced today that it will release a new updated model of its Cocorobo home cleaning robot with a very important added feature: smarts. Sharp has added the ability for this new model to adjust the amount of suction on an as-needed basis – dramatically improving battery performance for longer operation on a single charge.
See more about this smarter robot – a category that some think is “the next big thing” in electronics… [Read more…] about Sharp Adds Smarts to Its Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Gibson Guitar Announces Name Change
Gibson Guitar announced on Tuesday that – in a bid to better reflect its growing family of products outside of the guitar category – it will be changing its corporate name from Gibson Guitar Corp. to Gibson Brands. While the move looks logical, there will likely be many who will bemoan the fact that the new name loses its ability to honor the company’s stringed-instrument heritage and still-important namesake product.