Strategy in TECH...
SnapAV announced today that it has engineered an all-new version of their popular OvrC remote monitoring and management system (RMM). This new version, launched in the wake of their acquisition of Control4 last year with its competitive Pakedge networking, as well as BakPak and Ihiji remote monitoring solutions, is said to combine the best of all of these systems.
Sonos Inc. announced Wednesday the results of their fiscal second quarter, a quarter that CEO Patrick Spence called “challenging.” The company saw a double-digit sales decline of 17% to $175.1 million from $210.2 million in the same quarter in 2019. Worse, net losses more than doubled to $52.3 million – 129% worse than the net loss of $22.8 million in Q2 last year.
Still, Spence sounded upbeat in a letter to investors and says he is “confident that the actions we are taking today will set us up for long-term success and the continued tremendous opportunity ahead.”
The DaVinci Group (TDG), a specialty supplier of custom integration gear including architectural speakers, amplifiers and more, has taken extraordinary steps to offer their dealers responsibly sourced personal protection equipment (PPE), such that their work crews can safely continue to access job sites and clients’ homes fully protected. An example of creative thinking, TDG used their sourcing prowess to find a reliable resource for a range of PPE gear that is desperately needed by integrators…many of whom report a lack of local supply.
Crestron Electronics has launched a handy new Configurator for their Creston Home system that gives integrators the ability to pre-configure systems in-house prior to deployment. This new configurator helps integrators efficiently setup and test their Crestron Home systems configuration and cuts deployment time dramatically.
Vizio, Inc. announced this week that it has launched 30 new free streaming TV channels on its SmartCast Home screen. The new content spans the gamut from news and entertainment – to lifestyle and DIY.
AudioControl, a specialty electronics supplier with growing influence in the residential custom integration channel, has recently expanded into the commercial space with their CM Series of products. At ISE last week, the company announced a significant expansion of that lineup with three new 70-volt amplifiers that feature Dante digital audio networking capability built-in.
Sonance launched a unique new small-scale outdoor system at last week’s ISE in Amsterdam that they say is the perfect solution for what they call “petite outdoor spaces.” Consistent with their philosophy that the best systems combine wide, balanced coverage along with high-performance standards, this new little system will have you redesigning your outdoor living spaces to add more music with less clutter.
Two new research reports from two different research groups came to basically the same conclusion – smart speakers (and IoT devices) show no signs of slowing down with eye-popping growth rates in just the last two years. One of the researchers, Comscore, is calling the trend, “The Smart Speaker Frenzy.”
MSE Audio will launch the SoundTube STNet Soundbar at ISE 2020 in Amsterdam next month, running from February 11-14. This innovative soundbar solution is enabled for IP-based PoE for really convenient hookup.
Who says the mainstream media has abandoned CES? No less than the venerable Forbes.com ran a feature story that noted an enthusiastic crowd gathered around a booth offering a dynamic presentation on an amazing new technology…a ‘smart’ potato. No, this is NOT a spoof by The Onion – it is real. Yes, the booth and young man promoting the smart potato was a stunt…but the article from Forbes about it is real.
