Strategy in TECH...
This is Part 2 of Strata-gee’s series on my recent visit to Crestron. In some ways, as much fun as I had at their Research Center, I can almost say it was eclipsed (if only slightly) by a visit to, at that point, their yet-to-be-officially launched factory that was actually a couple of miles away from the main Crestron campus at a facility in the state of New York.
They call it their “Factory of the Future,” and after touring it…I can see why.
Dirac, a fast growing provider of room acoustics management software, announced today that it will launch Dirac Live Bass Management at next month’s CEDIA Expo 2019. Industry attendees at Expo can see the new system in Booth #3235 in the Colorado Convention Center.
Josh.ai announced today that they have a new multilevel partnership with Sonance that includes new integrations with Sonance amplifiers and a new TRUFIG flush mount for the Josh Micro device. The company says this new partnership allows their technology “to seamlessly fit into any architectural aesthetic.”
Formally announced back in April, Sonos has collaborated with IKEA on a line of products for which it has great expectations. The first products of this collaboration – a table lamp with speaker built-in, and a thin bookshelf speaker that sits on a shelf and LOOKS LIKE a book…are finally now available. Will IKEA fans turn out in droves to buy these new models?
Only six months to go and word has emerged that the Consumer Technology Association – the trade group behind the annual Consumer Electronics show – has proactively taken steps to avoid repeating the mistakes that caused them to endure a plethora of embarrassing headlines last year. The controversy, a self-inflicted wound, surrounded the Association’s awarding – then rescinding – of a CES 2019 Innovation Award…and retroactive cancellation of booth space for that company. The news dominated the early headlines during the January 2019 event…mostly because the matter involved sex.
LG Electronics announced today that starting tomorrow Apple AirPlay and HomeKit will be available on its 2019 Thinq AI TV line. The company says this makes them the first global television manufacturer to support HomeKit.
James Loudspeaker, an innovative manufacturer of architectural speaker products for the residential and commercial custom integration industry, announced this week that they have redesigned their speaker grilles to a new Microperf-style for their small aperture product line. The new Microperf design is sure to be popular with architects, designers, integrators and end-users as it helps to more perfectly visually blend the speakers into the surrounding environment.
In consumer electronics, we tend to find products separated into certain ranges or categories, largely based on the intended target market. There are high-end/high-performance products targeted for audio aficionados (aka audiophiles) that tend to be better performing, but at a higher price. And then there are inexpensive items targeted to the mainstream consumer who likes the looks or features – such as a nostalgia look – but isn’t willing to pay much extra for performance…because that’s not necessarily their “thing.”
But like “East” and “West,” these two things almost never meet together in one product. Never, that is, until product design expert Hiro Ogura launched his Voiz lossless streaming smart speaker.
Perhaps this story will be a bit of a mirror of my experience from CE Week, some short takes on the interesting stories and technologies I uncovered there. Nothing was particularly earth-shattering…but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t many interesting items. So I encourage you to read on…
At CE Week last month, I was prepared to see the usual crop of gadgets and doodads designed to be sold to the masses through the retail channel. However this year, I was pleased to see a few more exhibitors offering products responsive to the custom integration channel. That includes the acoustics experts from Acoustic Innovations.
