In new research from Flurry Analytics, Apple clearly won the battle for holiday shoppers smartphone dollars. Based on activations of smartphones and tablets during the period of 12/19-12/25, Apple took a healthy 44% bite out of the market…well ahead of second place finisher Samsung (21%), who has struggled in the wake of a battery-blowup scandal. But when compared to last year…some surprises emerge.
Products
iRule & OnControls Acquired by Kramer Electronics
iRule’s CEO Ben-Gal Talks to Strata-gee About Acquisition
Kramer Electronics, a maker of hardware-centric control solutions for the commercial audio/visual market, has acquired Detroit, MI-based iRule, a fast rising provider of software-based home control and automation solutions – including their OnControls residential line – in a private transaction that closed last Friday, December 23rd. The terms of the deal, including valuation, were not disclosed, but iRule co-founder and CEO Itai Ben-Gal told us this deal was the logical conclusion to a now multi-year relationship between the companies.
See more on this iRule acquisition by Kramer… [Read more…] about iRule & OnControls Acquired by Kramer Electronics
Want an Amazon Echo? Sorry…All Sold Out for Christmas
We’ve been reporting lately on the growing popularity of voice control. Driven largely by the introduction of Amazon’s Echo in 2014, which featured a dramatic improvement in performance over previous hands free systems like Siri, voice control has been picking up momentum with consumers and attracting new competitors like Google with its Home model, and soon Microsoft with Cortana.
But news services are reporting that Amazon has sold out of the Echo right in the heart of the holidays. Not good…
Amazon running out of Echo shows the difficulty in predicting inventory needs… [Read more…] about Want an Amazon Echo? Sorry…All Sold Out for Christmas
Power Move: Sharp to Terminate LCD Panel Supply to Samsung
‘Samsung Scrambling to Find New Sources’ – Looks to LG
The media in Japan positively exploded this week with the shocking news that Sharp has notified Samsung it will no longer supply the world’s top seller of LCD TVs with the panels they need for their sets. Samsung was Sharp’s largest customer, but in a shocking power move, after negotiations broke down – Sharp said no deal.
Could this be a sign of a new Sharp, now that it’s part of Foxconn? [Read more…] about Power Move: Sharp to Terminate LCD Panel Supply to Samsung
HiFiMan: Staking Out the Extreme High End of the Headphone Market
Launches $50,000 Headphone System
HiFiMan, the specialty maker of high-end headphones and portable music players, announced this week the launch of a “premium” electrostatic headphone system that they call Shangri-La. Calling it a “cost-no-object experience,” the Shangri-La system is priced to sell for $50,000 at retail. The price of paradise appears to have risen lately.
See more about what HiFiMan suggests is the ultimate listening experience… [Read more…] about HiFiMan: Staking Out the Extreme High End of the Headphone Market
Twist – Simple Smart Home Light Bulb & Speaker
Products designed to address the simple smart home market continue to be introduced at a dizzying pace – most of which will end up in the dust bin of not-so-useful, not-so-innovative app-controllable nonsense in the future. But every once in a while we stumble across items that catch our eye, and Twist is one of those.
What is Twist? If you can screw in a lightbulb, you can have a smarter home lighting and wireless audio solution.
See more on Twist, a smarter smart home solution… [Read more…] about Twist – Simple Smart Home Light Bulb & Speaker
Leon Dresses Up SONOS with Gorgeous Woodwork
Ann Arbor, MI-based Leon Speakers, known for their high-end A/V solutions that juxtapose the drama of art with the pinnacle of sound, announced this week that they have launched a line of wood trim encasements that bring the warmth of richly detailed woodgrain to the normal gray and black boxes of popular SONOS brand speakers. Known as Tonecase Hardwood Cabinets, Leon manages to bring a new form of richness to SONOS- a visual one.
See more on the new Leon Speakers Tonecase for SONOS… [Read more…] about Leon Dresses Up SONOS with Gorgeous Woodwork
James Loudspeakers Launches Giant Outdoor System
Looking like a giant modern sculpture of industrial art made out of marine-grade, black powder-coated aluminum, we first told you about James Loudspeaker’s Modular Indoor/Outdoor Theater back in August when the company previewed it to a small group of journalists there for a factory tour. Designed to be a freestanding, all-inclusive, high-performance outdoor theater, the MIOT was a brute, conceptually, visually, and sonically. Now the company is officially launching the product to the custom integration channel.
Read why you should consider installing James’ Modular Indoor/Outdoor Theater… [Read more…] about James Loudspeakers Launches Giant Outdoor System
GoPro’s Stock Crashes as It Recalls Karma Drones
GoPro Inc., the individual sport camera maker who has recently diversified into the drone category, has lately seen their fortunes rise and fall…but mostly fall in the wake of their announcement that it would recall about 2,500 of their recently launched Karma drone. The news sent their stock price into a steep dive of more than 4% of its value.
See more on GoPro’s drone troubles… [Read more…] about GoPro’s Stock Crashes as It Recalls Karma Drones
Leviton & Samsung SmartThings Partner on Automation Package
Leviton announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with Samsung’s SmartThings division to offer a simple home automation starter package that will be made broadly available through distributors and the “professional dealer” market. Designed to be an affordable, whole-house, home automation solution – the package pairs products from SmartThings with Leviton Z-Wave enabled devices at discounted pricing.
