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Inside Crestron’s Amazing Research Center

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It’s Like Disneyland for Geeks

Crestron's remarkable Research Center
[Click to enlarge]

Sometimes, I’m amazed at what I’m able to pull off. A year or so ago, John Clancy, Crestron Vice President of Residential, invited me to tour Crestron, a place I’ve heard much about but have never seen. OK…it was at a tradeshow cocktail party and John may have been drinking…but I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Just a few weeks ago, that visit finally happened and Crestron – much to their credit – granted me unlimited access to whatever I wanted to see…and photograph.

Go inside the amazing Crestron Research Center with Strata-gee…

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U.S. No Longer Global Biz Leader, There’s a New #1 – China

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China leads the world as suggested by this photo of Chinese petrochemical workers

Fortune just published its latest Global 500 ranking of the top companies in the world – and the results this year are earth-shaking. For the first time ever, since this list was launched in 1990, another country has more companies on the list of top companies than the U.S. And the bad news for the White House is that new #1 is China, the country with which it is currently in the midst of a high stakes trade war.

See how China has surpassed the U.S. in global top companies…

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Tech Hit Hard in Latest Reputation Index Survey

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Privacy Backlash Hits Google, Amazon & Facebook; What About LG, Samsung, Sony?

2019 RepTrak Ranking

In a new survey by Reputation Institute on corporate reputation, known as the 2019 RepTrak 100, we see wild swings in tech brands’ reputation with consumer privacy concerns finally appearing to take a major toll. With an overall all-category average reputation rating increase of +0.8 points, technology as a segment saw its collective reputation drop by 1 full point on the scale.

But the news wasn’t all bad – movie king Netflix, Inc. jumped 23 spots to come in at #1 for the first time in their history.

Read on to see how your favorite tech brand fared…

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A Flying Car is Cool, A Flying Motorcycle is Cooler

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graphic of flying car

You may recall in January we told you about a flying car being shown at CES in Las Vegas (follow this link and scroll down on the page to see the flying car). But while the US is working on developing a flying car, a Japanese company is developing what many would feel is a cooler concept – a flying motorcycle.

See the flying motorcycle from Japan…

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Studies Show Consumers Creeped Out by Facial Recognition Technology

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eMarketer logo

There are a lot of people excited about facial recognition, but so far the most aggressive experimenters (aside from law enforcement) have been marketers. This is especially true of retailers who see a lot of opportunity to exploit the technology to enhance in-store experiences, conduct research, or to stop shoplifters. Yet new polls show that consumers are truly creeped out by facial recognition, and privacy groups, consumer advocates, and even some regulators are coming out against it the technology.

See more on the controversy surrounding facial recognition…

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Google Closes in on Amazon in Smart Speaker Market Share

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Amazon products

The latest data from market research firm Strategy Analytics shows that Amazon is still the king of the smart speaker market – selling more smart speakers than anyone else. But the data also showed something else rather surprising – Google has substantially closed the gap between it and Amazon, coming within about 5.5% of Amazon’s market share numbers in the all-important fourth quarter selling season.

See how the smart speaker horse race is getting so much closer…

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Latest Data Increases Concerns of Economic Downturn

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Photo of 'For Sale' sign

New data from multiple sources are increasing economists concerns of an economic downturn within the next two years – perhaps even later this year. The latest readings on consumer confidence/sentiment and existing home sales show sharp downturns, sparking new debates on the real health of the economy.

See more on what data is rattling economist’s…

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Nielsen: Americans’ Love for Music is ‘Unwavering’

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Researcher Credits Audio Hardware for Helping ‘Catapult Engagement’ & Consumption

Nielsen logo

New research from Nielsen reinforces an important point for those of us in the residential home entertainment systems – no matter what the platform, Americans have an ‘unwavering love for music.’ File this report in the “Good News” department.

See the surprising resiliency of music…

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10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2019

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Ericsson 10 Hot TrendsA smart speaker that argues like family…virtual assistant devices that understand your mood at any moment you wish to speak with and use them – budding futurists are predicting these 2019 consumer technology trends and more as part of a new report from Ericsson’s ConsumerLab consumer research division. The new report, logically titled the 10 Hot Consumer Trends 2019 is based on the insights and predictions of 5, 097 global advanced internet users in metro markets that demographically represent nearly 34 million early technology adopters.

See more on what budding futurists predict as Hot Consumer Trends for 2019… [Read more…] about 10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2019

Artificial Intelligence – Will America Win the AI Race?

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AI graphicMost tech experts point to artificial intelligence (AI) as the NBT – the next big thing – in technology. Not only does this promise to create a huge market – but it is likely to be disruptive of many industries and looks to truly Change-the-World. With a prize this big, many are chasing that AI rabbit with the goal of dominating the future. Will the U.S. win the AI race?

See the latest AI data to find out just WHO seems to be winning… [Read more…] about Artificial Intelligence – Will America Win the AI Race?