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What If Our Homes Can Be That Smart Too?
I often reminisce about this question posed 8 years ago during my time at Fibaro, which was in this video, Everything Is Connected. The video, narrated by my then 8-year-old son, envisioned a home smart enough to expand our senses, enabling us to see the music, touch the weather, or hear the energy around us.…
Read MoreIs Matter Stifling Smart Home Innovation?
With all due respect to the parties that are working hard to develop it, the Matter standard is struggling. Sure, it’s a new protocol and it will get better. But how much better? How long will that take? And if I’m a manufacturer or consumer, should I hold off on new products until I find…
Read MoreBreaking Through Stigma in Senior Tech
For all its diversity, the huge Boomer generation usually has one experience in common: the challenge of helping aging parents and loved ones stay healthy and independent. I call it a challenge because many seniors aren’t happy to think they need help, and as a result, they often turn it away, whether it comes from…
Read MoreAudio Fests: Making the Experience Tangible Again
I recently had the pleasure of attending the annual Pacific Audio Fest, held in my hometown of Seattle. In just its second year, the show has already become an important date for the specialty audio market, with nearly 100 vendors participating. It was fun to see old friends and make new ones at an event…
Read MoreEmbracing Generative AI From a Product Development Perspective
As the world of generative AI continues to evolve at an astonishing pace, businesses must stay informed and test new solutions, while also being cautious of how it’s being used within the organization. With the rapid expansion of AI tools, it’s essential to ensure that your team is using these resources responsibly by protecting trade…
Read MoreOTC Hearing Aids: Why So Slow?
Half a year has passed since over the counter hearing aids became available for sale. Where do things stand today? Not as far along as we’d have expected for a market estimated at 25 million customers in the U.S. alone. Is this category simply slow out of the gate or are there problems that are…
Read MoreBluesalve Partners Strengthens Team With Noted Industry Veterans
Ashburn, VA, April 17, 2023 – Bluesalve partners today announced that consumer technology veterans Rich Bira and Ryan Tykwinski have joined the firm. The prominent consulting group has recently grown by double digits in serving the challenging IoT and smart home markets. The additional team members’ unique skills will increase bluesalve’s capacity to deliver innovative solutions…
Read MoreBrand: Anchor of the New Omnichannel
Over the past several years, tech retailing has undergone a dizzying course of changes. Just when pundits were finally getting tired of reporting a retailpocalypse, COVID came around to wreak additional havoc on brick and mortar – while ringing up record online sales of CE products for a nation working and playing from home. As…
Read MoreYear Zero: Moving Forward With Matter
This month’s launch event for the Matter interoperability standard was an undeniable high point in the nearly 50-year history of the smart home. Through the decades, we’ve seen plenty of smart technologies come and go, so some skepticism about Matter is probably inevitable. It’s also a mistake. We came back from Amsterdam feeling extremely bullish…
Read MoreGetting a Handle on OTC Hearing Aids
If you haven’t heard that over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids finally hit the market last month, you might be one of the 37 million Americans with hearing loss. On the other hand, if you’ve been watching this category as closely as we have, you already know the huge possibilities for makers and sellers. Winning in this…
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