As much as I hated writing that headline, it’s true. And, despite years of warnings that the future of the cineplex was nothing but apocalyptic, Hollywood wasn’t prepared. Let’s back-up. Back in the late ’90s, companies started building DVD servers for home theaters. The idea was that a homeowner could buy a cache of DVDs […]
By Patrick Montgomery Futuresource Consulting Apple’s November launch of the $99 HomePod Mini comes at a good time. As the smart speaker market starts to mature in key western markets such as the U.S. and U.K., it creates a direct competitor to devices from market leaders Amazon and Google, both of whom in recent months […]
iRoom iO just launched a five-ways-to-mount docking station options for the New Apple iPad Air 4 (2020). The iRoom iO store-charge-control-connect features enable secure and instant access to information and content in residential and commercial venues and applications. The iTop USB-C Tabletop, iTop USB-C OnWall, touchDock motorized InWall dock, fixDock and surDock fixed InWall and […]
I had this thought back at Zoomtopia 2018, but after Zoomtopia 2019, it’s clear: Zoom is the Apple of the AV industry. Zoom is what? All of the eyes in AV were looking at Zoom yesterday. If you don’t believe me, look at the social stats of tweets and LinkedIn posts about Zoom Video Communications, […]
Last week was an eventful one for Zoom. In less than twenty-four hours, we had: The revelation of multiple security vulnerabilities in the popular Zoom conferencing software A [now updated] defensive statement by Zoom, dismissing concerns related to same Public outcry A reversal of course and introduction of an immediate patch for one vulnerability and […]
On October 20th, 2018 Apple announced Group FaceTime for its iOS devices. Three weeks later, on Mon., Jan. 28th, Apple announced a major flaw in this new feature. If someone initiated a FaceTime call, and then added themselves to it, the phone of the original person would start transmitting their audio before they picked up. […]
iRoom recently added new features to iRoom’s iPad Docking Stations that can be activated through a firmware update. The new feature set improves iPad security and adds convenience in using the docking stations. Some of the features require communication with the iPad’s operating system and have been implemented by iRoom as an Apple-certified manufacturer. The […]
Homeowners will soon be able to control Apple TV with their voices through Crestron remotes and use Siri to control their Crestron-driven home. Announced at Apple’s WWDC 2018 conference, Crestron Technology Professionals will soon be able to leverage the power of Apple TV, Siri, and HomeKit to enhance their clients’ lifestyles and user experience. This new integration will bring two […]
Recently, a friend came to visit and left “The Economist” magazine on my table. He said he tried to give it to his sons. But as I opened them up, the pages were stiff, as if they had just been retrieved from the printing press. I flipped to the Editor’s page titled, “The World in […]
Voice control has become a new standard for our daily lives. We see it in media consoles, smart devices, automobiles, office environments and more. Some manufacturers partner on one platform while others embrace a larger audience on a completely different one. Most provide a similar concept of assistance, but others excel in the experience — […]
Kids love the Apple iPhone. And most kids in schools who have smartphones have an iPhone — this, all while Android is the world’s leading smartphone platform. And, they mostly don’t use them as a phone. They text on them, Snapchat on them, they post on Instagram and they store their photos on them — lots of photos. And, […]
Signagelive now supports the Apple Mac through a partnership with Activate The Space. Signagelive for Mac is a cloud-based platform for scheduling, publishing and managing digital signage content and players. Activate The Space introduced ~sedna presenter to Times Square with landmark installations such as American Eagle, Express, Clear Channel Outdoor and dozens more. In addition to their outdoor projects, Activate […]
I have been harping on this for years. I have been telling everyone in the AV industry that to survive the future of AV, services need to be front and center, along with the products. Sure, a good mix of products with both established technology as well as future-forward, emerging technology is a giant part […]
By Jared Ross CODEDOC When Mark Zuckerberg first announced his plan to build AI control for his home, I’ll admit it… I was slightly apprehensive that the billionaire entrepreneur would put my home system to shame. Zuckerberg and I definitely agree that Crestron is the most reliable backbone for our AI home control solutions. However, […]
Coincidence or not, Apple’s new all-in-one HOME App for iOS devices hits the market on the same day that CEDIA opens. When asked if that was intentional, Apple responded, “What is CEDIA?” (Just kidding, we don’t know if that happened.) Here’s how Apple describes the HOME App: “With our new Home app, you can securely […]
A recent Deloitte Consumer Review survey in the UK found that there was nearly zero growth between 2014 and 2015 in consumer purchasing of connected home products. The finding cited that, “UK consumers are aware of the potential benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) but perceived high prices and skepticism about the technology are […]
CEDIA CEO Vin Bruno recently told a group of residential integrators that his organization wants to help the AV integration community transition away from using the term “integrator” and move towards using the term “technologist.” While I applaud CEDIA for proactively moving towards helping the integration community as a whole — something they clearly haven’t […]
I always thought I was going to be a veterinarian. As such, in college I studied Zoology. It’s a far cry from where I ended up here in technology for sure. Somehow though, things always seem to come full circle. Just like Biology, technology is punctuated by bursts of evolution. First macro, then micro, and […]
For Christmas I received my long awaited Apple Watch. For several months leading up to the holiday I wanted to buy one, but held off knowing it would make a great gift. Boy, was I right. Now, I know that there have been a variety of evaluations of the Apple Watch. Most people agree that […]
By now you should have heard about Apple’s battle with the federal government over the unlocking of Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone for use in the investigation of the San Bernardino shootings. If you have not been paying attention and you work in the ICT industry, you should. In short, the Federal Government has secured an […]
If you haven’t heard yet, Apple has issued a public response to the US Governments request for software that would allow them to circumvent encryption on an iPhone. The long and short is that after the San Bernadino attack was found to have ISIS ties, the FBI found themselves in possession of the attacker’s iPhone. […]
Shure Wireless Systems Dominate American Music Awards (11/30) The 43rd Annual American Music Awards were broadcast on ABC on Sunday night, November 22. Hosted by Jennifer Lopez at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, the program presented the fan-voted honors along with a series of high-profile performances, highlighted by a vocal interpretation of the classic […]
My brother had an odd experience last Saturday evening. He got into his car and before even starting it, his iPhone spoke up and told him that he was 10 minutes from his destination. The funny thing, he had not asked for directions anywhere, or in anyway indicated where he was going. The freaky thing, […]
Cloud Video Service Provider Takes Videoconferencing to the Next Level in China Videxio, a leading cloud video service provider, has reaffirmed its commitment to operations in China with the launch of an expanded Chinese service platform, simplified Chinese user interface and cooperation with Huawei to support a fully automated service for Huawei video systems. These enhancements make […]
There’s an interesting dilemma developing in the ProAV market where clients are calling their AV integrators because, ever since they upgraded to iOS 9 with their iPhones or iPads, they stopped working with their wireless transmission systems. There are about a dozen or so companies who have wireless AV systems out there. It all started […]
The Man in the “Iron” Machine Comic-Con returned to New York just this past week, which meant everyone from superheroes to cartoon characters were roaming the streets and subways. The multitude of costumes were awesome (as would be expected at one of the signature costume-based shows of the year), however one person in particular stood out — the one dressed as the Iron […]
This month Apple lifted the curtain on its new Apple TV, dubbed, oddly enough, The New Apple TV. Since then, many of us in the AV business and media have spent time parsing the specifications, guessing at the hints Apple has dropped about its capabilities, and pondering the implications it’s going to have on living […]
Google Life Sciences to Focus on Diabetes Outcomes Through Data and Disease-Centric Approaches Earlier in the week, it was reported in WIRED (and other publications) that the newly created Alphabet holding company’s Google Life Sciences has its first big mission — developing new ways to treat and manage diabetes. In a sign that the company is serious […]
The debate between those who want technology turned off during church services versus those who not only want it on, but want to actively use it as part of the church-going experience, is a matter of personal preference. That being said, there are plenty of churches using passive technology that would jump at the chance […]
In my previous blog A New Model for the Device Driven Enterprise about enterprise apps being written specifically for Apple Watch usage, I linked to an article from September 2014 Apple Watch: The Internet of Things’ new frontier where (InfoWorld’s executive editor) Galen Gruman stated that “Apple’s new Apple Watch — to be released in early 2015 and […]
We’re likely less than a month away from a plethora of Apple HomeKit product announcements as Apple is likely to tie in its home control of nearly everything to a brand-new Apple TV. Although Apple is usually hush-hush on new product pushes, this time, with HomeKit, they’ve been talking about their position and plans, telling […]
While I wasn’t one of the many who rushed to pre-order it on April 10, those that did led Apple to sell out of the most coveted device to hit the market in quite some time in a single day — the Apple Watch. In fact, it was reported that in that one day, Apple […]
