Harman Unveils New Lineup
Harman International Thursday announced a new lineup of products for the consumer channel, including home, multimedia and in-car offerings.
“In a world that is evolving at light speed, we understand that the products we design bring the highest-quality sound experience to every part of people’s lives,” Christopher M. Dragon, director of consumer and field marketing for Harman International, said as part of the announcement.
“Whether it’s experiencing the heart-pounding car explosion with the newest film at home or waking up to your favorite song in the morning, we are devoted to bringing the same quality no matter where you are and what you are doing.”
The new lines include the HKTS 20 and HKTS 30 5.1-channel home theater systems, both under the company's Harman Kardon brand. They will ship this month at MSRPs of $799 and $999, respectively.
Harman also announced the JBL MS-8, a integration digital processor that can optimize any vehicle's audio performance in just minutes. Selling for $799, it will ship in April.
The company will also new versions of the JBL On Time Micro ($249, April), On Time 200P ($249, April) and On Stage Micro II ($129, April), as well as the Harman Kardon Go + Play Micro ($299, March.)
For more, visit www.harman.com
KnowledgeFest Details Revealed
Stephen SilverMERA this week announced details about the return of its KnowledgeFest event, which will return this fall after not taking place last year. The event will take place Oct. 10-12, at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Dallas.
KnowledgeFest 2010 will feature a 50,000 square-foot Mobile Electronics Expo, as well as training sessions and workshops. Mobile Electronics Magazine will also hold Industry Awards on the event's first night.
“MERA will re-establish the success of KnowledgeFest with a focus on turning Knowledge into Knowhow,” Chris Cook, MERA’s director of industry relations, said as part of the announcement.
MERA is accepting sponsors and exhibitors, and those interested are encouraged to call 800-949-MERA, or email exhibit@merausa.org. For more on the event, visit www.knowledgefest.org
Panasonic Sells Out of 3D TVs
Panasonic has sold out of its stock of 3D TVs in its first week after strong sales, leading to back orders from retailers, the company told Bloomberg News Wednesday.
The company did not release official sales figures.
Panasonic sold its first 3D TVs at a special Best Buy event last week.
New CEO For NRF
Stephen SilverThe National Retail Federation announced Tuesday that it has named Matt Shay its new president and CEO, replacing the retiring Tracy Mullin. Shay comes to NRF from the International Franchise Association.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with NRF's outstanding Board of Directors and staff in leading such a dynamic and influential association," Shay said in a statement. "Retail is the lifeblood of our economy and with the challenges we face on Capitol Hill, the stakes have never been higher. There is a lot of work to be done, and I'm very excited to get started."
iPhone for Secure Credit Card Processing
VeriFone Holdings, Inc., recently announced PAYware Mobile, a complete payment solution for the Apple iPhone that provides small businesses with simple and secure card processing capabilities on the popular smartphone platform.
VeriFone’s payment solution for the iPhone (www.paywaremobile.com) puts mainstream payment processing capabilities in the hands of small business merchants who need a mobile card acceptance solution. The hardware and software solution recently began shipping and is available free to those who sign up for a PAYware Mobile secure gateway service agreement.
PAYware Mobile includes a PA-DSS approved payment app and a sleek and durable card reader that slips over the iPhone to accommodate card swipes and allow merchants to avoid high-cost “card-not-present” fees. The combined hardware and software provides the strongest card payment security available for the iPhone, including VeriFone’s VeriShield Protect end-to-end encryption solution as a standard feature.
“The complete PAYware Mobile solution brings secure payment capabilities to merchants who previously could not justify a dedicated payment acceptance device. We believe this represents a potential market of millions of small businesses worldwide,” said VeriFone CEO Douglas G. Bergeron.
“Banks and processors are concerned about the security issues of unapproved merchants using unregulated software and insecure fobs to accept card payments,” Bergeron added. “PAYware Mobile leverages VeriFone’s proven payment and security expertise to provide the ultimate in end-to-end protection against payment fraud and misuse on an open and unregulated platform such as the iPhone.”
XpanD Introduces Universal 3D Glasses
Kate RobinetteIn response to widening 3D availability from major manufacturers, XpanD is exhibiting the world's first universally compatible 3D glasses this week at ShoWest 2010 in Las Vegas.
The new XpanD X103 glasses attempt to solve the cost and environmental issues associate with separate 3D manufacturers and models each having their own glasses and consumers needing to purchase multiple expensive pairs of glasses.
Maria Costeira, CEO of XpanD, said in the announcement that “while major television manufacturers are beginning to roll out their first 3D-ready television models, a key to widespread adoption lies in the ability for consumers to use their 3D glasses with any display that is capable of showing 3D content."
The X103s, like all XpanD's glasses, use fast-switching liquid crystal cell technology, and for their universality they are able to read the infrared signals from 3D TVs, allowing them to identify the television's brand and model, and then to make the adjustments necessary to display in 3D.
Besides providing consumers with a sort of 'unlocked phone' of 3D glasses, the X103's will cut down on the cost and waste of cinematic 3D experiences by allowing cinemagoers to bring their own glasses.
They will come in 12 colors. For more information, click here.
Apple Store Banning Protective Screens
Apple has banned the protective screen category from the accessory offerings in its retail stores, iLounge reported Wednesday.
The ban, which affects both screen-only products and kits that include screens, will apply to products meant for iPods, iPhones, and all other Apple products. Apple did not state a reason for the ban.
CEA Gets Trade Center Trademark
The Consumer Electronics Association announced this week that it has obtained the exclusive right to the "World Trade Center, Las Vegas" trademark, which was granted by the World Trade Centers Association. The group is seeking to expand the brand along with the Las Vegas business community.
"Las Vegas is increasingly an international business designation and we want to focus the world's companies on the many opportunities to do business with the many organizations who participate in trade events in Las Vegas," Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, said as part of the announcement.
Two New Viewsonic Computers
Viewsonic this week announced that a trio of new computer products are now available. The new products include two new ViewBook laptop computers, the 13.3” VNB132 and 14” VNB141, both of which sport the Windows 7 operating system. The Viewbook products go for MSRPs of $649 and $829.
The company has also released a new VPC190 All-in-One PC, a desktop device available for $629.
www.viewsonic.com/products/pcs/viewbook/
A Correction From Dealerscope
The Dealerscope Top 101 CE Retailers list, released earlier this week, misstated the address and CEO of Queen City Audio Video & Appliances in Charlotte. The company's CEO is Roddey Player, and its address is 2430 Queen City Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208.
Dealerscope regrets the error.
Leica Road Show on M and S-Systems
Leica Camera recently announced that it will bring the latest and newest Leica products to major North American cities as part of the first-ever Leica North American Road Show.
Leica’s product specialists will visit 26 cities over the course of 14 weeks; the road show will commence on March 18 in Miami, Florida and conclude on June 23 in Nashville, Tennessee. The series is designed to enhance participants’ knowledge of and familiarity with the M and S Systems.
The series will be equally valuable for amateur photographers who enjoy the best and finest as well as professional photographers who demand excellence in image quality and incomparable ease-of-use. Each participant will have access to experienced Leica photographers who can deepen their photographic abilities and enhance their shooting experience.
Topics covered during the Leica M and S-Events will include camera and lens orientation; troubleshooting and maintenance; understanding the digital imaging process; configuring your computer; organizing and storing your images; Adobe Lightroom introduction; color management introduction and methods to produce better work in less time.
Participants to the M Event will have the opportunity to become intimately familiar with the acclaimed Leica M9, the world’s smallest full-frame digital rangefinder camera and the M-System, including Leica’s newest lenses, the 18mm/f3.8, 50mm/f0.95 and the 24mm/f3.8. The S Event will showcase the exceptional offerings of the S-System, the defining instrument for fashion, beauty, advertising, landscapes, portraits and still photography, in addition to offering its participants the opportunity to take photographs.
The M Event will cost $99 per participant; the S Event will cost $149 per participant. Each participant will receive a voucher equal to the workshop fee, which can be used towards the purchase of a brand new serialized M or S Leica product from an authorized North American Leica dealer. For additional information, to sign up and check out the schedule, visit www.leica-camera.us/news