Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares will unveil the Ram 1500 Revolution Battery Electric Vehicle Concept and the Peugeot Inception Concept in a CES keynote address, said CTA Thursday. The concepts are part of the carmaker’s vision to achieve carbon net-zero emissions by 2038, said Tavares. The keynote is scheduled for 2 p.m. PST Jan. 5 in the Venetian Palazzo Ballroom.
ProSource announced a new hire and three promotions this week. The buying group hired Jim Kozicki, a former Klipsch territory sales manager, as vice president-business development, with responsibility for vendor programs. It promoted Sherry Dantonio to vice president-education and member recruitment and Tim Bashford to senior sales director, overseeing the Power group. Frank Marengo, previously Southeast district manager, was promoted to sales director, it said.
IFA will remain at the Messe Berlin fairgrounds for another 10 years and will be the responsibility of IFA Management GmbH, a joint venture founded by gfu Consumer & Home Electronics and Clarion Events. The trade show plans to expand its digital offering and the IFA Next brand to add more startups and innovative products to the event, it emailed Friday.
Carmichael Roberts, a founder of Soft Robotics, MC10 and Material Impact, was elected CTA Executive Board (EB) chair, said CTA Friday. Deena Ghazarian, CEO of Austere, will continue as EB vice chair. Other new EB members are Alicia Abella, Google Cloud managing director-telecom, media and entertainment industry solutions; Kara Grasso, DuPont Mobility and Materials global strategy lead-advanced mobility; and Michael Wise, NBCUniversal chief technology officer. New Board of Industry Leaders (BIL) are Julia Alexander, ExecOnline chief product officer; AiFi CEO Steve Carlin; Joe Glynn, Qualcomm vice president-business development; Sally Witkowski, founder Slang; Mara Lewis, ID8 Innovation co-founder; Nuheara CEO John Luna; NorthStar Gaming CEO Michael Moskowitz; David Rhew, Microsoft chief medical officer-healthcare, worldwide commercial business; Jack Sheng, CEO, eForCity; Lyle Smith, Harman general manager-global markets; Bob Struble, principal, Blu Venture Investors; Debbie Taylor Moore, IBM Consulting senior partner-global cybersecurity; New Age Electronics President Fred Towns; and Sonia Wadhawan, Google director-Global Business Development, Commerce Partnerships. Numerous members continue in their EB and BIL roles. The EB is CTA’s governing board and the BIL advises on CTA policies and events, including CES.
U.S. internet service costs in September were down 0.01% year over year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index unadjusted data released Thursday. It said residential phone service costs increased 3.6% year over year, but wireless service was down 1.1%. Cable and satellite TV service costs were up 2.2%. BLS said September prices overall were up 8.2% year over year before seasonal adjustment.
CEDIA Expo 2022 in Dallas Sept. 29-Oct. 1 drew 11,946 attendees and 317 exhibitors with 143,000 square feet of exhibit space, show owner Emerald emailed Tuesday. Over 40% of attendees were there for the first time, said Jason McGraw, group vice president for CEDIA Expo and KBIS. CEDIA Expo wasn’t held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s event in Indianapolis, affected by the rise in delta variant cases, drew 82 exhibitors and 1,400 attendees. The last pre-COVID CEDIA Expo in Denver, Sept. 12-14, 2019, had 20,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors (see 2111010027). CEDIA Expo 2023 will be collocated with the newly introduced Commercial Integrator Expo in Denver Sept. 6-9, Emerald said.
The Streaming Video Technology Alliance opened the application process for its 2023 grant membership program, it said Wednesday. The program is designed to enable startups and other organizations with annual revenue under $1.5 million to participate in the organization’s work as principal members for a year by waiving standard membership fees. Grant recipients are eligible for membership renewals based on their contributions, SVTA said. The program has awarded 21 grants and 14 grant renewal memberships in six years.
Legislation that would force social media companies to pay to carry news content from Canadian companies would damage the internet ecosystem and exacerbate media concentration, the Computer and Communications Industry Association said Friday. Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which the House of Commons’ Heritage Committee considered at a hearing Friday, would allow Canadian news companies to negotiate for pay when platforms and search engines index content or users link and quote it. The Senate Commerce Committee passed a similar bill Thursday (see 2209220077), and Australia implemented a similar law. “Targeting a select few U.S. firms ... to force payments to Canadian news businesses, would not only constitute an unwarranted and discriminatory subsidy, but worsen competition in the media market by entrenching Canadian media conglomerates,” said CCIA Vice President-Digital Trade Jonathan McHale.
Speakers, air quality, voice control and window shade control are among the categories getting a refresh at CEDIA Expo in Dallas Thursday-Saturday. PSB Speakers will show at the trade event a combined audio system integrating control, source and amplification in a pair of BluOS-enabled bookshelf speakers, the company said Friday. An array of inputs lets users connect components including a turntable, TV, CD player or game console to the Alpha iQ ($1,599), it said. Listeners can share their music over a home network with up to 63 other BluOS-enabled components, the company said. The system has Bluetooth for direct streaming from a mobile device, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Tidal Connect. The 60-watt system’s digital-to-analog converter supports audio resolution up to 24-bit/192kHz, the company said. Alpha iQ will be available for preorder online Oct. 19, with delivery slated for November. Josh.ai will launch a new app at CEDIA, the voice control company said Thursday. Josh App 5.0 has a more intuitive design, intelligent features and “limitless” customization tools, the company said. Josh.ai also has a new operating system in the works that “reimagines” how integrators program a client’s living spaces and manage administrative and project support needs, it said. Bond Home will unveil window shade keypads at CEDIA Expo. The $79 Sidekick wireless keypad is a five-channel universal remote with individual and group control for up to 50 motorized shades and awnings; no wiring or installation is required. The company will host a seminar Thursday on shade and ceiling fan technology trends in Room C144 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center with representatives from Rollease Acmeda, Hunter Douglas, Progressive Screens and Chowmain Software, it said. Origin Acoustics will bow a slimline 10-inch powered subwoofer at Booth 16069, it said Thursday. The Subs10 delivers 400 watts of peak power at frequencies down to 35 Hz from an enclosure that’s less than 5 inches deep, the company said. Panasonic will be at CEDIA promoting “healthy living” with its Swidget smart controls and Breathe Well platform, it said. Panasonic’s Whisper ventilation fans and energy recovery ventilators are said to refresh indoor spaces by bringing fresh air in from the outside and venting out pollutants, allergens and moisture.
CEDIA Expo outlined plans for the Smart Stage and Innovation Hub scheduled for the CEDIA Expo Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in Dallas. The Smart Stage, sponsored by Nice/Nortek Control, will have tech panels on IoT trends, business management, voice activation and the impact of technology on architecture and design, among other topics, said show producer Emerald. Panelists will include members of the Home Technology Specialists of America, CEDIA, Azione Unlimited, ProSource and Home Technology Specialists of Nationwide. The Innovation Hub, with a focus on emerging technologies, will include presentations from show exhibitors on resimercial, work from home, outdoor living, lighting and security, Emerald said. Presentations will include “Post-Pandemic Collaboration,” “Welcome to Wellness” and “HDMI 2.1 and 8K Training"; a customer support session is also planned, it said.