Bracketron, the leading manufacturer in mounting solutions for mobile consumer electronics, today announced an exciting new series of mobile accessories designed for use in the home, office or anywhere in between. The products combine trend-forward color, style and function to fit the unique lifestyles of consumers.
“Bracketron has long been known as a pioneer of mobile mounting solutions for in-car use,” said Bruce Gibis, President & CEO. “Now more than ever, consumers rely on their mobile devices around the clock, so we are very excited to announce our new series of products that fulfill that need in the home, office or on the go.”
The new line of products will soon be available at many leading consumer electronics retailers and on the Bracketron website www.bracketron.com. The products will also be featured at the 2011 International CES in the Bracketron Booth #2434.
Icon Labs a leading provider of embedded networking and security technology, today announced the availability of Floodgate-Packet Filter TM, an embedded firewall that allows networked devices to control the packets they process. Floodgate protects against potentially malicious attacks by filtering packets before they are processed by an embedded device. Floodgate provides both threshold-based filtering and rules-based filtering.
Threshold-based filtering protects against denial of service attacks, broadcast storms and other conditions that result in a flood of unwanted packets. Rules-based filtering allows white-listing and black-listing based on criteria such as port number, protocol or source IP address.
“Increasingly, small, dedicated devices such as industrial control devices and medical devices are being connected to the Internet and are now subject to the same threats as PCs in corporate environments. Without firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and other security measures usually utilized in enterprise networks, these devices are very vulnerable to network based attacks,” said Alan Grau, CEO of Icon Labs. “Floodgate protects these devices from the threats that are present on the Internet by controlling which packets are processed.”
Floodgate-Packet Filter is provided as a portable source code library that can easily be integrated into an embedded device. Floodgate can be added at any layer in the IP stack. Floodgate includes sample applications that illustrate the use of Floodgate at Layer 2 to protect against broadcast storms and at Layer 3 to protect against packet floods.
Floodgate-Packet Filter is available now. It is designed for use in embedded systems and can be used with operating systems such as VxWorks, Linux, QNX, or eCos, or in systems without an operating system.
Speakal, a company driven by its passion for sound, intelligent technology and innovative designs, is proud to debut its new lineup of vibrant and colorful sound docks for 2011. With this new line, music enthusiasts now have a collection of uniquely designed sound solutions to match their individual lifestyles.
SBPKX-100 – SBPKX-100 is a portable docking sound system that comes in an array of stunning colors complemented by a soft colorable LED light. It features high quality audio with an acoustic accelerator and DSP audio processing and an AM/FM alarm clock with 20 pre set stations. The LCD clock automatically syncs up with your iPhone/iPod to ensure the time is always accurate. You can plug it into the wall or power it up with AA batteries making it a great solution for around the campfire or trips to the beach.
SB 12 – This premium speaker system surrounds your iDevice with a colorful halo of powerful sound. Its modern, industrial design superbly complements the modern home with a thin disc of superb fidelity featuring touch controls.
iExecutive – This luxury docking sound system boasts a wide array of playback options with iPod/iPhone/USB/SD/Bluetooth compatibility. It’s sleek, aerodynamic design coupled with a powerful 20W subwoofer make this the ultimate centerpiece for the modern office. Additional functionality includes a radio, alarm clock, 20 pre-set channels, and video output.
Kurve – This compact, tubular sound dock blends 20 watts of clear and powerful sound with a colorful, clean form that accents your tunes with style. An integrated LED with 4 levels of brightness helps customize the atmosphere of any room.
B5 – This fashionably designed oval speaker cranks out powerful bass with over 27W of total output. Bluetooth capabilities allow you to control your playlist from the comfort of your couch.
“Our lineup of speaker solutions offers something for every type music enthusiast” said CEO David Solomon. “With a variety of vibrant color options we have a design that will perfectly match your personality” added Solomon.
For more information about Speakal visit www.speakal.com
Ear Force PX5 Programmable Wireless Surround Sound Headset
The PX5 is the most technologically-advanced headset ever designed for PS3 and XBOX 360 gaming, incorporating a programmable digital signal processor to allow independent customization of the chat, game and microphone signals. Custom settings stored in the headset as presets can be selected during specific parts of the game to emphasize sounds like footsteps or reloads that might otherwise be difficult to hear. It can even be programmed to disguise a gamer’s voice or to enhance the voices of online players to be heard when the game gets louder. These personalized presets will be possible with software available from the Turtle Beach web site that allows the user to adjust the settings on a PC and transfer them via a USB connection to the headset.
The PX5 is also the first headset to incorporate dual radios—one for immersive, Dolby Digital surround sound game audio and a second for chat on the PlayStation Network via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth feature also supports stereo audio streaming for listening to music while playing a game and can accept a phone call while wearing the headset.
“Turtle Beach has always been recognized for technological innovation. We pioneered the console gaming headset industry by launching the first stereo XBOX headset, were the first with wireless gaming headsets and the first with innovative features to enhance the gaming experience, like Chat Boost™. With the introduction of the programmable PX5, we’re poised to again revolutionize the gaming headset market.” says Carmine Bonanno, President and CEO. “By allowing gamers to customize their audio environment, the PX5 gives them an opportunity to take charge of their console gaming experience in ways that have never before been available.”
MSRP: $249.95
Availability: Spring 2011
URL: www.turtlebeach.com/px5
Turtle Beach Ear Force P11 Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset
The Turtle Beach Ear Force P11 Gaming Headset, designed for the PlayStation 3 and also compatible with PC/Mac, raises the bar for affordable gaming headsets. Powered directly through USB with its 50mm high fidelity speakers and amplified stereo sound, the P11 headset gives the player an immersive audio experience. With independent volume controls for chat and game audio, you can ensure that you won’t miss out on a single footstep or a warning from a teammate. The P11 delivers crisp audio while providing hours of comfort with its oversized fabric mesh ear cushions and adjustable headband, ensuring your competitive edge during those long gaming sessions.
MSRP: $59.95
Availability: Spring 2011
URL: www.turtlebeach.com/p11
Turtle Beach Ear Force XC1:
Designed specifically for the XBOX 360, the Turtle Beach Ear Force XC1 XBOX LIVE Communicator combines audio performance and a streamlined design to create a headset far above the standard communicator headsets. With a unique slotted ear cup design, the XC1 allows you to hear external game sound and internal chat at the same time, so you will never miss out on any of the action. The fully adjustable, single ear lightweight design fits comfortably on either ear and is perfect for long gaming sessions.
MSRP: $24.95
Availability: Spring 2011
URL: www.turtlebeach.com/xc1
Contour Energy Systems, Inc. an innovative portable power company commercializing next-generation battery systems, today announced the launch of its next-generation coin cell product family with the introduction of the four top selling lithium coin cell sizes (2032, 2025, 2016 & 2450) featuring the company’s patented Fluorinetic™ technology. Contour’s new lithium coin cells, which deliver significantly longer battery life and superior gravimetric and volumetric energy density compared to legacy primary lithium and rechargeable lithium ion batteries, are targeting a wide range of existing and emerging portable electronics and drug delivery systems.
The new products will make their debut the Consumer Electronics Show January 6-9, in Las Vegas at Contour Energy’s Booth 15343 in the Central Hall. Contour also will exhibit its high-performance 2025 and 2032 coin cells specifically designed for 3DTV active shutter glasses for 3DTV movies, programming content and gaming.
“Packing more power into coin cells involves ‘tuning’ the cathode to optimize power density for specific applications,” said Joe Carcone, vice president of sales and marketing with Contour Energy Systems. “Our Fluorinetic technology stands alone in this capability. By altering how fluorine is introduced into the carbon structure at the molecular level during the manufacturing process, the fundamental properties of our coin cells can be changed in ways that favor higher power densities to better match a particular application.”
Contour’s new coin cell products will be available for a broad range of applications, including:
• Hand held portable consumer electronics devices such as translators
• In-home health care equipment including glucose monitoring systems, drug dispensing systems and bone growth stimulators
• LED lighting systems and flashlights
• Calculators
• Keyless entry systems
• Small battery packs
• Cameras and light meters
• Construction laser levels
• Toys
• And more
As new versions of these diverse applications come to market with added features and capabilities that demand greater power densities, the need for next-generation coin cells capable of delivering new performance levels is escalating. Extended run time, improved discharge rates and longer shelf life are increasingly important considerations to consumers. Contour’s Fluorinetic technology is delivering on each of these next-generation battery requirements.
The Fluorinetic Advantage
Contour’s new coin cell product line features three primary advantages: greater runtime, better discharge rates and longer shelf life compared to current lithium products. Contour’s patented Fluorinetic technology leverages breakthrough lithium/carbon fluoride advancements to achieve these high energy and power densities. In addition, the advanced lithium/carbon-fluoride batteries overcome operational problems exhibited by some other lithium batteries, such as passivation, which has a significant voltage drop upon starting up a device.
Contour’s advanced coin cells currently exceed all others tested in both power density and maximum safe current draw. This makes the Contour coin cell line particularly well suited for applications that require high sustained or pulse currents and greater durability.
Availability
Contour’s new coin cell line-up will be commercially available in Q2 2011. On November 15, Contour announced the longest lasting batteries for 3D Glasses, which are high-performance 2025 and 2032 coin cells specifically designed for 3DTV active shutter glasses.
Cricket Communications Inc., a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless services and a wholly owned subsidiary of Leap Wireless International, Inc. (NASDAQ:LEAP), today announced it will debut Muve Music, its new wireless rate plan with unlimited music and the new Samsung Suede™ (SCH-r710) mobile phone at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show.
For the first time publicly people will be able to see and experience Muve Music from Cricket – first announced on December 20, 2010 – a new wireless rate plan with unlimited music which has been designed exclusively for the mobile phone and does not require the use of a computer. Muve Music, available on the Samsung Suede, will be on display at CES in a variety of places including:
· CES Unveiled on Tuesday, Jan. 4 from 4 – 7 p.m. at Venetian Ballroom, The Venetian
· Pepcom Digital Experience on Wednesday, Jan. 5 from 7 – 10 p.m. at Caesar’s Palace in the Octavius Ballroom.
· Muve Music Lounge in the Cricket Buzz Suite from Thursday, Jan. 6 – Sunday, Jan. 9 in S210, South Hall, LVCC – regular show hours
· Along the strip and around Las Vegas including nearby Cricket stores
Entertainment Matters
Cricket, along with Variety, is one of the main sponsors of Entertainment Matters, the new International CES® program developed to help entertainment professionals navigate the largest, most influential technology show in the world, through exhibits, conference programs and events critical to the Hollywood community.
Cricket and its Muve Music partners Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and Samsung will host a session “Muve Music From Cricket – The Business Model” on Friday, Jan. 7 at 4:00 p.m. in Room N250 of the Las Vegas Convention Center, located on the main concourse between the North and Central exhibit halls.
The Muve Music Experience
For just $55 per month, Muve Music customers will get the following features on Cricket’s nationwide 3G network:
· Unlimited nationwide calling
· Unlimited nationwide text, picture & video messaging
· Unlimited global text messaging
· Unlimited 3G mobile Web
· Unlimited email
· Unlimited data back up
· Unlimited video
And for the first time anywhere in the U.S.
· Unlimited full track downloads
· Unlimited ringtones
· Unlimited ringback tones
With Cricket’s Muve Music rate plan, there are no download fees and no monthly music subscriptions. Customers’ data plans will not be impacted by streaming music over the wireless network and customers won’t be required to use a credit card to purchase music. Unlimited Muve Music is included in the flat rate monthly wireless service plan.
Muve Music has a robust catalog of music content which includes the four major record labels: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Music.
For more information about Muve Music visit www.muvemusic.com and for more information about all of Cricket’s products and services, including its dynamic device lineup, please visit www.mycricket.com.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announced today that Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer will deliver a preshow keynote address at the 2011 International CES®. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2011 International CES, the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, is scheduled January 6-9, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“As leader of one of the world’s most innovative technology companies, a keynote address from Steve Ballmer is the perfect way to kick off the 2011 International CES,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “Microsoft’s entrepreneurial spirit and drive have been major forces behind the success of the company and its impact on the global consumer technology industry. We look forward to hearing Steve’s strategic vision for the future of Microsoft and our industry.”
Steve Ballmer will kick off the 2011 International CES with a preshow keynote address at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 5, in the Las Vegas Hilton Center. In previous years, Microsoft has used the CES keynote stage to launch major products including Xbox, Windows Vista and its Sync technology partnership with Ford.
The full line-up of 2011 CES keynote addresses will be announced in the coming months.
The 2011 International CES will feature 2,500 global technology companies unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services across 15 major product categories including the latest in audio, automotive electronics, connected home technologies, digital imaging, electronic gaming, entertainment/content and more. For more information on the 2011 International CES, visit CESweb.org.
In a video featuring Bill Gates presented to the CES crowd, the Microsoft CEO said goodbye to the largest tech trade show in the United States Sunday night in Las Vegas. Featuring cameo appearances from Brian Williams, Jay-Z, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Jon Stewart, Steven Spielberg and George Clooney, the video showed Bill Gates rapping, lifting weights, and pleading with U2 to be included in the band. The normally business-as-usual crowd filled the auditorium with laughter.
Gates was serious during his keynote outlining Microsoft’s future of “Windows everywhere”. Not a new concept, one that has been said before many times in various fashion, Gates impressed to the Las Vegas crowd that from high-definition movies on the Xbox to its new Sync product that allows cell phones, digital music players, and PDAs to all integrate into the vehicles sounds system seamlessly, Microsoft would be part of everyones daily life where ever they go. Unfortunate for Microsoft, it chose Ford and it’s lack-luster selling inventory to be the platform for Sync. With 18 months of negative sales (sans two months,) Ford has ignored a very successful boycott of its products and Microsoft may be stuck with a Edsel for Sync.
Microsoft’s outgoing CEO, to retire in July, showed of its table-sized Surface to the crowd and how simple it would be to design a snowboard and then easily put it on a smartphone by simply placing it on the table. At nearly 15k per table, don’t get your hopes up that your local snowboard store will have this custom shop before you next time you stroll in.
Lacking any true innovative ideas, Bill Gates once again proved why Microsoft is the butt of jokes and garners little respect from most in the tech world. With Apple’s market share nearing 10%, the iPhone surpassing Windows Mobile in just a mere six months, and the iPod still the killer digital music player, Gates simply ignored the company he co-founded mistakes and offered no true exciting future for it. Gates, desiring to leave Redmond to help people in undeveloped countries, one wonders who’s going to help Microsoft.
There were a lot of things happening at CES last month in Las Vegas, including Delphi’s introduction of the all new Premium Sound System designed to work with multiple radio receivers. This means that consumer can listen to their favorite radio stations through any XM satellite receiver in their homes, vehicles, or even in the great outdoors.
Not only does the Premium Sound System have great functionality with multiple receivers, it utilizes all the latest technologies. This includes advanced acoustics, precise speakers, digital processing, advanced amplification, and a state of the art power supply. What does all that stuff do? It provides a crystal clear full natural sound, even at low volume levels thanks to Delphi’s bass enhancer. You probably won’t be able to find this kind of performance elsewhere in a unit of this size.
The Premium Sound System is compact and very user friendly, none of the hassle of trying to figure out how it works or any nonsense like that. It provides portability with an integrated XM antenna and handle. All you have to do is dock an XM receiver and you have the music or radio show you want. You can even listen using headphones if you want to. The Premium Sound System can also be connected to a different device, such as an MP3 player.
Massimo Baldini, Delphi’s global satellite radio business line manager said that: “The Delphi Premium Sound System offers the ultimate in flexibility for consumers who own different to XM receivers…Delphi has a rich heritage of innovation in radios, which started with the first in-dash, factory-installed radio in 1936, and continues today with several industry leading firsts in satellite radio technology, enabling us to produce a portable sound system of the highest quality.”
The new Delphi system is priced at $179 and will be available later this Spring.
Pandora announced earlier this month at the 40th CES in Las Vegas that Pandora Networks and D-Link will begin selling D-Link hardware combined with Pandora’s hosted communication solutions, particularly the Worksmart UCX (Unified Communications Exchange.) This delivers a complete VoIP communications service that compiles everything, voice, video, messaging, conferencing, and collaboration services. Worksmart has been reviewed by many people and has accrued consumer approval and technical praise. Since it’s release in 2005, UCX has received TMC Labs product of the year award, and in 2006 won the Internet Telephony Excellence Award. These awards come partly because UCX provides everything needed at a fraction of the cost of other solutions on the market today.
Pandora co-founder and current CEO Walter Snell loves the new collaboration between Pandora and D-Link. He said: “The combination of Worksmart and D-Link hardware delivers a total communications package for SOHO and SMB customers that can be up and running in a matter of minutes. Worksmart is not just another VoIP service, but a complete communications offering that also provides messaging, conferencing, on-line web meetings, and much more, D-Link is a perfect partner for us since they provide all of the hardware our customers need including IP phones, Wi-Fi phones, switches, and VoIP-enabled routers.”
There are several pre-prepared packages available, each designed for a particular environment. Included are IP phones, switches, routers, and VoIP acceleration hardware that will provide a high quality connection. It’s simple, it’s won some awards, it’s easy to set up, and it’s customized to fit into your environment. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal.