Several U.S. wireless carriers jumped on Samsung’s worldwide Galaxy Note 4 announcements Wednesday in hopes of winning new subscribers in the hotly competitive market. Sprint said it will be the only wireless carrier to offer the U.S. version of the Galaxy Note 4 and the Note Edge capable of running on its high-speed Sprint Spark network (http://on.mktw.net/1rMO8SP). Sprint also told customers it will offer the Gear VR virtual reality headset, also launched Wednesday, that’s designed to use the Galaxy Note 4 as the screen.
Sensorstream, which calls itself a “struggling” San Francisco-based startup, sees a $1 trillion opportunity in smart watches and their ecosystem of components, its founder, Tom Rapko, told us. Sensorstream just landed a design patent from the Patent and Trademark Office for a circular smart watch case that’s buttonless with interior threading “to support an upgradable modular electronics package,” and the company is looking for partners, Rapko said. “The wearables business is going to go the way of a garage startup” reminiscent of Apple’s founding, Rapko said. “Even though the Valley is hugely software-centric, I think there’s a huge opportunity in the hardware space for wearables, and in particular, smart watches,” he said of developer work currently happening in the Silicon Valley on behalf of wearables. Rapko thinks smart watches will “drive disruptive innovations in social networking, entertainment and commerce,” he said. Sensorstream’s smart watch case is called Pi, the company said. It differs from traditional watch cases in that it’s devoid of all external buttons, to protect it from the elements, it said. The threaded design on its interior promotes adaptability to modular electronics that can be fitted in and enhances “the ergonomic contours of the smart watch to hug the wearer’s wrist for enhanced stability,” it said. Smart watches have the “potential to rival” or exceed the most successful consumer electronics “ever released” in terms of fast adoption rates, Rapko said. Form factors “will help shape consumer adoption of smart watches,” he said. “Aesthetically, we feel a circular display is superior to the dreary square. Frankly, the end game is fusing the look and feel of a Swiss luxury watch with the core functionality of a smart phone.”
Some radio broadcasters and state broadcaster associations urged the FCC not to create an additional burden on radio stations by requiring them to provide public inspection files online, in comments in docket 14-127 on a public notice on whether to adopt such a rule for radio stations. Some public media entities argued against including noncommercial educational (NCE) stations in the regime. The notice also sought comment on whether to extend the requirement to cable- and satellite-TV operators. NCTA asked the FCC to explore how it can modify online filing rules to fit cable’s obligations.
Some radio broadcasters and state broadcaster associations urged the FCC not to create an additional burden on radio stations by requiring them to provide public inspection files online, in comments in docket 14-127 on a public notice on whether to adopt such a rule for radio stations. Some public media entities argued against including noncommercial educational (NCE) stations in the regime. The notice also sought comment on whether to extend the requirement to cable- and satellite-TV operators. NCTA asked the FCC to explore how it can modify online filing rules to fit cable’s obligations.
Sensorstream, which calls itself a “struggling” San Francisco-based startup, sees a $1 trillion opportunity in smart watches and their ecosystem of components, its founder, Tom Rapko, told us. Sensorstream just landed a design patent from the Patent and Trademark Office for a circular smart watch case that’s buttonless with interior threading “to support an upgradable modular electronics package,” and the company is looking for partners, Rapko said.
Sensorstream, which calls itself a “struggling” San Francisco-based startup, sees a $1 trillion opportunity in smart watches and their ecosystem of components, its founder, Tom Rapko, told us. Sensorstream just landed a design patent from the Patent and Trademark Office for a circular smart watch case that’s buttonless with interior threading “to support an upgradable modular electronics package,” and the company is looking for partners, Rapko said.
Seattle startup Stand For Stuff landed a U.S. patent (8,789,802) for an adjustable floor stand that makes any tablet useful for reading and watching movies while lying in bed or exercising, or for wheelchair users, the company said Thursday. The patent (http://1.usa.gov/1wJmCrl), issued July 29 and assigned to Stand For Stuff, lists three Seattle-area inventors and describes a “protective case” that enables a person who “does not want to or is physically unable to hold a tablet computing device to interact with an inserted tablet computing device.” One of the inventors, Marty Springer, devised the SwingHolder for his wife, who has difficulty holding things for a long period of time due to a medical condition, the company said: “Making use of his engineering background, Springer assembled a product that would allow her to read on her iPad comfortably for as long as she wanted.” The product sells for $199 at Amazon.
Koss, which has never quite recovered from the $34 million embezzlement scheme that landed its former vice president of finance an 11-year prison sentence four years ago (CED Nov 19/10 p2), has suspended its production operations in Mexico “until sales volumes support enough demand for the products being produced there,” the company said in an 8-K SEC filing Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1qD6djs). Lackluster export sales caused “extremely disappointing” results for the year ended June 30, when the company had a $5.6 million net loss vs. a year-earlier $5.4 million net profit, on sales that plunged 33.3 percent to $23.8 million, the company said. “Increased competition in our industry has played a role in the setback, but we believe the severe reduction in 2014 export sales was also driven by certain economic challenges, struggling economies, and available credit for retailers and distributors.” Koss still has faith in the “viability” of its high-end Striva headphone technology, “but has temporarily suspended its research and development effort in this area until our base business is restored to more profitable levels,” it said. Koss has billed its two Striva models as the world’s first “true” Wi-Fi headphones, but the models were very expensive at $450 and $500. A check of the Koss online store Thursday showed both models were out of stock.
Lenovo has landed TUV Rheinland’s first wearable device certification under the program the global provider of technical, safety and certification services launched earlier this summer, Simon Hung, TUV Rheinland’s section manager-marketing, Greater China, told us Thursday by email. Lenovo will launch the product in October, Hung said, without giving additional details. Lenovo as a policy “does not comment on unannounced products,” spokeswoman Emily Mullen told us. TUV Rheinland plans a “tailor-made logo” in which the key words, “Smart Wearable Device,” together with TUV Rheinland’s trademarks could be used to differentiate certified products from the competition, Hung has said (CED July 10 p4). A device from “a famous IT brand” has undergone recent certification testing in China, he has said.
Lenovo will land TUV Rheinland’s first wearable device certification under the program launched earlier this summer, Simon Hung, TUV Rheinland’s section manager-marketing, Greater China, told us Thursday by email. Lenovo will launch the product in October, Hung said, without giving additional details. Lenovo as a policy “does not comment on unannounced products,” spokeswoman Emily Mullen told us. TUV Rheinland plans a “tailor-made logo” in which the key words, “Smart Wearable Device,” together with TUV Rheinland’s trademarks could be used to differentiate certified products from the competition, Hung has said. A device from “a famous IT brand” has undergone recent certification testing in China, he has said.