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Draper Factory Tour: 400k sq. ft. of Innovation, Customization & Variety

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See How Shades, Projection Screens & Custom Structures for LED Panels are Made

Hop on I-70 and head East out of Indianapolis for around forty-five minutes or so and you’ll arrive in Spiceland, a quiet, rural village of under 1,000 people that with its brick church, quaint bandstand in the park, and a picturesque running stream, feels as country-style homey as you could imagine. What brought me to Spiceland? I came to visit the town’s largest employer and Henry County’s (named for patriot Patrick Henry) second-largest employer – Draper, a manufacturer of leading projection screens and roller shades.

See more on my visit to the Draper HQ & factory in Spiceland…

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Draper Turns Up the Heat on Residential, Launches Resi-Focused Sales Team

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The new Draper residential sales team

Draper, Inc., a leading manufacturer of shades and projection screens, announced this week that it is continuing to turn up the heat on the residential channel by appointing a sales team focused solely on the residential market. This new team will zero in on resi with the company’s extensive line of shading, projection screens, and other AV-related gear.

Learn more about Draper’s resi sales team and solutions

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Savant Tests a 2nd NYC Experience Center, The Savant SOHO Smart Home Gallery

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Exterior of the Savant SOHO Smart Home Gallery

In a dramatic move that represents a tremendous investment in consumer marketing, Savant Systems, Inc. (Savant) is piloting a second New York City showroom concept in Manhattan’s trendy SOHO district called, appropriately enough, Savant SOHO Smart Home Gallery. This new space joins the company’s long-running Flagship Experience Center, which is also in SOHO.

Why a second experience center in the same part of New York City? Read on…

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Masimo, Sound United Parent, to Expand Denon’s HEOS System

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Masimo image showing Sound United brand HEOS

Company Finally Gives a Glimpse of Its Sound United Strategy

In what may turn out to be the best test yet of Masimo’s long-term plans for Sound United, the company announced today that it is launching an expansion of HEOS, the wireless home system initially developed by the company’s Denon division as part of a whole-home wireless music system. When Masimo acquired Sound United back in February of this year, Denon’s “cloud-connected home ecosystem” was one of the items it specifically mentioned as what attracted them to make the acquisition.

With today’s announcement, the company says that the launch of this “…expansion of the HEOS platform [will] provide a robust and always-on connection to the Masimo Health secure cloud.”

See more on this latest announcement by Masimo

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B&W Offers a Racy McLaren Edition of Px8 HFs

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Can headphone design really be inspired by a rad-looking “supercar”? Apparently, as high-end, high-performance speaker maker Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), a division of Sound United, announced today a special McLaren Edition of their flagship Px8 reference-grade, over-ear, wireless, noise-canceling headphones.

The company said it created the special model to celebrate its 5-year relationship with luxury, high-performance car manufacturer McLaren Automotive.

See more on Bower & Wilkins special McLaren Edition Px8 headphone

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Savant Power Raises Savant’s Power in the Market by Partnering with Sunnova

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Sunnova, new partner of Savant

Savant Systems, Inc. (Savant) announced on Monday it’s Savant Power division has partnered with heavyweight energy solutions and services provider Sunnova Energy International, Inc. (Sunnova) (NYSE: NOVA). This is the kind of deal that can turbocharge Savant’s growth in the energy monitoring and control segment – a segment in which they are already a leader in the custom integration space.

Learn all about this deal between Savant Power and Sunnova…

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Why is Snap One Stock Dropping to New 52-Week Lows Recently?

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slide from Snap One earnings report

Snap One (NASDAQ: SNPO), a major player in the custom integration/smart home channel, recently reported its fiscal 2022, third-quarter results last month, showing both revenue gains and reduced losses. The company says sales are slowing and they revised their forward-looking guidance for yearly performance downward.

Since this earnings report was released, the value of Snap One stock has really struggled, dropping 19% and setting several new 52-week lows.

See why Snap One stock struggles in the wake of their Q3 performance report

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Amazon Alexa and Devices Division On Pace to Lose $10B; Div. in Crisis Mode

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Photo from Amazon Keynote
Charlie Kindel, then with Amazon, pitches Alexa and tells integrators that Amazon wants to work with them at CEDIA Expo 2016

This has to rank up there with one of the most spectacular product failures in tech history. According to leaked documents acquired by Insider, Amazon’s “Worldwide Digital” unit – the unit that includes Echo smart speakers, Alexa voice technology, and Prime Video streaming – lost over $3 billion in just the first quarter of this year. It is on pace to lose $10 billion for the year and the company has announced its largest layoffs ever – cutting more than 10,000 jobs…many targeted to hit this division specifically…as Amazon reorients their business strategy.

See the latest news on the failing Amazon Alexa business

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Sound United Parent Masimo Wins Big as Judge Finds Former Employee Stole Its Trade Secrets

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Masimo W1 hero
Masimo’s W1 smartwatch uses proprietary technology to deliver accurate blood oxygen saturation levels

Findings Place Apple, a Separate Dispute, into Legal Crosshairs

Masimo Corp. (NASDAQ: MASI), the owner of major audio company Sound United, revealed last week that it had received a favorable ruling against a former employee who was found by the Honorable Judge James V. Selna of the United States District Court of the Central District of California, to have stolen numerous company trade secrets and then employed them in the design of a competitive product and in numerous patent applications. With this conclusion, Masimo earned a long, hard-fought win that gives them positive momentum as they head to court again against a bigger combatant.

Why is this case – Masimo vs. True Wearables – particularly notable? Because alongside this action, Masimo is also suing Apple, Inc. on many of the same issues – a case that has just been incredibly bolstered by the District Court’s ruling against True Wearables and its founder Dr. Lamego.

See why things are getting interesting for Masimo and hot for Apple

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New Commotion at Kaleidescape

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Sources are telling Strata-gee that movie media server specialist Kaleidescape is undergoing a new round of turmoil, terminating manufacturer sales representatives and executives. Reports from multiple sources indicate the company is undergoing some type of transformation. However, details are sparse as to just exactly what is transpiring there. I asked Kaleidescape for comment and they responded.

See what we know about the actions Kaleidescape is taking so far

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