<February 8, 2012> Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s today cut the long-term debt rating on Sony Corporation to BBB+, just two notches above “junk” status, and further issued a negative outlook which suggests a potential further drop in the future. In a statement, S&P said that “the likelihood of a strong recovery in Sony’s earnings is low.” [Read more…] about S&P Cuts Sony’s Credit Rating to Just Above Junk, Issues Negative Outlook
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Only Months Later, Pioneer Launches the Next Generation of Its Popular AppRadio
>> See a slideshow of the Pioneer 2012 CES Press Conference here… <<
<February 1, 2012> Pioneer Electronics USA, Inc. surprised everyone only months ago in the summer of last year with their launch of a radical new product called the AppRadio [ see our story on the original AppRadio here ]. Now, only a matter of months later, the company has hustled to get out a muscled next generation version called AppRadio 2. [Read more…] about Only Months Later, Pioneer Launches the Next Generation of Its Popular AppRadio
Sony Says Only They Can Deliver ‘The New User Experience’
>> See our full slideshow of photos from the Sony Press Conference at CES <<
<February 1, 2012> In typical fashion, Sony Corporation at CES delivered a long and at times rambling press conference covering their large range of products. And while presenters tried to sound enthusiastic about their many innovations, much of this year’s presentation mimicked last year’s…and even those of its competitors. [Read more…] about Sony Says Only They Can Deliver ‘The New User Experience’
Soul by Ludacris Shows Party in a Box
<January 25, 2012> First revealed by the ALERT just after the 2010 CEDIA Expo, Soul by Ludacris at CES showed their remarkable product with a funny name, the Party In A Box. [ See original story here…]Sort of a boombox on steroids, PIAB was meant to re-invent boomboxes adding in today’s new technologies and taking the street beat to a whole new level. [Read more…] about Soul by Ludacris Shows Party in a Box
Though Ink Not Yet Dry on Gibson Deal, Onkyo Launches Another Partnership with Teac
<January 22, 2012> Just days after news reports of the formation of a strategic partnership between Osaka, Japan-based Onkyo Corporation and Nashville, Tennessee-based Gibson Guitar Corporation – a new report by the Nikkei says that Onkyo has now formed yet another new strategic partnership with Teac Corporation. While details are sketchy, apparently the two reached an agreement this past Friday, January 20th. [Read more…] about Though Ink Not Yet Dry on Gibson Deal, Onkyo Launches Another Partnership with Teac
End of an Era, Onkyo Halts Production of Loudspeakers in Japan
<January 22, 2012> On Thursday, the Nikkei said it had learned that Onkyo Corporation has decided to cease production of loudspeaker systems in Japan. This decision ends several decades of domestic production of a product category in which Onkyo not only had a great reputation for quality, but also leading market share. [Read more…] about End of an Era, Onkyo Halts Production of Loudspeakers in Japan
Onkyo Demos New Technologies at CES
<January 25, 2012> Onkyo Corporation had a very busy CES, not just because of the recent news of their strategic partnership with Gibson Guitar (and subsequent to CES, a partnership with Teac), but because the company was showing and demonstrating new technologies recently announced that will enhance their soon-to-be-released receiver line up. Paul Wasek, Onkyo National Marketing and Product Planning Manager, took the ALERT around the Onkyo booth to show and demonstrate these technologies. [Read more…] about Onkyo Demos New Technologies at CES
Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s…HiFiMAN
See UPDATE below article…
>See a slideshow with images from the HiFiMAN press conference here<<
<January 25, 2012> One of the more pleasant surprises of the show was an opportunity to meet a company – new to me but apparently known amongst many high end aficionados for awhile now – with a name that struck me as a little goofy – HiFiMAN. But, as I was soon to learn, the name fits…owner Dr. Fang Bian is a man truly dedicated to high fidelity sound reproduction…even in the face of our portable, overly-compressed, MP3 digital music world. Bian is truly a HiFiMAN. [Read more…] about Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s…HiFiMAN
At CES – Monster Turns from Performance to Fashion Model Runway to Sell Headphones
>>See a full slideshow of the Monster Press Conference here<<
<January 25, 2012> In what had to be one of the more unusual press conferences we’ve attended, Monster Cable – who wants us all to drop the “Cable” from their name – launched a whole roster of partnerships including the clothing brand Diesel, and put on a fashion show for both their Diesel-related products and their new Inspiration headphone line. Yes, that’s right, we said a fashion show complete with models walking down a runway of sorts (a cleared center aisle) with music blaring and flashing colored lights, showing off various Monster headphones. [Read more…] about At CES – Monster Turns from Performance to Fashion Model Runway to Sell Headphones
Awash in a Sea of Incrementalism, Pre-Show Press Day was a Desperate Search for Innovation
<January 18, 2012> The day before the International Consumer Electronics Show opens, the show promoter holds something they call “Press Day.” Press Day is a mind-numbing endurance test of the media’s stamina with back-to-back-to-back-to-etc. press conferences. Each press conference is supposed to be 45-minutes long to give the press 15-minutes to move to the next one. [Read more…] about Awash in a Sea of Incrementalism, Pre-Show Press Day was a Desperate Search for Innovation
