Posted on 13 August 2022 by Stewart Wolpin

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Happy 100th Birthday, Consumer Technology Business

Posted on 4 December 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

Celebrating the 100th birthday of the consumer technology industry with the story behind how and why our business came to be and of those responsible for creating it, in five parts:

Part 1: The Wireless Age

Part 2: A National Priority

Part 3: A Pittsburgh Radio Sensation

Part 4: The Birth of a Business

Part 5: “When The Public Is Ready For Mass Demand”

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How the Consumer Technology Industry Was Born

Posted on 1 December 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

What we now call the consumer technology industry was born November 30, 1920, when the first consumer electronics product, the two-piece RA-DA, the first commercially produced radio designed for the mass market, rolled off the Westinghouse assembly line in East Pittsburgh. After a two-year period of hectic technological, business and legislative/regulatory developments following the end of World War I, the Westinghouse RA-DA and the entire radio industry emerged, becoming the dominant consumer technology product for three decades. On the centennial of our industry, let’s take a look at the events of 1919-1920 that cleared the way for the future.

Part 1: The Day Radio Died

Part 2: How the Consumer Technology Industry Was Almost Never Born

Part 3: How President Wilson Shaped the Airways

Part 4: Happy 100th Birthday To The Consumer Technology Industry

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How to Get a Free iPhone 15 (if You Qualify)

Posted on 19 September 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

That headline is not a come-on. If you’re considering upgrading to a new iPhone, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all are offering a “free” iPhone 15 – if you qualify as the right kind of customer, have the right type of phone to trade in, and you choose an iPhone that costs less than $1,000.

Read the rest of this report here at Techlicious.com.

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Apple iPhone 15: Only Photo and Film Pros Need Apply

Posted on 12 September 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

At today’s Apple event, Apple told us exactly who ought to upgrade to one of the new iPhone 15 models: creative professionals. Throughout its presentation of its new models – especially the now appropriately labeled 15 Pro models – Apple execs kept stressing, in highly technical language, how photography and film professionals would welcome the resolution, computational, zoom, and low light improvements these new models provide for still and/or video capture. Apple CEO Tim Cook himself proclaimed the 15 Pro models “the most pro iPhone we’ve ever created.”

Read the rest of this report here at Techlicious.com.

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5 Reasons to Upgrade to Apple Watch 9

Posted on 12 September 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

If you’ve been clinging to an older generation Apple Watch, Apple has imbued its new Series 9 models with five improvements that make it easy for you to justify an upgrade. One especially tempts me to upgrade even though I own an otherwise perfectly fine Series 8 model.

Read the rest of this report here at Techlicious.com.

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Audien Atom Pro: A Cheap, Compromised Solution for Mild Hearing Loss

Posted on 30 August 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

The Audien Hearing’s Atom ($99.99) and Atom Pro ($249.00, currently $179.00 with coupon on Amazon) in-ear buds provide a cheap and easy solution for those who suffer only moderate volume-related hearing loss. The Atoms are simply sound amplifiers – there’s no Bluetooth for phone calls or music and no aural presets to compensate for specific ambient situations. On the other hand, because there’s no smartphone app, the Atoms are ridiculously simple to use for the tech-phobic – take ’em out of their case and slip ’em in your ears, and everything is suddenly louder. 

Read the rest of this review here at Techlicious.com.

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7 Proven Ways CPG Companies Can Elevate IT High-Performers

Posted on 22 August 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

Articles advocating methods to motivate and retain employees are a dime a dozen. But motivating and retaining the new breed of IT high performer carries a heightened level of urgency in order to keep them happy and engaged. 

Here are some specific ways consumer goods companies can motivate and retain their tech high performers in this challenging IT employment environment.

Read the rest of this report here at Consumer Goods Technology.

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SmartTechCheck Podcast: ChatGPT losing steam, coming streaming chaos, legacy of the light bulb

Posted on 18 August 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

I join host Mark Vena along with fellow tech journalists Dwight Silverman and John Quain in an informative SmartTechCheck podcast discussing the waning momentum of ChatGPT, the potentially coming chaos of streaming services and content, and the legacy of the incandescent light bulb.

Watch this SmartTechCheck episode here on YouTube.

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Report: CE State Of The Industry 2023

Posted on 1 August 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

Sales of premier consumer technology products – smartphones, TVs, PCs/tablets, smart home, for instance – continue to dip. High-interest rates, inflation, and recession fears continue to either delay discretionary consumer purchasing or are pushing consumers to “trade down” to lower-priced goods. Many vendors and retailers are still sitting on accumulated inventory and Covid-crippled supply chains haven’t completely healed. Changing staffing and workplace dynamics are challenging operational stability. Even the war in Ukraine has introduced a layer of uncertainty within the industry.

Considering these economic and business pressures, what’s the consensus view of the state of the CE industry from retailers, vendors, and analysts polled by TWICE?

Meh.

Read the rest of this report here at TWICE.com.

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Supply Chain Visibility: Inside USAopoly’s Evolution Into a Data-First Organization

Posted on 20 July 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

It’s widely accepted that access to and analysis of data drives better outcomes across an operation. The problem faced by USAopoly, a Southern California-based specialty game maker also known as The Op Games, was determining the most time- and cost-efficient ways to collect that data and how much time data collection should monopolize.

Read the rest of this story here at Consumer Goods Technology.

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The Midea U-Shaped Window AC Quietly Delivers Superior Cooling

Posted on 17 July 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

As we sweat through a record-hot summer, room air conditioners are not only desired but a potential lifesaver. Unfortunately, even the quietest window AC unit can fill a room with a loud continuous hum on the level of an airplane engine, making the cooling cure nearly as bad as the sweltering disease.

The Midea U 8,000 BTU window AC ($399), however, thanks to a radically different U-shaped design, blows cold air in a whisper, and is, by far, the quietest window AC I’ve ever owned.

Read the rest of this review here at Techlicious.com.

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New Bluetooth Standard Makes Electronic Shelf Labels Viable

Posted on 17 July 2023 by Stewart Wolpin

Your store is stocked with the latest bleeding-edge technologies for sale. But how do your customers know how much each of those high-tech wonders costs? Likely via decidedly low-tech paper or plastic price tags.

It may be time to make your shelf labels as high-tech as the products for sale on your shelves.

Read the rest of this story here at TWICE.com.

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