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Happy 100th Birthday, Consumer Technology Business

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

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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Eargo 7: the Best (and Priciest) All-Day Invisible OTC Hearing Aids

The Eargo 7 are the most natural-sounding, worry-free, comfortable for all-day wear, and invisible self-fitting OTC hearing aids currently available. However, I recommend them with one big caveat – they are significantly more expensive than other products in the over-the-counter (OTC) category.

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

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iRobot Roomba Combo j7+: a Worry-Free Mop Vac for Low-Traffic Floors

iRobot launched the robotic vacuum category in 2002 with the first Roomba, and it continues to be the most well-known robot vac brand and among the smartest and most easily programmable. And now, with the Roomba Combo j7+ robot vacuum and mop ($1,099.99), iRobot breaks new ground in the robotic mop vac category with a mop head that fully lifts up and away, so you can vacuum and mop all of your floors in one pass without the potential worry about soiling your carpet with a dirty mop head.

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

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SmartTechCheck: Legislation curbing teenage social media use, AI regulations, India Inc.

Proposed legislation aimed at curbing teenage social media use, common sense ways to regulate AI, and the growth of tech manufacturing in India are all topics tackled in this week’s SmartTechCheck podcast with host Mark Vena and my fellow journalists Rob Pegoraro (top right) and John Quain (lower left).

Watch the podcast here on YouTube.

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HP Hearing Pro OTC Hearing Aids: The Best for Music Lovers

Those of us suffering mild to moderate age-related hearing loss don’t necessarily want to wear a hearing aid all day, regardless of their comfort or lack of visibility. We only want/need hearing assistance in specific situations, mostly when we need to hear and comprehend voices – when talking to people, watching TV, or attending concerts, for example.

It is this occasional, situational hearing assistance that the new class of Bluetooth-enabled over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, such as the HP Hearing Pro “powered” by Nuheara ($699), the subject of this review, as well as the Sony CRE-E10 ($1,200), and the Jabra Enhance Plus ($799), are designed for. All three of these standard-styled in-ear Bluetooth buds offer the features required by the new OTC hearing aid regulations and are currently the only products of their type on the market. They are self-fitting, which means you take an app-based hearing test to configure the buds to your specific hearing loss and are FDA-cleared Class II medical devices. Unlike “normal” hearing aids, even those with Bluetooth to enable hands-free phone conversations, Bluetooth OTC hearing aids double as regular – and high-quality – music streaming earbuds.

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

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ADT Starts Selling Google Nest-Integrated DIY Home Security Kit

New expandable ADT Self Setup bundle, controlled by new ADT+ app, goes on sale; available only on ADT.com site with no other retail outlets planned.

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

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First Solid-State Speakers For TWS, Hearing Aids Start To Ship

xMEMS announces availability of silicon-based speaker replacement for mechanical coil and magnets in earphones and hearing aids, potentially revolutionizing earphone production and quality.

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

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Samsung Kicks Off 2023 TV Sales With Celeb-Focused Event, Campaign

The company used a star-studded event to officially launch its 2023 TV sales season and introduce its new “More Wow Than Ever” marketing tagline.

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

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State Of The Distribution Industry: A Return To Normalcy

Consumer technology distributors report that business conditions seem to be returning to pre-pandemic conditions with some lessons learned – and maybe some new product categories.

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

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Happy 50th Birthday To The Cellphone

Motorola executives John Mitchell (l) and Marty Cooper (r)

Motorola executives made the first cellphone calls on April 3, 1973, after a crash six-month development process – but a scheduled celebratory anniversary gala has been postponed.

Read the rest of this historical account here at TWICE.com.

You also can read my more exhaustive history on the development of the cellphone here at American Heritage of Invention & Technology.

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Buying Guide for Smart Locks: What You Need To Know

Smart locks now play a big role in any smart home’s security system, extending the way we grant, or deny, access to our abode. Here are 5 questions to ask yourself before buying one.

Read the rest of this guide here at GearBrain.com.

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