Stewart Wolpin

Posted on 14 May 2024 by Stewart Wolpin

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CTA Centennial

Posted on 13 May 2024 by Stewart Wolpin

April 16, 2024, was the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CTA (Consumer Technology Association), which started as the RMA (Radio Manufacturers Association). This is a series of essays I have written for TWICE exploring and celebrating CTA’s and the consumer technology industry’s first century of invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

These essays have been assembled from varying technology historical research and writings I have done over the course of 20-plus years, including from an annually updated industry history for CTA’s now-defunct Digital America, 20-plus years of CTA Hall of Fame inductee biographies, and numerous tech history articles for a variety of publications over the years.

Part 1 (1924-1929): Founding

Herbert H. Frost: CTA’s ‘George Washington’

Part 2 (1930-1945): David Sarnoff

Part 3 (1946-1960): The TV Age

Part 4 (1961-1974): The Sixties

Interlude: Jack Wayman, Our Industry’s Indispensable Exec

Part 5a (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – Home Video Revolution

Part 5b (1975-1985): A Decade Of Disruption – Personal Audio Revolution

Part 5c (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – Personal Computing

Part 5d (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – 1984 ‘Phones It In’

Part 5e (1975-1985): A Decade of Disruption – 1984: Hollywood Loses The Battle Against Home Video – But Wins The War

Part 6a (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Recording Media

Part 6b (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Video Games

Part 6c (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Airways (Part 1)

Part 6c (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Airways (Part 2)

Part 6d (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Compression

Part 6e (1985-2000): Platform Wars – Digital Photography

Part 6f (1985-2000): Platform Wars – DVD

Part 6g (1985-2000): Platform Wars – HDTV (Part 1)

Part 6g (1985-2000): Platform Wars – HDTV (Part 2)

Posted in Tech History, TWICE | Tagged ABC, Admiral, Akio Morita, Apple, audio cassette, Beta, cassette, CBS, CEA, CEMA, CES, compact disc, Consumer Electronics Show, CTA, David Sarnoff, DynaTAC, Edwin Howard Armstrong, EIA, Engelbart, Fairchild, Gary Shapiro, GPS, Herbert Frost, hi-fi, IBM, Intel, Jack Wayman, JVC, LG, Masaru Ibuka, Matshusita, microchip, Microsoft, Mother of all Demos, Motorola, mouse, NBC, NTSC, Panasonic, Philo Farnsworth, phonograph, radio, Radio Manufacturers Association, RCA, RMA, Samsung, solid state, Sony, television, transistor, TV, VCR, VHS, video cassette, Zenith | Leave a comment

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”

Posted in Tech History, TWICE | Tagged 1920, Consumer electronics, consumer technology, Consumer Technology Association, CTA, history, KDKA, Pittsburgh, radio, RCA, tech history, Westinghouse, WIRELESS | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Tech History | Tagged Alexanderson Alternator, consumer technology, Consumer Technology Association, GE, General Electric, Owen D. Young, radio, RCA, tech history, technology retailer, U.S. Navy, Westinghouse | Leave a comment

Denon Debuts Next-Gen ‘Home’ BT Speakers With Spatial Audio

Posted on 24 March 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

Three new good-better-best Denon Home models add more and updated drivers, Dolby Atmos Music, and expanded whole-home wireless audio and access capabilities.

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

Posted in music players/speakers, smart home, TWICE | Tagged Atmos, Bluetooth speakers, Denon, Denon Home, HEOS | Leave a comment

OTC vs. Prescription Hearing Aids – Why the Price Gap Is So Big

Posted on 17 February 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

Why do prescription (Rx) hearing aids from an audiologist cost three to 30 times as much as their OTC counterparts? And why aren’t there OTC solutions for those with severe hearing loss?

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

Posted in OTC Hearing Aids, Techlicious | Tagged OTC hearing aids, prescription hearing aids | Leave a comment

Audien Atom X OTC Hearing Aids – Smart Case Controls, So-So Sound

Posted on 17 February 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

At first, I thought the on-case touch remote controls on Audien’s new Atom X OTC hearing aids ($389) were just a gimmick to differentiate them from other non-self-fitting budget over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.

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

Posted in ear/headphones, OTC Hearing Aids, Techlicious | Tagged Atom X, Audien, OTC hearing aid | Leave a comment

Sony’s New Flagship XM6 Earbuds, OWS LinkBuds Launched

Posted on 13 February 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

New flagship WF1000XM6 earbuds are almost a complete inside-out redesign of Sony’s three-year-old XM5; new LinkBuds Clip expand Sony’s presence in growing OWS earbud market.

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

Posted in ear/headphones, TWICE | Tagged earbuds, LinkBuds, OWS, Sony, WF1000, XM6 | Leave a comment

Tech Safety Tips If You’re Attending a Protest

Posted on 12 February 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

If you’re protesting for or against a meaningful social or political issue, preparation shouldn’t stop at signs and slogans. Your phone holds your photos, messages, contacts, and location history. Protecting that data – and your device – matters.

This guide is focused on digital and personal safety. It is not about tactics or escalation. The goal is to help you protect your data, your device, and your well-being while exercising your rights peacefully.

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

Posted in Android, Apple, cell/smartphones, Techlicious | Tagged dashcam, flashlights, gas mask, mobile charging, personal cloud, protest, touchscreen gloves, VPN | Leave a comment

HP AI Makes Consumer And Enterprise Printers Smarter

Posted on 26 January 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

Hoping to address numerous consumer and corporate printing pain points, HP rolls out the first phase of AI to bring more intuitive functionality and management to all its new printers.

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

Posted in home office, TWICE | Tagged AI, HP, printers | Leave a comment

JBL Begins Rollout Of Next-Gen Headphone, Earbud Lines

Posted on 26 January 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

New 2026 wireless and wired models in Tune, Endurance, Soundgear, Sense, Quantum, “powered by proprietary technology and next-generation models with game-changing advancements”.

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

Posted in ear/headphones, TWICE | Tagged earbuds, Endurance, headphones, JBL, quantum, Sense, Soundgear, Tune | Leave a comment

Horizon Go 7 IX Review: Why Prescription Hearing Aids Still Matter

Posted on 21 January 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

Normally, we wouldn’t review prescription hearing aids, the $4,000-plus models you’d be tested and fitted for and by an audiologist. But this is less a review of the Horizon Go 7 IX over-the-ear (what hear.com calls BTE, or behind-the-ear, aka receiver-in-canal, or RIC) hearing aids and more of a review of the hear.com At Home Kit: essentially, an audiologist in a box.

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

Posted in OTC Hearing Aids, Techlicious | Tagged At Home Kit, hear.com, Horizon, prescription hearing aid | Leave a comment

HotLogic Looks To Reinvent Cooking In AI Age

Posted on 12 January 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

After years selling in the commercial and industrial breakroom cooking space, HotLogic is bringing its pain-free SmartShelf Oven to retail.

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

Posted in smart home, TWICE | Tagged AI, Hotlogic, smart appliance, smart oven | Leave a comment

Caterpillar Keynote at CES: We Build the Invisible Layer of the Tech Stack

Posted on 7 January 2026 by Stewart Wolpin

Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed describes how his company uses AI to make their assets smarter and safer.

Read the rest of this CES 2026 report here at TWICE.com.

Posted in CES, TWICE | Tagged AI, Caterpillar, CES, CES 2026 | Leave a comment

Stewart Wolpin

• Scroll Down PAST HISTORIES For Most Recent Posts •

CTA Centennial

Happy 100th Birthday, Consumer Technology Business

How the Consumer Technology Industry Was Born

Denon Debuts Next-Gen ‘Home’ BT Speakers With Spatial Audio

OTC vs. Prescription Hearing Aids – Why the Price Gap Is So Big

Audien Atom X OTC Hearing Aids – Smart Case Controls, So-So Sound

Sony’s New Flagship XM6 Earbuds, OWS LinkBuds Launched

Tech Safety Tips If You’re Attending a Protest

HP AI Makes Consumer And Enterprise Printers Smarter

JBL Begins Rollout Of Next-Gen Headphone, Earbud Lines

Horizon Go 7 IX Review: Why Prescription Hearing Aids Still Matter

HotLogic Looks To Reinvent Cooking In AI Age

Caterpillar Keynote at CES: We Build the Invisible Layer of the Tech Stack

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