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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Should There be a Broadband New Deal?

Posted on 19 November 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

On a make-shift stage before 50,000 people in rural Barnesville, Georgia, the President of the United States stressed the importance of universal connectivity. He insisted that the lack of access to connectivity created “an economic unbalance in the nation as a whole…an unbalance that can and must be righted, righted for the sake of the…Nation.”

Read the rest of this column here at Digital Tech Consulting.

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Best Internet Providers in…

Posted on 9 November 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

Here are a series of examinations of the available ISPs in a number of disparate cities across the U.S. from U.S. News & World Report:

Best Internet Providers in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Best Internet Providers in Atlanta, Georgia

Best Internet Providers in Augusta, Georgia

Best Internet Providers in Austin, Texas

Best Internet Providers in Bakersfield, California

Best Internet Providers in Baltimore, Maryland

Best Internet Providers in Bellevue, Washington

Best Internet Providers in Blacksburg, Virginia

Best Internet Providers in Bloomington, Indiana

Best Internet Providers in Brooklyn, New York

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12 Useful Gifts Under $50

Posted on 5 November 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

A tight budget doesn’t mean you need to fill stockings with a funny coffee mug, socks, or an impersonal $25 Amazon gift card. Here are a dozen cool new gadgets for less than 50 bucks each.

Read all about these low-priced gift gadgets here at Techlicious.com.

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The best printer for 2020

Posted on 30 October 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

Yes, printers are still a thing, and they can even make a great gift. Despite the near ubiquity of digital displays — from phones to laptops to TVs — there are still times when you need a hard copy. Shopping for the best printer for your needs can be a bewildering process, however, given the sheer number of them in the market. The labyrinth of arcane model names and numbers, technical specs and variables can make printers particularly challenging to compare and contrast. 

Read the rest of this review roundup here at CNET.

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Review of the Kwikset Halo Smart Lock

Posted on 19 October 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

For the tech-phobic, Kwikset’s Halo is the simplest yet most complete smart lock available. Halo can be opened/operated via a PIN code, an app, or a standard physical key, for those naturally wary of no-key smart locks. Plus, unlike most smart locks, the Halo also includes built-in WiFi – no separate hub or bridge necessary – so you can unlock/lock and monitor it remotely. This makes Halo the only smart lock with both a physical key lock and built-in WiFi. But Halo isn’t complete. It lacks two features that are essential for the tech-savvy: proximity Bluetooth unlocking and geofencing-based auto-locking and unlocking.

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

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You Should Upgrade to iPhone 12, Here’s Why

Posted on 13 October 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

Usually, with new Apple iPhone introductions, the question is: “Is it worth upgrading?” But with the iPhone 12, the question of upgrading – even if you own an iPhone 11 – is moot. With 5G now available for iPhone, as well as a tougher screen, vastly improved cameras, clever snap-on cases, accessories, and faster and more accurate wireless chargers, it’s not a question of if you should upgrade, but to which iPhone 12 model – the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max.

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

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CTA Names 2020 Hall Of Fame Class, 3 Innovation Entrepreneurs

Posted on 28 August 2020 by Stewart Wolpin
Frank Conrad, Westinghouse engineer who designed the first consumer electronics product.
Frank Conrad, Westinghouse engineer who designed the RA/DA radio, the first consumer electronics device.

The engineer who designed the first consumer electronics product that birthed our industry a century ago, the two computer programmers who have been dubbed the “Fathers of the Internet,” the executive who energized Sony and Sirius XM satellite radio, and a group of entrepreneurs inventing the future are among the group of geniuses and luminaries honored by CTA in its annual class of Hall of Fame inductees and Innovation Entrepreneurs.

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

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What Will A Virtual CES Look Like?

Posted on 27 August 2020 by Stewart Wolpin

That collective sigh of relief expelled by prospective attendees in the wake of CTA’s decision to hold CES virtually was accompanied by an exasperated “What do we do now?” response by exhibitors.

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

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