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Consumer Electronics Daily News 2 1 Friday, January 11, 2019 Innovating Excellence: New Products from Scosche Industries Scosche defines what it means to be innovative by creating award-winning accessories in the car audio, powersports and consumer technology arenas. Every year, Scosche strives to surprise and delight by launching new designs at CES, and this year is no exception. Visit booth #31106 in the South Upper Hall to see the latest products, including the following: BTFreq Small but mighty, this device is a 2019 CES Innovations Award winner. It adds a wealth of technology features to vehicles, including Alexa, Amazon's voice-con- trolled personal assistant. The BTFreq Bluetooth enables your vehicle for hands-free calling and to stream music through your vehicle's sound system. It's also a powerful dual charger with one USB-A 12-watt port and one USB-C 18- watt Power Delivery port. BaseLynx BaseLynx is a customizable, modular, multi-device charging and organizational station. All of the connected bases (com- bined) can be powered by a single AC outlet. BaseLynx lets you link together multiple configurations based on your individual charging and organizational needs. Or, you have the option of using each component individually. Pick from and link together any configuration of the Qi wireless fast charging (up to 10 watts) dock, Apple Watch dock, a three-device vertical power station dock and a combina- tion 18-watt USB-C PD/12W USB-A end cap. EliteGrip The EliteGrip recog- nizes when the charg- ing coil in your phone is perfectly aligned with the Qi charger. The alignment automatically activates motorized arms to gently close and hold your device securely while you drive. A built-in thermal management gap between the phone and charger allows heat from your device to disperse and be replaced by cooler air. The EliteGrip delivers up to 10 watts and supports Apple and Samsung Fast Charge. The auto-dimming LED light ring provides a soft blue glow during charging. Its maneuverable dual-pivot articulated base holds the charger securely and with the perfect viewing angle. MagicMount Direct Fit Qi There's no question that the Tesla 3 is a technology-rich car, yet it lacks a wireless phone charger. Scosche has a solution for that! The Scosche Direct Fit Qi Certified charging surface blends seamlessly with the Tesla's interi- or, delivers up to 10 watts of wireless charge, supports Apple and Samsung Fast Charge and provides Foreign Object Detection. And it's a Scosche MagicMount, with 100 percent device- safe neodymium magnets to hold your device securely while it charges, yet makes it easy to remove with one hand. For more information, stop by South Upper Hall booth #31106 or visit www.scosche.com. Digital Connectivity Revolutionizes Care for People with Hearing Loss Cochlear implants have improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the world by providing access to sound. A cochlear implant is an electron- ic device that stimulates the hearing nerve and provides sound signals directly to the brain, which is entirely different to the way hearing aids work. Many people with severe to pro- found hearing loss report difficulty con- versing with family members at dinner or participating in a meeting at work, but research studies have shown that adults with cochlear implants understand sen- tences on average almost seven times better than they could with hearing aids. With so many people relying on cochlear implant technology to live their daily lives, losing access to sound can be devastating in cases where a replacement sound processor is needed. Thankfully, Cochlear, the world's lead- ing manufacturer of cochlear implants, has introduced a cloud-based technolo- gy called Cochlear™ Link that allows Cochlear to remotely connect to a patient's hearing health provider, down- load the patient's personalized sound processor settings and send out a replacement sound processor…all in as little as 24 hours. "Cochlear is the world's leader in hearing implant technology, but our obli- gation to the customer doesn't end by just launching a new product in the market. We help reconnect people to sound, which often means that our products are an essential component of our customers' lives, and we do everything in our power to ensure that our cus- tomers never lose access to sound," said Craig Sharp, Group Product Manager of Connected Care at Cochlear. By minimizing the time it takes for patients to receive a replacement device, Cochlear Link dramatically reduces the stressful "off the air" period a patient can experience without their sound proces- sor, which is sometimes a period that is spent in total silence. It means patients can quickly get back to work or school, and carry on with their lives as usual. In addition, by utilizing secure cloud-based technology to transfer patient informa- tion between the clinic and Cochlear's service and repair center, Cochlear has been able to save clinics time and money by relieving them of the burden of having to field device service requests from patients, allowing them to spend more time on direct patient care. "Cochlear Link has been available in the U.S. since September 2015 and there are now close to 200 clinics using this service to benefit our cochlear implant customers across the United States," explained Sharp. "Service levels have improved to a point that now most service requests can be shipped to the patient within 1 busi- ness day, without the involvement of clinics." Find out more about Cochlear's clin- ical solutions and advanced innovations at booth #43931 in the Health & Wellness Marketplace. Find out more about Cochlear's clinical solutions and advanced innovations at booth #43931 in the Health & Wellness Marketplace, or for more information, visit cochlear.com/ces. The Zigbee Alliance and Thread Group Address IoT Industry Fragmentation The Zigbee Alliance and Thread Group announced the availability of the Dotdot specification over Thread's IP network. This is the first time developers can con- fidently use an established, open and interoperable IoT language over a low- power wireless IP network, which will help unify the fragmented connected device industry and unlock new mar- kets. "We're at an exciting point in the Smart Home where the broader con- sumer market is embracing mainstream connected products; 26 percent of con- sumers own a smart home device accord- ing to our new research," said Tom Kerber, Director of IoT Strategy at Parks Associates. "To be competitive in a mar- ket where consumers will rely on these devices for years to come, companies must take a long-term view, aligning with technologies that will enable innovation and interoperability, and continue to deliver on the promise of the IoT for every stakeholder." Dotdot is the Zigbee Alliance's uni- versal language for the IoT, making it possible for smart objects to work togeth- er on any network. Thread is the Thread Group's open, IPv6-based, low-power, secure and future-proof mesh networking technology for IoT products. These two leading organizations have come together to deliver a mature, scalable solution for IoT interoperability that isn't confined to single-vendor ecosystems or technolo- gies . Delivering on the Promise of the IoT The early internet faced the same chal- lenges as today's IoT. Currently, connect- ed devices can struggle to deliver a seam- less experience because they speak dif- ferent languages (or in technical terms, use different "application layers"). For the internet, the industry solved this problem with open, universal protocols over IP – a combination that unlocked and accelerated innovation. Dotdot's common device language over Thread's IP network extends this same proven approach to the Internet of Things. With Dotdot over Thread, product and plat- form vendors can ensure the high-quality, interoperable user experiences needed to drive growth, while IP allows vendors to maintain a direct connection to their device – and their customers. Simplified Product Development with Mature Technologies and Diverse Supply Chains It's important to note that Dotdot over Thread is not another new standard. Dotdot enables the open, mature and already widely adopted application layer at the heart of Zigbee to work across Thread's IP network – the same network technology fundamental to the internet. For product managers, new standards represent risk. Dotdot and Thread are backed by global, industry-leading com- panies and represent two of the most robust, widely deployed and well-sup- ported connectivity and interoperability technologies, driving billions of products and networks already in homes and offices. "Zigbee and Dotdot are the product of 15 years of innovation by our mem- bers, and the experience that comes from over a decade of building success- ful products," said Tobin Richardson, Zigbee Alliance President and Chief Executive Officer. "This maturity is why major technology leaders have cho- sen Zigbee, and Dotdot over Thread now brings that value to new markets. This marks the first of many partner- ships to come as we extend our applica- tion layer across additional networks to accelerate time to market and unify the IoT for all stakeholders."