Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/300987
H a rd wa re & H o u s e wa re s Re vi e w W e d n e s d a y, M a y 7 , 2 0 1 4 1 6 THE FUTURE OF CONNECTED GRILLING Imagine knowing when your steak is cooked to the perfect temperature right from your smartphone or tablet. Tech start-up, iDevices ® LLC, from Avon, Conn., is making desires like this a reali- ty with their growing line of connected grilling products including the iGrill ® 2, iGrillmini and iLP ® . The app-enablement company launched five new Bluetooth Smart con- nected products at CES 2014, and is showcasing all five products at the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas. Visit their booth for a one-on-one tour of their latest connected grilling and cook- ing products. The iGrill products are Bluetooth connected meat thermometers that let grillers and smokers get out of the heat and monitor the temperature of their steak from the couch. The iGrill2 retails for $99.99, and can monitor up to four temperatures simultaneously, while the smaller, single probe version iGrillmini retails for $39.99 and is sold with Lowes and Apple. Both of these products work with the iDevices Connected app which has preset tem- perature alarms, exclusive recipes, social sharing, graphing and more. iLP is a Bluetooth connected liq- uid propane monitor that magnetizes to the bottom of your grills' propane tank, so you can keep a close eye on when you need a refill. Within the free iDevices Connected app, users will be able to estimate how long they can cook for with their current level of propane as well as find local refill locations. This product will be avail- able in Q3 of 2014. The iDevices Kitchen Thermometer products are specifically designed for indoor cooking with a modern and sleek appearance. These products are Bluetooth Smart cooking thermometers that give any level chef the peace-of- mind that their food is being cooked to the optimal temperature. The full version Kitchen Thermometer monitors two tem- peratures simultaneously, and retails for $79.99 with Apple. The miniature ver- sion, Kitchen Thermometer mini, retails for $39.99. All new products work with the iDevices Connected app for iOS devices, available free in the App Store. An Android app will be released in August 2014. The Kitchen Thermometer and iGrill products can be purchased from iDevicesinc.com. Visit iDevices at booth 12074. For more information, go to www.iDevicesinc.com, call 860-352-5257 or email LianneKersey@iDevicesinc.com. RUBBER DUCKIE & FRIENDS FROM CONSERVCO ARE GOOD CLEAN FUN Rubber Duckie & Friends™ are adorable gentle-flow bath and shower wands for kids, and are designed to help parents solve three universal problems: some kids don't like to bathe; some kids are intimidated by having shampoo rinsed from their hair; and for some kids, the transition from taking a bath to taking a shower is scary. Rubber Duckie & Friends make it fun for kids to bathe, so it's easier to get them in the tub in the first place. Each wand offers a very soft, gentle spray pat- tern and low 1.5 gpm flow rate, so rins- ing doesn't hurt and is not intimidating. Rubber Duckie & Friends also help kids easily make the transition to taking show- ers on their own, because they're fun and adorable. Rubber Duckie & Friends turns bath time into Good Clean Fun! In general, parents use a cup to rinse shampoo out of their childrens' hair, or dunk their heads under water or under the running tub-spout. Each of these methods is traumatic for young children. Rubber Duckie & Friends eliminate the anguish, tears and trauma of taking a bath. Then, as they grow and transition to taking showers on their own, Rubber Duckie & Friends become their first very-own shower head. Rubber Duckie & Friends are perfect for bathing infants and toddlers in the tub, and also act as handheld showerheads for older kids. Each kit comes complete with shower wand, movable mount, 6- foot universal hose, two- way water flow diverter and plumber's tape for easy installation. Rubber suction cups on the mount and extra-long 6-foot hose make Rubber Duckie & Friends completely movable anywhere in the tub or shower! Diverter switches water flow from mom and dad's showerhead to Rubber Duckie & Friends. For parents with kids that are still taking baths and for parents with older children that are tran- sitioning to taking showers, Rubber Duckie & Friends is the only bath product available that accommodates both age groups. There are five adorable char- acters to choose from: Duckie the Duck, Froggie the Frog, Hippie the Hippo, Dollie the Dolphin and Rickie the Rhino. Visit ConservCo at booth 2510. For more information, call 775-747-3333, email sales@conservco.us or go online to www.conservco.us. THE COMPANION GROUP CELEBRATES 30 YEARS By Niki Gross, Marketing Communications Manager 2014 is a special year for The Companion Group – it's the year we celebrate 30 years in business! Since our inception, we have evolved into a "Family of Brands," boasting over 60 patents (with more pending), and over 500 products. Charcoal Companion ® , pizzacraft ® , Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue™, Planet Barbecue™ and Patio Companion ® were all created to repre- sent a wide selection of quality home cooking products for the barbecue grill and indoor oven. Our Patio Companion line of outdoor decorative lighting and accessories is focused on trends, also known as "fashion citronella." Our product lines have a large mar- ket presence and are sold through a vari- ety of channels of trade. We are a leader in innovation for barbecue accessories, and some of our most exciting products have garnered industry awards. Over the years, we've been fortunate to earn the repeat business of many customers, including some of the nation's largest – and smallest – companies. We also offer extensive private label services to create unparalleled customized programs built on the foun- dation of strong store brand recognition. We thrive on commitment to creative and innovative design, unique licensing- partnerships, superior communication and service, and well- developed retail solutions for an ever- changing marketplace. Treating people right is fundamental to how we do business. We treat our cus- tomers how we want to be treated. We listen to customer concerns and feedback – we're only a phone call or email away! We treat each other like family, and we treat ourselves to a good day's work and regular vacations. Our goals have always been the same: have fun, do exceptional work, build the best products in the busi- ness, experiment, pay attention to the details, treat people right, tell the truth and keep learning. We strive to stay on the cutting edge of grilling indus- try trends with unique prod- ucts that help to make barbe- cue convenient and efficient. We now also offer a complete line of pizza making accessories for home and commercial use, as well as a portable outdoor pizza oven for a fraction of the cost of a traditional wood-burning oven. We have many more exciting endeavors in our future. We're not just a 'family of brands;' we are a family. Visit The Companion Group at booth 11207. For more information, go to www.companion-group.com, call 800- 521-0505 or email marketing@ companion-group.com. NEW BLUE VIPER MAKES WEED SPRAYING EASY By Danielle Paluchniak, President, Wabash Valley Farms, Inc. The Blue Viper is coiled and ready to strike as the hottest new lawn and garden product of the year. Perfect for every homeowner, the Blue Viper targets weeds with pinpoint accuracy. Its lightweight construction and ergonomic design make it extremely easy to use, especially for the ever-grow- ing senior and baby boomer market. The Blue Viper eliminates the pain homeowners feel when spraying grass and weed killer: no more aching hands from constant squeezing or pumping of applicators; no more stinging backs from endless bending and twisting to spray hard-to-reach weeds; and no more throb- bing shoulders from carrying gallons of weed killer. The Blue Viper uses a small, power- ful and highly efficient electric motor to pump weed killer from its 16-ounce con- tainer. The weed killer is pushed by the motor through a specially designed noz- zle that sprays an exact amount of weed killer in each burst. The patent-pending misting nozzle and conical hood assem- bly requires only a fraction of the weed killer of a typical sprayer. Thus, it elimi- nates waste, which is better for con- sumers' pocketbooks. Plus, the Blue Viper is great for the environment. The hood and precision nozzle system greatly reduces the waste of weed killer. The patented Blue Viper Disappearing Dye clearly marks its tar- get, letting you see exactly where you spray and preventing over-spraying. The dye soon disappears, leaving no blue spots behind. "The Blue Viper Disappearing Dye is a neat complement to the Blue Viper weed sprayer," said Mike Williams, inventor of the Blue Viper and owner of the company. "The spe- cially formulated and patented blue dye can be added to virtually any weed killer. Once added, the user can tell exactly where they have sprayed. Then, when the job is done, sun or rain will dissipate the dye. The dye, nozzle and hood combine to make the Blue Viper on trend environmentally. Simply, the Blue Viper uses less weed killer, but it kills weeds effectively. By using less weed killer, the Blue Viper reduces cost – you have to purchase less weed killer." The Blue Viper is perfect for hard- to-reach weeds in flower beds and veg- etable gardens, or around trees and bush- es and other difficult to get to areas. It is also a perfect tool for use as an edger along fences, house foundations, drive- ways or walkways, or to kill weeds in patios or gravel. Visit booth 10573 to see a demonstration of the new Blue Viper weed sprayer. For more information, go to www.wabashval- leyfarms.com, call 219-232-4930 or email danip@wabashvalleyfarms.com.