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C o n s u m e r E l e c t r o n i c s D a i l y N e w s E v e n i n g E x t r a 1 9 T h u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 7 , 2 0 1 6 JASCO'S MUST-SEE CONNECTED HOME SOLUTIONS AT CES 2016 Jasco has supplied products in numerous lifestyle categories throughout the past 40 years, with a focus on home automa- tion and an even bigger focus on cus- tomizing and simplifying people's lives at the same time. "Our job as a supplier is to make things easier to use and to simplify peo- ple's lives, not complicate them," said Cameron Trice, Jasco Chief Executive Officer. "This is especially important with small things, which connect your home and are the foundation of the Internet of Things. We're very good at the small things that have a big impact in your home." Jasco continues to showcase its lead- ership in the home automation market at the 2016 International CES. The Jasco Z- Wave ecosystem has increasingly grown and advanced with a full line of new GE branded Z-Wave Plus products being introduced at the Jasco connected home booth #9005. With the new Z-Wave Plus features and chipsets, consumers are now able to do more with home automation with unique product fea- tures not found in the mar- ket today. The new Z-Wave Plus products bring many upgraded features, including over-the-air updates (OTA), 50 percent more wireless range, a 250 percent faster processor, 400 percent more memory, 50 percent increased energy efficiency and backward compatibility with all of Z-Wave Classic products. "We have a philosophy of collabora- tion," Trice said. "Our primary focus in the connected home space is controlling and automating lights and providing enhanced energy savings and security, an area where we have demonstrated long-term leader- ship with the GE brand. From industry behemoths to startups, we partner with some of the best brands and most advanced players across platforms to bring people easy-to-use solu- tions they really want for their connected home." CES attendees have the opportunity to experience hands-on product demonstra- tions and learn more at the Jasco booth #9005 (Central Hall). You can also visit ezzwave.com and stay connected with Jasco by following @jascoproducts on Facebook and Twitter for more CES product updates and connected home announcements. GREATER COLLABORATION KEY TO SPREADING SAFE LISTENING MESSAGE Neil J. DiSarno, PhD, CCC (Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology), Chief Staff Officer, Audiology for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) recently attended a meeting he believes featured uncommon participants and discussion. "The dialogue allowed manufactur- ers to learn about the effects of unsafe lis- tening on hearing abilities," he recalls. Convened last fall by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partner- ship with the International Telecommunications Union, the meeting brought together Dr. DiSarno and other audiologists, plus researchers, sound engineers and manufacturers. They gath- ered at WHO headquarters in Geneva to discuss how the public is using personal listening devices, and the potential for mechanisms and technology that could reduce exposure to unsafe sound levels. The gathering was part of a broader WHO 2015 initiative to raise awareness about the risk of noise-induced hearing loss. According to the global health agency, one billion young people world- wide are at risk because of unsafe listen- ing behaviors that include misuse of personal listen- ing devices. WHO is so concerned that it launched Make Listening Safe, a campaign that promotes healthier listen- ing habits. Prompted by its knowledge of ASHA's own long-standing campaign along the same lines, Listen To Your Buds (www.asha.org/buds), WHO invited ASHA to collaborate on the development and execution of Make Listening Safe. "As it is now, there are many young people who have sustained hearing impairment from unsafe listening," Dr. DiSarno says. "Their hearing levels mimic those of older adults." He adds that this does not bode well since hearing loss can be detrimental to a person's quality of life, holding them back aca- demically, economically and socially. At this writing, post-Geneva meeting steps had yet to emerge. However, Dr. DiSarno believes WHO's achievement bringing together such a diverse and influential group has already succeeded not only by highlighting a health topic that warrants much greater attention, but also by throwing open the door to collaboration among meeting attendees. Dr. DiSarno says, "If our respective entities and constituencies became active bearers of the safe listen- ing message, it would stand a much bet- ter chance of being heard, accepted and practiced worldwide." For more information, visit www.asha.org, call 703.973.7744 or stop by booth #74748. control their garage doors from a remote location. With the addition of an optional Garage Door Sensor, users can receive unlimited notifications if the status of their garage door changes. This function- ality is extended by infrared night vision, allowing users to monitor their garage area in the dark. And anyone going away for a while can create a separate family account for family and friends. Upon return, users can simply delete the account to remove access. Asante also provides the best remote irrigation controllers on the market. The Asante Irrigation Controller Kit's sophis- ticated customization functions allow users to manage multiple landscape zones and pre-designate seasonal irriga- tion programs. The Smart Weather Forecast checks the probability of precip- itation in users' areas and adjust the con- troller accordingly. Your landscape will always be taken care of, even if you're out of the country. Asante (Cont'd. from p. 1) The Asante Smoke Detector Kit remotely alerts users during a fire hazard, in addition to functioning as a traditional alarm. Friends and family can also moni- tor and receive notifications so that they are prepared to help in case of an emer- gency. Like the Garage Door Opener, users can create a separate account for family so they are prepared to help in the case of an emergency. All of these kits complement the Asante Home Extender. All add-on devices, such as the Irrigation Controller, Garage Door Camera and Smoke Detector communicate and coordinate wirelessly with the Asante Home Extender. There is no need to manually configure these devices; they work in sync through a home or personal router. The Asante Home Extender was developed to simpli- fy home security for minimal installation time and maximum efficiency. For more information, visit booth #70749, call 408.435.8388 or visit www.asante.com.