Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/620706
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 7 7 F r i d a y, J a n u a r y 8 , 2 0 1 6 young, healthy and tech savvy. Those who could truly benefit from wearables – older adults – were not users. We wanted to change that – and are doing so with the launch of the Lively Wearable. CEDN: What makes it unique? DI: We're bringing together the health benefits of an activity tracker with the safety advantages of our 5Star service. We know that older adults want to retain their independence as long as possible and we create products and services that enable them to do so. The key is easy access to the technology – removing the barriers – and connecting the family care- giver to the data. We do this in a way that is inclusive, without being intrusive on the privacy of the older adult. This is crit- ical to adoption. CEDN: How does it work? DI: The Lively Wearable can be worn with either the wristband or lanyard and pairs with an Android smartphone via Bluetooth. The device tracks the user's steps and features a one-touch button to connect to our 5Star service and its team of highly trained agents in emergency sit- uations. It's always-on, simple user inter- face is waterproof and has up to six months of battery life so it can truly be part of a more active lifestyle. CEDN: Does it work differently when worn on the lanyard? DI: When worn with the lanyard, the Lively Wearable's accelerometer provides auto- matic fall detection, another safety feature. CEDN: Do you expect users to wear this every day? GreatCall (Cont'd. from p. 1) DI: Yes. We want our users to stay engaged with the device, so we've devel- oped an entertaining app using gaming mechanics that pairs with the device. The user selects from daily physical and men- tal challenges like step goals or brain games. Themed around travel, the Lively app challenges the user to stay active and involved. CEDN: Where does the family caregiver come in to the process? DI: Family caregivers are involved through the Link app. By staying con- nected to the older family member on his or her virtual journey, they can applaud positive events and sent messages of encouragement. As well, the family care- giver is alerted if the user presses the but- ton to call for help. CEDN: Is the Lively Wearable avail- able now? DI: We're currently in pre-sale, with orders being taken for delivery Spring 2016. More information is available at www.greatcall.com/wearable. CEDN: How does the device fit into GreatCall's product portfolio? What else is happening this year? DI: We will be updating all of our prod- ucts – the Splash, Jitterbug5 and Touch smartphone. Our goal is to ensure they fit the needs of our target customer – the older adults and their family caregivers. The introduction of the Lively Wearable is the first step in the development of a connected health portfolio for this rapid- ly growing demographic. For more information, visit www.great call.com. loyalty. Ship From Store Retailers nationwide are working in an omnichannel environment to provide consumers with a seamless experience, whether shopping online or in store. To better serve consumers and increase profits, many businesses are turning to a "Ship-From-Store" solution. The the- ory behind the trend is to make more efficient use of retail space and exist- ing inventory by turning stores into distribution centers. It also eliminates the need to discount items that may not be selling at one location but are in high demand in a different part of the country. The Postal Service has created a cus- tomized ship-from-store solution that we are implementing with customers across the United States. Our team of experts takes customers through the process of integrating USPS shipping into their existing warehouse management system and collaborates with local operations and the customer to develop a pickup plan that works around the stores' opera- tional schedules. Since Priority Mail and other USPS shipping solutions have no surcharges for fuel, residential or rural deliveries, many retailers are making the switch. Add Saturday delivery to the mix and you can see why our Ship-From-Store solution is a big hit with retailers serving a demand- ing consumer market. Sunday Delivery With Sunday Delivery, the USPS is USPS (Cont'd. from p. 1) helping retailers surprise and delight customers by adding another weekend day of delivery. This allows consumers to enjoy their orders when they are home on the weekends or to receive shipments needed for Monday's busi- ness day. That improved customer experience helps retailers build the kind of loyalty that lasts with their customer base. Metro Post Another pilot project in New York City, with the potential to expand to other major metropolitan areas, offers same day delivery for a variety of household and office products. Through the Metro Post market test, participating eCommerce companies can offer their customers same-day delivery. Eligible customers within a specified area of des- ignated ZIP codes in the market test area may participate. Deliveries are made into the evening by uniformed Postal Service carriers. What's Next? Developing exciting, value-add solutions is vital to the USPS goals of expanding customer access and achieving financial sustainability. We already have the infra- structure in place to deliver this premium service. Finally, as we speed the pace of innovation, we are also designing and implementing pilot projects centered around better serving our customers' needs. For more information, visit booth #31026 and talk with a USPS subject matter expert. security solution in order to protect more aspects of our daily lives – maintaining no monthly charge. We will also be unveiling a new way to store images and videos onto the cloud for free – I believe this will be a game changer in our indus- try. Our new products will be on display at The Westgate Suite #430. CEDN: Tell our readers about a few exciting, up and coming products from ALC. JW: We have developed a small form factor, truly wireless portable camera that the end users can easily install any- where, and the batteries will last up to one year. It also comes with an option to put your motion-recorded files onto the cloud for free (or you may opt for only local recording as well). Whenever the camera detects an event, it will auto- matically record for five seconds, and notify you via your smartphone. The user has the option to check out the live view right then, or check out the record- ing on your local SD card or even cloud. Another product we have coming up is the second generation of our best-sell- ing Observer system – a truly plug-n-play monitoring kit with high definition dis- ALC (Cont'd. from p. 1) play. For users who want an easy system to setup that offers piece of mind, this is the perfect system. To install the system, just mount your cameras and plug in the power plugs – that's it. Not only does this system give you a dedicated touch screen so you always can keep an eye on the entry points to your house, but you may also view these cameras from your smart- phones or tablets when you're out and about. CEDN: How is ALC going to manage giving out monitoring and cloud services for free? JW: It is a natural progression of con- sumer electronics; the devices become more and more powerful, the cus- tomers expecting more and more, and costs become less and less. These services are free because nobody real- ly wants to pay for a monthly fee, and I consider these services to be basic and essential to users. Using that as the goal, we worked backward to explore our options. Though it may not generate us extra revenue, I do believe we will have happier customer – and that's a big part of ALC's com- pany policy. For more information, stop by The Westgate Suite #430. ways to enhance the experience with immersive content that provides a visually richer viewing experience and easy access to supplemental content. Finally, they are embracing an "agility- first mindset" of constantly improving the experience to ensure continued customer delight. That is why Ericsson is working with cable and telecom operators to explore a variety of technologies that help to build an exceptional media experience. Some of the technologies that we are exploring include high Ericsson (Cont'd. from p. 4) dynamic range (which presents media in a manner closely resembling how the human eye perceives images), immer- sive game playing and personalized content discovery. These and other technologies provide components that together enhance the media experience, build customer advocates, limit com- petitive alternative experiences and demonstrate how we are helping to turn viewers into their media provider's greatest fans. For more information, visit www .ericsson.com, call 972.583.4998 or stop by booth #10433. several media spots, including inter- views with the local NBC and FOX tel- evision affiliates as well as Colorado Public Radio. Cannon thinks highly of the Buds program, which has been in schools coast-to-coast. "It does a great job of cel- ebrating music, which everyone enjoys, while also urging kids to practice safe lis- tening." ASHA (Cont'd. from p. 4) It would help if manufacturers added some things to their products, Cannon says. "If personal listening devices came with volume monitors and time limit indicators, they would provide a warning to users and serve to raise awareness of the potential harm- ful effects of unsafe listening levels." For more information, visit www.asha.org, call 703.973.7744 or stop by booth #74748.