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Consumer Electronics Daily News Thursday, January 5, 2017 2 4 FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW MEMBERS The Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), a leading Internet of Things (IoT) standards body, announced the addition of 68 new member organiza- tions including Haier Group, LG Electronics and NETGEAR, Inc., growing membership to more than 300 companies. As one of the biggest IoT consortiums, this surge in membership follows the announcement that OCF and the AllSeen Alliance merged under the OCF name and bylaws with the mutual goal of creating a common IoT standard. With analysts predicting more than 25 billion devices by 2020, the need to ensure interoperability is greater than ever. OCF is doing its part through industry consolidation and more than 15 strategic liaisons with industry lead- ing organizations including Thread Group and the Industrial Internet Consortium. OCF also continues to make it easier than ever to certify prod- ucts, recently opening six labs across the globe. "We're very excited to see the indus- try's response to the merger, which has inspired nearly 70 new companies to work with us to develop a common stan- dard for IoT," said Dr. Matthew Perry, newly appointed President of Open Connectivity Foundation. "The addition of these new members makes OCF one of the largest consortiums in the industry, furthering our ability to create open and free IoT standards that allow organiza- tions to provide fully interoperable prod- ucts to consumers." In addition, OCF is announcing two new directors that were elected to repre- sent its Platinum member companies – Anoop Mohan, Vice President of Product, XFINITY Home for Comcast, and Olivier Carmona, Director of Business Development for AwoX. They will serve a two-year term. OCF is at CES demonstrating prod- ucts across a variety of industries, includ- ing smart home, automotive and health- care. It will have interop zones that show how IoT comes to life in living rooms, kitchens and connected cars. About Open Connectivity Foundation Billions of connected devices (devices, phones, computers and sensors) should be able to communicate with one another regardless of manufacturer, operating system, chipset or physical transport. The Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) is creating a specification and sponsoring an open source project to make this pos- sible. OCF will unlock the massive opportunity in the IoT market, accelerate industry innovation and help developers and companies create solutions that map to a single open specification. OCF will help ensure secure interoperability for consumers, business, and industry. The AllSeen Alliance now operates under the Open Connectivity Foundation. For more information, visit www.open connectivity.org. IOGEAR LAUNCHES INDUSTRY-FIRST THUNDERBOLT 2 KVM/DOCKING STATION IOGEAR, a manufacturer of innovative information technology products for con- sumers and small- to medium-sized busi- nesses, today announced the launch of the IOGEAR Thunderbolt 2 KVM/Docking Station (GTD732). The GTD732 is the industry's first product to combine a Thunderbolt 2 docking station and a KVM switch and enables users to easily establish and share a complete, full-featured workstation between two Thunderbolt 2-enabled computers. The GTD732, which has been named a CES 2017 Innovations Award Honoree, enables users to enjoy the flexibility and mobility of laptop com- puting and the performance and con- venience of a full workstation. With the simple push of a button, the GTD732 enables two Thunderbolt 2-enabled computers to share peripherals and Thunderbolt 2 devices, minimizing required desktop space and reducing capital expenses. In addition to the abil- ity to daisy chain up to four additional Thunderbolt devices, the GTD732 enables users to connect up to 11 devices and peripherals, such as exter- nal monitors, USB drives, printers, IP cameras, and a keyboard and mouse. The product is TAA compliant making it suitable for use by government agen- cies. Key Features of the Thunderbolt 2 KVM/Docking Station Sleek Full-Featured Docking Station – integrated three-port USB 3.0 and two- port USB 2.0 hub for external USB drives, cameras and phones; supports dual displays with HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 monitors with support for 4k (UHD) resolution; optical audio-in and audio-out ports provide 5.1 digital audio; eSATA interface; and a RJ-45 Gigabit LAN port. Share Peripherals Between Two Computers – the integrated KVM switch enables two Thunderbolt- enabled computers to easily share con- nected resources with the push of a but- ton, saving money and desktop space required by duplicate peripherals and resources. Blazing-Fast Speed – data transfer rate of up to 20Gbps is four times faster than USB 3.0 and 40 times faster than USB 2.0; Gigabit Ethernet port enables computers to share reliable, wired Gigabit connectivity to the network. Unparalleled Expandability – utiliz- ing one Thunderbolt 2 port on the dock- ing station, users can connect up to a total of four additional Thunderbolt-enabled devices such as an external disk array, video capture appliance, or Thunderbolt monitor. "The GTD732 gives mobile profes- sionals the best of both worlds, enabling them to enjoy the flexibility and conven- ience of mobile computing, without hav- ing to sacrifice the performance and capabilities of a full workstation," explained David Lin, Product Manager at IOGEAR. "This product is ideal for organizations in industries such as video production, finance and graphic design which often require the use of multiple computers and can benefit by sharing resources and peripherals to maximize limited desktop space and reduce capital expenditures." The IOGEAR Thunderbolt 2 KVM/Docking Station carries a limited one-year warranty and is available now at a MSRP of $399.95. About IOGEAR IOGEAR, an ATEN Technology Company headquartered in Irvine, California, manufactures innovative information technology products for con- sumers and small- to medium-sized busi- nesses that are designed to help integrate technologies in everyday life, share resources and decrease clutter at home, at work and on-the-go. IOGEAR provides consumers, small office/home office (SOHO) users, and small and medium sized business (SMB) customers with attractive, reliable, high- performance products and solutions that help them connect their devices to improve productivity and efficiency. IOGEAR distributes throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information on IOGEAR solu- tions, visit www.iogear.com.