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Consumer Electronics Daily News 3 7 Thursday, January 5, 2017 PREMIUM VOICE-ACTIVATED SPEAKER CONCEPT Voice activation in IoT (Internet of Things) products has grown significantly over the past two-plus years. Amazon set the standard with Echo, its first voice- activated speaker, from an engineering and user experience perspective. Other companies followed, integrating voice activation into their own IoT products. As companies not traditionally associat- ed with audio technologies continue to integrate voice activation, two things are clear. One, there's an ongoing shift in user experience design from physical buttons to voice control. Two, companies planning to integrate voice activation need to quickly come up to speed on audio technologies to compete as thought leaders, rather than followers. As a full-service product develop- ment firm that has helped design and ship over 400 CE products, SurfaceInk knows an investment to support this market shift towards voice activation was necessary. It has brought on experienced audio engi- neers and formed strategic partnerships with some of the largest audio hardware and software companies in the world, including Cirrus Logic. The company decided it would be an interesting challenge to create a premium voice-activated speaker concept to stimu- late category innovation and demonstrate its capabilities. Having used and torn down many of today's voice-activated speaker products, it has identified a few opportunities with respect to audio quali- ty and aesthetics. Most current voice- interactive speaker products feature small speakers with limited bandwidth, and while some feature stereo capability, their speakers are so close together it results in an unbalanced soundstage. Since many people use these products for music playback, the company thought it bene- ficial to add high-end audio performance with true stereo separation. Additionally, while most IoT speaker prod- ucts target home users, their "techy" aesthetics often fail to blend into a typical home environment. As audio enthusiasts, SurfaceInk set out to address these issues and build a voice interactive speaker with great audio performance that was less CE ori- ented and more aligned with traditional home décor. Starting with audio perform- ance, it wanted to represent as much of the audible bandwidth as it could in a small form factor. While not a subwoofer, the design allows for faithful reproduc- tion of frequencies down to around 70Hz. It worked carefully to balance the high and low frequency drivers by using an active crossover and equalization topolo- gy. Next, it divided the system into two separate speakers to achieve true stereo with great sound staging. With its audio architec- ture established, the compa- ny began to explore indus- trial design directions. It wanted its concept to visu- ally stand out and arrived at a simple form that relates directly to the speaker cone elements and evokes the notion of "projecting sound" across the room. From a material stand- point, it wanted to use something warm and authentic; more art and less tech. It considered concrete, glass and granite, but eventually selected porcelain due to its rigidity and beauty. Its premium look and feel is also better suited to home décor than plastic. The concept turned out just as SurfaceInk had hoped! The company invites you to come by Venetian suite #31-311 to see and hear the results. For more information, go to www .surfaceink.com or stop by Venetian suite #31-311. EYEQUE PERSONAL VISION TRACKER DEEMED MOST IMPRESSIVE PRODUCT IN CATEGORY EyeQue™, developer of affordable vision technologies, is named a CES 2017 Best of Innovation Awards Honoree for the EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker™. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent indus- trial designers, independent engineers and members of the trade media to honor outstanding design and engineer- ing in cutting edge consumer electronics products across 28 product categories. The Best of Innovation honor is award- ed to the product that judges feel is the most impressive technology in its prod- uct category. The EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker is the first in-home vision testing solution to combine a cloud-based tech- nology platform, a smartphone applica- tion and a miniature optical scope to form a low-cost, uniquely precise option for people to gather corrective vision meas- urements whenever and wherever they choose. "We are delighted to receive the honor of Best of Innovation for the Personal Vision Tracker, adding to the overwhelmingly positive response we've received from consumers and the optometrist community since introducing the product last month," said Dr. John Serri, Co-founder of EyeQue. "We are eager to have people from all over the world try the Personal Vision Tracker for them- selves at CES." "Earning this coveted award for the Personal Vision Tracker serves as an acknowledgement of the absence of affordable, accessible vision testing solutions for the consumer market," said Tibor Laczay, Co-founder of EyeQue. "CES has a tremendous repu- tation for identifying game-changing consumer products. To be deemed the most impressive new product in the highly competitive Fitness, Sports and Biotech category is a testament to the global mission of our company – to pro- vide accurate, accessible and affordable vision testing." The prestigious CES Innovation Awards are sponsored by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the producer of CES 2017, the global gath- ering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, and have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976. Entries are evaluated on their engi- neering, aesthetic and design qualities, intended use/function and user value, unique/novel features present and how the design and innovation of the product directly compares to other products in the marketplace. About EyeQue EyeQue is on a global mission to elevate eye care. The company is dedicated to inspiring people to learn about and care for their eyes by putting affordable, accu- rate vision tests directly into their hands. The EyeQue optical miniscope and myEyeQue mobile application create an intelligent vision solution for anyone to use anywhere, at any time – convenient, low-cost and fun. Results are instantly processed and stored in the cloud, creat- ing a vision record history that can be shared with doctors and used immediate- ly to order corrective eye glasses. Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Tibor Laczay and Dr. John Serri, the company innovates from its Silicon Valley head- quarters. For more information, visit eyeque.com.