Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/765783
Consumer Electronics Daily News 3 7 Saturday, January 7, 2017 SURFACEINK'S TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL WEARABLE The wearable industry is a hot space and a crowded market, but that doesn't mean you should be dissuaded from entering it. SurfaceInk, a leading provider of con- sumer device engineering and product development services since 1999, has worked with some of the biggest names in the wearable space, shipping over 20 wrist, badge, jewelry, head and body wearable products. The company has compiled a few tips for those looking to make their mark as a wearable player. A Wearable is Not Your Typical Product There are many unique challenges to consider with a wearable, from how the device fits or complies with the individ- ual and the vast differences across the population and different demographics, to how communications are affected by the proximity to the body as well as how material selection should be influenced by specific demographic requirements. You also need to weigh how different people and groups view wearables in the context of fashion beyond just a func- tional electronics device. Each of the above dynamics plays out in a multitude of ways across the development and product planning process. Stand Out in the Crowd Your wearable needs to solve a problem and you need to focus on making sure that you can do it better than anyone else. Your device has to work well, be com- fortable, be adopted and be used consis- tently over time. How to reach those often-conflicting goals is the challenge SurfaceInk strives to achieve together with its clients and its partners. Another thing: develop a great brand. Know that you will either have to devel- op your own ecosystem, which is incredibly challeng- ing, or integrate into the greater existing ecosystem(s). Balance Style and Substance Elegant and intentional solu- tions focused on specific problems to be solved are the way to go, but keep in mind that style is a substance on its own. Brand is often greatly influenced by style, which is usually best served by fashion rather than fad. If the users can't see them- selves wearing a wearable, then you are probably in a lot of trouble in generating revenue. Build Your Business, Not Just a Product A bad business can destroy a great product. When SurfaceInk looks to partner with a company, it isn't just looking at the product vision. It can typically solve how the product is developed and help with how it gets manufactured. It is looking beyond the product for the right founders, the right idea, the right business model, the ability to get capital, the right go-to-mar- ket strategy, etc. Its vetting process is very closely aligned with how venture capital or contract manu- facturing evaluates companies with whom they want do business. It is looking for the complete package: a successful product and a successful business. To learn more about SurfaceInk and how it approaches new product development for wearables on specific areas of the body and the Body Area Network (BAN) in general, stop by Venetian suite #31- 311. For more information, go to www .surfaceink.com or stop by Venetian suite #31-311. GIGASTONE IPHONE FLASH DRIVES PROTECT IPHONE AND IPAD DATA FROM HACKERS AND DDOS ATTACKS Gigastone, the Leading Global Mobile Technology Accessory Brand, announced its Apple iOS Flash Drives and Micro SD Card Readers, available for purchase at leading big-box stores and online, can be effectively used to secure your personal data from online hackers and DDoS attacks. iPhone and iPad users may be afraid their data is not secure, after the proliferation of hacking attacks in past months. Dyn, a company that routes internet traffic, sustained a massive cyber attack which prevented Twitter, Spotify, Netfix, Amazon, Tumblr, Reddit and Paypal users from accessing the sites. This is especially alarming for the general public who are storing all their information in the cloud. In the event that cloud storage solutions are rendered inaccessible, data cannot be retrieved. Harold Katz, Gigastone Chief Marketing Officer, commented, "As a result of the limited memory capacity of iPhones and iPads, users are already faced with having to store much of their data offline in the cloud. In a situation where the cloud services are not avail- able, their data is no longer accessible. The best way to prevent this would be to backup and store critical information on external memory." He went on to say, "Gigastone has the largest range of iOS flash drives, giving Apple iPhone and iPad users the means to backup their devices in the event that their cloud based storage is not available." The Gigastone iOS Flash Drive come in a number of configurations to meet the needs of the Apple iPhone and iPad user. The Gigastone iFlashDrive software allows users to: backup iPhone data from your device to the external memory of the Gigastone iPhone flash drives; backup can be done automati- cally; iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook Album data can be moved to the external Gigastone IOs flash drive; the data is secured by touch ID security and/or encryption; all pho- tos, movies and data is accessible from the iPhone or iPad without having to move the data from the external iOS flash drive to an iDevice; and the Gigastone iOS flash drives have both Lightning and USB adapters or remov- able MicroSD cards, so backed up data can easily be moved to any computer without the need for the iDevice; and data can also be copied from a comput- er to the iOS flash drive and accessed from an iPhone or iPad. Gigastone President Michel Hassan recapped by commenting, "With our technology, iPhone and iPad users are liberated from cloud-based only storage. They can sleep easily, knowing their data is offline and backed up onto external memory not linked to the internet." Gigastone iOS flash drives are avail- able through all the major big-box stores and online retailers. About Gigastone Gigastone is the leading global mobile accessory brand, specializing in state-of- the-art, high-end mobile peripherals and technology. For two decades, Gigastone has been distributing technology to all the major big-box and electronic com- merce stores. Gigastone has leveraged its engineering, manufacturing and quality control skills to drive world-class pro- duction and deliver quality products. Gigastone currently has eight major offices around the globe; USA, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, France, Brazil and China, with distributors in Asia, the Americas, and Europe.