Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/765783
Consumer Electronics Daily News 5 3 Saturday, January 7, 2017 even the most rugged conditions. For instance, our waterproof cases use IP68 protection, which protects against dust and deep water submersion. The TPU sil- icon rubber cases have a thick frame, ensuring drop-resistance. While provid- ing this kind of durability, the cases all feature a super thin, sleek design. The end result is an affordable, durable prod- uct that looks great without being bulky, so the phone fits in your pocket. CEDN: What are typical prices on Ghostek waterproof cases? VA: While most waterproof cases on the market tend to sell for over $100, we keep our prices around $60 to $65, depending on the model. These savings can be quite significant over time, especially when taking into account how often people upgrade their smart- phones today. CEDN: What types of cases do you sell? VA: We sell three models of cases: the Cloak, the Covert and the Atomic series. The Cloak and Covert cases are designed to be extra slim, keeping the smartphone protected while showing off each device's unique design. The Atomic series is the slightly thicker waterproof option. In addition to cases, we sell a variety of other products, such as head- phones, chargers and gear. One product that we're particularly excited about is the NRGbag, a durable, water-resistant laptop backpack with a 7000mAH removable battery, available in five col- ors. It includes USB cables for charging a variety of devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones. The next ver- sion will have a solar panel built in for charging purposes, making it a fantastic option for those who love the outdoors Ghostek (Cont'd. from p. 1) without being disconnected. CEDN: How do you keep loyal cus- tomers at Ghostek? VA: Having excellent customer service is something that separates us from our competitors. When people get customer service that goes above and beyond, they tell their friends, who in turn become new customers. Top-notch customer service, along with affordable pricing for retailers is something that distinguishes us from other case manufacturers. CEDN: Where can people buy Ghostek products? VA: All of our products are available on our site, www.ghostekproducts.com, as well as Amazon and eBay. We're avail- able in a variety of countries, including the U.K., Mexico, Canada, Korea and Japan. We also expect to be available in retail stores soon. CEDN: What's involved in creating a great brand? VA: We've been around for five years building a name for ourselves in this mar- ket. The biggest part of building our brand is by delivering products that get great reviews from our customers. We also build a unique brand identity by cre- ating a fun narrative. We treat our cus- tomers as though they're secret agents, like James Bond or someone from the CIA. Our customers then seek out the perfect accessory to protect their phone and maintain an "air of undetectability" while they're on a mission. For us, it all comes down to providing durable, slim, attractive cases, backed by excellent cus- tomer service and affordable pricing. For more information, visit www.ghostek products.com or stop by booth #31661. S. Spira, Founder of Lutron Electronics; Nat Tiffen, Founder of the Tiffen Company; and Hiroshi Yamauchi, former President of Nintendo. In addition to these individuals, two teams were inducted into the 2016 class. The first team developed the first hand- held GPS system. Under the leadership of Magellan Founder Ed Tuck, Norman Hunt and Don Rea developed and released the Magellan GPS NAV 1000 in 1989. The second group to be honored were the six individuals who comprised the HDTV Grand Alliance – Dr. Peter Bingham, President of Phillips Labs; Dr. Jim Carnes, Chief Executive Officer of Sarnoff Labs; Dr. Curt Crawford, President of AT&T Microelectronics; Dr. Jae Lim, professor at MIT; Jerry Pearlman, Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Electronics; and Donald Rumsfeld, Chief Executive Officer of General Instrument – were honored for their work in developing and implement- ing a unified digital TV broadcasting sys- tem. Gary Shapiro, President and Chief Executive Officer of CTA, praised the inductees for their contributions to the growth of the consumer technology industry and their innovations which helped better our world. He said, "Tonight we celebrate our rich heritage by honoring the legends in our industry. Those inventors, entrepreneurs, retailers and business executives who were will- ing to take risks to bring new products and services to market and had the imag- ination to create new technologies." Dr. Jaap Haartsen, the "Father of Bluetooth," stressed that the creation of Bluetooth was possible because of the contributions of many individuals. "I accept this award as a tribute to all the people who joined me on this exciting journey of setting a new standard for per- sonal wireless connectivity, and I'm happy to accept this award on behalf of the Bluetooth community." Accepting the award for his late father Sidney Cooper, Richard Cooper reflected on the man who founded the Silo Discount Center retail chain. "He was a pioneer, but he never saw himself as one. He simply knew that the world was changing faster than anyone could fathom, and he knew that if he stayed in one place too long, everyone would pass him by." David Lorsch thanked his wife and family for helping him build DBL Distributing into a powerhouse. "We were an American success story. We started from 1,500 square feet in Tempe, Arizona and we grew all the way to our final headquarters of 144,000." Accepting the award on behalf of her father, Joel Spira, creator of the first solid state dimmer, Lutron Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer Susan Hakkarainen reflected on her father's endless desire to learn. "Our father was insatiably curious; his interests had almost no boundaries. He was always looking for new ideas, and was fascinat- ed by fine craftsmanship." Chuck Pagano, who was responsible for leading ESPN into the high-definition era, thanked ESPN for their willingness CTA (Cont'd. from p. 1) to accept new technology. "My fantastic team of smart engineers, I want to thank them. Our vocation in life was to serve the fans. ESPN's journey is now solidi- fied, and HD is in their DNA." Nat Tiffen grew a business he and his brothers started into a Hollywood cor- nerstone. Steve Tiffen, Chief Executive Officer of the Tiffen Company, accepted the award for his father. He said, "My dad lived by a single principle. Find out what the customer wants and give it to them." Nintendo's success is due partly to the risks taken by Hiroshi Yamauchi. In addition to his persistence, hard work and vision, he was humble, according to his granddaughter, Maki Arakawa, who accepted his award. She said, "Even with success, my grandfather continued the same lifestyle." The Magellan team was represented by Ed Tuck's daughter Jean Tuck McGregor and Norm Hunt's children Laura Hunt Ross and her brother Jay Hunt, a soldier who said, "Wherever I was in the world, it was always the tin- kerers who got me home." Dr. Curt Crawford and Dr. Jae Lim represented the HDTV Grand Alliance team that despite differences among the group, pushed to develop the HDTV technology that consumers enjoy today. "We argued a lot and we talked a lot. But we worked it out and made it happen," said Lim. Journalist Steve Smith's dream was to work for a major newspaper or maga- zine right out of college, but instead found his love for technology journalism and became one of the most legendary tech journalists of our generation. He said, "In life, if you're a little lucky, dreams can become a reality." With the 2016 class, the CT Hall of Fame grows to 234 inventors, engineers, retailers, journalists and entrepreneurs who conceived, developed, promoted and wrote about the innovative technolo- gies, products and services that connect and improve the lives of global con- sumers. The inductees were selected by a group of media and industry profession- als, who judged the nominations submit- ted by manufacturers, retailers and indus- try journalists. To learn more about the CT Hall of Fame program and for infor- mation on the 2017 nomination process, visit CTA.tech. Find complete profiles of the honorees in the November issue of It Is Innovation (i3) magazine. About Consumer Technology Association: Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is the trade association represent- ing the $287 billion U.S. consumer tech- nology industry. More than 2,200 compa- nies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, techni- cal education, industry promotion, stan- dards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The Consumer Technology Association also owns and produces CES – the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services. ALLGO EMBEDDED SYSTEMS NAMED CES INNOVATION AWARD HONOREE AllGo Systems, a leading automotive infotainment solutions supplier, received the prestigious CES ® 2017 Innovation Award. The award sponsored by Consumer Technology Association™ celebrates outstanding product design in new consumer technology products. AllGo is an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) leader providing the broadest pro- duction-proven suite of media playback, mirroring and connectivity technologies. AllGo's RACE 2.0 SDK is the first con- nected media middleware integrating media and mirroring software, simplifying the design and integration of infotainment systems. RACE 2.0 bridges existing tech- nology with new smartphone applications and offers users a seamless experience through a common interface and new use cases. AllGo's media playback engine sup- ports playback from iPhones and Android phones, and distributed media playback to a user's smart device within the car. AllGo's connectivity portfolio includes CarPlay, Android Auto, MirrorLink, Miracast and Bluetooth ® Middleware. "AllGo is delighted to be recognized for the unique features offered by RACE 2.0," said K. Srinivasan, Director and Chief Executive Officer, AllGo Systems. "Today's IVI systems are becoming increasingly complex, using different mirroring standards to offer multiple fea- tures. RACE 2.0 is the first mirroring solution offering the user a single, intu- itive interface while the software inte- gration brings new functionality that oth- erwise wouldn't have been possible." RACE 2.0 users can switch between native IVI features and smartphone applications by using a smartphone in mirroring mode. RACE 2.0 unifies different smart- phone mirroring solutions and presents one common interface to application developers, enabling faster development and shorter time to market. For more information, visit www.allgo systems.com.