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Wireless World Wednesday, September 13, 2017 1 6 Augmented Reality & Smartglasses Leader Closes Series A Funding Osterhout Design Group (ODG), lead- ing developer and manufacturer of mobile AR/VR smartglasses, announced the closing of a $58 million Series A funding round. Shenzhen O- film Tech Co., Ltd., Vanfund Urban Investment & Development Co. Ltd. and several individual investors partic- ipated in the round alongside principal outside investor and strategic partner 21st Century Fox, previously announced in January 2016. ODG will use the funds to accelerate its existing production capabilities, complete its new products, expand its patent portfo- lio and significantly grow its team worldwide. "For eight years, we've taken a very systematic approach to designing and refining our smartglasses for spe- cific applications from the U.S. gov- ernment, industry and enterprise cus- tomers in a wide variety of markets, and that will not change," said Ralph Osterhout, Chief Executive Officer of ODG. "We carefully picked invest- ment partners who not only share ODG's product vision and growth strategy, but also have the reputation and reach to expand ODG's global presence and market recognition." ODG has been pioneering the next generation mobile computing platform and bringing forth a new frontier in visual experiences with its smartglass- es. Already award winning, the compa- ny continues to push the boundaries with AR/VR 'mixed reality' and mobile technologies. Shipping to specialized customers since 2011, ODG has seen rapidly growing demand from a broad base of industries for its fully self-con- tained, computerized glasses with their photo-realistic, "see-through," 3D dis- plays. All of its models are fully inte- grated, small, light and sleek. Their onboard GPS/IMU-based navigation gives users the ability to experience telepresence, tele-maintenance and tele-repair everywhere. ODG will con- tinue to refine and advance its technol- ogy and will transform the way we cre- ate, view and consume content in a form with the familiar size and comfort of sunglasses. About Osterhout Design Group San Francisco based Osterhout Design Group (ODG) was founded in 1999 as a technology incubator and today is focused on revolutionizing wearable technologies and headworn computing for government, enterprise and ultimate- ly, consumer markets. The company is privately held and as of October 2016 has over 80 employees. For more information, visit www .osterhoutgroup.com or follow the com- pany on Twitter at @osterhoutgroup. 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 beneficial to add high-end audio per- formance with true stereo separation. Additionally, while most IoT speaker products target home users, their "techy" aes- thetics 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 archi- tecture established, the company began to explore industrial design direc- tions. It wanted its concept to visually stand out and arrived at a sim- ple form that relates directly to the speak- er cone elements and evokes the notion of "projecting sound" across the room. From a material standpoint, 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! For more information, go to www .surfaceink.com. Jabra Chooses Comply Foam Tips for High-Tech, Special Edition Headphones When Jabra needed precision-engineered foam tips to accessorize its latest inven- tion – next-generation wireless sports headphones – Jabra chose the Isolation Series of Comply™ Foam Tips from Hearing Components, Inc. The new Jabra Sports Pulse and Jabra Sports Coach Special Edition head- phones also mark two new world first's in the sports audio sector for Jabra. Besides offering quality calls, music for motivation and intelligent in-ear coach- ing to help enhance training effective- ness, the Jabra Special Editions come with automatic repetition counting and VO2 max testing. Jabra includes the Isolation Series tips as the standard foam tips for the spe- cial editions, because of their superior quality, noise blocking capabilities and comfort. Using proprietary memory foam technology, Comply premium tips are body-heat activated to conform to the unique shape of an individual's ear canals. This dynamic, custom fit stays put, while sealing in all frequencies for a fuller sound. Plus, the breathable memo- ry foam provides all-day comfort by eliminating the in-ear irritation and fatigue often associated with traditional silicone tips. In addition, the Isolation Series keeps the earbuds securely in place throughout even the most rigorous workouts. "Being selected by one of the world's most renowned headphone makers is an honor – and a testament to the superior performance of our technology," said Steve Trinter, Director of Sales and Marketing for Hearing Components. "We're eager to share the advantages our foam tips with even more people – includ- ing Jabra loyalists – around the world." Calum MacDougall, Senior Vice President at Jabra, said, "I'm really excit- ed that Jabra now brings to market a range of innovative headphones with better sound, more options for a perfect fit and a host of world-first sports fea- tures. Jabra Sport Coach and Pulse Special Editions are evidence of our commitment to lead in the field of intelli- gent sound solutions." For a complete list of Comply Foam tips retailers, visit complyfoam.com/ authorized-retailers. For more information about the Comply foam tips and the full line of Comply products, visit www.comply- foam.com. For more information on the new Jabra Sport Pulse Special Edition and Jabra Sport Coach Special Edition, visit www.jabra.com/sports-headphones. About Comply Foam Hearing Components, manufacturer of Comply products, was founded in 1990 to identify and create unique, innovative foam solutions that enhance and protect hearing. The U.S. National Institute of Health has awarded several grants to Hearing Components to study the ear and mechanics of hearing, with the intent to improve and protect hearing. Comply technology is used in con- sumer electronic products; military, secu- rity, law enforcement and industrial com- munication devices; audiology devices; commercial aviation communication devices; and for critical communication and/or noise isolation in high-noise envi- ronments. Comply is an R&D company focus- ing on dramatically improving the physi- cal connection between a person's per- sonal audio and ears. With more than 20 years of clinical in-ear experience, and Ph.D-level knowledge of and expertise in biochemistry and comfort-focused sound technology, Comply has improved the quality of listening. About Jabra Jabra is a leading international developer and manufacturer of a broad range of communications and sound solutions committed to let people hear more, do more and be more than they ever thought possible. The consumer and business divisions of Jabra markets corded and wireless headsets, plus mobile and in- office speakerphones that empower indi- viduals and businesses through increased freedom of movement, comfort and func- tionality. Jabra is the brand of GN Audio, a subsidiary of GN. As part of the GN group Jabra has a reputation for innova- tion, reliability and ease of use that goes back almost 150 years. GN operates in more than 90 countries across the world, has more than 5,000 employees and is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen. For more information, visit www.comply foam.com or www.jabra.com.