Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/918283
Consumer Electronics Daily News 5 5 Friday, January 12, 2018 VA: Our model at Ghostek is to provide affordable cases that are slim and attrac- tive, yet durable enough to withstand 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, espe- cially when taking into account how often people upgrade their smartphones 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 Ghostek (Cont'd. from p. 1) option for those who love the outdoors 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.ghostekproducts.com or stop by booth #31778. on the relevance – and importance – of computer vision metadata to connected vehicles applications? MS: As the current trends of connected vehicles and autonomous driving acceler- ate, we will witness an explosive growth of data streaming out of vehicles – both in volume and in scope. The key driver of such vehicular data explosion would be the vast amounts of video captured by on- board cameras. While the rich informa- tion content conveyed by video has the greatest potential as an enabler of many innovative connected vehicle applications – not only for driving safety but also for social commerce and targeted advertise- ments – the ingestion of video in its raw form to the cloud for interactive or batch analyses poses significant technical chal- lenges due to its heavy burden on com- pute, storage and network resources. So we'd better process raw video and reduce it to meaningful metadata before stream- ing it to the cloud. The use of video meta- data allows us to tap into rich information content of video without consuming tremendous compute, storage and net- work resources. The full use of rich infor- mation content of video would lead to a better and deeper learning of driver behavioral models and thus enable us to develop some innovative applications. CEDN: The autonomous driving com- munity has been using video annotation data, hasn't it? MS: Yes. The generation, collection and analysis of video annotation data, or metadata, have been an essential aspect of the development of autonomous driving Team Research (Cont'd. from p. 1) solutions. So it is hardly something new. But the objective of the autonomous driv- ing community in this regard has been to create a database of the 3D mapping of roads, traffic signs and other relevant environmental conditions in order to aid the automation of driving. In contrast, our objective is to model dynamically chang- ing driver behavioral patterns in relation to various external and/or driver physio- logical conditions captured by cameras. For this reason, we put a big emphasis on the tracking of driver's eye gazes through a driver-facing camera. It is obvious that this will help reduce accidents caused by drowsiness, fatigue or distraction. CEDN: What kind of business model do you pursue and what is the timeline for commercial launch? MS: We plan to build our business on a subscription model. That way, we can recoup the costs of network and cloud usage and depend on recurring revenues. It is just like the business models of tra- ditional telematics/GPS service providers. You may wonder whether we can compete against established telemat- ics/GPS service providers. I believe we can. The solution we offer will be much more effective in reducing the risks of costly accidents through the utilization of richer set of data – more than mechanical telematics data. Insurance companies would agree to my assessment. We are currently in talks with a large internation- al logistics company for the trial of our solution, which will probably take place in the summer of this year. For more information, stop by Central Hall booth #18424 or go to www.team researchinc.com. based on its early 5G silicon, the Intel 5G Modem – a key milestone in its develop- ment. Finally, the Intel XMM 7560 modem unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2017 has achieved gigabit- class speeds. "Intel is committed to delivering leading 5G multi-mode modem technolo- gy and making sure the transition to 5G is smooth," said Dr. Cormac Conroy, Intel Corporate Vice President and General Manager of the Communication and Devices Group. "Our investments in a full portfolio of modem technologies and products are critical to achieving the vision of seamless 5G connectivity." 5G is more than the device; it requires a cloud-ready, virtualized 5G network. Intel is unique in bringing the network, cloud and clients together in a powerful end-to-end 5G solution. "Today's wireless networks are the equivalent of data driving down a single- lane highway; tomorrow's will need to serve as a multilane superhighway as data moves at warp speed with 5G net- works," said Sandra Rivera, Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Network Platforms Group. "Our roadmap progress shows how Intel is moving at gigabit speeds to help the industry create this superhighway and benefit from the speed, capacity and low latency that 5G promises." A summary of Intel's wireless roadmap updates includes: Intel (Cont'd. from p. 1) Intel XMM 8000 series: Intel's fami- ly of commercial 5G multi-mode modems, operating in both sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave global spectrum bands. The series will enable a range of devices to connect to 5G networks – from PCs and phones to fixed wireless consumer prem- ise equipment (CPE) and even vehicles. Intel XMM 8060: Intel's first com- mercial 5G modem is capable of deliver- ing multi-mode support for the full 5G non-standalone and standalone NR, as well as various 2G, 3G (including CDMA) and 4G legacy modes. Expected to ship in commercial customer devices in mid-2019, the Intel XMM 8060 will accelerate deployment of 5G-ready devices prior to anticipated broad deployment of 5G networks in 2020. Intel XMM 7660: Intel's latest LTE modem delivers Cat-19 capabilities and supports speeds up to 1.6 gigabits per second. This powerful LTE modem fea- tures advanced multiple-input and multi- ple-output (MIMO), carrier aggregation and a broad range of band support. It will ship in commercial devices in 2019. Additionally, Intel is helping set the pace for the industry with the Intel 5G Modem. Announced at CES 2017, Intel's early 5G silicon is successfully making calls over the 28GHz band. Along with the Intel Mobile Trial Platform, Intel technology is at the heart of dozens of trials around the world, giving Intel and the industry valuable learnings about the technologies that will make 5G a reality. Lux by Bracketron: Breaking the Phone Mount Mold Forever Today's smartphones have more and more applications for daily use such as GPS, music and Bluetooth hands-free calling. Smartphone holders have become a must-have accessory for people to be able to use their phones safely in their vehicles. In some states, it's illegal to hold your phone while you're driving. Most manufacturers of smartphone mounts have solely focused on function and fea- tures to sell their products in the market. The Lux line of smartphone holders not only works great, but looks great. It complements the sleek design of smart- phones and car interiors alike. Lux mounts are made with high quality zinc alloy materials, soft touch rubber accents with smartly designed accessories to complete the experience of using a Lux mount in your car or home. All mounts come with a dash and vent option to fit anyone's needs. Lux phone holders work with almost all smartphones, including popu- lar models like iPhone X, 8, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel 2. Keep your Lux, even when you're ready to upgrade your phone, making it truly universal. For more information, stop by booth #35232, South Hall 4, and ask about get- ting your free Lux gift. To learn more, visit www.bracketron.com or call 952.746.7775.