Hardware – Page 317 – Product Management Confabulation

January 6, 2020

Roku TV adds 15 more brand partners plus a new “Roku TV Ready” program

Amazon’s Fire TV isn’t the only connected TV platform aiming to reach more screens by way of new partnerships. While Amazon today announced plans to bring Fire TV to more places — including cars and cable boxes — its chief competitor, Roku, shared this morning it’s adding 15 global brands as licensee partners for Roku TV and launching a new “Roku TV Ready” program.

Roku says the 15 TV brands will launch Roku TV models in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K. this year.

In Mexico, new partners include InFocus, Polaroid and Walmart’s ATVIO. Roku already works closely with Walmart, offering the retailer exclusive devices like Roku media players that are only sold at Walmart as well as smart audio devices, including a soundbar and subwoofer sold under Walmart’s onn brand.

In addition, existing Roku partners TCL and Hisense will expand their respective Roku TV lineups later this year.

Roku’s near-term focus with these Roku TV expansions is to capture more market share in North America — plus the (English-speaking) U.K. Amazon, by comparison, announced today more Fire TV Edition brands would arrive this year in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the U.K., plus markets like India, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain.

Roku TV’s licensing program offers OEMs and TV brands a TV hardware reference design and the Roku operating system, which includes features like the customizable home screen, advanced search, and support for private listening through the Roku app. 4K Roku TV models also support HDR 10 and some support Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos sound, and Full-Array Local Dimming (FALD), a technology that offers better contrast.

“2019 was a tremendous year for Roku TV, with more brands, retailers and consumers choosing the platform than ever before,” noted Mustafa Ozgen, senior vice president and general manager of Account Acquisition at Roku, in a statement about the new Roku TV licensees. “We believe that Roku TV represented more than one in three smart TVs sold in the U.S. during the first nine months of 2019, and the number of our licensees keeps growing.”

In addition, Roku today announced a new “Roku TV Ready” program which will allow consumer electronics companies to label themselves as such so consumers will know the products have been tested and certified to work with Roku TV. That means the devices will be easy to set up, and will include on-screen access to sound setting and volume control with one remote.

The first partners under the new program are TCL North America and Sound United — the parent company to Denon, Polk Audio, Marantz, Definitive Technology and Classé. These companies will feature “Roku TV Ready” products for select brands later this year.

January 6, 2020

Fire TV Edition expands to more soundbars, plus cars, cable boxes and more

Amazon’s Fire TV Edition, the version of Fire TV that now powers over 150 Fire TV Edition smart TVs as a competitor to Roku TV, is expanding to more devices besides just the television. Today, Amazon announced a new Fire TV Edition that’s capable of powering soundbars and being integrated into autos, plus versions designed for operators and certified solution providers.

The company’s ambitions for Fire TV to become a more expansive platform were already known. Amazon this past fall introduced a new Fire TV soundbar and over a dozen new Fire TV Edition products, in order to better compete with Roku which at the time had gained a lead over Amazon in U.S. connected TV market share.

Fire TV’s steady expansion on the international front now continues. Since September 2019, more than 50 Fire TV Edition smart TVs and soundbars have been launched from brands including Grundig, JVC, Onida, and Anker, and from retailers like Best Buy, Dixons and, soon, MediaMarketSaturn. And Best Buy alone has sold “millions” of Insignia and Toshiba Fire TV Edition smart TVs, Amazon claims.

In 2020, Amazon says more brands will launch Fire TV Edition smart TVs in the U.S., Canada, India, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, and Mexico, but didn’t announce the brand names involved.

Amazon is also now expanding its lineup of Fire TV Edition-powered soundbars.

This fall, Amazon and Anker had launched the Nebula Soundbar – Fire TV Edition. Today, it’s launching two more: the TCL Alto 8+ Soundbar – Fire TV Edition on Amazon in the U.S. and Canada and the TCL TS8011 Soundbar – Fire TV Edition in the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Both will offer support for Dolby Digital Plus for premium, dynamic and immersive sound, Amazon says.

Polk Audio and Tonly are also building soundbar solutions with Fire TV Edition. And later this year, Amazon’s Fire TV soundbar will be upgraded with Dolby Atmos support, device control, HDMI switching, and far-field voice control.

Also being introduced today are distinct versions of Fire TV for automakers, operators, and certified solution providers.

On the auto front, Amazon is partnering with BMW and Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA) to offer hands-free Alexa, touch screen interfaces and offline playback capabilities to the screens inside your car — meaning you can stream Prime Video, Amazon FreeTime, or even Netflix on the go using the vehicle’s Wi-Fi or LTE connection, a mobile hotspot, or any other internet-connected device.

“Adding Fire TV to future BMW vehicles represents a big step in bringing the best of streamed entertainment to our products. With Amazon’s approach, and with the help of Garmin, we are able to innovate and create a unique and special experience for BMW cars, providing the consistency of content and customer experience that Fire TV provides in the home. We look forward to working closely with Amazon to bring Fire TV to future vehicles,” noted Fathi El-Dwaik, Vice President User Interaction, Business Line My Car and Business Line My Life, BMW Group, in a statement about the integrations.

For operators, television and telco operators will be able to offer Fire TV Edition-powered devices to customers. This follows Amazon’s earlier partnerships with Tata Sky in India and Verizon (TechCrunch’s parent) in the U.S. With the launch of Fire TV Edition for operators, available now in North America, Europe, India, and Japan, companies can choose from a range of solutions to better address their own customer and business needs.

On the operator front, Amazon also announced it’s working with the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) to give its over 750 members the ability to deliver low-cost Fire TV streaming media players directly to their combined 16 million broadband and 8 million video customers.

Finally, Amazon is now customizing Fire TV Edition for ODMs (original device manufacturers — the companies building the hardware that will eventually be rebranded for other companies when sold).

Amazon announced it’s working with Skyworth as an ODM with turnkey solutions for 4K and FHD smart TVs. Starting in India, brands will be able to select from a range of industrial design and price points to bring their smart TVs to market. Meanwhile, for auto partners, Amazon is working with system integrators VOXX Automotive and Garmin.

The cumulative impact of all these expansions will be to give Fire TV a competitive advantage against rival Roku when it comes to establishing worldwide market share for its TV platform. But it additionally serves as means of bringing Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa to a wider user base and in places where Alexa isn’t always available — like the car or your cable TV box, for instance.

Related to this, Amazon also today announced more aftermarket devices with Alexa built-in for the car, and that Echo Auto will launch internationally this year.

“At CES 2017, we announced the first Fire TV Edition smart TV. Now, just three years later, Fire TV Edition has grown into a worldwide program which will include more than 150 Fire TV Edition models across more than ten countries by the end of the year,” said Marc Whitten, Vice President, Amazon Fire TV, in a statement. “The all-new Fire TV Edition provides companies with the services and tools they need to bring Fire TV to more categories and more screens,” he said.

January 6, 2020

HTC had a terrible 2019

HTC can’t seem to catch a break.

The once-king-of-the-hill smartphone vendor, which had a terrible 2018, continued to bleed last year, according to financial disclosures it made on Monday.

HTC reported revenue of 10,015 TWD ($333 million) in 2019, down 57.8% from 23,741 TWD ($789 million) it posted the year before, and whopping 87% below over $2 billion it grossed in 2017. As Bloomberg columnist Tim Culpan pointed out, Apple now generates more from selling AirPods in a fortnight than HTC clocks from selling each of its offering in a year.

The drop in revenue comes as the Taiwanese firm scales back its smartphone business — a sizeable portion of which it sold to Google two years ago — and focuses on virtual reality headsets and accessories.

HTC has yet to disclose how much money it lost in the quarter that ended in December, but in the other three quarters last year, it lost 7.05 billion TWD ($234.4 million).

Last year, HTC made significant changes to its smartphone strategy in many nations including India, the world’s second largest smartphone market. HTC no longer sells flagship and other high-end smartphones in India, and instead focuses on mid-range handsets.

In September, HTC appointed a longtime telecom vet, Yves Maitre, as its new chief executive officer. In an interview at TechCrunch Disrupt last year, Maitre candidly opened about the once-iconic firm’s recent performance, saying HTC had “stopped innovating in the hardware of the smartphone.”

“And people like Apple, like Samsung and, most recently, Huawei, have done an incredible job investing in their hardware. We didn’t, because we have been investing in innovation on virtual reality,” he said.

Maitre has said that the company will focus on virtual reality headsets and many of its applications such as training and education in the future. In recent quarters, HTC has launched Vive Pro Eye headset for enterprises, revamped its consumer-facing VR headset to better compete with Facebook’s offering, and produced VR works at the Venice Film Festival. It has not disclosed how many VR headsets it has sold.

The company has also launched a 5G-enabled mobile hotspot for users who don’t want to commit to a 5G smartphone just yet to enjoy the faster download speed (provided their local carrier supports it). It also refreshed its blockchain handset lineup in October last year, adding a cheaper variant to the mix.

January 6, 2020

You can buy Lovot’s undying robotic love for $3,000

How much would you shell out for the lifelong love of a robot pal? Honestly, $3,000 seems like a downright deal, all said. Japanese robotic startup Groove X returned to CES to show of Lovot, and the surprisingly advanced robot can still pull in a pretty sizable crowd amongst tech enthusiasts, a few years in.

After several years of CES appearances, the friendly little robot finally went on sale in its native Japan, roughly a month ago. It’s the latest in a long line of ‘bots designed to comfort the lonely — a list that includes notable names like Aibo. Though the four-year-old startup insists that its model is more advanced than the iconic robot dog, featuring some 50 on-board sensors and multiple CPUs (including one on-board the charging dock).

I’m not going to pretend spending a few minutes with the robot on the floor of this pre-CES event really acquainted me with the subtle ins and outs of Lovot, but I was impressed with how quickly it took to strangers. It was particularly impressive in such a chaotic setting. It’s a bold little robot who’s not afraid to approach strangers, a far cry from our experiences with Aibo, which definitely makes you work for it.

Like Aibo, Lovot’s designed to warm up over time, learning its owner’s face, greeting them when they come home and the like. The mossy cloth covering is certainly warmer and cuddle than Aibo, and the robot doesn’t shy away from a good hug.

As for U.S. availability, well, you’re guess is as good as mine on that one. The company’s Founder and CEO Kaname Hayashi tells me, “If we can find an investor, than we’ll probably come to the U.S.” Fair enough, though U.S. consumers haven’t really proven themselves excited about the pricey home robot category.

January 6, 2020

Nvidia’s new 360Hz G-Sync displays are tailor-made for esports

Nvidia has developed new technology that enables 360Hz refresh rates on PC displays, achieving unprecedented responsiveness that’s perfectly suited to esports, where any advances in terms of refresh speeds can translate to improved performance during play.

Nvidia’s new G-sync tech that delivers the 360Hz refresh speeds will be coming to market first through a partnership with Asus, via the Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor that’s debuting at this week’s annual CES show in Las Vegas. It works in combination with Nvidia’s RTX line of GPUs, and will provide refresh rates that translate to less than 3 milliseconds of input latency, all available on a 24.5-inch, fully 1080p HD gaming panel.

Nvidia’s G-Sync tech debuted in 2013, and works by introducing Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) that syncs up the refresh rate of the display (provided it’s G-sync certified) with the GPU’s frame rate, so that you get optimized performance. Since its debut, Nvidia has been especially focused on optimizing G-Sync and its features for use by esports players and professionals, to ensure best possible reaction times in genres like shooters where every millisecond counts when it comes to aiming at and actually hitting your target.

The Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor will be coming out sometime “later this year,” and pricing isn’t yet available but you can bet it’ll be more than your average gaming monitor, given its advanced performance features and esports target market.

January 6, 2020

This brain-training wearable promises better sleep

CES 2020 is the year of sleep tech. I called it a few months ago, and now that the announcements are starting to trickle out, I’m re-staking that claim. Technology has played an important role in completely destroying my sleep cycle.. Yet somehow, it appears to be my only hope of saving it.

URGONight seems to be one of the more interesting takes on the space. Though it does overlap pretty significantly with the Muse S headband that was also literally just announced this very minute (I know, I wrote that story, too). The hook to this specific neurofeedback headband (a phrase I knew I would be writing at some point in 2020) is that it’s designed for daytime use for sleep training.

The headband is designed to be used for 20 minutes a day, three days a week. It has two electrodes that detect brain activity. Wearers can view their brain feedback in real-time, via the Android/iOS app. There are a bunch of different exercises, including growing leaves on trees and drawing patterns. The idea is to essentially train your brain to sleep better.

“Just as you can train your body to run faster, jump higher, swim further or become more flexible, clinical studies have shown neurofeedback therapy can help people learn how to improve the quality of their sleep,” founder Guirec said in a release. “The technology has been used in clinical sleep centers around the world for decades and now with URGOnight, we are making it more fun and accessible and conveniently usable in the comfort of the home.”

It’s interesting, for sure. I certainly can’t speak to the product’s efficacy — or any of the science here (though “sleep spindles” are a real thing, according to a very quick Google search I just did). I’m willing to give anything a shot at this point, though. You can, too, in Q2. Though it’s gonna cost you $500.

January 6, 2020

Muse’s innovative meditation headband gets a softer, sleepier version

Maybe you remember the Muse Softband from last year’s CES. Honestly, probably you don’t. I do, but only because A. I was there and B. I actually really liked the company’s regular version. I’m still pretty skeptical about the concept of using meditation to jumpstart mindfulness, but the Muse 2 makes a compelling case for hardware as a means of quieting one’s thoughts.

After a year of silence, the rebranded Muse S is ready to launch. I like the name. It beats Softband, in that it doesn’t sound like a Japanese investment firm. “S” is for “soft” and also “sleep” — two elements that obviously go hand in hand. It’s also “s” for “savvy move on Muse’s part,” as sleep tech is all the rage this CES. And certainly meditation and sleep go hand in hand.

The fabric headband offers similar “biofeedback-enhanced meditation,” measuring brainwaves to determine where your concentration is at. Sleep is added to the mix, as well, designed to be worn for five or so minutes a night before trying to get to sleep. The system pairs up with the Muse app, which features “Go-to-Sleep Journeys” — essentially guided sleep meditations. Unlike some comparable sleep masks, however, the headphones aren’t built in.

Instead, you pair it with your headphones and put your phone away. Comfort levels will vary, of course, depending on your headphones. The sounds are impacted in real-time based on biofeedback including brain activity, movement and heart rate, adjusting the soundtrack accordingly. Compelling for sure. I’ve got it on good authority that there’s a unit waiting for me back at home. Sadly, it didn’t get to me in time — would have been nice for CES hell week.

Anyway, review soon, probably. For the rest of you, the Muse S is currently available for $350 through Muse’s site and Amazon. The Muse meditation app runs $13 a month.

January 6, 2020

Waverly Labs’ new wearable translater arrives in April at $200

There are a lot of companies trying to do this. And understandably so. It’s a really cool thing to do — and if someone can really crack it, there’s a lot of money to be made. For a years now, Waverly Labs has been among the more interesting startups in the real-time translation space — and perhaps even more significantly, it’s actually had a product on the market for a while now.

This week at CES, the New York-based startup announced the availability of its latest commercial offering. Announced back in May as part of a crowdfunding/presale campaign, Ambassador will be available or sale in April, priced at $200. Like most headphones, the Ambassador is sold two ears at a time, though the idea here is to put one over your own ear and hand one off to another speaker.

Converse is one of three of the device’s modes, letting users engage in a two-way conversation using a single smartphone. The device listens and translates in real-time. There’s also a Listen mode, which automatically, well, Listen to anyone within an eight foot range and Lecture mode, which speaks live translations through a connected handset.

The system is capable of translating 20 languages and 42 dialect (which I will not be writing out here), feature a two mic array, with up to four units able to communicate with a single smartphone at once.

The company’s first device managed $5 million in pre-sales and has since shipped 40,000 units — not to shabby for a first-ten startup project. The Ambassador, meanwhile, has generate a solid, but less impressive $500,000 so far. The company’s got plenty of competition, including startups like Timekettle and behemoths like Google, which is due to release a new take on Pixelbuds later this year.

January 6, 2020

Withings says its latest watch can detect sleep apnea

Sure to be the next big battlefield for wrist-worn wearables, Withings today announced sleep apnea detection for its latest smartwatch. The company notes in press materials for the newly announced ScanWatch, that eight out of 10 people with the serious sleeping condition aren’t aware that they have it.

It’s not a full-fledged medical device, of course, but the prevalence of such a feature could go a ways toward helping the more than 18 million Americans who suffer from the condition (according to numbers I just looked up from the National Sleep Foundation).

The system uses an on-board SpO2 sensor that transmits a light was into blood vessels. The system takes measurements throughout the night, nothing when wearers aren’t getting enough oxygen. That, in turn, can point to sleep apnea as a root cause. Left untreated, it can lead to a whole slew of problems, including stroke and heart failure.

It’s an issue a number of different manufacturers are looking to address with wearables. Fitbit, notably, has publicly outlined its intentions to bring such functionality to its devices. The company has conducted public studies, but has yet to offer a firm timeline.

Like other recent devices, the ScanWatch also includes detection of irregular heart rhythm like AFib, through an on-board ECG scanner. Like past Withings watches, this one’s a hybrid, featuring an analog face, coupled with a small display that offers up health feedback, notifications and the like.

It will arrive in Q2, priced at $249.

January 6, 2020

HP will start integrating Tile tracking into laptops

Here’s one those “why didn’t they do this sooner” deals. HP just announced at CES that it will be the first PC company to integrate Tile’s tracking technology directly into its laptops. The company’s Elite Dragonfly line will be the first get the technology, with a model dropping some point during Q1 of this year.

The biggest winner of the deal here is Bay Area-based Tile. People who purchase laptops with the technology built in will need to download the Tile app order to track missing laptops. Likely it will only be available in a handful of systems to start, but as HP integrates it into more to differentiate devices, that’s a big potential for a lot more installs.

The app can be used to note the last place the laptop was seen and locate devices even when the system is not connected to a WiFi network or powered down. Once it goes beyond bluetooth range, Tile’s finding network kicks in. Likely, however, it will mostly be used in those moments when you’re scrambling to leave the house in the money and can’t find your laptop under a pile of dirty laundry — a hypothetical that I have clearly never experienced.

The finding range should be akin to that of the standalone Tile units. The system will also feature a similar ringing feature to help locate misplaced systems. HP apparently conducted a survey in which some 72 percent of people said the ability to find a lost or misplaced laptop would be “very or extremely valuable,” which, fair enough.

No word on pricing, though Elite Dragonfly is one of the company’s pricier models, starting at $1,500, so it seems unlikely the new feature will add much of a premium.