Appliance Design - March 2008 - (Page 8)

NEwS watch whirlpool’s centralpark refrigerator. La crosse technology’s WeatherDirect. ace Bayou’s wireless audio recliner. site, www.cesweb.org. Some of the other unique products exhibited at the show included: The Wireless Audio Recliner from Ace Bayou of Lewisburg, Tenn. It features a high-quality sound system that utilizes the space inside the chair to amplify sound, increase sound quality and improve the user experience. La Crosse Technology, La Crosse, Wis., showcased the Weather Direct, an Internetpowered, personal weather system that can send multi-day forecasts and current weather information for up to five cities. Features include weather alerts, atomic time, automated voice greetings, and news feeds. It can be expanded to receive a wider variety of forecast locations, such as the current weather conditions at a golf course. It can be used as an alarm clock, waking the user with a “pleasant voice” announcing the weather. The Taser stun-gun holster with an onboard MP3 player from Taser International of Scottsdale, Ariz. The Taser Music Player Holster (MPH) combines an MP3 player with the company’s existing Taser C2, which is now available in leopard skin colors. Taser executives said the MP3 player and the Taser stun gun are a natural pairing, especially for music lovers who need help with self-defense. The holster incorporates an off-the-shelf MP3 player, a small computer with approximately 1 Gbyte of memory, and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. A jack with a USB converter plug connects the computer and MP3 player. Samsung and LG Electronics unveiled what it called the brightest and smallest multimedia mini-projection products to date. The fit-in-the-palm of your hand products sport five to six times the brightness levels of models introduced just two years ago. The market for mini projectors that weigh in at less than one pound is forecasted to grow to more than 1 million units by 2010, according to a study by the global research firm Pacific Media Group (PMA). The 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show is scheduled for Jan. 8 to 11 in Las Vegas. < REStRUctURING SEaRS. Sears Holding Corp., Hoffman Estates, has named a new interim president and CEO and restructured its organization and operating model. The company named W. Bruce Johnson to be interim CEO and president. He had been executive vice president, supply chain and operations. He replaces former CEO and president Aylwin B. Lewis, who resigned as of Feb. 2. Lewis is also stepping down from Sears Holding’s board of directors. Sears established five business units: operating businesses, support, brands, online and real estate. The first unit, operating business, consist of the company’s current lines of home appliance, electronics and apparel. The support units provide operational and administrative support, and the brands unit works to grow the value of the company’s portfolio. The online and real estate business units focus on increasing the sales of the company’s online activities and its real estate holdings. 8 applianceDESIGN March 2008 awaRE BUt cONFUSED. That is the result of two surveys that looked at how aware U.S. television owners were of next year’s switch to digital TV. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) survey showed consumer awareness had reached 79 percent, which is more than double the awareness figure in a similar survey it took in January 2007. A survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center found that 64 percent were aware of the transition and, of those, 74 percent were aware, but had misconceptions about the switch to digital. The misconceptions include: 58 percent thought that all TVs will need a digital converter box to work; 48 percent believe that only digital TV will work after 2009; and 24 percent think they will need to throw away their analog TV sets. The federal government has allocated $5 million to the National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA) for public education. The Federal Communications Commission has requested an additional $1.5 million to inform the public of the switch to digital. PaY FaRE BY PhONE. The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) is testing the use of cell phones to pay for a rider’s fare. The $200,000 pilot program outfitted 230 riders with customized Sprint wireless cell phones. The phones have a near-field communication (NFC) chip from The Netherlandsbased NXP Semiconductors that establishes a contactless communication connection when waved in front of a reader located on top of the gate. Also, the phones can be used on “smart advertisements” from Jack in the Box and Sprint, which are hung on the walls of certain BART station walls. Riders can download directions to the nearest Jack in the Box restaurant or content from Sprint. www.applianceDESIGN.com http://www.cesweb.org http://www.appliancedesign.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Appliance Design - March 2008

Appliance Design - March 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A New Appliance is Set to Break into Homes Soon - the Micro CHP Unit, which Generate both Heat and Power. Thermally Enhanced Varistors Help Protect Low-Power Systems Against Damage Caused by Over-Current, Over-Temperature and Over-Voltage Faults. Hybrid Controller Reduces Standby Power Consumption and Improves Active-Mode Efficiency. Battery-Management ICs Solve Design Challenges for Cordless Appliances Using High-Voltage, Lithium-Ion Battery Technology. A Semiconductor Solution Protects the Relay in a Temperature Controller for a Cooking Appliance. New Polyurethane Foam Insulation System Optimizes both Insulation Performance and Productivity. Innovations in Decorative, Pre-Finished Metals Expand Range of Design Options for Appliance Designers. Design Marts Association Report: AHAM Advertiser's Index

Appliance Design - March 2008

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