Innovation & Tech Today - Spring 2013 - Smart Homes

SMART HOMES: The Grand Tour FEATURING

ENERTIA HOMES

BOLD Decision-Makers Yahoo’s

MARISSA

MAYER Facebook’s

SHERYL SANDBERG

PRODUCT iPads COMCAST’S NEW Reviews iPhones SECURITY BEER Goes Green Galaxy S4 NEW Measures iHOME

CRAFT

SPRING 2013

PUBLISHED BY INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES WORLDWIDE, INC 3400 E Bayaud Ave., #333, Denver, CO 80209 www.goipw.com (720) 708-4250 info@goipw.com PUBLISHER

EDITOR

ART DIRECTION & PHOTO EDITOR

CREATIVE CONSULTANT EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

SPECIAL GUEST CONTRIBUTORS

Charles Warner cwarner@goipw.com Robert Yehling ryehling@wordjourneys.com Mary Racila raciladesign@aol.com Shane Brisson Kelsey Elgie Domier Dave Van NIEL Nate Kuberski Kelsey Elgie Domier Lisa Lunney Ashley Skrdlant Steve Montgomery Chris Voss Warren Whitlock

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Lisa Maine Robert Yehling

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SPECIAL THANKS TO IDG World Expos and MacWorld/iWorld, Southern California Writers Conference, Jessica Venditto, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, INPEX, Randy Manzo, Mark Cuban/Magnolia Pictures, Bjorn Brunvand, BTFL, Christy Laramy, Chris Voss, Lloyd L. Rich, P.C., Joe Huffstutler, Jan Johnson, CEO Space, Dave Batton, 4imprint, Sammy Morotie/Smartenit, Olivia Sellke/CEDIA, Katie Kiefer/Ames Scullen O’Haire, Martha Halda

This publication is dedicated to the dreamers, the innovators, the collaborators and the doers who can’t be bothered by those saying it can’t be done.

This is for Nicholas and Aria.

from the publisher

Nicole McDaniel Photography

Big things are happening in the world of innovation. It should be no surprise to you, our loyal readers, that we here at Innovative Properties Worldwide are bringing you the latest innovations and developments in a new and improved quarterly format.

Welcome to Innovation & Technology Today.

After the successful debut of The Legacy Series: Innovation & Technology, which honored the contributions of Steve Jobs, the feedback was so great that we decided to increase our distribution and frequency. Every quarter, we will deliver a new issue focusing on a unique theme regarding the relationship between innovation and technology. Upcoming issues will explore Sports and Medical Technology, Energy & Transportation and Business Innovations.

The format will be similar to what you are accustomed to receiving from us. As this issue demonstrates, we will present a diverse cross section of editorial, ranging from in-depth investigative pieces to candid conversations with some of the biggest names in technology. We will keep up to date with eight different sectors through our recurring departments. Finally, we will include product reviews and insider discounts while highlighting cutting edge technology from the biggest names in the game. In addition to being an official media partner with MacWorld/iWorld 2014, we are an official media partner with CEDIA, which takes place September 26-28 in Denver.

I am pleased to present our spring “Smart Home” issue. If you are interested in automation products that enhance security, comfort and enjoyment in and around your home, look no further. We have assembled a “who’s who” of industry leading companies that make our home work smarter. In fact, if you really want to own a “Smart Home” you may want to check out a cutting edge home builder, Enertia Homes (page 32), the industry leader in designing and building geo-solar homes.

With the debut of our quarterly format, we encourage you to share Innovation & Technology Today with your friends and family. We are offering a four-issue digital subscription for only $2.99. As if that isn’t enough, that discounted subscription comes with a bonus gift subscription for a friend at no additional cost.

Be sure to check for updates and news on our social media network: Facebook, Twitter and our newsletter.

We will keep you up to date on promotions and giveaways from our advertisers. Also, if you have a great story idea, product or insight you want to share, let us know! We’d love to hear from you.

Charles Warner Publisher

Entertainment

CEDIA EXPO 2013

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Contents contents

34

06 FEATURES 06

From the Publisher

46

Gift Guide

49

New Products

50

In Our Next Issue

A Grand Tour

10 DEPARTMENTS 10

Metric Mania

12

Communications

14

Green Technology

16

Women in Technology

18

Security

20

Education

42

Social Media

Michael Sykes

32

24

At the Touch

of an iPad

25 John Clements

36

22 SPECIAL FOCUS: SMART HOMES

Al Choperena

38

Brad Adams

40

32 I&T TODAY CONVERSATIONS

24

A Grand Tour

32

Michael Sykes, Enertia

25

At the Touch of an iPad

36

John Clements, Mitsubishi Electric

26

Plug-Load Energy Powers Smart Homes

38

Al Choperena, Smartenit

30

Entertainment & Gaming, Everywhere

40

Brad Adams, Author of App Nation

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CEDIA Expo 2013

Metric MANIA A quick glance at the trends and latest data within innovation & technology today ‌

Top10 INNOVATIVE COUNTRIES 1. Denmark 2. Sweden 3. USA 4. Finland 5. Great Britain

21%

6. Norway 7. Ireland 8. Singapore 9. Iceland 10. Canada

(SOURCE: RealClearWorld-Legatum Institute)

of marketers say SOCIAL MEDIA has become more important to their companies over the past six months (SOURCE: HubSpot)

52% 27%

43% of marketers found a customer via

of TOTAL

Facebook in 2013

INTERNET TIME is spent on

(SOURCE: HubSpot)

of marketers found a customer via

Twitter in 2013

85%

of marketers found a customer via

LinkedIn in 2013

(SOURCE: Experian)

(SOURCE: HubSpot)

more leads are produced by

SOCIAL MEDIA

MARKETING

(SOURCE: HubSpot)

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

of total Internet time is spent on social networking sites

than by trade shows, telemarketing, PPC or direct mail (SOURCE: HubSpot)

(SOURCE: HubSpot)

160,000 people

from

190 countries registered for a single

(SOURCE: www.onlinecolleges.net)

70%

100% of universities have Facebook accounts

Stanford University FREE online course 10

100%

36%

(SOURCE: blogs.edweek.com)

of universities have a YouTube or Vimeo Channel By 2020, all school-based learning will feature five primary sources: e-books; high-tech counseling; game-based learning; the Cloud; and open textbooks (SOURCE: Edudemic.com)

Innovation & Technology Today

(SOURCE: www.exacttarget.com)

Spring 2013

communications

Innovation & Technology Today Visits with

Twitter Revolution Co-Author

WHITLOCK

In five years, Twitter has climbed from complete social media obscurity to a central position in social networking. During that time, users have grown from 2.5 million to more than 500 million — with a peak annual surge of 125 million Warren Whitlock in 2011.

What is it about those 140 characters per tweet that turn into marketing gold, and make Twitter the third biggest go-to resource for companies today?

We went on Twitter to find out — and ran into one of its most followed faces, Warren Whitlock (@WarrenWhitlock), coauthor of Twitter Revolution, the 2008 book that helped launch the mindboggling user growth that followed. Here is what the #1 bestselling author, blogger, speaker and man with 160,000 Twitter followers said: “The revolution is not really about a force that changed events, it’s more a realization by companies and people that we don’t have to do business like we did in the 20th century. The mass markets, mass production, mass distribution, and mass communications of the last 100 years proved to be a great advantage — then.

Those with the biggest plants, highest wattage, and largest networks won, and growth was so fast that we all focused on ‘getting things out’.

“Most of human interaction is two-way. Business was also two-way until the Mass Century. Now, the Internet, cell phones and email have taught us that we can have an asynchronous conversation with many more individuals.

The tools call ‘social media’ the best yet. We all hate doing 12

WARREN business with a big company far away that doesn’t care.

Finally, we have the tools we need to have many more personal encounters and it’s easy to predict that people like that.

“I avoid using the term ‘social media’ to talk about this influence. The trouble is, most of us have baggage coming into any conversation. We were raised in the era of mass media, and confuse that with the big media of the 20th century.

“With Twitter, what we saw early on was that Twitter offered communications for the way we like to interact today. People looking at Twitter inevitably go through three stages: 1. Why would I care what other people have for breakfast?

2. How can I make this work or make some money?

3. How did I live without this?

“We’ve found that it’s the same with any new communications technology. I liked Twitter, because I reached people I wanted to reach at the time, and they had already started using ‘tweet’ as a verb. Our book, Twitter Revolution, was titled to take advantage of this and focused on that technology. It’s not a ‘how to’ book, and the ‘revolution in marketing’ we talk about is just getting started.

“Today, we don’t think of what channel to talk to someone on, but Twitter is the backbone of many conversations because it’s built into operating systems and extendable. You obviously can send a message with SMS to one person. With some applications, you can broadcast to many, but nothing else is as versatile for getting those serendipitous conversations with people who resonate with all or part of a conversation.”

(For more of our conversation with Warren, visit our website, www.legacyseriesmagazine.com)

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

Green Technology

By Kelsey Elgie Domier

SUSTAINABILITY & HOPS: Green Energy & Craft Breweries The beer industry continues to grow and evolve in exciting new ways. And we aren’t just referring to supersized breweries like Coors, Budweiser or Miller. Consumers continue to gravitate towards more complex flavors, styles and the highquality, unique taste of craft beer.

The craft beer industry’s smarter, more sustainable energy practices are among the most impressive in business today.

Back in 1980, there were eight craft breweries in the United States; by the end of 2012, there were 2,347.

Independently owned and separate from the “big brother” breweries, craft breweries produced 13.24 million U.S. beer barrels in 2012 (one beer barrel equals 31 gallons).

That’s no surprise to everyone that partook of the microbrewery and branding explosions of the 1990s and 2000s. Yet, it’s the constant use of green energy, as well as extensive sustainability measures, that are most impressive.

“Brewing by nature is an innovative and inventive industry to be in. Everybody is constantly inventing new beer, or trying a new recipe and working with different ingredients. That same sort of philosophy applies to resource preservation and sustainability methods,” Cheri Chastain, sustainability coordinator for the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., said.

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Pale Ale Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Based in Chico, CA, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. won the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Green Business of The Year” award in 2010. The state of the art brewery has the largest privately owned solar installation in the U.S., providing 20% of their power. Sierra Nevada is also the only brewery in the nation to house Hydrogen Fuel cells, providing roughly 40% of their power using non-combustion technology. The company preserves natural gas in the boilers by using a Bio-Gas Recovery System.

Live dials on Sierra Nevada’s website display their energy creation for all to see; at any given point in time, they can exceed 100% of needed power.

Although much smaller than Sierra Nevada, employee-owned Full Sail Brewing Co. of Hood River, Oregon, has achieved noteworthy

Innovation & Technology Today

green energy and sustainability progress of its own.

Brewing at Full Sail is part of a way of life for many, including Executive Brewmaster and co-owner Jamie Emmerson. The brewery lies beneath Mount Hood, on a mile-wide section of the Columbia River. Kitesurfers and windsurfers take advantage of the same 30-knot winds that power the 140 blocks of energy Full Sail purchases locally each month. This use of wind power reduces the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 168 tons per year.

Full Sail takes care of their precious Mount Hood water by implementing practices that reduce water consumption by 3.1 million gallons each year. While average breweries consume 6 to 8 gallons of water per gallon of beer produced, they average 2.5 gallons. Full Sail implements an extensive recycling program while utilizing onsite waste treatment. This provides farmers in the Hood River Valley with over 160 tons of spent grain per week. It also allows them to divert over 97 percent of its waste to landfills.

Back to the lifestyle of Hood River.

Full Sail operates on a compressed work week of four ten-hour shifts, which reduces power consumption and water use by 20%. This schedule allows employees to get out and explore the scenic Columbia River Gorge and its endless activities. ■ Spring 2013

Women in Technology

By Lisa Lunney

Two Bold Decisions That Have Changed Landscapes EDITOR’S NOTE: The presence and power of women in the world of technology is in constant change — and Innovation & Technology Today is standing at the forefront to report on how it impacts our business landscape and climate. You can look forward to future columns focusing on new ideas, profiles of great female advocates in the technological world, universal changes and advances to women in the field of technology.

Marissa Mayer A hot topic this past quarter has concerned the decision of Marissa Mayer. Mayer recently decided to ask Yahoo! employees to work from offices, rather than from home. She made the decision to target the most successful outcome for the company.

There is a consensus that Yahoo! is struggling, and needs a sense of unification and community among workers. Employees working from 16

home do not promote a sense of family and community in the workplace. Many may argue that Mayer’s decision is one that directly targets other females, and mothers who want to work remotely to spend more time with their families. Mayer is both a mother and a CEO, and she has managed to excel in each role.

Her decision is one that will empower other females, and to show society that being a mother is not a restriction from finding success.

Instead of arguing, and focusing on what is being “taken away,” the business community would do better to focus on what Mayer is giving to Yahoo! She is supplying the tools to allow for a chance to help save the company. She wants the individuals who are truly committed, all in the same place to work together to transform the company.

Sandberg’s book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, illustrates how passionately she feels about the need for women to take the reins of the advancing world of business. Sandberg is developing a grandiose plan to reignite the women’s revolution.

Sandberg offers a refreshing take on feminism. She does not sugarcoat facts, and her blunt approach encourages women to take big chances and seek big rewards.

Sandberg wants her life to inspire and empower women. She wants women to rise in their fields of work through collective encouragement from other females. Some may disagree with her approach, but those are often the women who fear change.

The future of women in technology has never been so exciting. ■

••• A water cooler item of discussion has been the woman of the hour: Sheryl Sandberg. Sandberg, chief operating office of Facebook, is the first and only woman to sit on the board of the social medium platform.

She has held senior positions at Google, The World Bank, and the U.S. Treasury. She is a role model for women, her resume conveying female empowerment.

Innovation & Technology Today

Sheryl Sandberg

Spring 2013

Security Smart Home Security Begins with the Server Let’s face it: the good old days of home security are coming to an end.

We used to be able to leave home for vacations with total confidence that our home alarm system would deter intruders or burglars. If they wanted to prowl around a bit more, they would get a chance to meet our pet Doberman pinschers or German shepherds, face to snarling face.

Now, the questions are a little different: Will someone hack my computers and devices? Will they compromise our home broadband? Will they sabotage or disable the home automation system? In other words, how am I well-protected from a cyberattack against my house?

Rather than looking at the house as a single unit to be secured, the smart home breaks down into its component parts: air conditioning, heating, lighting, water supply, sewage and security systems, room and fire sensors. All or some of these are controlled by your home

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automation system, which runs on a server (a simple PC, in most cases).

If you control the functions remotely via tablet, desktop or smartphone, then it runs over the Internet, too.

Those add up to a lot of security concerns. First, the system is vulnerable to malware, hacks, and unauthorized access, at every level from alarms to kitchen appliances, so a strong firewall is a must. So is a proxy server.

In addition, home automation systems run on sensors, such as motion sensors, or lifestyle pattern sensors that you have pre-set to regulate heating or cooling in specific rooms, the coffee maker timer, and other daily conveniences.

Video surveillance also runs on detection sensors. All of these sensors are synchronized with the

Innovation & Technology Today

server with various mobile devices (such as tablets and smartphones), which make them the weakest and most vulnerable part of the system.

Thieves can literally hack the system and turn off motion sensors long enough to get in the house, do their evil business, and leave. This area needs to be addressed directly, and often.

Solutions range from functionspecific to entire home systems.

For instance, Honeywell’s VISTA10P comes with a six-zone panel, but can be fitted to arm 22 zones — and activated with a single button.

That effectively seals up your house, all automation features, and your server. No one is getting inside your computer or home unless you forget to activate it.

Others collaborate. GE’s SmartCom augments its control of home sub-systems and security zones by supporting a number of customizable security systems from other vendors, including Simon and Concord. Schlage, the heavy-duty lock manufacturer, even weighs in with its new wireless locks, including the plug-in RP200 Z Wave Light Module to secure appliances and lights.

Do your homework, and remember: security precautions for standard homes are just as technologically outdated as those homes themselves when migrated into the smart home environment.■ Spring 2013

Education in Technology

By Robert Yehling

The Learning Curve of Digital Magazines Tablet computing and the Internet have produced the greatest shift in education since Gutenberg cranked up the printing press. It concerns the very way students learn. With universities and high schools turning libraries into e-book and PDF centers, millions of students exchanging books and daypacks for tablets, and teachers using online sources and chat rooms to teach, a question pops to mind: Besides technology itself, what makes this new world turn?

One answer might surprise you: the digital magazine. Yes, in this increasingly paperless world, our old standard print resources return to the forefront in a 21st century format to again champion the quest for knowledge.

The smart teachers know their students will spend much of their days parked on their tablets or smartphones, running through searches and links to get their information. I remember discussing a writing student’s term paper on war-related PTSD last year at Ananda College, where I was a professor. In the 90 seconds it took me to review the paper’s two bald areas and rattle off a few good resources in order to deepen her argument, she had: • Called up the Wounded Warriors Project website; 20

• Googled various resources; • Bookmarked them; • Called up www.ceoexpress.com, to look for latest reports on business and the economic impact of PTSD; • Brought up Amazon.com, which displayed a slew of related titles; and • Found a related digital magazine

She did this in 90 seconds.

Welcome to education today.

That’s where digital magazines, such as Innovation & Technology Today or National Geographic, come in. They are amazing tools when put into savvy educators’ hands. Besides core text and photographic content, a good digital magazine features wellconceived linking beyond the stories.

We’re not talking about quick links to a subject’s home page, but rather, giving the reader a deeper experience — a video talk with a quoted person,

Innovation & Technology Today

a PDF drilling into the topic, or perhaps a slide show that better illustrates a specific technology. Each story expands into a potential universe for the reader, enriching and expanding their understanding to the point that the magazine becomes absolute to-go material in the future.

Another prime use of digital magazines comes from the nonfeature material. Everyone loves to look at statistics, charts, little factoids, blurbs and other quick-bite information. With digital interactivity, it springs to live as infographics, charts with accompanying audio or video, and little stories that link to vast repositories of material.

Suddenly, students can see dry numbers and facts as they relate to the larger picture; for instance, mobile app downloads rising 600% in the past 2 1/2 years. Which apps are most popular? What are the top app categories? Who is downloading them? From a single statistic, you can click to all of this — and suddenly, the student gains a perspective that serves them much better than a single number.

We’ll talk more about these technologies in future issues. ■ Spring 2013

smart homes Technology, meet your future — inside your front door. Welcome to smart homes, in which you kick up your legs and control heating/cooling, lighting, entertainment, appliances, security, pools and lawn sprinklers with tablets, smartphones, remotes, and now, even your voice. This industry is expected to exceed $60 billion by 2017. With 97% of U.S. homes not yet hooked up, companies developing new products feverishly, and mega stars of personal technology — Comcast, Apple, Samsung, etc. — jumping in, the future is boundless.

smart homes

THE

GRAND TOUR Ned Bonzi Photography Nedbonzi.com

Long before you leave the office, you open up your iPad, iPhone or Android. You call up an app you’ve come to love more than any others.

Your living room sprawls before you. Quickly, you adjust the thermostat, lighting and audio, and make sure the backyard pool is perfect for a swim. Oh, wait — your husband or wife will be late.

Dinner is on your own. You find the kitchen icon and tap the picture of the range. Then you send.

Twenty miles away, house lights come to life, and the living room, master bedroom, kitchen and study start their climb to a perfect 70 degrees. The pool heater kicks on, ensuring you will enjoy a warm swim. You walk in the door to the sound of your favorite welcoming music, filling the house with melody. After peeling off your tie and changing into more comfortable clothes, you head into the kitchen to satisfy your grumbling stomach — and find the 24

Ned Bonzi Photography, Nedbonzi.com

oven heated up at 375 degrees, where you had pre-set it.

In this world of smart technology, nothing hits home more directly than … well, home. Smart homes (also known as home automation) have become the next great wonder of innovation and technology, capturing the attention of homebuilders, telecoms, utility companies, broadband, computer and smart phone manufacturers alike. All of the big players are in the game, including new roles for companies like Comcast and Belkin.

So are the new providers, a few of which include Smartenit, Nest, Crestron, Control 4, Elan Home Systems, HomeSeer and Savant Systems. Already, the home automation industry has broken down into seven distinct fields — whole-house automation, security control, lighting control, climate control, home integration, entertainment control and home automation software.

If ever there was an “all in” proposition for the second decade of the 21st century, this is it. An industry that returned $15 billion in revenue in 2010 is expected to soar to $60 billion by 2017, according to Juniper Research. Companies large and small are pushing home automation to the forefront of their marketing campaigns, even as the technology continues to be innovated at a rapid pace. Sometimes, words out of one person’s mouth seemingly manifest into a new solution. For instance, while Mitsubishi Electric’s John Clements spoke of a future that included voicecontrolled automation several weeks ago, Voicepod announced the roll-out of that very product.

Just when we thought we’d seen the last of the Wild West spirit in technology, along come smart homes.

The following pages offer a series of snapshots and metrics to illustrate a few of the most dynamic areas, as well as interviews from a few forward thinkers and providers. ■

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

smart homes

At the Touch

iPAD

In January, when the Computer Electronics Show and MacWorld/iWorld exhibitors and attendees focused heavily on fullhome connectivity, they nailed one of the predominant technology stories of 2013.

Call it the ultimate marriage of smart, automated homes and smart personal technology. As the smart home industry soars above the $25 billion mark this year, according to Juniper Research, our ability to remotely control our homes through our most important devices — tablets and smartphones — continues to increase.

Thanks in large part to the foresight of two leading-edge companies, Savant Systems and Smartenit, smart homes can now be controlled with iPhones and iPads.

Driven by broadband connectivity expansion to TVs, home automation systems and smart meters

The

Smart

Home Industry will grow from (home automation)

$25 billion in 2012

to $60 billion in 2017

Courtesy of Smartenit

OF AN

Even the iCloud is in on the act.

Apple’s OS X operating system has powered Savant’s patented SmartSystem control technology since the company first rolled it out. The SmartSystem is the world’s only complete home and commercial control, automation and entertainment product line that runs entirely on Apple’s platform. This adds a distinct easeof-use and fun element to making sure that lifestyle patterns, appliances, heating, cooling, security and even music are well coordinated — no matter where the user is located. Furthermore, an

(Juniper Research)

Spring 2013

Apple Mac Mini is installed with the home automation system.

The sexiest of these applications comes from the iPad. By working with Savant’s TrueImage software, users can pull up a picture of each room that is controlled. Appliances, thermostats and even audio systems are digitally re-created on the screen.

A touch of the finger, and they’re on, and adjustable for brightness, temperature or volume. Users can even check power usage and activate a flatscreen that might be hidden inside a bookshelf or dresser. For NBA playoffs or March Madness fanatics, different games can be switched onto different televisions and recorded on DVRs — long before you arrive home.

Best of all? You can flick the switch remotely from anywhere in the world.

Bring in the iPhone as well. Savant offers iPhone remote connection features as part of its overall platform, while Smartenit, a Global Hot 100 company, provides an app for controlling inside and outside water, energy, appliance, temperature and lighting. The app accommodates the smart grid multiple platform gateway, which operates on ZigBee, INSTEON, X10 and WiFi and can control 19 different devices inside and outside the house.

It is hard to imagine more convenient apps and programs than (Continued on Page 26)

Innovation & Technology Today

25

smart homes

Plug-Load

ENERGY Powers Smart Homes

By Steve Montgomery plugged in at any given time can result in gross errors in energy monitoring and load control. Turning off or on appliances at the wrong time can damage the appliance, create fires, or destroy food or garments. Accidentally turning off life-support equipment could even result in death.

Digitally identifying each plug Retrofitting an existing appliance with load can avoid these problems.

In the past ten years, plug a unique readable address with a RightPlug tag.

Plug load identification can load consumption relative to ensure that the building total energy use has increased automation or energy management Since plug-load controllers were from 14% in 2003 to 48% today. system accurately turns on-off target introduced over 40 years ago, Historically, energy management plug loads, prevents appliance automated plug-load control for systems focused on controlling damage and properly associates either home automation or energy heavy energy consumers like HVAC, management has been avoided due to energy measurements with the plug pool pumps and water heaters. Now, loads consuming that electricity. A high potential risk of calamity. The plug-loads provide a good energy uncertainty over which items are savings opportunity.

(Continued on Page 28)

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and New Buildings Institute, plug load energy use in homes and offices continues to increase, for two major reasons: 1) More appliances are in daily use; 2) Improved efficiency of lights, heating and cooling.

(Continued from Page 25)

3% of U.S. homes have automation systems This number will rise by double-digit rates in coming years

these — unless you can issue voice commands. Which, you now can. VoicePod’s technology has married smart homes with vocal commands. “It’s not just about voice recognition — it’s about speech interaction,” CEO Ted Rosenberger explains. “Not only can VoicePod listen, but it can also talk.

“Speech turns out to be the most effective way for your home to convey specific

information to you. Specific security concerns such as doors that did not lock, garage doors stuck open and security sensors tripped at night cannot all be anticipated by the home automation installer. VoicePod can be configured to dynamically speak security related information as it happens which improves your overall awareness of what’s going on in the home,” Rosenberger added. ■

(Reuters)

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Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

under the product name “SafePlug”.

The SafePlug receptacle continuously polls for the presence of a plug-tag to uniquely identify what appliance is plugged in, when it got plugged in and when it gets unplugged. Since

(Continued from Page 26)

PRODUCT REVIEWS

digital addressing scheme must provide each appliance its own address, must retrofit onto legacy appliances and must have a range to support the billions of appliances presently in use.

The RightPlug Alliance plug addressing architecture meets these demands. It uses passive short-range RFID transponders on each appliance plug to communicate an appliance address (48-bits) and safety information. In simple terms, this RFID tagging system can Courtesy of ZigBee Alliance supply a unique address to the SafePlug uses ZigBee wireless over 280 trillion appliances, about communication to a central network 1,000 times more than exist coordinator, each receptacle has its presently on the planet.

The first smart receptacle system to own address. Within a monitoring and control system, the outlet reports use RightPlug tags is from 2D2C, Inc.

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MEEMOJO: Style & Protection for Your Apple Device with Attitude MeeMojo by Ultimate Truck Gear out of Ontario, Canada is serving notice to all those dime-a-dozen plastic iPhone cases; there is a new badass on the block.

MeeMojo designs and manufactures titanium and aluminum cases with some serious attitude for both iPhones and iPads. Their edgy and rugged designs will protect your phone from everyday wear and tear; after all, they were tossed around a parking lot and run over by a monster truck during testing!

What makes this case so special? MeeMojo’s proprietary innovation: their polymer isolators, designed to suspend the iPhone within the aluminum shell. Each case comes with precisely machined polymer isolators, ensuring complete contact all around the iPhone’s stainless steel edge. No part of your iPhone comes in contact with the aluminum shell, and it won’t impede your antenna’s reception. Oh, did we mention the cases even make the white iPhone look tough? Seriously.

With pricing around $100, it’s not the cheapest case out there. Then again, why would you protect your Apple device with anything less than the best armor money can buy? www.meemojo.com

DIVOOM: Tiny Speakers with a Big Boom If you’re looking for a Bluetooth Speaker that won’t break the bank, is very easy to set up, and carries impressive sound and range, don’t overlook the Bluetune Solo. Priced at less than $50, the Bluetune Solo has a built-in mic, and can even be used as a speakerphone. It also will allow you to connect to an external stereo system. You can turn your home stereo into a wireless

its own address, the plug address, energy consumed, overload status, line voltage, and events such as unplugging or plugging in.

Thus the system can automatically learn where appliances are plugged in and when they are moved. The system can also store rules about specific appliances, such as never turning off life-safety equipment.

On-off control schedules can be restricted only to target load devices. For example, if you schedule to turn OFF the window air conditioner but grandpa has his oxygen pump plugged into that controlled receptacle, the system cannot find the tag for the A/C unit and does NOT turn off the oxygen pump. ■ Steve Montgomery is the Executive Vice President of 2D2C, Inc.

system just by plugging in this diminutive speaker. The batteryoperated device doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall, either.

To charge the battery, simply plug it into your computer like any other USB device.

As a bonus, you can even daisy chain several speakers together and set them up to create a small network of speakers. We tested this little guy out by the pool, and the sound was just right for all those within earshot. It was easy to DJ from the convenience of our iPhones. www.divoomusa.com

DARBLET HDMI High-Definition Image Enhancer: The Bee’s Knees!

If you want to enjoy the highest fidelity picture possible on your HDTV, the DarbeeVision DARBLET HDMI High-Definition Image Enhancer is the solution for you. DARBEE Visual Presence ™ (DVP) technology establishes a fundamental breakthrough for image realism. It is ideal for use with High Definition (HD) TV’s and components such as Blu-ray, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, cable and satellite receivers, mobile and PVR. The Plug-n-Play device installs in seconds between any HDMI source and display.

Using compatible HDMI cables (sold separately), first make a connection between the DARBLET (HDMI In) and your home theater component, and then between the DARBLET (HDMI Out) and your HDTV. After that, plug in your DARBLET, using the included power supply. That’s it! You’re ready to go! We found that no matter how good your display is, the DVP5000 will create better-looking images. Highly recommended for gamers and movie aficionados alike; at around $300, it is well worth the money. www.darbeevision.com

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

smart homes

Why ENTERTAINMENT & GAMING

IS THE

HEARTY

of the Smart Home Universe

By Robert Yehling The recent Juniper Networks survey of the home automation industry showed what most would expect: a steady and steep rise in overall revenue through this decade, beginning at $5.5 billion in 2010 and climbing to $60 billion by 2017.

What raises many eyebrows, though, is the primary source of the predicted jump. It isn’t security systems, system control devices, HVAC systems, sensors or other ingredients of a smart home. The big breadwinner? Entertainment and gaming systems. Not only will our capabilities to run all of our entertainment needs through our flatscreens and remotes continue to grow, but they will also spread to all systems within the house.

Samsung’s PNE8000 and Smart Hub “I would say we’re going to see the combining of HVAC technologies with lights, appliances, television, and to be able to control all of those things through your television,” says Mitsubishi Electric’s John Clements.

Clements was speaking of a foreseeable future — but that future is already knocking on our doors. For instance, Comcast’s Xfinity Home

Xfinity Home 30

services include motion detectors, window and door sensors, touch-screen controllers for operating the system, light controls, thermostats and surveillance cameras, all secured by round-the-clock monitoring by Comcast.

Notice the brand: Xfinity Home. It doesn’t jog the imagination too much to see a bridge between Xfinity Home and Xfinity, the cable TV service offering that evolved into a website and app, as well as a home entertainment system that provides and funnels every conceivable medium through the flatscreen. Wouldn’t that be nice to decide on movies, music, streaming video, TV channels and games while also pre-setting the temperature in your bedroom for when you head up there?

Crestron

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

Add Xfinity Home and Xfinity together, and what do you have? The scenario that Clements laid out.

In fact, such a first-adopter system already exists, provided by Crestron and Control4, among other companies. The Crestron 3 Series is an integrated building management platform that ties together home automation, security and entertainment, all controllable from a single interface. IT, HVAC, BMS and security are all covered. That’s an entire smart home.

Meanwhile, Control4 offers up a fully connected lighting system that integrates lighting with music, video, shades, locks, and climate control. This adds to their single-remote system, with which you can control every TV, receiver, DVR, DVD, CD player, or other features of your home theater or entertainment system.

The entire sweeping set of home

automation controls can be accessed via iPhone, iPad, Android or PC through the MyHome app.

While these systems are expensive today — from $1,500 for small-home starter systems to $5,000 for bigger projects — we all know in which direction technology prices head after the honeymoon period wears off. For a reminder, look at that large leaden early-model flatscreen for which you paid $4,299 in 2007.

CELLULAR CONNECTIONS

used in HOME AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

will grow from 250,000 in 2010 to 5.5 million in 2015 (Berg Insight)

Speaking of which, TVs and their control systems only get more diverse as they handle more and more forms of online entertainment and gaming.

Take Samsung’s PNE8000 series.

Besides its superb video processing and 3D features, this plasma flatscreen, which ranges from 51 to 64 inches, offers a Bluetooth Touchpad remote, IR blaster, voice and gesture control, two pairs of 3D glasses, facial recognition account sign-in, a camera, microphone, and an industry-leading Smart TV platform — which hooks you up to all the conceivable video entertainment and online gaming choices available. The price for all of this: from $1,800 to $2,700. Quite a far cry from the $4,299 days!

Now imagine running your entire household from this flatscreen. Not only is it conceivable, but it’s also highly appealing. The next frontier is on its way. ■

interview

Innovation & Technology Today’s Conversation with

MICHAEL Enertia Homes

SYKES

In the 1970s, Michael Sykes, a trained engineer, stumbled orientation, and is possible because the earth is tilted, and upon one of the most significant innovations in house rotates. We divide the house into two shells, and the outer building by observing the natural process of thermal one is like an atmosphere, always trying to equalize like heating. He used thick-timber earth’s atmosphere with its trade framing and mimicked the inwinds. This equalization happens and-out effect of heat in the without mechanical equipment, or atmosphere to create homes that reliance on electricity or fuel. made maximal use of passive solar energy. He called this I&T TODAY: That implies that most “Enertia” — Energy from a shiftexisting houses are dumb? in-time. Since smart homes MS: You could say that. I call revolve, in large part, around the them static, while the smart house is intelligent use and distribution dynamic. Most houses today are of heating and cooling energy, built with “stick framing,” a method whether from solar or other that dates from the 1890s. They are sources, we built to achieve a certain look or wanted to check in style, or for a certain number of with Michael to bedrooms and baths. Stick framing find out more is how you would build a false front about the concept on a movie set to look like a house of his company, — there is no inherent substance or Photos courtesy of Enertia Homes Enertia Homes — strength. It’s all appearance. They and its impact must be conditioned by a furnace or air-conditioner to be moving forward. habitable.

Michael Sykes One of our smart, dynamic homes conditions itself INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY TODAY: How did the concept because that planetary tilt and rotation always creates first come to you? differences between the two shells, and they want to MICHAEL SYKES: One Christmas Eve, I walked by a equalize. A thermal connection with the moderate 55stack of large pine timbers that had been in the sun all day. degree earth means that with power out, or no fuel, that is I could feel the heat radiating from that pile — my light as bad as it gets. bulb moment. I knew this was the solution for storing energy in houses. It led to our double shell technique for I&T TODAY: With all the advances in technology, why is housing moving the most energy into the most wood, without fans still so antiquated? or electricity. The strength and violet-weather resistance is MS: Unlike technology designed in labs, and built in a side benefit of massive construction. factories, most houses are site-built by carpenters, who learned from their fathers, and grandfathers, and so on.

I&T TODAY: What makes a house smart?

Few of them even know this new housing technology MS: It reacts, acts, and adapts to changes, dampening exists, or is available. Our Enertia® homes are designed, or their effect, without any input from the occupants, or adapted, for each site and climate and manufactured in a controls, or sensors. This is done by design, and (Continued on Page 34) 32

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

(Continued from Page 32)

factory with precision and control.

Thus a carpenter can’t “ad-lib” and move a window or door on-site which might kill the thermodynamics.

particle board coming apart. If a storm or flood doesn’t get them first.

Look at the rash of tornadoes, or the flooding in the Midwest. The first object of a house is to protect you, your family, and your possessions. Your house should be a place you run to in times of trouble, you will want your electronics and communications up

CEDIA EXPO 2013

I&T TODAY: Is the move towards “Green Building” making things better?

MS: Yes and no. Every design firm has gone green — they have to.

But they focus on green features and materials that might, and I emphasize might, slow global warming or climate change if everybody does it. Instead, we focus on preparing your house for climate change — hardening the structure against superstorms and tornadoes, or making Photo courtesy of Enertia Homes it function independently if the power grid is down for months, like in and running. We have developed a Hurricane Sandy. proven system of raised-floor homes for the areas that will always have river I&T TODAY: What’s the worst thing about flooding. You know it’s coming, so the prevalent types of houses? think ahead and build for it. When it’s MS: That they are short-term, and over, our double shell airflow loop don’t hold up. Way before the end of dries things out. Fifty percent of our your mortgage, the insulation will be population lives on the coast, within waterlogged, the nails rusty, and the the range of a hurricane. The purpose

Spring 2013

It only makes sense that the exploding home automation and integrated home market would convene at a trade expo perfectly suited to meet its needs.

“In today’s evolving landscape within the residential electronic systems industry, every overlapping technology within the home will be connected to the network.”

So says the mission statement from CEDIA, the international trade association comprised of companies that design and install electronic home systems. CEDIA will convene its companies and their offerings September 26-28 in Denver for CEDIA EXPO 2013, a threeday showcase of education and training, opportunities to get certified, product offerings and a look at emerging trends and technology.

The beauty of CEDIA is its purpose: to point its members and expo directly at the current and potential end-user. In case

of our design and construction method is to give you peace-of-mind and confidence in your shelter. Basic strength-of-structure, as well as design strategies to mitigate these climate and weather events, were our first criteria when we conceived the system. This led us to engineered Gluelams, the strongest assembly of wood known to man. Gluelam walls are up to ten times stronger than stick framing.

Southern Pine Gluelams also have thermal inertia that flatlines at about 65 degrees, a perfect temperature for a dynamic smart house.

I&T TODAY: Is this where you got the name Enertia, from thermal inertia?

MS: Yes, it is a play on the term inertia. We changed the “i” to an “e” so we could get our trademark. Enertia is also a form-of-energy, defined as energy from a shift-in-time. The dynamic double shell structure moves solar energy from the day to night, and the massive structure stores that energy. It’s the opposite of the ‘airtight box’ approach most home designers are using now. ■

you’re wondering, that potential market consists of 97% of all homeowners in the U.S. yet to embrace home automation technology. For those customers, CEDIA offers two simple tips: 1. Don't Do It Alone: Coming up with a solid blueprint for the system you envision is crucial, so plan on investing some time and money working with an experienced home technology professional who can explain the pros and cons of different technologies and, ultimately, design a system that meets your goals and budget.

2. Give Your Home A Solid Backbone: It's easy to lose sight of the importance of something you can't see, but a hard wired/wireless network is the backbone of today's home technology systems. If your network is weak, you will not get the performance you want out of the electronics you purchase. Think of the network as an investment in infrastructure, like electricity and plumbing.

Finally, CEDIA says, it’s important to understand that the network will not be entirely wireless and that a home technology professional will understand networking technology and will know which devices will benefit from being hard-wired.

Innovation & Technology Today

34

interview

Innovation & Technology Today’s Conversation with

JOHN CLEMENTS Mitsubishi Electric

When speaking with Mitsubishi Electric’s John Clements, one thing becomes abundantly clear: smart home technology is not that new. It only feels new in the United States, because the U.S. is a late adopter.

The company’s longstanding effort to provide more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in European and some Asian countries, where energy is far more expensive than the U.S., has resulted in tremendous innovation.

Most notable is the mini-split ductless technology that Mitsubishi rolled out in 1968.

Now, 45 years later, Mitsubishi Electric is offering ductless technology, among other solutions and products, in the U.S. smart home market.

Innovation & Technology Today talked about this and other technologies with Clements.

JC: Yes, I would think so. We were certainly the leaders in the television market for years, with the highest quality products. That market’s gone in a different direction, toward lower-price models, but people still know Mitsubishi from that, and from our electronics. People certainly associate John Clements the brand with high quality technology.

I&T TODAY: Can you tell us more about the ductless technology’s potential here?

JC: The ductless technology is somewhat unfamiliar in the U.S. It’s the predominant technology around the world, but not so much here. As .uk o c we expand our technology to c. tri c e better include American style iel ish b homes — they’re larger, more tsu mi . w rooms — more people will get INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY TODAY: ww used to the technology and appreciate the benefits of it.

Since Mitsubishi has been around for 90 years, you have the advantage of marrying established and new I&T TODAY: What has the customer response been so far? technologies in the smart home arena. Does this provide an JC: It’s been great. We’ve had tremendous appreciation edge over others that are coming into business specifically to over those features. We’re the only ductless company right offer home automation products? now that has that capability to control from anywhere. It’s JOHN CLEMENTS: I think so. We have a lot of definitely something that gets the consumer’s attention, so experience in the ductless market worldwide, and have for we’ve definitely tried to build on those capabilities. quite awhile, since we came up with the mini-split ductless design in 1968. We’re not running full-force with I&T TODAY: What have been some of the developmental ductless as the perfect answer for everyone. We’re looking challenges in broadening out your systems for American at ways to modify our systems and grow them for the homes, as opposed to the homes in Europe and Asia, where market here in the U.S., where things are different, more you first established your ductless system foothold? spacious, larger homes.

JC: It’s a matter of taking the functions we want to focus on, growing that technology, and taking it to the next level.

I&T TODAY: It seems to us that your long-established foothold It gets a little more complicated, because there are more in home technologies and appliances would help the customers’ systems you’re communicating with in larger homes, like perception in home automation.

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Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

American homes, but each of our devices has up to 16 different systems it can communicate with.

I&T TODAY: In what ways is Mitsubishi Electric’s involvement with connecting people to their homes via iPhones, Androids, tablets and PCs expanding what is possible in home automation?

JC: With ours at this time, it’s only to control the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and related products.

Ours is integrated with a Honeywell Red Link system, so any Red Link compatible function is going to be connected with ours.

Our system gives room-by-room temperature controls, so you’re not just turning on a floor or a whole house, but controlling it room by room with a PC, iPhone or iPad.

I&T TODAY: Has Mitsubishi Electric considered a way to marry flatscreens with remote home automation control devices, like PCs, so that someone could control their home functions while stretched out on a couch, projecting them on a flatscreen?

JC: That’s something that’s not really possible right now, but it’s a great idea, something I’ve thought about. I would say we’re going to see the combining of HVAC technologies with lights, appliances, television, and to be able to control all of those things through your television. Potentially down the road, integrating some Siri type features, I could see you speaking your commands through the phone: “Master bedroom, 72 degrees,” like that.

I&T TODAY: What has been both the joy and I&T TODAY: Could you describe the concept of intrigue for you, in your position, to see the split-zoning air conditioning, since almost response and usage of the technologies everyone is thinking about AC in our time of Mitsubishi Electric has been rolling out and global climate change? Is that also applicable to implementing? lights and appliances?

JC: I think knowing that these products JC: The best example that I use is light are the future of HVAC. I had a history switches. You don’t walk into the house and with a traditional HVAC company, and to flip the switch, and every light in the house see what’s going on here is truly amazing. comes on. Why should we think of our It’s next-generation, the next version, way Ned Bonzi Photography, Nedbonzi.com heating and air conditioning systems that beyond the capabilities of what we’ve way? With the split zoning, each individual room or zone seen before. The energy efficiency is in the 20 SEER that’s set up is controllable on its own. You can have the (Seasonal Energy Efficient Ratio) range, whereas master bedroom at one temperature, a hot or cold spot in the traditional systems are in the 13 to 16 SEER range. This home, heat up the children’s bedroom, and have different technology makes sense to people. When something makes settings for upstairs and downstairs. We have one-room sense to a customer, and is this advanced, and then you systems, and systems that control up to eight rooms. Of have something that’s going to take you into the future. course, you can have multiple systems.

■

www.mitsubishielectric-usa.com

Spring 2013

Innovation & Technology Today

37

interview

Innovation & Technology Today Conversation with

AL CHOPERENA Smartenit

Smartenit has not only burst onto the home automation platform in a big way, but has expanded throughout the smart home environment. They’ve had a lot of fun with it, too. Named a Global Hot 100 company in 2012, Smartenit builds many of its products around the Home Area Network, which connects utility companies with home automation systems. Products range from hubs and gateway devices to specific sensors and system input and output devices. To tie it all together and put it in your pocket, they’ve even developed a free-of-charge app for iPhone, Android and tablets — which has turned into a business boom.

We connected with Smartenit CEO Al Choperena, who took time from a busy day in sunny Southern California, where the company is headquartered, to answer a few of our questions.

a user sees a system more logically from wherever he/she happens to be, through a mobile device or a PC. Secondly, the ease of development and deployment of a mobile application that makes “app” such a universal term.

Lastly, the adoption of Al Choperena standards that has given way to a rapidly expanding ecosystem of sensor and actuator devices. This makes it finally possible to offer automation solutions for practically every area of a home.

I&T TODAY: What up-tics in business are you seeing from public awareness efforts the past years to be more energy efficient?

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY AC: A most exciting area is in TODAY: Smartenit has built its devices that measure and success and reputation as a Global control the energy being Hot 100 company through an delivered. I think that providing approach that empowers consumers. www.smartenit.com the ability to see your consumption Could you elaborate on this approach alone is not sufficient, since eventually, and why it works? the novelty of information wears off. Devices that let you AL CHOPERENA: From a home controls perspective, we take action based on information really hit the mark, divide our attention into three things: a) inputs, i.e. the providing the ability for a user to change energy use in information from sensors and other variables around us; b) response to demand and cost. Public awareness is just outputs, or the actions that can be taken on things such as beginning to be felt. We look for acceleration of this motors, heaters, pumps, etc.; and c) decisions, or the ability awareness as the public utilities give more publicity to the for the user to set up an automatic action, or set of actions, changes they are implementing. based on the condition of an input or set of inputs. Our approach is to simply organize energy-saving solutions I&T TODAY: Could you describe the Home Area Network, and around these elements that a user can easily put together. how Smartenit has taken a leading position in both providing products and educating consumers on it?

I&T TODAY: What have been the two or three biggest AC: The Home Area Network, or HAN, usually refers to breakthroughs or areas of most rapid expansion in smart home the network of devices connected to a smart meter. This is technology in the past 2-3 years? a term associated with a utility and not with a home AC: The one of most significance is the refinement of the automation network. The smart meter really participates in hub or gateway made possible by cheaper and faster two networks, one on the side of the utility backhaul, and computing. A hub brings universal connectivity together so 38

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

another (the HAN itself) in the local dwelling. However, from a utility perspective, the main reason for a HAN is to give the utility the ability to level the grid during highdemand periods and to provide more awareness to the consumer prior to examining the dreaded monthly bill.

Because of our more simplistic view, we see the HAN as just another set of inputs and outputs in need of integration. We have assembled a fairly broad line of devices that connect directly to the meter in a HAN that also provide the useful actions a consumer would want to control. Completing the picture is our gateway that provides total transparency so a consumer does not need to be concerned with the type of network(s) being used.

I&T TODAY: You develop products to serve both ends of the smart grid — consumers and utilities. How do your relationships with utility companies influence the specific products you might build for homeowners?

AC: The key to any successful relationship is to have a win-win situation and approach to every transaction. By making the smart grid risk-free for a utility to see the benefits and advantages of our system, we are better able to gain their trust and to get approved for large deployments. We are just in the beginning of this process, but already see a tidal change that will eventually result in a huge business. An example is electric vehicle infrastructure, where our smart grid (Home Area Network)

products are becoming an integral part of solutions from several manufacturers.

I&T TODAY: What has been the public response to the Smartenit Mobile App in its first year? Do you continue to add more features to the app, or is it the same as released?

AC: We have been thrilled with the response from our users. By providing it free of charge, we took the risk that its value would be underappreciated. However, the opposite has been true, and we have gained a lot of new business and credibility from its introduction. The app has not been static by any means. We revamped the look and feel and continue to tweak it here and there. We made versions for all major platforms, including Android, Apple iOS, browsers and all major desktops. We also add support for new devices very rapidly.

I&T TODAY: What has been the most surprising impact of your work — as well as the most important?

AC: Definitely the ability to translate a vision and promise into a reality. One thing is to talk about the possibilities of the so-called “Internet of Things”, another is to demonstrate and show tangible results stemming from reading a smart meter, adding the energy consumption on a pool motor or booster pump, and then being able to turn that device on or off based on user criteria. All of this at a fraction of the cost of commercially available equipment! ■

interview

Innovation & Technology Today’s Conversation with

BRAD ADAMS Appinity Mobile Apps & Renegade Media

Brad Adams stares out at a frontier that would look especially familiar to website developers of the Wild Wild ’90s. As mobile apps continue to proliferate, and spill out new features faster than you can say “bells and whistles,” he works with businesses to create apps that will serve their customers and marketing strategies Brad Adams in specific ways.

Adams is the author of App Nation, which surveys the exploding app market and gives businesses a road map for creating their own.

He argues for a co-creative approach, in which the business owner works with a consultantbuilder to translate his or her sales and marketing needs into an app that enriches customer experience … Now and into the future.

INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY TODAY: What is the biggest fundamental change in apps in the past two years?

BRAD ADAMS: The ability to build one affordably. A couple years ago, if somebody wanted to have an app, then 1) It would be prohibitively expensive and a pain in the neck to create; and 2) It wouldn’t have been very good. Now, there’s technology where they can make really good apps at affordable prices.

I&T TODAY: You help businesses determine what they need in their app, showing them how the features relate to their needs, and then helping them create the tool. What are the advantages to doing it this way?

BA: Most small businesses don’t know enough about how to market themselves. They’re immersed in their business, and they know their customers, but they really don’t know the more sophisticated ways to market themselves. I look at an app as a tool. If you make an app without input from a business, it’s a case of, ‘Here’s an app. It has a bunch of features. They may or may not 40

work for your business.’ It’s outside the context of the broader picture, which is, how should they be marketing themselves? How should they be optimally interfacing with their customers?

I&T TODAY: How has web-based marketing, media and communication fundamentally changed the way businesses market to consumers? How does the app address that?

BA: Most small business people have a web page that someone put up for them. They probably had the web designer write the content from generic workplace information.

They also knew they were supposed to have a Facebook page, so they put one up, but it’s not part of any strategy to interface with a customer. The app forces them to think about the type of interaction they have with their customers, and how they can improve it.

I&T TODAY: What have responses been when you show businesses how to integrate their marketing with apps?

BA: The first reaction is, ‘Wow, this is cool.’ It has a real ‘cool’ factor. The people who put up websites quickly, just because they felt they had to, now realize they’re behind the curve. Having an app leapfrogs them, positions them as more of a leader. They begin to understand how to integrate it with everything they’re doing in order to take full advantage.

They’re excited by not just the app, but with all the possibilities the app brings to the situation.

I&T TODAY: How much time can businesses stay in the forefront without making adjustments to their apps?

BA: In my book, I talk about how apps were almost primitive two years ago. The way they’re exploding today, how does anyone know for sure where they’ll be in two years? The platform is there. It’s going to keep expanding.

How quickly does someone need to upgrade? My guess is that a year from now, the guy who is on the vanguard with his app will have an advantage. The guy who finds out his competition has a better app will find out he’s a dinosaur. ■

Innovation & Technology Today

Spring 2013

Social Media

By Ashley Skrdlant

Why Social Media is the New MVP Without question, social media has changed the interactive face of sports.

Fantasy leagues and March Madness brackets are shared, tweeted and compared for millions of dollars and endless bragging rights. Mobile apps like WatchESPN allow the dedicated fan never to miss a game, regardless of any work obligations.

High school recruits and www.espn.go.com professional athletes look to YouTube Perhaps the most important new in a manner that completely changes role of social media in the sports the game for recruitment and community has flown under the sponsorships. Injured players (think radar, however.

Kobe Bryant) tweet from the bench Many people ask, “What is the during games, allowing a live update purpose of sports in the unimaginable a decade ago — community?” As investigations into although, in some cases, the use of steroids and other performanceTwitter during a game can lead to a enhancing drugs drag on, and fine, like the $25,000 Chad player salaries continue to escalate Ochocinco coughed up in 2010. towards infinity, we often lose sight Results and scores are instantaneous, of the larger role sports serves. We and sports networks use social media have 45 million kids playing youth to become more interactive with sports in this country, who look to their fan base.

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Innovation & Technology Today

these athletes as heroes, so the question of relevance remains one that continually intrigues athletes and fans.

Why? Read on.

On April 6, 2013, #TeamJack swept the nation as 7-year-old cancer patient Jack Hoffman ran for a 69yard touchdown during the Nebraska Spring Game. National news outlets picked up the story, and it soon topped ESPN’s Best of the Best poll. The YouTube video of Jack’s touchdown immediately went viral, accumulating more than 8 million views (to date) and countless tears.

Social media brought fans across the nation that single, powerful moment.

It didn’t stop there. The Team Jack Facebook page, with more than 50,000 “likes,” recognizes supporters by sharing photos of individuals wearing their Team Jack T-shirts and (Continued on Page 44)

Spring 2013

(Continued from Page 42)

wristbands. Tweets are also frequently shared from those behind the cause, with Team Jack declaring their support #SuperDuperAwesome.

Jack, his family, and his friend Rex Burkhead, the former Nebraska running back and recent Cincinnati Bengals draft pick, met President Obama in April. The visit came after Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer gained full Senate support to designate September 26, 2013 as “National Pediatric Brain Cancer Awareness Day.” Recently, Team Jack joined representatives from Uplifting Athletes and CureSearch to present a $275,000 check to pediatric brain cancer researchers at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts.

While Team Jack may be one of the most publicized campaigns for cancer awareness, it is far from one of a kind. Enter Michigan State basketball star Adreian Payne and 7year-old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth. Lacey and Payne struck up a friendship during an MSU basketball team visit to the hospital.

ESPN basketball announcer Dick Vitale tweeted to invite them to the annual Dick Vitale Gala, an event benefiting The V Foundation, a marketing partner of The Legacy Series Magazine and Innovation & Technology Today. Late North Carolina State Coach Jim Valvano, widely known to many as Jimmy V, died of cancer in 1993, but not before making his celebrated speech at the ESPY Awards, his passion for life reverberating when he said, “Don’t give up … don’t ever give up.”

Each year, college basketball and ESPN present the Jimmy V Week for Cancer Research. #PasstheV is a familiar Twitter hashtag and

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Facebook share during this particular week. The most recent Jimmy V Week campaign raised a record $1.6 million. To date, the V Foundation, according to its website, has awarded $100 million in cancer research funds to facilities across the nation.

Cancer awareness isn’t alone in drumming up funds through the sports community. We need only be reminded of what happened online after two explosions ruined the Boston Marathon on April 15. In the face of uncertainty and fear, the nation had a choice: let fear win, or run on. The decision was immediately evidenced when the common theme of #BostonStrong circulated on Facebook and trended on Twitter. It was evidenced as hundreds of runs were organized throughout the nation within 10 days to #RunforBoston and announced by events on Facebook. On April 19, spectators at Major League baseball games nationwide rose to their feet and applauded, hugged, high-fived and otherwise celebrated as video screens highlighted the news that the second suspect had been taken into custody. Today, multiple donation sites continue to be announced

Innovation & Technology Today

through social media (tip: do your due diligence and verify their legitimacy before donating; some have proven to be fraudulent).

What about those moments that don’t necessarily contribute to a foundation but go viral nonetheless, raise awareness and deliver hope for the future?

Look no further than high school basketball. Owen Groesser, a Down syndrome student at Van Hoosen Junior High School, became a Twitter sensation after draining a pair of three-point attempts during a January 2013 game. Friends and teammates of Groesser began a Twitter campaign, calling to #GetOwenOnSportsCenter. The campaign was a hit, instantly trending and leading to a SportsCenter Top 10 play.

A similar story involves Mitchell Marcus and the Coronado Thunderbirds. Marcus is developmentally delayed, but his passion inspired his teammates.

In an end-of-season game against their rivals, Marcus entered with less than two minutes remaining. Despite attempts from teammates to get him the ball, Marcus was unable to score.

With seconds left, a member of the opposing team intentionally inbounded the ball to Marcus, who sank the first basket of his career.

Video of this play went viral, shared on thousands of Facebook timelines and retweeted on Twitter.

These are only a few of the examples of social platforms gaining national recognition and momentum through social media and the sports community. Maybe you’ll find a connection to the sports community, whether it’s a 7-year-old Husker fan, a legendary coach, or a high school basketball team showing nothing but genuine sportsmanship. Regardless, social media is the new platform for spreading the true purpose of sports in the community — hope. ■

Spring 2013

The CUBE

desktop expansion enclosure offers a breadth of options Mark Gunn, MAXexpansion.com

Thunderbolt connects an expansion enclosure to your Apple laptop or Mac workstation and is supported by some PC manufacturers as well. It makes data transfers to and from your computer at 10Gb/s, and also contains a 10Gb/s data port. PCIe expansion offers a range of bus speeds up to 128Gb/s. All CUBE enclosures support both Thunderbolt and PCIe expansion that connect to your computer through a cable furnished with all CUBE products.

The chart at the right shows a comparison of the different CUBE versions. The nanoCUBE, the smallest of the family, is ideal for adding a fast storage Flash card to your laptop to quickly download and temporarily store video or graphic data.

The µCUBE is ideal for a laptop‐user that requires a mid‐size card up to 9.5” long.

The CUBE line of expansion enclosures support from one to eight application boards.

All enclosures offer a lightweight chassis with whisper-quiet operation. It’s also extremely easy to install a board. One screw retains a lightweight metal frame that easily slides out of the enclosure, exposing the add-in card slot. Once the card is installed, the frame easily slides back into the enclosure and is secured. In intense rendering applications, GPUs can

reduce down time caused by the rendering process. “The CUBE” enclosures offer multiple slots for singlewide and doublewide full‐length cards like GPUs. While the CUBE can support one doublewide card, the CUBE2 supports two doublewide and one singlewide card, and the CUBE3 can support up to four doublewide cards. All models have ample power and cooling.

Mobility is a huge advantage of expansion enclosures. Smaller and lighter than a Workstation, a laptop with an expansion enclosure can easily become mobile. The

film industry, along with many others, uses laptops to download digital images and video on location. High‐end digital cameras use software and boards to accelerate the download and transcode time from the cameras. Along with Flash memory boards, these fast-storage boards can be installed in The CUBE and then simply plugged into the laptop when required. A 3D rendering application operates at a much faster rate with multiple GPU’s. Many of today’s highend GPUs fully support the PCIe x16 Gen3bus. Many of the PC’s or Mac Workstations today may only have one or two PCIe x16 Gen3 slots. Even then, they may not have the power or cooling to support these boards, which require 350 watts apiece. This is an ideal application for The CUBE, with its power and cooling to support these hot cards.

Today, you can have access to the exact specialty boards your job requires and be completely mobile with The CUBE desktop expansion enclosures. This saves the trouble of lugging around a bulky, noisy Workstation or rack mount enclosure. More than that, it saves you time and money.

You can now have immediate access to high‐end boards that will reduce your downtime. You don’t have to invest in larger, more expensive computers to do the same job as you can on your laptop. The CUBE, µCUBE and nanoCUBE expansion enclosures are lightweight, whisper‐quiet, and are less expensive than other enclosures on the market. You can easily order them on www.maxexpansion.com.

Paid advertisement.

What do you do when an application you need to use requires a specialized PCIe card and your laptop or PC doesn’t have a slot to accommodate it? Expansion enclosures provide needed slots for application boards and connect easily to either your laptop or your PC or Workstation. While several desktop expansion enclosures have been introduced recently, no other has offered the breadth of options as “The CUBE” family. This line of innovative products not only includes seven different sizes, but each size offers a variety of options, including the number and type of cards supported and either Thunderbolt or PCIe connectivity to the computer.

The nanoCUBE is small, lightweight, whisper-quiet and cost less than competitive products.

46 Innovation & Technology Today

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New Products

By Chris Voss

AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 review I've had the New AT&T Samsung Galaxy 4 for a while now and I'm super impressed. For me it’s THE best phone on the market. It has the fastest benchmarking speeds, Samsung software piled high and feature rich, 13MP camera, 1080p screen and 1.9GHz Quad-core processor that rocks. Built around the success of the original body of the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Galaxy S4 managed to squeeze a whole bunch of new technology like a 1080p and bigger screen into the old S3 size.

OS Running on the latest OS from Android 4.2.2, it has all the latest features, bells and whistles available in the OS. No waiting for upgrades.

SPEED The 1.9GHz Quad-core makes it the fastest benchmarked phone on the U.S. market. In benchmarking tests, it outpaces all of the current competition. What does that mean? Everything runs faster and better, with faster processes and less waiting.

BATTERY Sporting a 2600mAh battery, the phone gives a stunning Talk Time performance of up to 17 hours. Even with the 1080p screen, the battery performs as well as any other phone on the market.

SCREEN SIZE With the Galaxy S4, Samsung increased the screen size to 5 inches with a 441 ppi that makes the 1080p screen look awesome during gaming, movie watching or Spring 2013

THE UI The native UI system from Samsung is feature rich and makes it especially easy to quickly turn off and on functions like Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS etc.

www.samsung.com

just using the phone. It has incredible detail and a beautiful screen size that still fits easily into your hand.

MEMORY The Galaxy S4 sports an internal memory of 16GB, expandable memory to 64GB with a Micro SD card and RAM of 2GB. It completes tasks and functions quickly and gives you plenty of space to store it.

CAMERA The Galaxy X4’s 13 MP rear-facing camera takes vibrant color photos with a strong flash/lamp that helps night shots come out just as well. It also has 4x digital zoom and a front-facing 2MP camera. In the camera software area, Samsung added a ton of stuff you can use to take and make better photos. A list of some of the features: Dual Camera Shot, Drama Shot, Sound and Shot, Beauty Face Brighten, Multiple Best Photos, Panorama, Rich Tone HDR and Eraser.

Innovation & Technology Today

SAMSUNG APPS Samsung added some very cool, amazing apps to the Galaxy S4 like: Air View, where you interact with the phone by hovering your figure over the screen; and Air Gesture, where you can control the scrolling on the device without touching the screen.

There are more apps than I can list here. Be sure to check them all out and compare with other phones.

On our review blog TheChrisVossShow.com, we get phones from all of the major carriers and spend an immense amount of time. I have piles of phones on my desk. That said, I recommend the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 as the best phone you can buy in all categories. Simply the best. ■ CHRIS VOSS, one of Forbes magazine’s 50 Social Media Influencers, is host of The Chris Voss Show. Follow him on Twitter @chrisvoss

49

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