ISE 2019: First Impressions. The Force is Strong with This One
The weather forecast for Amsterdam from February 5 to 8 couldn't have been grimmer. And the arrival to Schiphol Airport welcomed visitors with the first signs of snow... And yet, when the 2019 edition of Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) opened its doors, no matter the cold, wind, and the rain, the crowds started to flow in impressive numbers to an expanded RAI Amsterdam exhibition complex.
Biggest ISE 2019 Ever Looks at the Future of Global Integrated Systems Industry
The 16th Integrated Systems Europe, which ran at the RAI Amsterdam from 5-8 February, was the biggest, broadest-reaching and most exciting edition of the show ever – confirming it as the international destination of choice for AV professionals. As well as hosting 15 halls containing the latest technologies and solutions for pro AV and systems integration, the show provided its widest-ranging professional development program to date, extending its coverage of major vertical market sectors.
Sensory Acquires Vocalize.ai for Speech Technology Testing Capabilities
Sensory Inc., a Silicon Valley company that pioneered speech recognition and AI in consumer electronics, announced the acquisition of Vocalize.ai, a software tools and services company that performs benchmarking, accuracy assessments and bias evaluations for speech technologies and natural language interfaces. As part of the acquisition, Sensory will maintain Vocalize.ai as an independently operated division.
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Digital Voice Assistants in Use to Triple to 8 Billion by 2023
A new study from Juniper Research has found that there will be 8 billion digital voice assistants in use by 2023, up from an estimated 2.5 billion at the end of 2018. The new research on "Digital Voice Assistants: Platforms, Revenues & Opportunities 2019-2023," shows growth will be driven by smart home devices and that Smart TVs will have the biggest expansion, growing at over 100% every year for the next 5 years. Juniper also identifies strong growth in wearables and emerging opportunities for both B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) uses.
DECT Forum Introduces openD for Wireless Software Development
DECT Forum, the worldwide association focused on promoting the wireless home and enterprise communication industry, announced the market launch of openD, a new platform for software development using the DECT air interface for wireless applications. The launch conference will take place in Nuremberg, Fraunhofer IIS, on February 25, 2019. The initiative marks an important moment for wireless developers as the strengths of DECT and ULE (Ultra Low Energy) will become more accessible to developers and product managers alike.
New ANC, True Wireless, and Intelligent Connectivity Sensor Solutions from ams at MWC 2019
ams, a leading worldwide supplier of high performance sensor solutions, is a rising force in the industry with many important innovations that are meeting next-gen consumer demands. And that includes many of the main market trends for the audio industry, such as hearing enhancers, hearables, voice capture and recognition and acoustic sensing. The Austrian company will showcase several industry-first technologies for mobile devices at MWC 2019 in Barcelona later this month, including exciting developments in active noise cancelling.
Focal Unveils Arche DAC & Amplifier and Stellia Closed-Back Headphones
Focal is announcing its first foray into the DAC and amplifier market with the launch of Arche, an audiophile DAC and amplifier that is developed by Micromega for Focal. It combines a digital-analog converter, as well as two pure class-A amplification modes (voltage and hybrid) designed especially for headphones. At the same time, Focal announced a new headphone closed-back model. The Focal Stellia combines sound quality with a more sophisticated style "à la Française."
Zylia and Infineon Present New Approach to Six Degrees of Freedom Technology in VR/AR at Mobile World Congress 2019
Zylia, the start-up company that surprised the global market with its spherical microphone array for 3D audio recording and production, together with Infineon Technologies AG, will present an innovative and unique approach to Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) technology in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) during Mobile World Congress 2019 (Feb. 25-28) in Barcelona. According to Zylia, the presentation will offer a valuable contribution to help users stay on top of current trends in the development of VR and AR solutions.
eero Mesh Home WiFi Specialist Acquired by Amazon
Amazon and eero announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire eero, a company that offers products and services for high-performing, simple home mesh WiFi systems. Eero's products have been available since 2017 and basically blanket every room of a home with high-performing WiFi, earning a 4.6-star product rating on Amazon.com. Apparently, Amazon was excited with the company's next generation solutions, which the company says will enable better connected home devices.
Vervent Audio Group Creates Focal Naim North America Subsidiaries
Audio and high-fidelity French specialist, Vervent Audio Group has announced the acquisition of Audio Plus Services & Plurison — distributors of high-end and professional audio equipment in the US and Canada. With the acquisition, effective from January 15 2019, the Vervent group extends the expertise of its two iconic brands — FOCAL and NAIM — and creates two subsidiaries, Focal Naim America and Focal Naim Canada.