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  It is a well-known truism that nothing succeeds like success. This maxim certainly applies to the modern smart home , where a new category of connected devices has been rapidly growing in adoption since 2014. This phenomenon has not been accidental. Parks Associates data indicates that 88 percent of U.S. households currently have broadband access. The pervasiveness of broadband access in the typical household has created a fertile ground for connected appliances , electronics, and other smart devices. Parks reports that 34 percent of broadband households own at least one connected device, with consumers owning an average of 13 connected devices (of any type) in their home, up from 9.2 in 2016 — a dramatic 41 percent increase in less than five years. Supercharging the smart home has been a rising desire by consumers to address and solve problems in the home. While the technical landscape of the smart home has been evolving (and continues to), new and existing homes must be “reimagi

During an online event yesterday, Microsoft unveiled the latest generation of Surface tablets, laptops, and accessories. The company’s EVP & Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay, introduced eight new devices, all of which will be released in October, and they look promising. The list of Microsoft Surface products that were shown at the event includes the Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse ($24.99), the Surface Laptop Studio ($1,599.99), the Surface Go 3 ($399.99), the Surface Duo 2 ($1,499.99), the Surface Pro 8 ($1,099.99), and the Surface Slim Pen 2 ($129.99). Microsoft also made it a goal to be inclusive with its product design, thanks to a new kit that helps people with disabilities more easily use any of the Surface devices. The Surface Adaptive Kit, which is due out later this year, contains raised stickers, port labels, a lanyard tab, and keycaps to help people with vision impairment distinguish the different keys on their keyboard. Microsoft introduced the second-generation, Andro

  Though recovering from surgery for a ruptured Achilles heel, BrandSource CEO Jim Ristow put on a good show when he took the stage at the BrandSource National Convention 2021 ’s first General Session, which took place on Sunday, August 22, the second day of the four-day conference, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. “ Double Down ,” as the 2021 convention has been dubbed, was the first in-person iteration of the AVB buying group’s bi-annual gathering since March 2020. Despite closures and inventory issues over the past 18 months, there was good news to share. “In 2020, you all outpaced the home furnishing and appliances industries by 15 percent,” Ristow said. “What that means is that people who used to buy from that big box in 2020, they bought from you… and in the year 2020 today, you’re still outpacing the industry by 15 percent. These market share gains are five times greater than anything we’ve had for this channel.” Ristow added that those deale