ELAN g! Control System Earns Its Sea Legs In New Custom Yacht Installation

When Tim and Stephanie Bearden of Jonesboro, Arkansas decided to build a new custom 107’x20’ Sharpe houseboat, they made sure that every last detail met with their exact specifications. In addition to the five bedrooms, three bathrooms, full kitchen, full bar and extensive boat-wide audio/video systems, one of their biggest requests was that it must include the ELAN g! Control System, the latest in state-of-the-art entertainment and control technology.

Ryan Heringer, president of Jonesboro, Arkansas-based Sound Concepts, previously installed an ELAN system in the Bearden’s home in 2008, and he was sure the new ELAN g! Control System would be perfect for their new houseboat.

“First and foremost, the Beardens wanted a top-of-the-line multi-room, multi-source audio/video system that was simple to control and adjust. I have installed the ELAN g! System in homes and businesses, so for me the first boat installation was an exciting idea,” said Heringer. “Since it is IP-based and can be controlled with the g!Mobile app on iPhones, iPads and any Internet-connected PC, the g! System is perfect for this application. Now the Beardens can relax and enjoy their time on the boat and make any changes they need to the audio, video, lighting, surveillance, heating and air conditioning systems from anywhere on board.”

Just like a house, preparing a 4,000 square-foot boat for guests can be a chore. The heating and air-conditioning needs to be adjusted, lights need to be turned on, and everybody has to know how to operate the audio and video systems in the different rooms so the owner can relax. With the ELAN g! Home Control System, the Beardens can be sure their houseboat is ready to entertain before they even leave home. With a few touches and swipes on an iPhone they can set the lights, heating, air-conditioning, and boat-wide audio and video to fit their needs for that particular day. And while they are out on the water, they can even keep an eye on their three-year-old daughter and her friends through ELAN g! with an IP camera and microphone installed in her special “kids’ cuddy”.

“In addition to having full system control on my iPhone,” remarked Tim Bearden, “my wife and I love that we can monitor the kids’ cuddy right on our iPhones. Now we can entertain guests or relax on the top deck and know that our kids are playing safely in their room below deck.”

The two-story houseboat features nine flat screen TVs, 38 speakers and three Sunfire subwoofers divided into eight video zones and 12 audio zones. The family and guests can access a wide variety of entertainment sources including four DirecTV feeds, Internet streaming movies from Vudu, a Samsung Blu-ray player, an iPod dock, AM/FM tuner and SiriusXM satellite radio.

All those aboard can access the g! controls through a multitude of interfaces including nine ELAN TS2 touch pads located throughout the upper and lower decks, an ELAN TS10 10-inch touch panel in the kitchen, an ELAN HR2 remote, ELAN g! On-Screen-Display on all nine TVs, and three iPads that will remain on board. And to ensure the family and guests can always stay connected, the houseboat has a DSL connection when docked, a cradle point Internet router for mobile Web access, and a commercial-grade cell phone signal booster.

Heringer had previously installed ELAN control systems in two houseboats for the Beardens, but this was the first time the new IP-based ELAN g! Control System got a chance to take to the sea.

“As great as the old systems were,” said Bearden, “we were still carrying a remote around that we had to switch to each zone as we walked from room to room. With ELAN’s new g! Control System, we can control everything with simple icon-based controls on a few iPads that we bought just for the houseboat. It’s so convenient that soon we’re going to have Ryan upgrade our home system as well.“

Available starting at $1860 for a single-room, four sub-system control solution, the ELAN g! Series Control System can be expanded quickly and cost-effectively to enable whole-home control of every room appliance. ELAN g! provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices, including TVs, touch screens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones, and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touch screens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users' televisions and mobile devices. And the system's IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room - or across the globe.

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Partners With The Response Network to Offer High Quality, Low Cost Online In-Service Training

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA®) has entered into a strategic partnership with The Response Network (TRN) to provide its member agencies with high quality online in-service training courses at substantially discounted prices.

The initial courses, which include Use of Force, Applied Ethics, and, soon, Policing the Mentally Ill, will be available at TRN’s online, in-service training portal, www.policecommunity.net. This 100% online training portal is exclusively dedicated to meeting the training needs of the global law enforcement, public safety and security communities.

CALEA and TRN will formally unveil the partnership, and demonstrate the initial courses, at the upcoming 2011 Summer CALEA Conference taking place at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherlands Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 27-30, 2011. TRN will be demonstrating its online in-service courses at Booth #14 in the vendor area.

TRN President & CEO Bradley J. Naples stated that he was excited about the new partnership with CALEA and he looks forward to working with CALEA agencies. “This strategic agreement leverages the technical training expertise of TRN in a manner that benefits CALEA clients,” he said. It also establishes another advantage of being CALEA Accredited, according to CALEA Chairman Louis M. Dekmar.

According to CALEA Executive Director Sylvester Daughtry, “We believe that this initiative demonstrates CALEA’s constant commitment to provide better client services in a manner that complements the needs of contemporary public safety agencies. When developing this client-focused partnership, CALEA sought to establish a business relationship with an organization that had a strong connection to the broader public safety community and a demonstrated ability to deliver superior quality online in-service training. To this end, TRN’s existing endorsements by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP), and the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA) complemented CALEA’s vision for the relationship and positioned the partnership for success.”

Over the last year large and small law enforcement agencies have endorsed the Police Community.net training concept. These agencies include the:

Detroit (MI) Police Department
Covington (VA) Police Department
Galax (VA) Police Department
Virginia Beach (VA) Police Department
Newport News (VA) Police Department
Liberty Township (OH) Police Department
Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Office (JSO-Duval County)
St. Augustine (FL) Police Department
St. John’s County (FL) Sheriff’s Department
Clayton (OH) Police Department
Park Ridge (IL) Police Department
Aberdeen (SD) Police Department
Cape Coral (FL) Police Department
Ocean City (DE) Police Department
Story County (IA) Sheriff’s Department
Lincoln (NH) Police Department

TRN’s training programs are also endorsed by Brit Insurance, The FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police (VACP), and the Association of Public Safety-Communications Professionals (APCO).

www.PoliceCommunity.net is a registered trademark that is owned and operated by The Response Network Inc. The Response Network's mission is to develop and deliver to law enforcement and public safety professionals a complete curriculum of educational courseware that meets their training needs ranging from in-service training to degree granting programs. For more information, contact pcn@policecommunity.net or call 1-877-288-0451.

The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®) was created in 1979 as a credentialing authority through the joint efforts of law enforcement's major executive associations. The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence.

When It Comes To Charging Cell Phones, It Helps To Be Specific

Specificity is important in every aspect of life, and that includes using a charging device tailored to the specific needs of each individual smartphone platform. Mizco International’s DIGIPOWER division today introduced the industry’s first Platform-Specific Smartphone Charging Kits, which provide the exact amount of power required for iPhone, Android and Blackberry platforms, allowing smartphone owners to charge up faster than ever.

Until today, virtually every universal charging device was designed to perform optimally for one smartphone platform —the iPhone. These charging devices will charge Android and Blackberry smartphones, but they do not provide the optimal amount of power and take longer than necessary to deliver a full charge. DIGIPOWER’s new platform-specific charging kits ensure that each smartphone’s power requirements are addressed individually and completely, and will fully charge smartphones much faster than other charging devices.

Available at all major retailers and online stores, the new DIGIPOWER line comes in Black with Green for the Android platform, Black with White for the Blackberry platform, and Black with Silver for the iPhone platform. The new DIGIPOWER line includes a Home & Car Kit that retails for $29.99, a Home Charger that retails for $24.99, a Car Charger that retails for $19.99, and a combination Power & Sound Kit featuring a set of ear bud headphones and a Home and Car charger that retails for $39.99.

Datexx Offers Luggage Dealers a "Power Boost" with Debut of Lowest Priced, Highest Performing USB Power Charger

New Datexx Sentina™ EnergyShot portable power charger is designed to allow luggage dealers to profitably meet a broader range of customer travel needs.

Underscoring its commitment to lead in the development of eco-friendly, high performance value mobile technology products, Datexx™ (www.datexx.com) today introduced the world’s lowest priced, highest performing universal USB power charger, the Sentina EnergyShot.  What’s more, the company is offering the product in a new custom configured marketing program designed specifically for luggage dealers, many of whom are now expanding their retail product offerings to meet a greater variety of traveler needs.

“Luggage dealers, like many other retailers, are being challenged to broaden their product line offerings in order to succeed in retaining the business of their traditional customer base,” explained Datexx President Mei Noguchi.  “Today’s travelers are increasingly traveling with a large number of mobile technology products, from smartphones to game players to MP3 music players, and all of these devices share one thing in common.  They use power!  Now luggage dealers can offer their power hungry consumers an extremely powerful and affordable charger as part of their travel accessory offerings.”

Underscoring her point, Noguchi said that Datexx was now shipping the new Sentina EnergyShot power charger to all 100 locations of the Sam Moon Group of luggage and gift stores.

Carrying a suggested retail price of only $20 and available for immediate purchase at www.dealers.datexx.com/products, the remarkable new Sentina EnergyShot (Model BT-USB-AA) is the smart power solution for virtually every manufacturer of USB based cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video games, and MP3 players.  Specifically, the Sentina uCharge works with the Apple iPhone®, iPod®, and iPod® Touch, as well as Android® based phones.  In all, the Sentina uCharge is compatible for use with most USB devices.

Measuring only 2-3/8” X 3-1/2” X 3/4”, the Sentina EnergyShot is designed to be the best performing USB charging device available at the most affordable price, stressed Mei Noguchi, President of Sentina.  “Other chargers in the same price category use two AA batteries that generate only 3V of power.  USB devices require 5V of power, so these other chargers have to resort to using an electronic circuit to elevate the voltage; it means the power loss is occurred in the process.  The Sentina EnergyShot utilizes four AA batteries, the needed power is provided directly to the USB devices, thus providing more power.”

Manufactured entirely out of recycled plastic, and powered by four AA batteries, the Sentina EnergyShot comes with a USB cable and an interchangeable power tip.  Additional power tips are available at www.sentinasmart.com. 

Headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey, Sentina™, a division of Teledex, Inc., is a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovatively designed, affordably priced consumer and business LED lighting solutions, household, travel and mobility products that are both energy and cost efficient.  For more than 15 years, the company has proudly met the needs of smart consumers seeking smarter living solutions.  To date, more than 20-million consumers have joined the Sentina family of satisfied customers.

Datexx Debuts Fall 2011 "Back to School, Back to Profits" Retail Merchandising Program

Industry leading manufacturer and marketer of student calculators and alarm clocks offers dealers seven different selections of self-contained shipper displays with four-color headers.

Datexx, the industry leading manufacturer and marketer of innovatively designed, eco-friendly calculator and alarm clock solutions unveiled an extremely aggressive and focused “Back To School, Back To Profits” retail merchandising program for every dealer channel that sells electronics to value-conscious tech-hungry students and their parents.

The program announced today by Datexx President Mei Noguchi is comprised of eight distinct self-contained product displays, each featuring stand-out four-color headers designed to maximize impulse sales and designed around a centralized theme focused on calculators (scientific and colorful handheld models), power solutions for mobile tech devices, and stylish affordably priced alarm clocks. Dealers can either order displays as configured at http://dealers.datexx.com, or they can customize displays to meet their individual requirements.

“Our ‘Back to School, Back to Profits’ program is designed to enhance the dealer’s already in place planogram,” explained Noguchi. “Each display comes packed with an array of product that is designed and priced to appeal to students and parents who will soon be focusing on their back to school technology needs. And, let’s face it, today an increasing number of back to school dollars are being spent on technology related products. Our new displays are designed to capture as many of those dollars as possible for our retailers.”

The new Datexx Radio Control Atomic Clock Display features 12 units of the Datexx DRC-604 Radio Control Atomic Clock in a six pound countertop display that measures 15.5” (W) X 9.75” (D). Priced to move at $240 MSRP, each clock carries a pre-stamped suggested retail price of only $20. Each clock is powered by two AAA batteries (not included) and features radio controlled time and date, indoor temperature and moon phase, and dual crescendo alarm with snooze.

The new Datexx Multi-Colored Handheld Calculator Display is certain to be an eye catcher in any retail environment. Featuring 24 units of the Datexx DH-60C4 Handheld Calculator in six pieces of each color (blue, yellow, magenta, and green), the entire 15.5” (W) X 9.75” (D) display carries a suggested retail price of $120.00 ($5.00 per unit). The colorful handheld calculators are comprised of recycled plastics (and stated so) to drive sales to eco-conscious students and parents.

For more serious classroom applications, there is the Datexx Scientific Calculator Display, which contains 20 units of the Datexx DS-700C calculator in an eight-pound shipper that includes an 18.78” X 9.25” display. The entire package carries a suggested retail price of $280.00 ($14.00 each). Featuring purple, green, and white models, each calculator out-features the Texas Instrument TI-30 and is ideal for mathematical calculations, trigonometry, statistics, and algebra classes. Easy to read and clearly marked function keys are combined with a step-by-step instruction manual to minimize a student’s learning curve in using the product.

If safety is top of mind this upcoming school year, Datexx has the answer with its new Datexx Solar LED Flare Display, featuring 12 units of its popular Sentina LED-52 solar powered personal outdoor safety light. Carrying a suggested retail price of $192.00 for all 12 units ($16.00 a piece), each LED-52 flare charges during the day and is ready to use at night! Its super bright blinking LED lights deliver 360-degree visibility. Other features include built-in reflector and splash proof protection. The stylish, colorful and attractively designed flares can be used in virtually every type of nighttime activity.

A total of four other calculator themed displays are also being made available to dealers as part of the “Back to School, Back to Profits” program, according to Noguchi. “We’re offering dealers the option of mixing different SKUs together into one shipper display,” she explained. “This allows dealers to incorporate our colorful “Sun Shaped” solar calculators, calculators with LED magnifiers, and calculators with built-in coupon holders into their store merchandising programs. The bottom line is this: Datexx leads the industry in offering the broadest selection of high performance, eco-friendly, and stylishly designed handheld calculators and we are leveraging this leadership position for the Fall 2011 back to school season by offering dealers an unprecedented selection of countertop displays that will drive their seasonal sales to the max.”

For more information on the Datexx “Back to School, Back to Profits” program, dealers are encouraged to visit http://dealers.datexx.com.

Headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey, Sentina™, a division of Teledex, Inc., is a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovatively designed, affordably priced consumer and business LED lighting solutions, household, travel and mobility, products that are both energy and cost efficient. For more than 15 years, the company has proudly met the needs of smart consumers seeking smarter living solutions. To date, more than 20-million consumers have joined the Sentina family of satisfied customers.

Take the Guesswork Out of Buying a Digital Camera Charger this Summer with the New DIGIPOWER TC-55 Travel Charger Series

Summer is the season for family vacations, weekend getaways and outdoor adventures, so it is more important than ever to be sure to keep digital cameras charged up and ready to go. With the new DIGIPOWER TC-55 Digital Camera Travel Charger Series from Mizco International, buying a charger is easy because each TC-55 model is compatible with every camera made by the specified brand. There is a brand-specific TC-55 available for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Fuji, Kodak, Casio, Panasonic, and Samsung digital cameras. For the first time, shoppers don’t have to worry if the digital camera battery charger they are buying is compatible with their particular camera model!

Available at all major retailers and online stores at a suggested retail price of only $49.95, each TC-55 Digital Camera Travel Charger also has a USB port for charging cell phones and other mobile devices. The chargers feature 90-240 Volts AC compatibility for worldwide use and come with a European Union adapter, as well as a flip-up plug for tow, stow, and travel.

The entire TC-55 Digital Camera Travel Charger Series features IntelliCharge® technology developed by DIGIPOWER that eliminates the need for different trays and contact point adjustments. The photographer simply inserts his or her camera battery into the slot and the TC-55 begins charging. What’s more, the Travel Charger is slim enough to be carried in a shirt pocket.

Sunfire Welcomes 75th Member to Flagship Dealer Program

Sunfire, a leader in the design and manufacture of hi-fidelity home theater audio products, today announced that Las Vegas-based Progressive Home has become the 75th member of its Flagship Dealer Program.

“We are excited to welcome Progressive Home as the 75th member of our nationwide family of flagship dealers,” said Mark Weisenberg, general manager of Sunfire. “Progressive Home learned that Sunfire Flagship products are optimized to perform in a system as our engineers intended. Actively demonstrating a 5.1 Sunfire XT System delivers the unique sonic experience of Sunfire, all out of the smallest form factors available. And once Progressive Home realized the added business value that the Flagship program delivers, they signed up. They are among a small group of elite dealers around the world that through the use of Sunfire XT products, come to understand the power of delivering unique, active, exciting audio demonstrations and the benefits gained by adopting this strategy.”

“Sunfire is incredibly innovative,” said Mike Lemke, president of Progressive Home. “They make products that really upgrade the industry and are on par with equipment that is much, much more expensive. Having flagship status sets us apart and shows customers that we’ve been recognized as a quality dealer.”

“The art and science of the demo has been declining over the years,” remarked Weisenberg. “The Flagship Program addresses this by motivating and incentivizing dealers to merchandise and actively demo complete 5.1 Sunfire XT systems in a consistent, professional manner. Dealers participating in the program maintain a system on active display, receive aggressive discounts and extended payment terms, realize increased profitability on the XT Flagship products, and gain exposure in the company’s national advertising campaigns as well as being referred to as the “best of the best” on Sunfire’s dealer locator on their web site.

“Everyone wins. As the consumer experiences a well-executed Sunfire demonstration, the value of Sunfire becomes obvious while the dealer becomes the authority in the market in the eyes of their clients. So Flagship Dealers win more bids, sell more audio, generating higher profits. Realizing profitable, sustainable growth in these tough economic conditions is good for everyone.

“The biggest asset for any dealer, besides their design expertise, is their ability to offer an exciting demo, which is why our Flagship Dealer Program aims to help our dealers provide the most impressive demos possible for each and every customer.”

The demo room itself is not limited to a one-size-fits-all system. There are a number of different options for the dealer to choose from, including in-wall, on-wall, on-shelf and bipole speaker setups. Progressive Home is utilizing multiple subwoofers in their system, which Sunfire considers the ideal setup for high-end home theaters.

When a dealer sells a complete Sunfire system, the company will even arrange for a special themed gift basket to be delivered to the customer, including popcorn, candy, and specially-made invitations for friends to come experience the new home theater. It’s an added touch that extends Sunfire’s Flagship Dealer support beyond the product, delivering unique value that today’s consumer appreciates.