Nokia is developing a smart home platform, which it calls the Nokia Home Control Center. The platform is opening a new era for networked home services and solutions. Nokia's Home Control Center will be the basis for next generation security, smart home solutions and household energy management systems.
A new report finds that consumers are in no rush to go out and spend, and that already high pessimism about the economy is continuing to grow. The NPD's Consumer Spending Indicator November Results found that consumers are not ready to head back to the stores, at least not yet.
Keith Coursin, president of Desert Aire Corp., headquartered in Germantown, Wisc., was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) at the organization's Board of Directors meeting held November 16 in Carlsbad, Calif.
Demand for consumer water purification and air cleaning systems is projected to increase 4.4 percent per year to $1.5 billion in 2012. Gains will be driven by consumer concerns about the quality of the air and water in the home, and greater awareness of the healthful and aesthetic benefits of these systems. The aftermarket plays an important role in the industry with sales of replacement filters and membranes forecast to grow 4.8 percent annually through 2012. These and other trends are presented in Consumer Water Purification & Air Cleaning Systems, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.
Blockbuster and 2Wire, a provider of integrated broadband solutions, introduced an on-demand video solution that offers movie fans instant access through their television sets to BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND content.
Benton Harbor, Mich., based Whirlpool, a global leader in home appliances and the leading manufacturer of Energy Star appliances, applauds the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for taking the first step in addressing concern that some manufacturers underreported energy consumption in their French-door Bottom Mount refrigerators.
The winners of the prestigious 2009 AHR EXPO® Innovation Awards have been announced and will be honored at the HVAC/R industry’s leading event at Chicago’s McCormick Place on January 27.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an agreement with LG Electronics, USA, Inc. (LG), resolving concerns related to energy usage measurements reported on LG French Door refrigerators with through-the-door ice and water service. The ENERGY STAR® program helps American consumers make energy efficient choices, saving billions of dollars while protecting the environment by using identified energy efficient products and practices.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more stringent energy efficiency and water use criteria for dishwashers carrying the ENERGY STAR® label. This is the first time that ENERGY STAR criteria have addressed water use for dishwashers. The change could save American families more than $25 million in energy and water bills in the first 6 months the criteria are in effect.
Although information technology is well integrated into the lives of many Americans, gadgets and communication services require, for some, a call for help. Some 48% of technology users usually need help from others to set up new devices or to show them how they function. Many tech users encounter problems with their cell phones, internet connections, and other gadgets.
LG Display, Sharp, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. pled guilty and agreed to pay a total of $585 million in criminal fines for their roles in conspiracies to fix prices in the sale of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, according to the Department of Justice.
Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps Combined U.S. factory shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for September totaled 420,726, down 20 percent compared with the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, combined shipments totaled 5,037,412, a 5 percent drop compared with the same period last year.
Heat pump shipments for September totaled 137,298, down 12 percent from the same month a year ago. For the year-to-date, heat pump shipments totaled 1,550,137, a 0.4 percent drop compared with the same period last year.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announced its International CES Best of Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering award honorees. Sponsored by CEA, producer of the International CES, and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the International CES Innovations awards honor outstanding products advancements in design and engineering in 34 consumer electronics product categories.
Circuit City Stores has filed a voluntary petition for reorganization relief under Chapter 11. The announcement comes after last week's announcement that it planned to close 155 stories nationwide.
Carrier Corp., a unit of United Technologies Corp. based in Farmington, Conn., won the Environmental Pioneer award in the Refrigeration category at the 2008 Cooling Industry Awards.
Panasonic and SANYO Electric have agreed to start discussions for a capital and business alliance that would see Sanyo becoming a subsidiary of Panasonic.
Thomson has decided to exit its retail telephony activities in North America. Thomson supplies GE-branded phones in the U.S. The plan calls for the elimination of its telephone-related division at its Carmel, Ind., facility and laying off of more than 70 employees by summer of 2009. Another 70 workers are to be layed off worldwide. Thomson will still have 450 employees based in Carmel after the layoffs, primarily in the set-top box business.
Consumers are very satisfied when shopping online and at traditional retail outlets for consumer electronics (CE), according to new data from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. The study, Trends in CE Retailing, found that consumers and retailers have benefited from changes in the CE shopping and buying process.
Samsung Electronics America Inc. of Ridgefield Park, N.J., announces the latest addition to its expanding kitchen suite of appliances with the RFG299 French Door Refrigerator. The new RFG299 French Door Refrigerator includes a convenient 7 in. LCD touch screen above the ice and water dispenser and delivers the industry’s largest internal storage at 28.5 cu. ft. in a standard footprint.
Circuit City Stores announced certain restructuring actions immediately, including closing 155 domestic segment stores, reducing future store openings and aggressively renegotiating certain leases. The Richmond, Va., based company also is considering all available options and alternatives to restructure its business.
LG Electronics decided at its board of directors meeting held on October 20 to convert its A1 plasma panel-manufacturing line in Gumi, Korea, into solar cell production lines.
GE has submitted information to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in connection with its request for approval to use isobutane as a refrigerant in household refrigerators. The petition was filed under the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP)(a) program which evaluates alternatives to substances being phased out under the Clean Air Act for protection of the stratospheric ozone layer.
Whirlpool of Benton Harbor, Mich., announced layoffs and additional facility closures in anticipation of continuing worldwide economic difficulties. In anticipation of this environment, the company plans to reduce its global workforce by approximately 5,000 positions by the end of 2009. In addition to the four facility closures the company announced earlier this year, the company's Jackson, Tenn., facility is scheduled to close and production is to be transferred to Whirlpool's Findlay, Ohio, location."
To encourage college students to apply their creative energies toward improving the quality of life, the Electric Motor Education & Research Foundation (EMERF) has initiated the Motorized Ability Design Awards competition with a $5,000 first prize for the winning undergraduate team. Announcement of the inaugural design competition is coincidental with Medtrade, the largest international trade show dedicated to the home healthcare industry. EMERF, a nonprofit foundation established in 1995, will also assist qualified teams in procuring donations of electric motors for use in their projects.
Significantly cleaner models of outdoor wood-burning heaters – also called outdoor wood boilers, outdoor wood furnaces, or outdoor wood-fired hydronic heaters – will soon be available for New England families and businesses who choose to burn wood as a heat and hot water source.
Silicon Image, of Sunnyvale, Calif., a producer of semiconductors and intellectual property for the secure storage, distribution and presentation of high-definition content, announced that its InstaPort™ port switching technology, introduced on June 30, 2008, will be featured in Samsung’s next generation DTVs and is currently under evaluation at nine of the top ten DTV manufacturers for next year’s models.<
Husqvarna, Louisville, Ky., is launching its Automower Solar Hybrid. The fully robotic lawn mower is partly powered by the sun and uses no fuel or oil. Combining solar power with electricity, the new Automower Solar Hybrid mower is more environmentally responsible and easy to program, the company says.
