Employing a third-party call center to drum up business can be lucrative, but make sure they’re following the law.
Julie Jacobson
Julie Jacobson is founding editor of CE Pro, the leading media brand for the home-technology channel. She has covered the smart-home industry since 1994, long before there was much of an Internet, let alone an Internet of things. Currently she studies, speaks, writes and rabble-rouses in the areas of home automation, security, networked A/V, wellness-related technology, biophilic design, and the business of home technology. Julie majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, spent a year abroad at Cambridge University, and earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a recipient of the annual CTA TechHome Leadership Award, and a CEDIA Fellows honoree. A washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player, Julie currently resides in San Antonio, Texas and sometimes St. Paul, Minn. Follow on Twitter: @juliejacobson
Julie Jacobson's Latest Posts
Christie Digital Halts Residential Business; George Walter Discusses Challenges
After two years of tackling the consumer market, commercial projector manufacturer Christie Digital is ending its residential run for now, saying goodbye to as many as 100 people including George Walter.
CEDIA Rookie: Teenage Engineering to Show Super-Slick Wi-Fi Speaker and Bluetooth Control Puck
CEDIA 2016: Teenage Engineering brings back the famous Stig Carlsson OD-11 cube speaker, launches universal Bluetooth control puck you’ll want to sprinkle throughout the home.
Integrator Seeks Good Home for Souped-Up AR3s: Free with Heart-Tugging Essay
Minnesota integrator Dallas Dingle of Supercalibrations wants to give away a pair of Acoustic Research AR3 three-way speakers with upgraded parts to a loving home and a discriminating listener.
Ira Friedman’s Perfect Third: Grille-Free Speakers will ‘Change the Industry’
Making its big debut at CEDIA 2016, Perfect Third is Ira Friedman’s new loudspeaker company touting the LiveWall brand of flat, paintable loudspeakers with no grille.
Don’t Write off ‘Integrators’ Just Yet
CEDIA evidently is abandoning the term “integrator” as it relates to home technology installers in favor of the term “technologist,” which resonates better with consumers. Really?
CEDIA Tease: TruAudio Spinoff VSSL Claims ‘World’s First’ Multiroom Audio System with Google Cast
TruAudio’s new company VSSL will demonstrate at CEDIA 2016 the “world’s first” multichannel audio distribution system with Google Cast, Spotify and Apple Airplay, saying, “Move over Sonos.”
Slingbox Founder and Tech Entrepreneur Blake Krikorian Dies at 48
Silicon Valley powerhouse Blake Krikorian, who invented the still-relevant Slingbox, died of an apparent heart attack while surfing.
Origin Acoustics Builds ‘Luxury Brand Portfolio,’ Becoming Master Distributor for iRoom
Jeremy Burkhardt’s Origin Acoustics is building a portfolio of ‘luxury brands’ in home technology, becoming master distributor for iRoom, with more premium brands to come by CEDIA 2016.
Who is Chang K. Park and Why did CEDIA Pick Him for its Highest Honor?
URC founder and chairman Chang K. Park came to the U.S. from Korea as a kid, all alone, speaking no English. How has he come to be CEDIA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient?
CEDIA Tease: Pulse Eight, HDMI CEC Magic Maker, Adds Power Cycling to Reboot Video Gear
CEDIA 2016: Pulse Eight’s Neo switchers, which enable source control via HDMI CEC, will soon be able to integrate with power distribution units (PDUs) to auto-reboot video sources when they crash.
CEDIA Tease: iRoom’s Lockable iPad Tabletop Charger and IP Controller
New for CEDIA 2016: iRoom adds a lock to its iTop charger to secure any-sized iPad or other iOS device, plus a Wi-Fi controller to link buttons on the iBezel to automation commands.
