AudioVideo News

May 13, 2009 — There is a new voice plan in the Verizon Wireless Small Business toolbox. The Nationwide Small Business SharePlan(SM), available starting May 17, gives customers shared Anytime Minutes, unlimited Mobile to Mobile calls to over 80 million other Verizon Wireless customers, and consolidated billing. With the plan, which starts at $69.99 per month for two lines and 700 minutes, customers have the option of adding lines for as low as $9.99 per month. The Nationwide Small Business SharePlan also comes with access to the My Business online account management tool, Small Business Specialists and online technical support 24/7.

"The new Nationwide Small Business SharePlan will offer customers the best value in wireless for small businesses," said Michael Ross, director – small business marketing for Verizon Wireless. "Small business customers will have more control over their wireless dollars plus access to specialized features and servi ces to help support their business goals, all while benefiting from the reliability of the Verizon Wireless network." Read more

May 12, 2009 – With only one month to go until full-power analog TV broadcasters across the nation go all-digital, people are starting to realize that it's not just their old analog TVs that will be affected by the transition but their trusty VCRs, too.

How to keep your VCR running in the digital age is just one of many questions answered on www.ConnectYourBox.com and its Spanish counterpart www.ConecteSuConvertidor.com. The informational Web sites were created by Zenith, one of the most popular digital-to-analog converter box brands.

"With the transition to digital broadcasting, a VCR's built-in analog tuner becomes obsolete," explained Zenith Senior VP Richard Lewis. "So if you want to continue using an old VCR to record TV shows off the air through your antenna, you'll need a digital TV converter box that produces analog signals that the VCR can record." Read more

May 11, 2009 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile)(1) announce the availability of the Samsung Alias 2, the next generation dual-hinge messaging phone with the convenience of an E Ink transforming keypad in a unique flip-style format.

Available color: Charcoal grey

Key features:

• Dual-hinge form factor with E Ink keyboard that changes based on what the user needs
• Open it vertically as a flip phone and it has a traditional numeric keypad and can change to an alpha-only keypad
• In landscape, the phone features a QWERTY keypad that can change to numeric with symbols
• Supports RemoSync, so customers can synchronize corporate e-mail, contacts and calendars from their office PCs
• 2.0 megapixel camera and video capture capabilities
• Bluetooth technology with support for headset, hands-free, stereo, phonebook access, basic print, basic imaging, object push for vCard and vCalendar and serial port

May 2009—Home audio electronics manufacturer Rotel has been known worldwide for creating components for nearly five decades that deliver very serious audio and video performance, at affordable prices. Since the introduction of the new 15 Series home theater components late in 2008, Rotel has set a new standard of excellence and now introduces new two channel components: Integrated amp, CD Player, stereo and power preamplifiers.

"The 15 Series is Rotel's most important introduction in many years," says Rotel VP of Sales & Marketing, Doug Henderson. "And while these new models incorporate a lot of the latest advanced technologies and include some important refinements of Rotel's unique amplifier design, the one thing they do not alter is our company's commitment to musical performance above all else." Henderson concludes, "These new models were conceived for the listener who truly and passionately cares about sound quality, first and foremost." Read more

May 4, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T today announced the early summer availability of the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone. AT&T consumer, small business and enterprise customers will enjoy new features and enhanced performance, including both Wi-Fi and GPS, a fast next generation processor, rich multimedia capabilities and ample memory for applications offered from AT&T. With the BlackBerry Curve 8900 from AT&T, users can get a faster, richer experience surfing the Internet and accessing their social networking or line-of-business applications via AT&T's wireless and Wi-Fi networks.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone sports a slim, refined design and is the thinnest, full-QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone yet. It features a striking high-resolution display (480x360), delivering smooth video playback and crisp images. In addition to its industry leading email and messaging, and premium phone features, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 packs a wealth of multimedia capabilities.

Consumers and mobile professionals can easily share photos or record video using the new 3.2 megapixel camera which features auto focus and image stabilization, and the microSD/SDHC expandable memory card slot supports up to 16GB(1) per card, giving users plenty of storage to carry and capture more of their music, pictures and video wherever they go. AT&T will offer the sleek new smartphone in an attractive silver and black finish. Read more

May 4, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nokia announced that the slimmest smartphone on the market, the Nokia E71x, will be available in AT&T retail stores and online beginning today. Priced at just USD 99.99*, this much-anticipated full QWERTY smartphone arrives at a time when one in two people surveyed** say they would prefer to communicate via text message or email over phone calls.

"The trend for messaging, whether email, IM, texting or social networking, is stronger than ever - we are seeing a real shift in the way people prefer to communicate," says David Petts, Vice President and General Manager, AT&T Account, Nokia. "The E71x is one of the most stylish and sophisticated QWERTY smartphones on the market, and it's the ideal companion for people who enjoy easy messaging and connecting with their friends. We are thrilled to now bring this sleek smartphone to people across the United States with AT&T."

In a recent survey conducted with 500 American adults aged 18 and above, 52 percent said they would prefer to use texting or emailing if they had to use only one communication method for two weeks. The option of only making voice calls for two weeks trailed behind at 40 percent, according to the people surveyed. The survey, commissioned by Nokia, looked at the way people use messaging and social networking on their mobile devices.Read more

May 2009 – OtterBox announces a sleek, curve-hugging case for the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series smartphone from Research In Motion (RIM). This new Impact Series skin-style case offers recognized OtterBox protection in a slim, portable design.

Recently enhanced to provide even more protection, the Impact Series case line now includes a self-adhering, clear film to safeguard the screen of your Curve from scratches, dirt and dust. Durable silicone provides trustworthy protection and inner coring along the spine and in the corners of the case offers extra shock absorption to dissipate impact away from your device.*

"The Defender Series case for the BlackBerry Curve is one of our most popular cases. However, not all customers want, or need, the protection of the Defender Series," said Curt Richardson, CEO of OtterBox. "The Impact Series provides a perfect solution for those looking for a slimmer case that still offers unbeatable protection."

Each case includes an installation card for easy application of the protective screen as well as a microfiber cleaning cloth to keep your device and case looking new. Read more

April 30, 2009—Sonance has long held the lead position in the architectural, in-wall and in-ceiling speaker marketplace. Now, the company that invented—and popularized—this category has announced the availability of their latest innovative variation—the Invisible Speaker Series. The flat-panel driver technology developed by Sonance is featured in three new models, two of which utilize improved planar technology. The Sonance Invisible Series speakers are entirely flat and vanish into the room design, delivering ambient music that emanates from the walls and ceilings.

"The Invisible Series products let our custom installation pros make the speakers truly disappear for the first time without compromising sound," says Ari Supran, Chief Operating Officer. "The Sonance Invisible Series completely rewrites the rules and gives interior designers what they've been demanding for so long—preservation of the aesthetics of interior design—while freeing the audio system designer to choose speaker locations based purely on performance, rather than the visual demands of customers or designers."

The new Sonance Invisible Series consists of three models that feature improved installability and upgraded performance. The SA3 and SA1.5 combine unique, variable-thickness planar flat-panel midrange/tweeters with conventional, round dynamic woofers. The Invisible Series SAW is a subwoofer featuring conventional drivers. In all three models the surface of the finished unit is covered with a perfectly flat, acoustically transparent vellum overlay that can be painted with a water-based finish, wallpapered, or covered with textured wall coverings without significantly impeding performance, while leaving a single, continuous, unblemished surface.Read more

April 27, 2009--Monster, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end cables, accessories, and power conditioning products, is proud to announce a price reduction on its Monster Basic for HDMI cables that offers consumers a new lower-priced cable option for maximizing the benefits of HDMI home entertainment. Effective immediately, the company's entry-level 1-meter length of Monster Basic for HDMI cable has been reduced in price to $29.00 suggested retail (down from MSRP: $39.00). In addition, Monster announced that it will also begin shipping a 2-meter length of Basic and 4-meter Basic for HDMI cable in May priced respectively $39.95 and $59.95. With this new pricing, Monster branded product will be made available to more consumers and in line with lower priced TVs and DVD players using HDMI. Monster Basic for HDMI is shipped in an eco friendly no frills box to maximize savings for the consumer.

The new pricing completes the line of HDMI offerings from Monster, which is committed to offering its customers a choice with the widest range of performance and price points. The newly priced Monster Basic for HDMI also gives consumers a Monster alternative to cables sold on the Internet. Read more

April 22, 2009 – With less than two months remaining until full-power analog TV broadcasts go digital across the nation, www.ConnectYourBox.com and www.ConecteSuConvertidor.com were launched today. Sponsored by one of the most popular digital-to-analog converter box brands, Zenith, the new Web sites answer common questions about setting up the boxes.

"We're taking thousands of phone calls each day from consumers who have purchased the Zenith DTT901 converter box but don't understand how best to connect it to their analog TV," said Zenith Senior VP Richard Lewis. "And while it's not difficult to hook up a converter box to an analog TV, more than one out of four callers had connectivity questions, which is similar to what the FCC is experiencing with its DTV Hotline.

"The new ConnectYourBox.com and ConecteSuConvertidor.com Web sites are specifically designed to answer the most common questions, providing step-by-step instructions with photos on how to connect an analog-to-digital TV converter box to an existing TV set," Lewis continued. "And a lot of people have questions about how to keep using an old VCR—we cover that as well."

Among the top connectivity questions asked by DTT901 customers on the Zenith help line (1-877-9ZENITH) are "what kind of cables should I use?" and "how, exactly, do I connect my converter box to a TV or VCR?" Read more