Joseph Palenchar

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eReader Customer Base Is Shrinking

For most retailers, the e-Reader market presents short-term and long-term challenges despite bullish sales projections from Wall Street analysts. As editor Amy Gilroy pointed out in her blog , select eReaders aren’t available to all retailers to offer. The restricted eReaders include the popular Kindle series, available only through Amazon, and the planned Barnes & Noble Nook,... More

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Nortek Won’t Talk, But The Numbers Will

Executives from Nortek Holdings and its residential custom-install companies won’t pick up the phone to answer some basic questions about Nortek’s debt restructuring, which includes a debt-for-equity swap that will result in new owners and a planned pre-packaged Chapter 11 filing.The experience reminds me of the desperate phone calls that I made to find a high-school prom date.... More

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Next Step In Wireless Installs?

Wireless multiroom audio, wireless data networking, and wireless home-automation control are facts of life for systems integrators. And the development of wireless multiroom-video distribution is well underway.So what’s left to go wireless? Electricity! Imagine what it will mean for the retrofit business. You could install amplified speakers in the wall or ceiling without calling in... More

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Custom Industry Sees Signs Of Life

The custom-install industry, like the rest of the economy, is showing signs of life, but no one expects a hockey-stick growth curve. In fact, the custom turnaround, like the turnaround in the broader economy, will probably be more gradual than we’re comfortable with. That’s the message I got from marketing executives during the July 23 Vend-o-palooza trade show hosted here by... More

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Will Near-Universal Cell Chargers Generate Near-Universal Acclaim?

The wireless industry’s Universal Charging Solution (UCS) initiative is a boon for the environment, handset makers seeking economies of scale, and most cellphone users.But for accessory makers and retailers, it could reduce add-on sales of aftermarket chargers. And for iPhone aficionados, it might mean they’ll have to trash their existing iPod/iPhone-docking speaker system for a... More