#CES LAS VEGAS – Consumer solutions and connectivity were the names of the game at Voxx International’s International CES press conference, held here on Monday.
The company highlighted a range of products underneath its brand portfolio, including wall chargers, power stations, portable audio systems, universal remotes, OE vehicle headrest entertainment systems, and pet- and parent-tracking devices.
Ian Geise, marketing and product development VP, noted, “Technology that fails to connect with consumers isn’t going to make it much further than this show … the consumer solutions are the real future.”
The USB-charging products, from the wall plates to the nightlights to the alarm clocks, are meant to “make USB charging a seamless part of consumers’ lives,” he said.
Geiss also showed off a variety of power stations and Bluetooth audio systems, as well as the iRemember voice recorder, which is meant to fit in the burgeoning health and wellness category.
Tom Malone, Audiovox Electronics president, took the stage to unveil the company’s Android-based headrest entertainment system, which he stressed was not a tablet but rather “an OE automotive design app for Android in the rear seat.”
Malone also showed off the Insite product tethering systems, which can operate via RF or Bluetooth. Users can attach one transmitter to their keychains and one tag to a device (or use the Bluetooth on their smartphone), and will be notified when the item leaves its predetermined area. Two Bluetooth versions are available: one with a vibrating alert ($49.99) and one with a vibrating and an audible alert ($59.99). The RF version retails for $29.99.
Continuing on the monitoring theme was the Tagg pet tracker, borne out of a partnership with Qualcomm. This will retail for $115, with a $7.95 monthly fee after a free three-month trial period.
The Car Connection and the Care Connection products are part of a partnership Voxx has formed with Sprint. These devices operate on the Sprint network using two-way cellular service, Malone said.
The Car Connection device uses a vehicle’s OBDII to take advantage of the onboard diagnostic capabilities. Car Connection enables consumers to track such things as fuel economy, vehicle health, boundary alerts, location and can disable texting while driving.
It also provides driver scoring, which records how well (or how poorly) someone drives. This can be used to track and teach a teen’s driving, or can be submitted to insurance companies that reward consumers for safe driving, Malone said.
Suggested retail is $129 for the device, with a $14.95 monthly fee. That fee may be reduced to $9.95 in the near future, he added.
The Car Connection is a wearable GPS and cellular device meant for use with children or seniors. It can all be monitored online, with users having the ability to create an account, add their devices, select a plan, and create presets and alerts.
This will retail for $149 with a $14.95 monthly fee. A car kit is also available.
