"That" time of the year is back-- soon enough (if not already!) people start getting sick, as germs and viruses run amok with immune systems everywhere. But how does one prevent microbe attack? According to Keeping it Kleen, one needs to wipe... their devices.

If one is to believe the organisation, a lot of devices are, well, filthy. And full of bacteria. Keyboards, apparently, are 5x dirtier than a toilet seat (and carry 150x the "acceptable limit for bacteria limits") while 16% of mobile phones "were found to have poop on them." Eek! Switches, microwave buttons and even door handles are also found to be germ havens.

But what's the dirtiest device in the home? You'd be surprised-- it's the humble remote. Far from being a convenience of the modern era, the TV remote is a "hotbed for contagious germs and viruses." Oh dear.

It gets even worse when away from home, since the typical hotel room remote "is considered dirtier than the toilet, sink handles, door handles and even the infamous bedspread." It makes one want to never touch anything again, ever.

Other germ-harbouring devices including tablets, laptops, media players and game controllers.

The solution? Wiping, preferably with either clorox wipes or rubbing alcohol. And here's an opportunity-- start offering UV light cleaners to your customers. Either way, breathing on a device before wiping with a tissue just doesn't appear to be enough any more.

So, remember to wipe... and keep that those electronics clean!

Go Tech Germs Infographic (Keeping it Kleen)

You are cruising on the high seas in a ship stuffed with 3D TVs... Suddenly, a shout goes up, "Connected TV off the starboard bow..."

..and everyone aboard rushes to starboard and the entire ship starts to tilt dangerously towards the water line, endangering all...

Welcome to the Smart TV Wars.

It's the Age of Disruption. And all the traditional forms of content delivery have been sunk. The web disrupted the news business by firing a broadside volley against newspaper publishers. iTunes fired a shot from the good ship Apple's armoury, blasting the traditional music business model out of the water. The App Store and the humble app torpedoed the packaged software business for everyone. PC gaming is now under siege from disruption.

Everyone in the Age of Disruption suffers from Apple envy. CE companies like Samsung, Sony, LG and others would like to claw back market share, with each introducing app stores that mirror Apple's tried and tested model.

Incumbent TV makers have watched apps...the next-generation of software...already alter the mobile phone business forever (henceforth... the smartphone business.)

That's why LG joining the Net TV consortium is so important.

I thought I knew custom installers. After all I was one. But a sample of one (me) is not the basis for really understanding custom installers—or anything else for that matter.

Let’s face it: we are all guilty of marketing to ourselves sometimes. We sell the way we want to be sold, and we choose products for our customers the way we would for ourselves.

Want to build a great company? Stop marketing to yourself. Be an expert at reading the tea leaves of what your customers really want. In other words, talk to your customers and (wait for it…) LISTEN.

by Sean Meagher, Online Marketing Manager, Intamac Systems UK Ltd.

The arrival of more intelligent home gateways, the addition of WiFi, DECT and femtocell connectivity plus storage and the expansion of services to include home monitoring and security, appliance control and energy management as well as a raft of other new domestic applications provides both a threat and an opportunity to service providers. Where their responsibilities once stopped at the junction box into the home, these now extend right into the heart of domestic life.  Are the supporting systems up to the job?

The connected home space has promised much over the years and many companies have attempted to attack what is widely recognised as a huge market opportunity.  Yet, despite the technological advances, our homes still lack much in the way of real intelligence.

We have islands of technology; the broadband router supporting communication and media, the set-top box delivering entertainment, and we now see a new entrant with utilities planning to use smart meters as a route to enter this potentially lucrative market with their smart energy plays. Unfortunately, convergence remains a dream.

The problem is that service providers have traditionally not gone beyond the gateway and in-home systems for services such as energy management, automation and security have been too complicated and expensive for mass market – usually requiring a truck roll.  Part of the problem is their OSS/BSS systems have become monsters that now block innovation with changes taking huge investment and time.

In my view, it’s not the support systems that are the problem for service providers, it’s their business models.

They need to adapt and innovate and move beyond the gateway into delivering the connected home to their consumers. To do this they need a family of products that can be delivered at mass consumer prices, easy to install, and relevant to their needs.  More importantly, they need to exploit these new devices to deliver a new generation of services that will compensate for the loss of traditional revenues and the squeeze on broadband pricing.

However, to succeed they need new thinking and new business models.

They need to move away from the model that sees the gateway as the overlord of the home network to a model where it simply collects and transmits data.  The current model has been derived from small businesses where large central servers or gateways manage a range of propriety devices and systems.  The solution cannot work for the home because it is too complex for the consumer with the gateway becoming too expensive and inflexible.  This model has been the downfall of convergence.

The answer lies in the Cloud, not in the gateway.

Many major manufacturers are recognising that it\'s not about building more intelligence into devices in the home - it\'s about striking a new balance.  Use devices to manage applications and simply relay data to the Cloud where it can be aggregated on specialised platforms and exploited to deliver a range of new services through simple portals via the web or any mobile device.  This will deliver the vision of convergence and give some control over customers.

Convergence can happen in the Cloud and it offers many benefits. For example, a security system sends a signal to a cloud based platform to say the home-owner is leaving and the platform relays the message back to smart plugs on a different network in the home to power down devices and reduce electricity consumption.

The Cloud is at the heart of the model relaying information to mobile devices and simplifying the installation.  It provides service providers with a way in which they can offer a wider portfolio of different  services that can be integrated into their main service portal.  The model allows different technologies; WiFi, DECT, Zigbee etc to co-exist.  More importantly, multiple platforms can be used to deliver entertainment, media, communications and home management.  The service provider can focus on merging the output from the various platforms into a common user interface and then adapt the OSS/BSS to support the new business.

Manufacturers have recognised the opportunity.  The new generation of home gateways from Technicolor allow for applications to be embedded and partners like Intamac can exploit their Cloud-based platform to deliver services for energy management, automation, telecare, video and security to Technicolor’s customers.

This model doesn’t overcome all the challenges with legacy OSS/BSS systems but it addresses some of the current limitations because it provides options. In the short term, the new generation of service platforms such as Intamac’s can co-exist with simple rules for data exchange; in the longer term, the OSS/BSS systems will themselves become Cloud based simplifying integration and allowing real-time transaction management. Moreover, TR69 and other remote management tools will add still more value for the consumer.

The move to Cloud based management is both an opportunity and a threat for traditional service providers.  They are ideally placed to leverage the smart home opportunity; they have the knowledge of the consumer, the understanding of the home network and the support infrastructure in place.  However, the new generation of Cloud based platforms lowers the barrier to entry for competitors and with new players like utilities entering the space there is a very real treat and their competitive advantage could be lost.

Go Intramac Systems

Alastair Dryburgh, management consultant and our contributor is in a contest to publish his manifesto and we can help by adding our votes…

"Continuous improvement is a good discipline, but sometimes it just isn't enough. If you are behind the curve, or your market is changing too fast, or you are just too ambitious be satisfied with slow steady progress then you need to do something discontinuous.

Discontinuous improvement is often safer than it seems, while continuous improvement may be more dangerous than it appears. In times of rapid change, continuously improving something which the market no longer values may be the worst possible thing to do.

The manifesto will inspire business owners and managers to raise their sights, giving them a range of techniques for achieving discontinuous improvements in a wide range of areas..."

If you click to vote, we’ll pass on a link to a cost-free pre-publication draft of this manifesto about how to bring innovation to your company approach.

Vote to Publish the Discontinuous Improvement Manifesto

ISE 2011 stands out as the show's biggest yet-- the numbers are pretty clear about that. An estimated 35000 attendees visiting 715 exhibitors over some 26650 net square metres of Amsterdam RAI floorspace in 3 packed days (with extended hours for the last day).

The show's barely over and more impressive news shows up-- Integrated Systems Events confirms 2012's show will occupy an even larger space (with the addition of the RAI's Hall 7). How come? On-site exhibitor rebooking shows 102% of floor space already reserved for next year.

What about this year's show? For sure, it was consistently impressive, including new pavilions for 3D applications, digital signage, audio-video networking and more filling the show agendas.

A few observations: control and networking systems were big this year, with all the big players showing up (Crestron, Extron, AMX) alongside more networkable AV gear.

3D made a big appearance as well, with the organisers organising their own dedicated 3D theatre-- alongside demos from all the major manufacturers, including Samsung, LG and Runco. Pico projectors also made a bright appearance, with Samsung and 3M's 30-lumens models gaining a lot of attention.

The only major AV manufacturer not showing up? Sony. Their company slogan is Make.Believe and they can make.believe all they want that ISE is not that important to them. But 22% growth says at some point reality must set in.

Go ISE 2011 Sets new Benchmark for AV Tradeshow Attendance