Sponsored Links
Blogs that we like
Featured Stories
-
WeatherBug 2.0 for iPhone Mobile App Launches in iTunes Store
09 February 2012 12:00 PM | No Commentsvar AdBrite_Title_Color = '0000FF'; var AdBrite_Text_Color = '000000'; var AdBrite_Background_Color = 'FFFFFF'; var AdBrite_Border_Color = 'CCCCCC'; var AdBrite_URL_Color = '008000'; try{var AdBrite_Iframe=window.top!=window.self?2:1;var AdBrite_Referrer=document.referrer==''?document.location:document.referrer;AdBrite_Referrer=encodeURIComponent(AdBrite_Referrer);}catch(e){var AdBrite_Iframe='';var AdBrite_Referrer='';} document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,83,67,82,73,80,84));document.write(' src="http://ads.adbrite.com/mb/text_group.php?sid=2053203&zs=3436385f3630&ifr='+AdBrite_Iframe+'&ref='+AdBrite_Referrer+'" type="text/javascript">');document.write(String.fromCharCode(60,47,83,67,82,73,80,84,62)); GERMANTOWN, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Earth Networks SM, the owner of WeatherBug® products...
Read More -
Digi-Key’s Android App Listed as a Top App
08 February 2012 9:58 PM | No CommentsTHIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s largest selection of electronic components available for...
Read More -
Infonetics Research: Mobile Broadband, Smartphones, LTE Drive Diameter Signaling Controllers to 106% CAGR to 2016
08 February 2012 4:40 PM | No CommentsCAMPBELL, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Communications market research firm Infonetics Research (www.twitter.com/infonetics) on Friday released its Diameter Signaling Control Worldwide and Regional Market Size and Forecasts ...
Read More -
BioHorizons Unveils New Mobile Application for Dental Implant Professionals
07 February 2012 5:05 PM | No CommentsBIRMINGHAM, Ala.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BioHorizons, a dental implant company, today announced a new mobile application allowing Apple iPad mobile digital device users access to the latest BioHorizons product information. The free app is...
Read More -
Youngsters assume smartphones are secure
07 February 2012 4:49 PM | No CommentsG Data supports Safer Internet Day with mobile security tips for children London, UK – 07 February 2012: With only 13% of the 2.8 million children in the UK now owning a smartphone using a security solution, many youngsters are putting themselves at risk. **(source: Carphone...
Read More
-
WeatherBug 2.0 for iPhone Mobile App Launches in iTunes Store
Amazon Great Deals
Hawker Archive
-
CrunchGear hits the big time: Our “Getting things built” panel at #tcdisrupt
Posted on May 26, 2010 | No CommentsIf you haven’t been watching Disrupt today, you’ve missed out. The best panel ever? Ours. I talked to Liam Casey, Adam Hocherman, Chris Hawker, and Bre Pettis about open source hardware, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship in the manufacturing space. I won’t spoil anything for you, but I recommend you watch it. If you take anything away from the [...] -
The Song of the PowerSquid: The Inside Story of the Life of an Invention Part 6
Posted on July 28, 2009 | No Comments
Hello, my name is Christopher Hawker. I am a professional inventor, specializing in innovative consumer products. My company is called Trident Design, LLC. I have developed many products in numerous industries and have over 20 products on the market. My most famous invention is the PowerSquid, a cephalopod-inspired power strip with outlets situated at the end of short cords, thereby eliminating the problem of losing outlets to bulky transformer plugs. John Biggs, editor-in-chief of this blog, has asked me to write the story of the birth of the PowerSquid and its development and journey to market. This is the Song of the PowerSquid.
This is part 6 of a 6 part series. Read them all here.
Part 6: Philips Enters the Picture
In the summer of 2006, I got a call from the president of Power Sentry to tell me that they were being bought by Philips, the Netherlands-based consumer electronics giant. My initial instinct was that this would be a mixed bag. They were just too large. He reassured that it would be great for the PowerSquid, with the awesome brand and marketing power of this giant, worldwide corporation suddenly behind our product. What really ended up happening was that the huge corporation barley noticed that it sold PowerSquid, since it had thousands and thousands of other products. The lack of focus quickly became evident as the relationship began to unfold. Most notably in their responsiveness to our needs as Flexity, which usually amounted to, “bad news delivered late.” Nevertheless, we continued to push Flexity. Philips agreed to let us distribute their other power products to our customers, so we became a distributor of the original non-surge PowerSquid, as well as their lower-end (UL Listed) surge protectors.
We successfully sold the Calamari into Dell’s and Apple’s online stores, which were two of our major targets all along. Unfortunately, they both sequestered them to the last page of their surge protector sections. We had no “pay-to-play” money to get higher placement. With no special attention drawn to them and backwoods positioning, neither venue proved as successful as our own site.
-
The Song of the PowerSquid: The Inside Story of the Life of an Invention Part 5
Posted on July 27, 2009 | No CommentsHello, my name is Christopher Hawker. I am a professional inventor, specializing in innovative consumer products. My company is called Trident Design, LLC. I have developed many products in numerous industries and have over 20 products on the market. My most famous invention is the PowerSquid, a cephalopod-inspired power strip with outlets situated at [...] -
The Song of the PowerSquid: The Inside Story of the Life of an Invention Part 4
Posted on July 26, 2009 | No CommentsHello, my name is Christopher Hawker. I am a professional inventor, specializing in innovative consumer products. My company is called Trident Design, LLC. I have developed many products in numerous industries and have over 20 products on the market. My most famous invention is the PowerSquid, a cephalopod-inspired power strip with outlets situated at [...] -
The Song of the PowerSquid: The Inside Story of the Life of an Invention, Part 3
Posted on July 25, 2009 | No CommentsHello, my name is Christopher Hawker. I am a professional inventor, specializing in innovative consumer products. My company is called Trident Design, LLC. I have developed many products in numerous industries and have over 20 products on the market. My most famous invention is the PowerSquid, a cephalopod-inspired power strip with outlets situated at [...] -
The Song of the PowerSquid: The Inside Story of the Life of an Invention, Part 2
Posted on July 24, 2009 | No CommentsHello, my name is Christopher Hawker. I am a professional inventor, specializing in innovative consumer products. My company is called Trident Design, LLC. I have developed many products in numerous industries and have over 20 products on the market. My most famous invention is the PowerSquid, a cephalopod-inspired power strip with outlets situated at [...]