Jasco Blog

Reflecting back on CES 2018, the Jasco team has a lot to be proud of. We had two major smart home announcements with Amazon and Google, raised money to end the global water crisis, and not only survived, but thrived during the blackout with our EcoSurvivor and Energizer products.

Amazon continues to improve and add to their Alexa powered products – currently sitting at a total of 6 unique Echo devices. While all interesting in their own way, the most impressive option is the new Echo Plus.

The Echo Plus not only builds on the foundation that the Echo and Echo Dot models have established, but it also improves and adds to it. The audio has received a welcomed upgrade when compared to previous iterations thanks to the improved Dolby speakers that produce crisp vocals and extended bass to fill the room with 360 degrees of audio. While improved audio is great, the most significant difference from the rest of the Echo family is the inclusion of a built-in ZigBee smart home hub.

Why is that significant? Why should I buy the Amazon Echo Plus over the others? Read here to find out all you need to know about the Echo Plus.

We're excited to announce the launch of the newly designed microsite for our EcoSurvivor brand of products. You can check it out now at EcoSurvivor.com! Our team members have worked hard to create a completely new site that's visually engaging and easy to navigate, shop for products, and learn about our story and technology behind EcoSurvivor.

With a growing line of durable LED lighting products, portable power solutions, and audio accessories, we knew we needed a site that not only supported the expanding line of products but also helped support and educates people about the real purpose behind our brand and nonprofit partnerships with Water4 and Justin Wren.

This post is originally published on lifehacker.com, read the full post here.

We hate to break it to you, but the traditional USB ports you’ve used to connect your cameras, controllers, and other gizmos for the past 20 years aren’t long for this world. The whole squad’s getting replaced by a few great alternatives, though they each come with their own pros and cons. If you’re thinking of upgrading your devices this year, here are the ports you’ll need to get familiar with to keep up with today’s tech.

The shift toward USB Type-C is well underway, and with good reason.  With USB-C, we have faster data transfer speeds, faster charging and more power. USB-C cables and connectors are slim enough for phones yet robust enough for laptops and tablets. 

Today, we're excited to introduce Enbrighten Seasons, our new groundbreaking line of LED color changing café string lights. The unmatched quality, design and functionality of Enbrighten Seasons Café Lights will bring new life and versatility to brighten outdoor (or indoor) spaces year-round. Celebrate any occasion, holiday or favorite sports team or choose warm vintage white for year-round lighting with one color, two-color combinations or a variety of preset color modes and effects.

World Water Day is March 22. It's a day to celebrate life-saving water and more importantly, a day to take action and help those without it. 

At Jasco, we believe everyone deserves access to life-sustaining water. Yet every day millions of men, women, and children walk miles in search of clean water. Often times, all they find is dirty water from contaminated ponds and watering holes. They spend hours carrying it back to their families to drink. With it, they bring sickness that often results in death. In fact, over 650 million people do not have access to clean water, and every day over 2,000 children under the age of 5 die from causes related to contaminated water. 

Earlier this year, we kicked off a partnership with our EcoSurvivor brand and our giving partners – Water4 and Fight for the Forgotten – to help their mission of ending the world water crisis and provide clean, safe drinking water to all people. Water4 believes that we can end the global water crisis in our lifetime. We want to help make that happen and hope you do too! Together, we can save lives and end the water crisis for all.

Jasco recently invited Bellator MMA Fighter, Justin Wren, and the COO at Water4 for an exclusive World Water Day interview. Click the video thumbnail or link below to watch the inspiring interview.

Click here to watch and share this video interview with friends on Facebook.

Google just announced they're joining the “skinny bundle” TV war with YouTube TV, a paid subscription service that streams a slew of premium broadcast and cable networks to your mobile device, tablet, computer, and anything with Chromecast.

Just $35 a month gets you six accounts and access to live TV from more than 40 providers including the big broadcast networks, ESPN, regional sports networks and dozens of popular cable networks. Subscriptions include cloud DVR with unlimited storage, AI-powered search and personalization, and access to YouTube Red programming. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki calls it the evolution of television, and a bid to “give the younger generation the content that they love with the flexibility they expect.”

We are excited to announce we recently released the first Z-Wave enabled in-wall lighting controls with integrated motion-sensing technology. The highly anticipated GE branded Smart Motion Switch and Smart Motion Dimmer are now available online at EZzwave.com. 

With intelligent motion-sensing technology, the Smart Motion Dimmer or Switch can detect any movement in a room up to 45-feet away. With an 180º detection zone, the motion sensor is great for large or small rooms and features three different operation modes to choose from:

There are over 63 million iPhone users in the United States, and all of them have one problem in common: Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging cable (standard on all Apple devices since late 2012) is incompatible with virtually all other USB-powered devices.