Steve Smith, former editor-in-chief of TWICE
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has revealed the latest class of honorees that will be inducted into its 2016 Consumer Technology (CT) Hall of Fame. The CT Hall of Fame, created in 2000, pays tribute to the leaders who have advanced innovation and developed a foundation for the consumer technologies we enjoy today and others still to come.
Among the honorees is Steve Smith, former editor in chief of NewBay Media’s TWICE magazine, a sister publication to Residential Systems. Smith remains affiliated with TWICE and regularly contributes columns and blogs as well attends various industry gatherings and events.
“The CT Hall of Fame celebrates our rich history of innovation,” said CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. “This year’s class represents leaders who laid the cornerstones for many of today’s hottest products and trends – from immersive television delivered where and when we want, to the developer of the wireless Bluetooth standard that we rely on daily to exchange data over short distances. From a satellite-based navigation system to the early days of the smart home and video games, these leaders followed their visions creating, selling, distributing and promoting products that improve consumers’ lives.”
The 2016 class includes inventors with an idea, business executives, a distributor with distinctive strategies to bring accessories to store shelves, a retailer who marketed these products and a journalist that explained how technology works. The class also includes two teams who combined their individual efforts to make a lasting contribution to the industry:
Visionary Retailer: Sidney Cooper – Silo
Father of Bluetooth: Dr. Jaap Haartsen – Ericsson
Prominent Distribution Pioneer: David B. Lorsch – DBL Distributing
Transformational Technologist: Chuck Pagano – ESPN
Legendary Journalist: Steve Smith – TWICE Magazine
Home Automation Developer: Joel Spira – Lutron
Pioneering Accessories Executive: Nat Tiffen – The Tiffen Company
Video Game Futurist: Hiroshi Yamauchi – Nintendo
Renowned GPS Developers: Norm Hunt, Ed Tuck, Don Rea – Magellan
Distinguished Digital HDTV Grand Alliance Leaders
Dr. Peter Bingham, Phillips Labs President;
Jim Carnes, Sarnoff Labs CEO;
Dr. Curt Crawford, AT&T Microelectronics President;
Dr. Jae Lim, MIT Professor;
Jerry Pearlman, Zenith Electronics CEO; and
Donald Rumsfeld, General Instrument CEO.
The inductees were selected by a group of media and industry professionals, who judged the nominations submitted by manufacturers, retailers and industry journalists. The 2016 honorees will be inducted into the CT Hall of Fame in New York at an awards dinner to be held on Wednesday, November 9, at the Rainbow Room.
Smith joined TWICE in 1993 as editor and eventually succeeded fellow Hall of Famer Bob Gerson as editor in chief. He held the position until stepping down in August 2014.
After graduating from City College of New York, Smith began his journalism career with Toy & Hobby World magazine in March 1981. He joined Home Furnishings Daily in 1985 as editor of electronics.
He was the longtime editor of the Official CES Daily, produced by TWICE and distributed each year at CES in Las Vegas.
Smith lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, Marion, and dog, Abby, and is currently working on a book on the history of his neighborhood.
CTA will officially induct Smith and the rest of the 2016 class at a dinner in New York City on Novemer 9, the night before the annual CES Unveiled New York event.
