Haiderway

KNOW HOW! The future of CE retail?

2011-09-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

Our fridge recently went kaput and with a little girl now starting to march her way around the house, urgency took hold and the world of internet retail started to thump its way out of our desktop.

Ultimately it couldn't have been simpler and since we needed it to be installed, Dixon's online turned out to be the best option. A week or so later and at a pre-specified a big van, a couple of very polite gentlemen, a toolbox and a fridge appeared. Less than an hour later it was all done and it was as if they were never here. Fantastic!

Well that all seems totally unremarkable does it not? That is just the point. The final link in the chain. The delivery mechanism from checkout click to a fully functioning piece of equipment in the home. In full working order. The success or otherwise of this mechanism, in whatever form it takes, could be the deciding factor in the long term success of online vending. Don't you think?

Googled 'Sonneteer' and Something different came up

2011-07-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, just now. On the sidebar on the left I got this:
Something different:
dramatist
lyric poet
orator
poetaster

cool. Now to get my guitar out and put music to it.

Android today XXXX tomorrow!?

2011-04-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

The article below was shared with me on linkedIn. An Interesting read indeed. However I am a little at odds with the conclusions. I agree if historical precedents are taken into account then, certainly, the standardisation argument follows and we will all be Andriods by 2015 or whatever. In same the sense that the recent economic disturbance has changed many a human habit in a different manner to previous downturns, I believe the nature of behaviour towards operating systems has too. If a new OS appeared tomorrow and all the apps were available on it and it was cool. it takes a matter of months for devices to be available that run on it and it has every chance of catching fire. Also if Apps become OS independent then it doesn't matter. To me this is the most likely scenario. The nature of the open system is that, inevitably, there will be an open application platform with rules that allow them to work on any OS that adheres to the rules. So I agree that standardisation will take place but only in away that allows the bedroom developers to breath.This includes the ones who want to develop their own OS. The only true winners here at the moment are ARM. As long as the hardware architecture is standard then anything goes. In this mobile life customers are fickle and hey why not! Oh and let's not forget Nokia and MS marriage has yet to have it fruit tasted. This could be a business winner. I have already tasted both Apple and Android and I am tempted.

GaDGET Junky: Nokia's Soft Seattle centre!

2011-02-11T02:21:00.000-08:00

"This is a huge moment which could shape the future of an industry" says Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent, BBC News. Also, to paraphrase myself on twitter, I am wondering if there is a merger in the offing?
As curious as some correspondents see this alliance it seems quite a logical step if not blindingly obvious before today's announcement.Oh and in case anyone reading this missed it, to quote the BBC headline again: "Nokia has announced plans to form a "broad strategic partnership" with Microsoft."
We could, of course hope that Nokia's know how in mobile telephony would rub off on Microsoft and Microsoft's know how in, erm, other areas would rub off on Nokia and they would then prove to be the perfect fillip for each other and go back to world domination. As both companies have resembled the Roman Empire in it's last days recently(in portable devices terms), something clearly had to be done.
Microsoft, some might say, are a company in need of more hardware capability to further their cause. The X-box experiment seems to be doing something right for them, slowly bringing their entertainment platform into the heart of the home. Their announcement regarding Windows * and ARM was a statement of some intent and the news today may even bring some clarity to their long term plan. Stephen Elop, Nokia's big Cheddar, is clearly sticking to what he knows. May be it was always a plan on the back burner when he was brought in?!
NokiaTAB running Windows8 on an ARM platform anyone? or are we all going to be robots? Oh and will it make good music to send to Sonneteer Hi-Fis?

Show'd out!

2011-02-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

It seems like an age since we were on the Virgin Atlantic (filthiest plane I have ever been on) to Las Vegas at the start of January as CES took hold of our senses for another year. Last weekend we drove back from Amsterdam where we were exhibiting at the ISE show. The few working weeks prior to both shows and in between were dominated by preparations and the adrenalin come down is only just kicking in.

In the mean time the phones are jingly jangling with exhibition organiser of other trade shows trying to get us hooked up. At some stage we will all travel the world meeting each other again and again and admiring the insides of conference venues and mediocre hotels whilst shaking hands,smiling and telling each other how wonderful we all are.

Right, time to do some work!

Oh Amsterdam was nice, if cold. Vegas was Vegas and surprisingly cold!

Lullaby baby on the set top:a message to all parents of young children.

2011-01-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

My recent fatherhood has shed light on many a new thing as indeed one might expect, but one in particular seems suited to this blog has impressed me as well as make me wonder why? The why I will come to shortly. What has impressed is the wide availability of baby focussed radio stations worldwide. In desperate attempted to calm a screaming little girl, my partner Vicky turned to the Morpheus (Sonneteer Music centre) sitting on the sideboard and hit the Genre search on the dial only to find a whole host of radio stations under 'kids'. Now making the wild assumption that goats do not spend a lot of time listening to radio we assumed they were aimed at little ones! Human little ones that is.

I digress..erm...oh yes; having tried a few we have settled on a broadcast that is not only excellent in its selection of soothing ditties for baby Amelia, but also is transmitting in probably close to the best sound quality I have heard from any digital station. Comparable only to stations like Swiss Classic or AVRO. The station's name: 101 RU Lullaby. As the name implies, it is Russian and they transmit more than one channel aimed at children.

So back to the why? Why oh why don't the BBC of Cebebies fame also broadcast a radio station aimed at children in the same way they do television? If they ever take time to consider it then I suggest they take more time to learn from the Russians!

GaDGET Junky UPDATE! iTunes 10 Tunes into Morpheus Server from my laptop.

2010-10-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Back. Yes been very busy doing lots, but can't remember anything.

Anyway, as the title bar suggests, I am currently streaming 'Clannad' from the Morpheus Server in the Office through my laptop using iTunes 10, just downloaded.

At the same time I am listening to Muse on the Morpheus Music Centre the other side of the office. I am using the iPod touch to control it of course. Now to see if I can pick up a stream from my Android phone(using Twonkey app) at the same time. Again using the iPod to control it.

Why you ask? I don't know! But it's cool.

GaDGET Junky: Android and Apple working together to make Morpheus Sing

2010-08-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

So I've had my Sony Ericsson Xperia X10mini pro fro a few days now and it's not perfect, but I am getting used to it.

The cool thing is right now, as I write this blog, I have my iPod touch with Plug Player controlling my new Android phone(that'll be the Xperia) some music and Twonkey Media mobile ( a free app) streaming to the Sonneteer Morpheus Music Centre in my living room. Ok I dont need the iPod to make the music happen as the Morpheus simply saw the phone as a server the moment the app was loaded(wifi switched on of course). Fantastic!

I am currently playing a few Led Zeplin songs in full WAV (CD quality) seemlessly.

Oh and one more thing

2010-07-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hazel O'Conner at Guilfest; stirred the emotions.
Must find my Breaking Glass LP. Another first listen 'gotya' Album.

Dear Muso's if you are writing a good 'Album filler' please stop writing, tear it all up and start again. If wanted good padding i'd buy scatter cushions.

2010 by Prince

2010-07-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yes I had to buy the Mirror and spent a whole 65p for a hot off the press Prince Album. The second time he's done this in the UK. The last time was much worse as I had to buy the Mail! I hope no one saw me!

First listen was through my laptop speakers as I was working at the breakfast bar in my Kitchen. One could argue that as a hi-fi type person that this really wasn't going to do it any justice. Recordingwise this may be true, but i really wanted to know if the songs would grasp me in the same way as when i first listened to Black holes and Revelations by Muse a couple of years back.

One word, No. This is not to say that by anyone else this wouldn't be a competent yet not totally exciting collection of songs, but Prince is coasting. When I first heard Parade back in 1986 I was goosepimpling and when i played it again recently it still sounded fresh and had this buzz about it. Purple Rain, Controversy, 1999 and so on all had similar affects.

I was at Guilfest on the weekend past and one evening the Wonderstuff (Size of a Cow) were on and they said while on stage that they had recently learned while doing Glastonbury that at Festivals there is no need to play anything written this century. Based on the last time I saw them at Guilfest I wouldn't disagree. Prince, unfortunately, suffers a similar affliction. Nothing he has produced since the turn of the Century would have brought him to the legendary status that he fully deserves for his earlier work.

Shame. I just found it boring.

Regarding the quality of the recording; of course it's great. Good quality recordings to not stir emotions, good songs do. But I didn't need to tell you that.

Just reading the FT the other day, as one does....

2010-06-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

There was an article about the Swiss watch business. Actually there were several articles. Something to do with Hublot and how they've grabbed all the juicy bits from their failed movement supplier. So now they are doing it all in house. This supplier it seems supplied a wide range of brands. many of which are blitzed all over the FT's own, 'How to spend it' magazine. The interesting thing to me is that many of these brands, including the current incarnation of Hublot, are less than 10 years old. A lot of their strength is built on the heritage that Switzerland as a country has for making watches. Since most of them use the same engine, admittedly crafted by high calibre Swiss watchmakers, they are basically gifted marketing vehicles taking a ride on the greatest brand bus there is; 'Swiss Made'. I wonder how strong the 'British Made' brand is?

The best job in the world

2010-04-19T01:26:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of driving around an almost empty Heathrow area yesterday. We were there to pick up Vicky, my partner's, car from Business parking. She has just concluded a 27 hour train and ferry trip from Madrid under beautiful, blue yet volcano ash stricken sky. We arrived at the gate of the Parking area to be greeted by by a Gentleman who welcomed us and and advised us that the 3 days over stay was free and that we could enter with my car and drive the 500 metres or so to collect the car and both leave for free.

We were, of course, fully expecting to pay for the overstay as companies all over are invoking their 'act of God' clauses to plough back money into their coffers. Business Parking at Heathrow clearly had other ideas and I imagine everyone who arrived that day to collect their cars left happy.

So why the best job in the world? Well the Gentleman who greeted us has one job and one job only all day and that's to make people happy. Yes he has his Saturday blown out, a beautiful sunny day, but hey; everybody was smiling.

The second best job? The guy at the other end writing off the charges and raising the barrier for us to leave.

Montreal Show in the -12 degree spring time

2010-03-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

I almost look respectable, as my mother would say!

New Suite, new shirt and new product. It's bee beautifully sunny and as cold as -12 degrees centigrade here in Montreal and it's Spring!!!! I've got some pics and more to say, but right now I'm late to meet my public! As they say. Think French!

Brand loyal...until I got in a pickle at Sainsburys's

2010-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am partial to lime pickle as nothing spices up a bit of grilled lamb neck fillet on a skewer better. I had dinner all planned. I just needed to pop into Sainsbury's(my closest local supermarket, others are available) to get the lamb, some salad and, of course, Sharwoods finest lime pickle as I'd gobbled up the last jar. Shriek! The shelf in the store was empty! It seems I am not the only fiend.

Now I knew that they sometimes keep a stash next to the Indian foods as well as with the pickles so I marched over to that isles. Aggghhhhh! None there too. Oh what to do!? Vicky, noticed I was in a fluster and pointed out that there was another brand available on the shelf near by. A little uncomfortable, I was, until I noticed it was Pataks. Now until I'd seen their advert on the television (yes i sometimes do watch commercial television) I'd never heard of them. Suddenly I felt a little more at ease and willing to put it in the trolley.

The verdict? Not bad at all. More lime than paste compared to the Sharwoods version which gave it a stronger sense of freshness. It was also hotter! So be warned. Would I continue with it long term? May be. I'll keep you posted. I might even buy both and mix them. I mean they are like having two different pickles.

GadGET Junky: Had the Morpheus Server round for new year. What a party!

2010-01-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

To make sure all is running well and to get used to the unit I had one of the demonstration Morpheus Servers at home for the holidays. I didn't get much time to play with it as we were up north in Yorkshire visiting the in-laws to be. Well my in-laws to be, Vicky's mum and dad. Had my first white Christmas in ages and some lovely food and company. Might need spikes on my tyres next time though.

When we got back, Vicky bought me a copy of Tori Amos Midwinter Graces CD as an anniversary gift as we met 15 years ago this New year and got togther 14 years ago. (I think I got the numbers right? I am sure Vicky will make me edit the blog if wrong).

Got home, switched the server on and popped the CD in. Oh, I have to say the server is so quiet, it makes my Buffalo Linkstation sound like a vacuum cleaner!

Where was I? Oh yes; as the CD was being consumed by the server, I popped down stairs and switched on my Morpheus music centre and then My iPod Touch which has the Plug Player installed (about £3 from Apps store). All this took about 3 to 4 minutes.

As you can see in the picture, by the music centre was switched on in our living room I was able to start playing the (ripped and stored) CD from the Server.
The Morpheus music centre was singing through my loudspeakers and I had full control via the iPod Touch. Oh I made cup of tea at the same time and my other hand was holding it! yes, I hear some of you shouting, I should have left it brew for longer to get that fuller flavour.

I have a brief story to tell about the server concept and how we came about to make one. Next blog!

Neglect, all for agood cause

2009-12-30T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have been midful,of my recent neglect of this blogging area, but as most of you make your way here via the Sonneteer website, you will have noticed why. The Sonneteer News Blog has been refreshed more often than normal of late and Sonneteer mansionshave been a hive of activity.

Off to CES next week, where my mind may turn to more interesting things. Every self respecting writing fiend has a review of the year of some sort. It is not my intention to not deliver. The year started by someone saying that it would be two thousand and fine. Well I know of a few great and good things that have happened and they alone would qualify the entire year. Also having seen her book we should be glad that Sarah Palin's bottom is nowhere near the Oval office. That's as political as I will allow mmyself to get on this blog.

Colours

2009-12-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

It's all colour here at Sonneteer.

I am at our stand at Selfridges Oxford street

2009-12-05T06:38:00.001-08:00

It's a busy saturday afternoon here at Selfridges where I am stood at the Sonneteer Morpheus dispaly.

Manic is not astrong enough word.

Come pester me.

Big in Japan..again

2009-11-29T14:14:00.001-08:00

So the Japanese have seen fit to acknowledge us with an award again. We are of course most grateful. Following in the footsteps of the Sedley, SedleyUSB and the Bard system, Morpheus has hatched a place on top of the podium to receive an Audio Excellence award from our very good friends at the Pacific end of this planet. Apparently this time a dealer decided he liked the product so much that he would nominate us. Thankfully, the awards board agreed with him.

I'll write this up as a news piece for the site news pages very soon banners etc.

A peacefull day.... I left my phone at home

2009-10-30T02:37:00.000-07:00

Today has been exceptionally productive. It's only 9.30am, I have been in the office since 8 and it feels like I have done a days work already.

Analysing it is simple, I forgot my phone at home. So no checking emails on the hoof i.e. while not at my desk, no skyping and definitely no text. I also no longer leave my Skype on all the time(on my desk PC) and when I do the sound is OFF. This way I check messages when I am good and ready. In all an efficient day..so far!

Technology killed the radio star or something!?

Now all I have to figure out is how to stop turning the kettle on and Utopia.

2009-10-22T04:36:00.000-07:00

Just introduced Remo, my esteemed friend and colleague(he'd never imagine me saying as such) to Linkedin and apparently, due to this and not long since introducing him to Facebook, I have ruined his life!

hehe!

Life update...found it!

2009-10-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, my calculator! It was on the sofa under a cushion. I swear I looked there two weeks ago!
Bit twittery this. Promise I won't do it again.

Serious tweet, I mean post, later.

Oh and we have run out of coffee in the office so it promises to be a productive day.

Technology delivery mechanism.......on a silver tray with a rose and a hot cuppa!

2009-10-17T04:20:00.000-07:00

I see gadgets of green and thorny issues too and I think to my self, what a complicated swirl. Bedside radios with twits twittering and gadgets with big colour displays, reinventing laptops and selling them for double! Ok, ok, I mean that's all we do really isn't it? Repackaging technology in a way the end user..erm..can use it?

With the exception of us gadget junkies, i strongly beg to differ (with myself). Technology shouldn't be about just bells and whistles as fun as they are for the first five minutes of a purchase, but something that makes life simple and more comfortable. I want it to make my life better without me feeling the pain of getting there. To coin a Meerkat, simples! As in keep it stupid!

Still looking for my calculator!

The Harvard Business Review and the Sonneteer Morpheus.

2009-09-08T07:45:00.000-07:00

I had some time, as one does, at the airport so I popped into WHSmiths's to buy some magazines for the beach. Time, Newsweek, Stuff, T3; all the usual’s and then the Harvard Business review caught my eye. To put this into perspective, I also had a book on branding, as well as another on entrepreneurs with me, so I was in that frame of mind. Anyway, the Harvard Business review: I had a flick through and I stumbled upon a report on consumerism post recession and quite interesting too, it was.

Before I elaborate too much, I need to go back a couple of years or so when Credit Crunch was just a little sub-prime bother in the colonies(America) and S&P ratings were still sky high on many a now defunct establishment. In those happier times of consumer madness my business partner and I were crunching over some figures that reflected our own market, the high end hi-fi separates one which we resided and that most of our products under the Sonneteer brand serviced. Although our sales at the time were creeping upwards, the market as a whole was in decline and the new products being touted by our competitors were not growing the market place one jot. It was time for a rethink. No time to panic however and the cause was worthy of some serious thought.

The first couple of things that came to our minds were: 1. Neither of us had any of our own equipment in proper use in our houses anymore and 2. Why were the new integrated products(amp, CD, radio in one) touted by the competition, not actually growing the overall market whilst starting to dominate its turn over?

As you may have noticed, I digressed a little from the Harvard Business review report so I'll get back to that now and here's the link to the full story on our rebirth http://haiderway.blogspot.com/2009/09/you-mean-like-b.html which is just below

Except to say the product that materialised some two and a half years later reflected an important assumption we made: that customers want high quality, ergonomic, sexy, and green (credentialwise) products.

Ah yes, the report! You still with me?

My own interpretation of the review's report was that the post exposure to credit crunch consumer would be a more savvy one who would be thrifty but not afraid to spend money on quality. The report also placed a closer eye on the now under 35s who would be the next drivers of the global economy in this so called post consumerism age. The characteristics I just described, again according to the report's projections, would be more subconsciously ingrained as well as a more natural leaning towards greener, more environmentally aware products and where apt, fair-trade ones. The growth of thrifty brain cells would be counterbalanced by the willingness to spend more on products with all or some of these features.

As I was being hurried out of the newsagents about to miss my flight I breathed a small sigh of relief and allowed myself a gentle smile of satisfaction. Until, that is, I saw the price on the front of the journal! FIFTEEN QUID I gassped. So I paid for the stuff under my arm and ran for the gate. I am writing this after a week of reflection on the beach and I think as soon as I get back I will pay for a copy.

Oh and the product; the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre. Code named project BORO at the time. Hand made in Britain from as many locally resourced, high quality and recyclable bits and bobs as possible and when it works it uses the minimum amount of energy possible for the highest quality performance possible. Easy to use and looks damn sexy to boot.

You mean like B&O?

2009-09-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

[The title] The answer I get everytime I say I have a high end luxury hi-fi company!! Yes, it happened again yesterday while at a presentation! Sigh! Anyway:

A couple of years or so ago when Credit Crunch was just a little sub-prime bother in the colonies(America) and S&P ratings were still sky high on many a now defunct establishment my business partner and I were crunching over some figures that reflected our own market. The high end hi-fi separates market in which we resided, to be exact, and the one that most of our products under the Sonneteer brand serviced. Although our sales at the time were creeping upwards, the market as a whole was in decline and the new products being touted by our competitors were not growing the market place one jot. It was time for a rethink. No time to panic however and the cause was worthy of some serious thought.

The first couple of things that came to our minds were: 1. Neither of us had any of our own equipment in proper use in our houses anymore and 2. Why were the new integrated products(amp, CD, radio in one) produced by some of our competitors, not actually growing the overall market whilst starting to dominate its turn over?

We then had a more detailed look at the market overall and particularly in the so called high ticket price items sector. Our attention was grabbed by a little company in Denmark called Bang and Olufsen. You may have heard of them?! And that became just the point! Go out to dinner, attend a party or bump into anyone in a nice English pub in surrey and they ask, ' so what do you do?' and I reply, ' I have a small high end hi-fi company' and nearly every time they say,' oh you mean like B&O?'. Never do they mention, Arcam, Meridian, or even Lynn or Naim for that matter. This was surely a sign. So we went digging deeper.

The numbers game tells a story. At the time, back in early 2007 B&O were turning over approx £450m and growing the hi-fi separates electronics market was a fifth of this at best and declining. We already knew the heyday had long past in this area, but it was also clear that there was still a solid market for people buying expensive music systems. So what was wrong?

To our minds, it was obvious really and it goes back to the point the, we no longer had our own products singing and dancing in our own homes. We were starting to reflect the wider consumer rather than the hi-fi enthusiasts which were and still are deep down, the drivers of our thinking. We wanted all the performance and purity of sound etc. But we also wanted it to compliment our lifestyles. This translates to I want it to grace the living room and not disgrace the wife's mood towards me..ehem.

Back to the integrated products, that were steeling market share from the amplifier and CD player market. Now a strong argument could have been made to simply jump into that boat and shove a whole load of features into a box we already made and hey presto! This would definitely give us a faster time to market. A couple of reasons why not:

1. All these products are, as mentioned already, only replacing market share and not in any way growing the overall, still shrinking market.

2. These products do not fulfill the criteria that bring B&O customers to buy erm, B&O.

So, two or so years down the line and the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre is the result. www.sonneteer.co.uk/morpheus.htm

Diapason Magazine reviews the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre and they love it.

2009-09-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

Sonneteer Morpheus reviewed by Diapason, the high brow French classical music review magazine not unlike Gramophone magazine in the UK.

A had a call from our man in France 'Danny' and he said I am about to fax you over the review. He said little else as he was in a hurry, he always seems to be trying to do five things at once. Naturally, moments of anticipation followed with my heart beat fluttering like a drunken sparrow. Moments later it popped up on my screen (fax to email) and my schoolboy level French kicked into overload. They like it. No, they love it. Phew! like I had any doubt!

Well I can't print the whole review out here for copyright reasons but I can give you a few snippets so here goes:

They started by saying that the sonneteer Morpheus is, "a unique 'media centre' that lacks nothing in charm or seductive qualities and is very ergonomic and easy to use". I am translating, you appreciate, so hopefully I have not lost too much of the French eloquence.

They went on to say that the Morpheus was, "a digital amplifier of audiophile quality". Well of course, it's a Sonneteer, what did they expect! And that it was, "a very Avant Garde product in the manner of Sonos" and needless to say a lot more expensive which readers would have noted as it was reviewed on the same page in the magazine which seemed not to detract from the reviewers praise for the Sonneteer one bit.

The reviewer, in summing up also wrote, "it's reproduction [of music] demonstrates an incontestable transparency in the true spirit of digital amplification". Which should have been no great shock as Sonneteer pioneered the adoption of digital amplification into the audiophile arena late last century. Then in conclusion the article ended on saying the sonneteer Morpheus was, "an intelligently conceived product that is very attractive". Well I think I'll pop over to Paris and spend some euros to say thank you for their appreciation. Not too many though. I mean have you seen the exchange rate!

www.sonneteer.co.uk/s-news.htm

Find us on Facebook, Sonneteer that is!

2009-08-19T03:17:00.000-07:00

Oh nearly forgot. Sonneteer are now on facebook. Please go have a look and by all means become a fan.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sonneteer/109476999491

it is updated regularly and has only been going for a short while so there is a lot to put up.

Pictures of a very special red Morpheus can be seen today.

Sonneteer s-news page

2009-08-19T03:06:00.000-07:00

Hi if you've come here from the Sonneteer s-news pages then welcome. Hopefully it wont be the last time you pop in and have to tolerate my brain dumps.

I have been quiet for August mainly because so many things to do and so little time. I could go on about the Americans and the NHS as well as what staycationing is doing for the economy, butthere is plenty of that elsewhere. Muse yourselves on what I have written before and argue with me please. Keep it polite and clean, I beg of you.

Morpheus in Deutsch

2009-07-31T10:44:00.000-07:00

First Morpheus landed in Germany yesterday care of our friends at UPS and our new friends at Design and Sound. We had a call to say thank you and how they were smitten as soon as they opened the box. They had some friends pop over in the evening and they all seemed to want one and the luxury price tag was clearly no barrier.

As I was having the conversation with a clearly very pleased customer, I was reminded of our experience when showing the Morpheus in Las Vegas for first time in a beautifully laid out suite at the Venetian Hotel. Imagine a split apartment set out with an elevated Dining area and a lower level living room. The Morpheus was set out on the Side board with a pair of beautiful Penaudio Rogue loudspeakers and the machined aluminium handset astride.....Now where was I going with this? Oh yes, the experience: Well as people started to stream through the corridors and snifffing their way around all the show bits and pieces as they stumbled upon us the reaction was quite extra ordinary. We in the hi-fi trade are more used to afictionados dissecting the sonic reproduction of their favorite CDs and records as they sit for lengths of time, very seriously, critiquing the products. This time the experience was quite different, more instant , and very pleasing. Almost without exception as eyes locked onto the first Sonneteer Morpheus in the room, they all said:"Oh that's beautiful, I want one" then they said, "oh what is it?". It may as well have been a toaster, we got them at, erm, hello! That's sort of what our friend Christian experienced yesterday at his place.

Now, I am one the two guys who designed the Campion, Alabaster, Byron, Bronte and Sedley as well as one or two non Sonneteer things we will not mention and I am quite fussy about sound qulity and am rarely happy if its not spot on. rarely do I think we've got something spot on as there is always room to improve. Of course if I didnt let go then the campion, 15 years on, would still be on the test bench and in the listening room and Sonneteer would never have come to be. I digress! What I was trying to say is that I have Morpheus in my living room. It is my main system.

Oh I still love the natural stress reliving sound of the Byron through an Alabster and I have as pair sitting to the side begging to take the Morpheus's spot in the corner of the room. Aint gonna happen!

Smelling mistakes!

2009-07-31T10:42:00.001-07:00

I just read down and noticed quite a few typos and spelling errors. I'll get round to sorting them out.

Must use spell checker more often, must use spell chocker mre oftem, mist use smell cheker more opten, must use....

On Stephanomics Something I put on a BBC News blog site-Haidernomics anyone?

2009-07-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Posted on the BBC Blog:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/stephanieflanders/2009/07/two_labour_markets.html#comments

I wrote;

82. At 4:39pm on 22 Jul 2009, Sonneteer wrote:

Interesting reading one or two of the comments about markets. Selling DVD players to China caught my thoughts particulalrly and this is why: Both China and India are growing despite the global downturn and their Middle classes continue to grow at a rate of knots. Demand for high quality, luxury, lifestyle goods will hence grow and most of these are developed over here(the so called west). My company, Sonneteer, makes such things for example.

Also, recently, we were costing up a new product for production and one of sub contractors insisted on getting part of the quote subbed out to China. So we compared this with another supplier based in the UK and landed cost actually turned out to be the same. On top of the fact they are less than an hours drive away, in the same time zone, and speak English means the choice is a no brainer. We had decided to make everything in the UK anyway, but it was interesting to find out that the cost argument already means making it here. This will happen more and more as long as we encourage R&D to stay here and we continue to develop and make the quality products here.
In our particular case its luxury 'sexy' hi-fi and area which Britain has a traditional reputationonce akin to Swiss watches. If this can be harnessed in all similar areas of engineering and manufacturing then we have a solid bases to take advantage of these growing economies and at the same time winning the cost as well as the quality argument. it also means keeping and developing the skills and expertise right here.

This is a solid basis to build an economy and if we see it by looking far enough ahead(and it's really not that far to look really) then we can thrive.

Absolute democracy corrupts absolutely

2009-07-21T03:48:00.001-07:00

I thought i'd write the heading down while it goes through my mind. pondering upon it.

Sonneteer history updated

2009-07-21T03:43:00.000-07:00

Oh I just updated the Sonneteer about page with some more about us and history:

http://www.sonneteer.co.uk/about.htm

So those who read below and wondered if I was ever going to get round to finishing it, this will fill the void. No one reads this anyway! Do they? I wouldn't.

Post on FT.com [link to ft blog shown]

2009-07-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

from: http://blogs.ft.com/gapperblog/2009/07/little-laptops-snap-at-the-oligopoly/#comments

This is my comment posted [ go to the above link to see the ft blog]:

This is an interesting take on a theme I experienced indirectly at a course i represented my company, Sonneteer, on recently funded indirectly by HMG.
It was to do with presenting businesses to other businesses, be it for investment or just telling them who you are and what you do. It was part of a lot going on locally here in Surrey by the technology centres and the University, aided by funds from the Government to accelerate British small businesses.

Ok, well to the point, a lot of talk was about the technology in products not being as crucial as how they are delivered to the customer in a package they end up desiring and hence 'investing in'.
At Sonneteer, as a luxury British music systems(hi-fi) manufacturer turned to this approach a couple of years or so ago when we started to look at what customers actually really want (even if they dont know they want it yet) rather than stuffing every latest technology one can think of into an ugly box and trying to flog it.

In a sense a PC or full blown laptop is just this, a box of too many tricks, hampered in its usability because it tries to do so much. Netbooks, for want of a better term, do exactly what they are expected to do.
As a luxury goods maker, at Sonneteer, we have to try very hard to appeal to the 'wants ' of the buying public and more so than in the commoditised(can I say that?) market. So now we make 'Sexy hifi' in the same vein as apple make sexy MP3 players etc. And that's just the point. Desire and actual need, rather than; it makes the tea, cooks the dinner, feeds the dog we dont have and changes light bulbs as long as you are willing to plug in your laptop to it to download some software into it it and spend a day programming it if you have an IT degree!!

Keep it simple, keep it beautiful, make it sellable. HMG says so! To coin a Gordon Brown phrase, 'we've heard you'.

www.sonneteer.co.uk

I left this on the what hifi site yesterday:

2009-06-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

haider June 18, 2009 18:39

Of course works exceptionally well with the Sonneteer Morpheus music centre.

I Have a linkstation at home and most of our distributors worldwide are now swearing by them as a perfect companion as they are so plug and play compared to many other. A Buffalo linkstation, Sonneteer Morpheus and a network router can have you streaming music through a decent pair of loudpeakers in literally minutes. I installed one in the Harrods AV experience a week or so back. It took longer for them to get me a cup of coffee!

Of course if you have a couple of other units(Morpheus that is) in other rooms they all have access to the same music. I think they call it local control with central distribution. :-)

Sonneteer Morpheus

2009-06-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hey I'm Back. Yes, It has been a while and I'll come to that some other time for anyone who is interested.

Today I'm interested in a little bit of 'biggin myself up', as I've heard it refered to on one or two TV stations.

My company, that's Sonneteer. of which I am one of the owner founders, launched the Sonneteer Morpheus music Centre this January past and very recently installed it in Harrods.

Those of you who have followed Sonneteer over the years will know that we come out of a tradition of High End hi-fi and in the late 90's started to play with cutting edge technology and bringing in it into the hi-fi mainstream.

Canny observers will have noted that Sonneteer products and ideas have been copied through the years by none other than the most famous of electronics firms and the list is long. We have always been small and perhaps not as able to capitalise on our ideas as much as we should have but we certainly have lead the way in style, ergonomics and the adoption of technologies.

Ok I'm rambling on a bit here, but please allow me to take you back a Little to the beginning and then give you some of the philosophy of what we do.

Sonneteer was conceived out of a final year project at University by myself which was taken by my then friend and now business partner and colleague, Remo and turned into a viable product for market. This was to become known as the Sonneteer Campion, integrated hi-fi, stereo amplifier. In hi-fi circles it has become a legend and sells well even today some fifteen years on.

[ Oh before I go on why the name Sonneteer and why Campion:

Well Sonneteer is a writer of Sonnets or a Poet of sorts. I have or at least had a hobby of writing(bad) poetry and wanted the brand to have something to do with that. So we agreed to have the brand name associated with this theme. A thesaurus came to our aid for the name and we then decided to name all teh products after writers and Poets and Thomas Campion was the first. No particular reason other than, out of the list we had drawn up, we liked the name best.]

Well that was the first product, which was very much in the 'British' tradition of esoteric, high end, hi-fi with great sound quality (we have a legend of reviews and customers to back that up) oh and very much hand built and sturdy. It looked(and still does) pretty good too.

Anyway, I have to go to a play in town(longest day and all that). Apparently some upstart Arab immigrant has written a play. Some fella called Shake Zubair or something. Sounds like a made up name to me! Anyway. Laters. The story will continue.

dont like a Virgin Broadband

2008-09-12T01:41:00.000-07:00

Ok so its all about cable speedtoday and we will find out if HMG will cough up to fund the new hig speed networks that we need to get us ahead of the game online Of course it is essential for the country's well being economically that we get on with it and dont just talk about who is going to pay for it or who is willing to get it going. Like roads, these things need to happen to make everything else happen! So it's really simple, HMG need to basically force teh issue and make it the industry do it or lose ther right to function.

Now Virgin Media could be an example of how companies should not be allowed to opperate if we really are to get a truely fully functional network. Cost is the big issue and ok they are a business. BUT and a big but madam! My area is covered by Virgin Media and the cable runs a few meters from my front door, but they will not connect me because it casts them too much to dig up the drive and do it!!!! My understanding is NTL would have done it. I didnt live here yet then! damn!
Everyone around me has Virgin media except me as they seem to either have connected in teh NTL days or their lawn is by the pipe. Ricjard, dear Richard you are running a monop[oly of teh worst kind.

This should not be allowed esle we will have people who will not eve have teh services and hence second class. So i guess Farms and businesses on small estates out of the way...you know where it will go........HMG dont let them do this please....else we will be run 100% by capital and 0% by social concerns. Money may shout teh ludest but it should not be the only thing heard.

Odda hear.

What? HIFI? yup...thats wot i dooes!

2008-08-20T03:15:00.000-07:00

I Just posted this as a response on the whathifi site. It's about the chance taht Pandora may die in the USA. It's an internet radio streeming falicity, in case you din know!

Here goes:
haider August 20, 2008 11:09
Yes this has been looming for a while. We have some problems possibly looming in the UK too. The only thing I dont get about the American system is that it's not a level playing field technologically. We have to remember that USA is very much a vested interest country (we are slowly becoming one too). If the man with the biggest, fatest purse says I want this to happen then it happens! It's a bit like the media only they twist the arm of the law makers.
Make no bones about it, this will fail in the long run and they are simply stupid to try to play this game. Napster went Corporate but many others took its place. So one way or another the water will flow. It simply can not be stopped. If not the consumer, the artists themselves who have the savvy will simply see it as an opportunity. The more people who hear their music the more will come to their shows and possibly download their tracks etc. The model will simply change. Greedy people will end up with nothing at all. Mind you it will pass the established music industry by, but why should we care? Give you an idea; when I spent some of my early working time in the music industry they used to call me 'affectionately'the straight. Why? Cuz I was the only on there who wasnt wasted on drugs! Pop will eat itself when it gets the munchies!

I may come back say something usefull later.

H.

Hidden Blogs

2008-08-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

So do I think anyone is reading this? Not really. I guess blogs are a good way to allow people to vent without really getting noticed. It's a bit like our notion of democracy, let people vote, make them feel like they are making a difference but not really giving them any power what so ever! It's like totalitarianism but without the suffering. The better of the two evils, definitely.

I remember when Gordon was about to become PM there was word of second preference voting for general elections. Now that's certainly better than what we have now and more people would feel engaged. The problem we have, of course, is the demographic of politics may change a bit and it would be more of a reflection of the nation's leaning. I call this a problem, not for me, but for the 'ESTABLISHMENT'. I never quite knew what that really meant, but it seems if you join them, you are no longer part of anything else!? Is that right? How does one go from pacifist to war monger in a matter of a few weeks? Ans: get elected! Are there truly some who are more equal than others? Is one truly innocent until proven guilty? Or does that depend on your enemy combatant status? Or a thought criminal for that matter? I wrote earlier that the guy drilling outside my office was annoying me so much that I had the urge to kill him, but of course, I didn't really mean I would or even could.

When it comes to killing, or steeling, the ends never justify the means. Never ever. Honour lies with those who withstand all calls to move them from such a position.

So which is worse? a 10 year old watching someone cutting or shooting someone or watching two adults making love naked? I'd say one of these isn't bad at all.

2008-08-15T04:48:00.000-07:00

Opinions are like.... well everyone has one, so it goes. I blog therefore I hope to have many. Else I may have little to say. There is someone drilling just outside my office and I say I want to kill them, there is someone next to me who wont stop mummbling and I say I want to kill them too, but I never actually really do! We are influenced by our surroundings and those that protest loudly they are not are often the most influenced of all. We think therefore we are, but what moulds our thinking? The Daily Mail, the PS3 game, the ITV news? Our friends around us, our parents, the schools we attend?

Batman the Dark knight, is perhaps the best new film i have seen this year, but would I let a 12 year old child see it? Well not me and my friends when we were 12. Was it a different age then? Not really. Ok, a lot of stuff they are exposed to is worse, but I don't think that can justify it at all.
Children's behaviour is a reflection of their surroundings. Telling them what is right or wrong is not anywhere near enough for the simple reason is they are smarter than us adults they just have less information. So if Grand theft Auto makes one kid turn into a violent moron then who is at fault? The game or the people that let them play it at an age where they are still being moulded? Some boys don't stop squeeking till they are 16+ so they are still at a very vulnerable time.
I'll get radical: Let kids be exposed to sex but not violence early. Sex is natural, violence is arguably NOT!

Writing the above, I kinda felt a little right wing in my thinking, but then I put it to my so called right wing friends and they hated the idea and are more minded to put a gun in a child's hand and say, well hay its not that that made them kill, it was just the tool they used.

All I say is I am generally liberal and...Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Me must be too stupid.

I'll talk economics next time. Gotta a wedding to go to.

H.

The day before you came

2008-08-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of August and Autumn is settling in quite nicely here in UK. But then that's quite dull to talk about. It does however set the scene for the story of economic growth in certain parts of the uk economy; spray on tans! The future is bright indeed!

Ok predictions: the USD will hit £1.75 soon ish. We will rejoice as our exports to the states will improve, we think! Until we realise that their middle classes have been relegated to soup kitchens and hand outs. Sigh! Europe, Europe, please come save us.

OK talk later when I can make more sense!

Match stick eyes

2008-08-04T03:32:00.001-07:00

So how do guys who work in the city and binge drink on the weekend manage to actually do sensible work on the monday? Cant be done surely? Hey Worcester, you served us well but we aint getting any work done here today! I need bed.

Worcester to accept euros?

2008-08-04T03:32:00.000-07:00

OK! I may as well start by saying that everything I say is to be taken as lightly or as seriously as your own imagination steers you. I can write angry when I am perfectly calm and certainly can appear calm when I am angry.

My brain's a bit mush as we(a group of friends) just came back from 3 days in Worcester as one of us(not me) is getting hitched in a couple of weeks. The Bars of Worcester certainly offered us the delights we were seeking and the ladies of the town were not too disturbed by our attempts of social intercourse. Apologies to the Barges that parked up by ours as we may have woken one or two up as we were dropped back at about 2am! Oh and to the fisherman that was slightly upset when we took our speed upto a notch above 5mph for a moment just to see what this baby could do ;-)

The Euro! well I dont really have a mind small enough to be swayed by all this loss of sovereignty babble to not be smitten by the idea of not having to faff with all these exchanges when buy and selling across the continent etc. My business would certainly suffer less with it.

So my view would be to get in there right now. Why? because we are at approx 80p to one Euro and our interest rates are not a million miles apart. This perfect for the long term prospects of the UK.
1. Our exports to them would be pegged at this level for a while and hence cheaper and more attractive. Yes the long term would mean we stabilise as we would be buying parts from them and hence it would eventually mean less.
2. The interest rates thing means we wont suffer and economic 'jump' as we are almost there anyway!
3. It is about time we were steering Europe economically rather than on the outside pissing into their wind! The one good thing about our economy has been the target of keeping an inflation band. This means we will always focus on growth rather than just keeping inflation as low as possible. We could get the Eurozone to adopt the same policy and we would then all prosper more sensibly and more readily. No one want the manic instability of the US economy where they put up and take down rates every time the wind blows up their skirts.

Now about the young ladies of Worcester! ;-)