Cardo Systems, Inc. saw its future in feature rich Bluetooth® (BT) headsets very early. First to put BT technology into motorcycle helmets, they resolved a major contention for cross-country touring as riders could finally talk to their passengers - and to one another - while on the road. The company’s work within the motorcycling niche strengthened it as a forerunner in “feature rich” engineering - namely noise reducing and wind resistant microphones.
“Our typical customer is an individualist who chooses products that fit their need and not just because of a popular logo,” says company CEO, Abraham Glezerman. To his point, I recently recognized Cardo’s logo on the ear of a Boy Scout leader and asked him about it. “I’m a techno-geek,” the scout leader said, “I found these guys on the web.” He continued to talk about his experience with BT headsets in general, then said his Cardo was “less expensive and worked better” than the pricey earpiece that was “supposedly paired” with his popular branded handset.
Cardo has wide distribution for a relatively small company, opting to work within a master dealer network. To increase support to their master dealers, they have recently reduced the number of distributors they currently deal with. Technical support was an early core value, which the company says accounts for much of its wide product distribution. Cardo supports its distributors in ways that have generated sustainable loyalty. They’ve kept prices near mid-range and well below what some recognize as the “less dependable but more visible” product developers out there.
Glezerman reminds us that when his company was founded in 2000, “there was no ‘Bluetooth industry,’” and most of the major players today originally viewed the technology as a passing “phenomena or niche market”. Glezerman however, saw potential and developed a sharply focused, Bluetooth-dedicated company. To him, short-range wireless device communication sparked an important shift in how humans use and interact with technology.
“The public at large was entirely unaware of the advantages that hands-free communication can offer,” he said in a recent interview with WDM. “The market was virtually limited to ‘gadget freaks’ and the very early adopters. When I first learned of the technology in the late nineties, I identified Bluetooth protocol as a remarkable solution to a real problem, not just a technological answer to a question nobody had asked.” The name he chose for his new company also echoes his belief.
“I chose the name ‘Cardo’ because it is Latin for main street or focal axis in a typical Roman city.” Glezerman contends that Bluetooth is the main “thoroughfare” for wireless, which reflects his dedication to the technology. But Cardo is not a technology-centered company.
“Our mission is to offer human-centered technology,” says Glezerman. His clever way of discovering human-centered “solutions” is to essentially promote debate while making decisions. “I ask the strongest and best informed proponents for each alternative to discuss a matter while listening carefully to their arguments. When done, I question each on issues that require clarification and then I render a decision.” He goes on to say that Cardo’s customers are his greatest source of information. In turn, however, his company is always answering the same questions for his customers, which he feels is indicative of some industry shortcomings.
Bluetooth’s special interest group (Bluetooth SIG) is made up of over 6,000 members, Cardo among them, from various industry sectors. Bluetooth SIG is responsible for maintaining standards in the technology and driving the development of Bluetooth enabled products. One complaint by Glezerman, however, is that the group hasn’t done enough to educate the public about BT technology. Consumer-based economies depend on public awareness to drive technology; otherwise it takes longer to get a foothold. “To this day, consumers ask whether using Bluetooth headsets cause increased radiation. When told that using a BT headset actually reduces radiation at the ratio of 1:100, they are utterly surprised.”
While Bluetooth may be old news to the industry, the public at large has still not caught up to its full potential, yet everyone daydreams of a cordless office just as we did a paperless one. And so, Cardo will keep toiling away developing new products with Bluetooth applications (i.e. personal headsets, BT Adapters, Headsets for Motorcycle helmets, BT VOIP headsets etc.).
Glezerman predicts - and many of us agree - “Bluetooth-based consumer electronics have hardly scratched the surface of the real market and it will be the next three years during which a major consolidation takes place. From the 15 or 20 branded and semi-branded players in the [telecommunications] sector, I expect about half-a-dozen to remain afloat. I am confident that Cardo will be among them.”
More Information about Cardo Systems: www.cardowireless.com
100 High Tower Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15205 (USA)
Telephone: 412-788-4533