Smartfish Peripherals Built To Move You
Company:
Headquarters: Englewood, N.J.
Technology Sector: Hardware
Key Product: Pro:Motion Keyboard
Year Founded: 2007
Number of Channel Partners: None yet
Ideal Channel Partner: Enterprise-focused solution providers
Why You Should Care: Sitting at your computer eight hours or more a day is a real pain in the neckand wristsand hands. Peripherals from startup Smartfish were co-developed by a chiropractor-turned-CEO in collaboration with one of the top orthopedic hospitals in the country, New York-based Hospital for Special Surgery.
The Lowdown: After 14 years of treating patients with Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), also known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, chiropractor Dr. Jack Atzmon began working on keyboard and mice designs that did more than provide hot keys, split keyboards and wrist pads.
Atzmon began Smartfish and worked with New York's Hospital for Special Surgery to create products that contain processors that calculate typing styles (for the keyboard) and mouse clicking habits. The devices sense when users are getting fatigued and quietly and imperceptibly adjust. The company's Pro:Motion keyboard automatically raises or lowers based on your usage and typing patterns.
Smartfish's TRU:Motion wireless mouse has a pivoting action that means a user's wrist does not stay in a fixed state. When a user moves their hands, the mouse naturally encourages the hands to change angles, said Alan Shafer , executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Smartfish.
According to Shafer, the peripheral ergonomics arena is ripe for business. He cited an insurance study that found that RSI is the largest health problem filed in worker compensation claims.
Shafer said that though the fledgling company is going up against giants in the field such as Microsoft and Logitech, Smartfish products have received enthusiastic response at technology shows, and the company has commitments from major regional retailers such as Wal-Mart and regional retailers including Newegg, CompUSA, Fry's and PC Richards.
The company is also working on agreements with Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, and has plans to work with distributors, including D&H.
"We're reenergizing the market," Shafer said. "We've talked to Logitech, and they admitted 'we're going to have to deal with you.'"
The company's first products are launching in August. The mice will be priced between $50 and $60, and the keyboard will be priced at $149. Later this year, Smartfish will roll out a game controller, and also has five other products in development.