Published to Whisper Club: Sepetember 28, 2026 ID: TBW2237
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report investigates What’s killing dealer margin? Drawing on insights from telecommunications professionals attending All Wireless & Prepaid Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, it examines the competitive and operational pressures reducing profitability for wireless dealers. The discussion highlights pricing pressure, carrier practices, and the need for differentiation in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Cited experts: Omar Khan Supersonic Mobile ISPWN, Adam Wolf NWIDA, Rob Link Tech Care Association, Stuart Chowning Telgoo5.”
Printing United Expo 2026 showcased how far printing extends beyond paper and ink. We explored tactile effects, miniature folding, ultra-wide formats, adhesives, sustainable banding, workflow automation, MIS and ERP solutions, and AI integration. With 850 exhibitors and more than 20,000 printing professionals, the event demonstrated innovation spanning production, operations, automation, and specialty print applications.
Printing is much more than what you do on your home paper printer. LSIC drives that point home with their tactile and embossed effects double channel printers. Their technology creates stunning tactile visuals even on glass objects. What’s really exciting is their ability to create raised, ceramic-like textures and mock embossments without custom molds. Having seen the end products, I admit those mock embossments without custom molds stayed on my mind for a long time!
Admittedly when many consumers think of printers, printer jams come to mind especially with delicate paper. Some of the most delicate paper around is that thin paper used when you get a prescription from the pharmacists. If how those are successfully made has ever crossed your mind, let me introduce you to Pratham Technologies. The art is not only in the paper’s thinness, but also in the folding. Pratham technologies brings 39 years of experience to the miniature paper-folding machine for the Rx inserts and booklet industry. Headquartered in India, where its equipment is manufactured, they also have direct operations in the US and UK.
If your specialty print job requires ultra-wide format printing, LexJet has specialized in exactly that space for the last 32 years. Representing major equipment brands spanning Epson, Canon, HP, Mimaki, and EFI, they pride themselves on end-to-end support. Their support spans installation, training, and direct technical support.
If you want things to get a little sticky, hhs Baumer Group has the glue guns for your production lines. Able to leverage hot melt through cold, water-based glues and remoisturizing solutions. Various applications include enabling an organization to decide if peel open to tear open is appropriate for its use case. This high efficiency system can melt 25lbs of glue while minimizing electricity usage and storing custom job recipes. Sustainability was an underlying theme for many vendors. Felins features eco-friendly banding for your print jobs. Not only are their bands eco-friendly, but they specialize in 1-inch and 2-inch soft bands that secure bundles without cutting into the delicate edges like plastic strapping.
Running a print shop requires quoting a job, scheduling the job, tracking the job, invoicing, and payment collections. shopvox provides all-in-one operations and prides itself in getting you online really quickly. Many believe that such an efficient set-up would mean one is required to go with a few limited configuration setups. To the contrary, their set-ups are tailored to the organization and can vary from commercial, sign, and apparel print shops with AI capabilities strategically integrated for operational efficiency.
Two vendors under the same organization, we bring you Print IQ and Docket Manager. Print IQ is a single MIS system for handling print quoting and production. It works across a variety of solutions from commercial and wide-format to packaging. Print IQ leverages AI and an API ecosystem to interact with data across the shop. Docket manager, on the other hand, combines these back-end MIS workflows to enable a customer ordering portal. The goal is quick quotes so customer orders are put into the production queue efficiently.
Seeking an industry-specific ERP solution for your print shop? Graphic Solutions, part of CAI, was on hand with their solution. Graphic Solutions focuses exclusively on the print industry. They were excited to share that the roadmap contains many AI optimizations for the print industry.
Conference Vibe
Printing United Expo 2026 brought together over 20,000 printing professionals. It brought together 850 exhibitors and featured over 70 educational sessions. Registration was quite efficient and took place in Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall. Attendees had complete access to the large array of food available in the various eateries in North and Central Hall including the large food court. North Hall featured the digital production track while Central Hall featured a Wide Format Track. Enjoy the walkabout to and through both expo halls. We always try to bring you fresh vendors in our coverage but you will recognize many brands in the walkabout from our coverage of other automation and distribution events including Manifest and Pack Expo. We once again live streamed from on site to share the experience. Be sure to catch coverage on my syndicated segment on the nationally broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.
We conducted research for additional forthcoming Whisper Reports. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Printing United Expo 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be cited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.
The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the Printing United Expo in Las Vegas?”.
Next Year’s Conference
The Printing United Expo will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 14-16, 2027.
*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples products in the same category may have also been on display.
Corporate Headquarters
2884 Grand Helios Way
Henderson, NV 89052
Downloading, re-uploading, or redistributing this file is not permitted under any license.
Published to Whisper Club: September 21, 2026 ID: TBW2126
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report investigates what retrofit risk will stall EV adoption in 2026. Filmed across AAPEX & SEMA 2025 in Las Vegas, it explores how infrastructure limitations, cost realities, and regulatory challenges are shaping EV adoption. Experts examine where these constraints could slow progress despite continued innovation. Cited experts: Lance Losinski Midtronics, Josh Pinion Greentec, Andrew Yokiel Lynnco.”
Published to Whisper Club: September 14, 2026 ID: TBW2136
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report investigates which connected device will drive the next big shift as explored at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Experts surface diverging visions from home-centric hubs to wearable interfaces, pointing to a broader transformation in how users interact with connected ecosystems. The defining shift may emerge where accessibility, intelligence, and daily integration intersect. Cited experts: Chris De Maria LG Electronics, Pengfei Zhang RiseLink, Ulan Abdurazakov NineNineSix.AI, Richard Harding EMD Electronics.”
Published to Whisper Club: September 7, 2026 ID:TBW2232
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT “This Whisper Report investigates What cyber myth needs to die in 2026? Drawing on expert insights from Black Hat USA 2026 in Las Vegas, it examines persistent misconceptions about security tools, artificial intelligence, and foundational cybersecurity education. The discussion highlights why technology, no matter how advanced, still depends on sound practices, skilled practitioners, and realistic expectations. Cited experts: Aaron Beardslee Securonix, Dan Petrillo BlueVoyant, John Strand Black Hills Information Security.”
Commercial UAV Expo 2026 brought operators, manufacturers, pilots, software providers, and data specialists to Las Vegas. Discussions focused on autonomy, navigation, endurance, geospatial intelligence, fleet management, infrastructure inspection, public safety, and industrial operations. Exhibitors showcased technologies supporting drone missions from planning and deployment through data processing and operational execution.
The Conference
A community of roughly 3500 industry professionals gathered in Las Vegas for the Commercial UAV Expo. The event was held at Caesars
Cautions
Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
Forrest fires across Europe and North America are constantly in the news as of late. Technology exists to put across your forest to immediately identify when a small fire starts to attempt to mitigate massive fires but what tools exist to actually stop it from spread? Meet Ponderosa.ai creating an advanced stationed drone system for fire fighting drone swarm. Key features include autonomous swarm operation, rapid response, suppressant capacity of 50-100 gallons per swarm, and cost effectiveness with an aim of $10,000 per drone per year. The goal is to reach any ignition point within 5 minutes. Another special use case, Think Power Solutions specializes in partnering with utility company’s power, gas, or solar. Their specialty involves infrastructure inspection.
Inertial Labs was on site to empower drones to find and reach their targets – even in the toughest circumstances. Note Inertial is a physics term derived from the word inertia. As you might suspect, it is all about an object’s resistance to change in motion or movement – at land or sea. They featured three-axis accelerometers, Magnetometers or digital compasses, GPS-aided navigation systems, Navigation if GPS is denied via gyroscopes, IMUs (Inertial Measurements Units), Let’s just say, they have the technology to ensure you find your drop zone no matter the obstacles.
If your drone’s end destination is moving, the landing can be quite difficult without the right technology. SixdofSpace Optical tracking for landing drones on any surface even those moving. This task requires high-speed optical tracker paired with IR or infrared beacons at the landing zone. They have been able to achieve accuracy within 1/10th of a degree.
Sometimes the primary concern when looking at drones is endurance. On that front, Skyfront shared their product capable of 5 hours or 10 kilos payload for 1 hour. It has flown in over 30 countries, and is integrated with Starlink. They noted that due to the distance they fly, they found Starlink to be their preferred communication link. Golden Feather exhibited their all solid state power supplies. Specializing in high energy density batteries they achieved 550 Wh/kg or watt-hours per kilogram and700 Wh/L or Watt-hours per liter of volume of battery.
If you are dealer seeking to find a supplier, Almo is a master distributor for drones plus many other areas of technology for enterprises including telecommunications. Almo is known for its solution based selling vs box selling as could be evident by the in booth featured vendors. For monitoring drones, they had Pierce Aerospace. Same feel as one you may have seen in countless movies in the context of air traffic control. For RTRobotics, there are three numbers you need to know. 1, 4 and 30. Their drone completely fits inside 1 backpack. It allows 4 payload mounts showing off its diversity. Finally, 30 – it can life as much as 30 pounds. Finally, blue listed drone pilot training by SensorOps. SensorOps simulations immediately feel familiar to anyone who watched the latest Top Gun movie. SensorOps enables critical mission training and development of muscle memory are for tough operations. This applies to potential flights to rescue or provide aid via a drone in subway system like NY City or the Vegas Loops Tunnels. In life, there are simply events you cannot practice for in the actual space you may need to fly. Realistic simulation leveraging same controller, same dials, same everything is the best preparation possible and what they strive to provide to drone operators.
For those wondering where the open source in the drone space, ArduPilot non-profit out of Australia has a few hundred partner companies. ArduPilot created a product that is quickly filling in for DJI absence. Meet CubePilot that came out of ArduPilot some 10 years ago. CubePilot is distributed by NWblue.com and is in over 3 million aircraft. It bridges the gap between community projects and professional-grade hardware.
The point of many drone flights is data collection. Understanding that data, no matter what drone type collected it is thus the entire point of the drone program. To that end, GeoCue LP360 has been fine tuning their solution for ethe complete lifecycle of ingestion process. In a Session summary by Darrick Wagg, he shared that the product updated its AI Classification tools, expanded sensor support, added tools to make interoperability easier and introduced lower price NDAA compliant model. NDAA stands for National Defense Authorization Act. Together they focused on increasing automation to make it easy for anyone to evaluate their data.
Regardless of the drone, many leverage a payload with LiDar. The problem with LiDar isn’t getting the imaging, it is getting the image processed. Meet YellowScan – easiest LiDar soluton – just press the yellow button. Super easy user experience to get LiDAR data out and processed.
Conference Vibe
Commercial UAV Expo brought together approximately 3500 industry professionals across the UAV commercial space. This year’s expo took over the entirety of Caesars Forum as they welcomed over 220 specialized vendors spanning platforms, LiDAR technologies, autonomous systems, landing systems, navigations systems, energy options and payload solutions. The event presented attendees with the opportunity for training and also featured demonstrations. Registration was quite efficient and easy to find. Enjoy the walkabout to and through both expo halls. We always try to bring fresh coverage each year. For those interested in additional research regarding Commercial UAVs should also refer to our previous coverage of the event in 2025 and 2024.
We conducted research for forthcoming Whisper Reports. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Commercial UAV Expo Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be cited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.
The video concludes with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the Commercial UAV Expo live in Las Vegas?”.
Next Year’s Conference
The Commercial UAV Expo will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Caesars Forum in September. The exact dates are not released at press time.
*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples of products in the same category may have also been on display.
Corporate Headquarters
2884 Grand Helios Way
Henderson, NV 89052
Downloading, re-uploading, or redistributing this file is not permitted under any license.
Published to Whisper Club: August 31, 2026 ID: TBW2217
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report investigates What’s the biggest gap between AI demos and AI in production? Drawing on expert insights from Ai4 2026 in Las Vegas, it explores why successful demonstrations often struggle when exposed to real enterprise environments, legacy technology estates, and production-scale uncertainty. The discussion highlights challenges that remain hidden until deployment. Cited experts: Eran Carmel Rubrik, Ankur Trivedi Digital AI, Mudit Sinha Lineaje.”
Published to Whisper Club: August 24, 2026 ID: TBW2134
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report investigates which spatial computing use case will scale fastest as explored at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Experts highlight competing forces including developer accessibility, immersive interaction, and enterprise value creation, each signaling different adoption paths. The outcome may depend on where usability, demand, and measurable impact converge first. Cited experts: Wayne Liu Perfect Corp., Paul Stanford Haply, Joe Cassar dSPACE, Hagay Rozenfeld Israel Railways.”
“The All Wireless & Prepaid Expo brought together wireless dealers, carriers, MVNOs, distributors, repair providers, and telecom suppliers as Las Vegas hosted conversations around channel economics, customer acquisition, fraud prevention, eSIM adoption, dealer enablement, wireless retail operations, and the evolving business models supporting growth across the wireless ecosystem.”
The Conference
A community of the wireless retail ecosystem including dealers, carriers, MVNOs, distributors, and service providers
67% of attendees are retail-focused spanning dealers, repair shops and electronic merchants.
Cautions
Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
Have you ever thought, I would like to start my own wireless network service and become an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). MVNO doesn’t have to worry about the spectrum, as the physical network infrastructure and spectrum is procured from a MNO (Mobile Network Operator) – like Verizon. If you are thinking of creating one based on Verizon’s physical infrastructure and spectrum, Supersonic Mobile was in expo hall ready to help you. Supersonic Mobile is what’s referred to as an MVNE – E for enabler. They provide technical and operational support to MVNOs such as sim card set ups, billing and customer relationship management, and regulatory compliance and legal reporting. Supersonic Mobile’s customers can access their services via API or a platform.
With over 20-years in telecom by their own account and a relationship with multiple MNOs, Telgoo5 is focused on growing your business. To them, you are more than a number, you are a partner. They understand a MVNE must provide support from the beginning all the way until the solution is live in the field and thriving. BeQuick was on site. They are not a full MVNE but instead focus on best of breed business and operational support systems (BSS/OSS). BeQuick is 100% software based and the solution is a software platform that is carrier agnostic with guaranteed four 9’s uptime. Within the BSS/OSS stack is a requirement to manage customer fraud risk and charge backs. Vesta was in expo hall to not only satisfy that requirement but to remove some of the risk for operators. Vesta manages digital payments and assumes the risk of fraud and charge back liability for carriers and MVNOs alike.
Moving to the customer side of wireless solutions, there are Master Agents also called Master Sales Agents. Unlike the network stack, Master Agents handle things like sales volumes, commissions, training and support downstream. Agents focus on dealers to distribute MNOs and MVNOs networks. Perfect Vision is a Master Agent that provides marketing experts, sales agents and client experts to protect your business. A Master Agents specializing in Verizon, Wireless Masters would like to help you open your very own phone shop! Dreaming bigger? Maybe you want a store to offer wireless and Fiber? Unwired was on site offering access to AT&T, Ultra Mobile, Cricket, Joi and MobileX plus the ability to resell fiber!
In addition to network operators, enablers, agents, the event also featured many accessory providers as well as support functions such as marketing, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), and human resources which we cover in their individual domain events. In addition, organizations to support those attending. NWIDA or the National Wireless Independent Dealers Association was on hand. Described as the AAA for wireless dealers, on average they help dealers save about $25,000 a year. This savings comes through 10-20% off of credit card processing, payroll processing, accessories, devices, business and health insurance. For those who specialize in phone repair, Tech Care Association was there for you! Their resources include a where to repair list for all its members as a public service to those needing repairs. They provide training, shop tools, and evaluate web pages ensuring your repair business has what it needs to succeed.
Conference Vibe
An energized gathered of wireless dealers, repair-shop owners, electronic retailers, MVNOs, carriers, distributors, and telecom suppliers gathered at Caesars Palace in the Julius Ballrooms for the All Wireless & Prepaid Expo. Registration was fairly efficient with an expedited line for exhibitors. Enjoy the walkabout to and through expo hall. You’ll notice a lot of accessory providers and vendors for general support were also on site. General support vendors include those for marketing, managing customers and human resources. We once again live streamed from on site to share the experience. Be sure to catch coverage on my syndicated segment on the nationally broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.
It may be helpful to understand some of the acronyms used in the room like MNO’s (Mobile Network Operators eg. AT&T and Verizon) own the network infrastructure. MVNO’s (Mobile Virtual Network Operators) offer wireless despite not owning any spectrum or tower/network infrastructure. In addition, MVNE (Mobile Virtual Network Enablers) provide technical and operational support to MVNOs such as sim card set ups, billing and customer relationship management, and regulatory compliance and legal reporting. Master agents aggregate sales volume, handle commissions, provide training and support, and take an override on what their downstream sells.
We conducted research for six additional forthcoming Whisper Reports. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: All Wireless & Prepaid Expo Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be cited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition. The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the All Wireless & Prepaid live in Las Vegas?”.
Next Year’s Conference
The dates for next years’ All Wireless & Prepaid Expo have not been announced a time of press.
*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples products in the same category may have also been on display.
Corporate Headquarters
2884 Grand Helios Way
Henderson, NV 89052
Downloading, re-uploading, or redistributing this file is not permitted under any license.
Published to Whisper Club: August 17, 2026 ID: TBW2100
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report investigates what HR tech trend will disrupt engineering hiring next. Filmed at HRTECH2025 in Las Vegas, it explores how emerging technologies are reshaping how organizations evaluate, select, and develop engineering talent. Experts examine shifts that may redefine both hiring processes and workforce composition. Cited experts: Michael Dunn Eightfold AI, Nikos Livada HireRoad, Josh Adams RChilli, Sabashan Ragavan HeyMilo, Patrick Leddin FranklinCovey Leadership, Jeff Williams Aptia, Drew Lawrence Gem, Eli Kameron Darwinbox, David Pothier FitFirst.”
