Technology

tonies introduces Toniebox Lite: growing the globally loved audio ecosystem for children

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Toniebox Lite delivers tonies’ core listening experience in a smaller, lighter format at a more accessible price point: $79.99 USD and $99.99 CADComplementing flagship device Toniebox 2, Toniebox Lite expands tonies’ portfolio to create a versatile multi-device audio ecosystem that brings the benefits of listening to more families at more placesPre-orders in North America start today, first in-store availability in August – market introduction in the UK, Australia and New Zealand in fall 2026

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — tonies SE (“tonies”), the globally leading interactive audio platform for children, today announces the launch of the Toniebox Lite – a compact and lightweight device that brings tonies’ core listening experience at an accessible price point, and available for pre-order in North America today, July 27, on tonies.com and walmart.com in the US and tonies.ca and walmart.ca in Canada. Certified for children aged 1+ and compatible with every Tonie, it gives families immediate access to tonies’ platform of curated audio-first content.

Introducing the next device with Toniebox Lite is the first proof point of tonies’ strategy to build an ecosystem consisting of multiple devices, a rich above-the-box portfolio and accessories that enable experiences across the full breadth of family life. Toniebox Lite complements tonies’ flagship Toniebox 2, which combines the company’s full content portfolio with screen-free gaming through Tonieplay and a suite of enhanced features that support daily family routines. Launched just a year after Toniebox 2, Toniebox Lite further reflects tonies’ commitment to accelerating its innovation cadence and extending its platform to best meet diverse family needs.

Tobias Wann, CEO of tonies, says: “As parents increasingly seek mindful alternatives to passive screen time, we see a tremendous opportunity to champion the power of listening, spark imagination, foster independence and curiosity. To bring the benefits of audio to even more families, we are building a growing ecosystem that for the first time includes multiple devices – each of them designed for different family needs, while being connected by the same trusted world of stories, songs, characters, and play experiences. With Toniebox Lite, we open the door to that world for more families than ever.”

Ginny McCormick, CXO of tonies, says: “Childhood rarely stands still. It unfolds across family vacations, visits with grandparents, and everyday adventures in between. Toniebox Lite’s simple, portable design allows families to bring the tonies experience wherever childhood happens. For existing families, it expands how and where they can enjoy our platform. For new families, it offers an introduction to the benefits of playing, learning, growing up ears-first. And for tonies, it is another step in our mission to shape the future of childhood through listening.”

Toniebox Lite: the core tonies listening experience, made accessible

Toniebox Lite delivers the signature tonies experience: screen-free, child-operated, and instantly intuitive, designed in a smaller and lighter form. Toniebox Lite is compatible with all Tonies ever released: the content library of more than 1,500 Tonies and more than 3,500 digital titles spans beloved global licensing partners alongside tonies Originals productions. As with Toniebox 2, Toniebox Lite offers parents the opportunity to co-pilot their children’s experience through the tonies app, where they can control playback, set volume limits and access digital content easily.

The evolution into an ecosystem around multiple devices

With Toniebox Lite and Toniebox 2, tonies evolves into a true multi-experience ecosystem: a range of devices, each with a distinct profile, all running on one unified platform and one vast portfolio of curated content. Toniebox 2 remains the flagship, offering the full tonies experience including interactive Tonieplay gaming, the dynamic light ring as well as unique bedtime features such as the sleep timer, sunrise alarm and bedtime mode. Toniebox Lite complements it by delivering the core listening experience in a smaller and more portable form.

Innovation alongside the growing needs of families

The launch of Toniebox Lite represents the next step in tonies’ mission to bring the benefits of listening to more children and families around the world. Alongside its expanding device portfolio, tonies continues to invest in new content experiences, from My First Tonies and interactive Tonieplay games to landmark partnerships with beloved brands including Bluey and Pokémon.

Toniebox Lite launches first in the United States and Canada. Pre-orders begin today, with first deliveries through tonies.com, walmart.com, as well as in-store at Walmart starting on August 22. Further North American channels will follow through September and October. Available at launch, kids across all markets will also be able to personalize their Toniebox Lite with a range of colorful covers that also add an additional layer of cushioning for everyday adventures.

Pre-order is live now at tonies.com and walmart.com in the US and tonies.ca and walmart.ca in Canada.

About tonies

tonies® is the globally leading interactive audio platform for children redefining how children starting as early as 1 play, learn, and grow independently without screens. Since its founding in Germany in 2014, around 12.2 million Tonieboxes and over 165 million Tonies have been sold worldwide.

On average, children engage with tonies for ~280 minutes per week, making it a trusted everyday companion that brings the joy and magic of interactive audio entertainment and education into family life worldwide.

The intuitive and award-winning ecosystem – centered around Toniebox 2 and Toniebox Lite – offers a portfolio of around 1,500 Tonies, about 20 Tonieplay games and more than 3,500 digital titles via mytonies (library and app) – ranging from tonies® Originals to licensed content from around 350 partners including Disney, Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Mattel, Marvel, Paramount, Hasbro, Universal, Sony Music.

tonies is rapidly expanding its platform globally. Besides DACH, central growth regions include tonies’ largest market, North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Australia and New Zealand, with Tonieboxes now active in over 100 countries. tonies employs more than 630 people, achieved EUR 630 million in group revenue in FY 2025 (+31% yoy), and is listed in the SDAX segment of Frankfurt Stock Exchange (tonies SE). tonies guides for FY 2026 group revenue above EUR 760m (+20% in constant currency) and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 9 to 11%.

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SOURCE tonies®

Technology

Monport MEGAS Brings Advanced LightBurn Features to Desktop CO2 Laser Engraving

Published

16 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

New 70W desktop CO2 laser engraver brings LightBurn’s advanced feature set — autofocus, wireless connectivity and live camera placement — directly into the software, closing a gap most “LightBurn compatible” machines leave open.

SEATTLE, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As LightBurn continues to be the preferred software for makers, educators, and small manufacturing businesses, Monport is emphasizing the advanced workflow capabilities of its MEGAS 70W desktop CO2 laser engraver. The system enables users to perform autofocus, wireless connectivity, and live camera positioning directly inside LightBurn, creating a more streamlined production workflow than the basic compatibility offered by many desktop laser systems.

The integration allows users to complete nearly every production step directly inside LightBurn rather than switching between multiple software applications.

The announcement positions the MEGAS as a candidate for best CO2 laser engraver among software-focused buyers: makers, Etsy and Shopify sellers, and small production shops who run LightBurn daily and have grown frustrated switching between a manufacturer’s app and the software they actually use to build and send jobs. The feature announcement coincides with Monport’s Summer Sale, which drops the MEGAS to $2,799.99 for a limited time.

Why “LightBurn Compatible” Doesn’t Always Mean Full Support

LightBurn is the industry-standard control software for hobbyist and small-business laser systems, but compatibility varies widely between machines. Many desktop CO2 laser engravers can send basic cut and engrave jobs to LightBurn, yet require a separate manufacturer app for autofocus, camera alignment or wireless setup—breaking the workflow and adding extra steps every time a job changes materials or needs repositioning.

Industry buyers researching a 70W laser engraver often discover this gap only after purchase: a listing says “LightBurn compatible,” but autofocus still means picking up a manual gauge, and camera alignment means opening a second piece of software just to preview where a design will land.

Going Beyond Basic LightBurn Compatibility

Many competing desktop laser systems support basic LightBurn functions for cutting and engraving. Advanced features such as autofocus, wireless camera positioning and complete wireless workflow integration, however, are often limited, and may require proprietary software, or are unavailable inside LightBurn itself.

The Monport MEGAS was engineered to provide these advanced functions directly within LightBurn, helping users spend less time switching between applications and more time producing finished products— one of the reasons Monport designed the MEGAS specifically for LightBurn power users.

Autofocus Without Leaving LightBurn

On the MEGAS, autofocus is triggered and confirmed directly inside LightBurn, so operators can set material height and start a job without switching to a separate focusing tool or app. For a 70W laser engraver running frequent material changes—from thin acrylic sheet to thicker basswood board—that single-window workflow removes one of the more repetitive steps in a typical production day.

Wireless Connectivity Simplifies Shop Workflow

The wireless connection also enables operators to send jobs to the machine without repeatedly reconnecting USB cables, making the workflow especially useful in classrooms, shared makerspaces and production environments where multiple computers may access the laser.

The MEGAS connects to LightBurn over Wi-Fi, removing the tethered USB connection many desktop CO2 laser engravers still require. That means the machine can be positioned away from a workstation and run jobs sent wirelessly, a common request among small-shop and classroom users managing limited floor space or shared equipment.

Live Camera Placement Inside LightBurn

An onboard wireless camera streams a live view of the work surface into LightBurn, letting users position and align artwork on pre-printed or irregular material directly on screen instead of manually measuring and test-firing the laser.

From Design File to Finished Product

For many laser users, efficiency is measured by how quickly a design becomes a finished product. With the MEGAS, users can import artwork into LightBurn, position the design using the live wireless camera, activate autofocus with a single click, and begin engraving without leaving the software.

By keeping every major production step inside one interface, the workflow reduces setup time, minimizes alignment errors, and simplifies repeat production for businesses engraving dozens—or even hundreds—of personalized products each day on their desktop CO2 laser engraver.

Real-World Material Performance

To demonstrate production versatility, during internal testing, Monport evaluated the MEGAS across several materials commonly used by Etsy sellers, gift businesses and production workshops:

Plywood — crisp engraved wooden signs with clean edgesAcrylic — polished awards and plaques with sharp detailLeather — high-contrast wallet engraving with minimal scorching

The testing demonstrates that a single desktop CO2 laser engraver can handle multiple product categories without requiring significant workflow changes.

Better ROI for Small Businesses

Monport also compared estimated material costs with typical retail pricing across four popular product categories:

Engraved plywood sign: Approximately $35 retail price with about $5 in material costs.Engraved acrylic award: Approximately $45 retail price with about $8 in material costs.Engraved leather wallet: Approximately $55 retail price with about $12 in material costs.

Based on estimated material costs alone, these products show potential material-cost margins of approximately 75% to 85%, before accounting for labor, packaging, shipping, platform fees and other operating expenses. Monport says the combination of higher-margin products, intelligent batch engraving, and a streamlined LightBurn workflow can help small businesses, Etsy sellers, and Shopify merchants recover their investment more quickly as production scales.

Built for Professional LightBurn Users

While M-Design Hub, Monport’s free Windows and macOS software, offers AI-powered image processing, one-click material settings and intelligent batch engraving, Monport says the MEGAS was equally designed for experienced LightBurn users who prefer complete control over every project.

Supporting both software environments gives creators the flexibility to choose an automated workflow for everyday production or LightBurn’s advanced tools for more complex engraving jobs—a combination Monport believes makes the case for the MEGAS as a best CO2 laser engraver choice regardless of skill level.

“LightBurn has become the workflow that thousands of makers and small businesses rely on every day,” said Monport CEO.

“Our goal with the MEGAS was to eliminate unnecessary software switching by bringing advanced features like autofocus, wireless connectivity and live camera positioning directly into LightBurn. That lets users focus on production instead of setup.”

Explore Advanced LightBurn Features on the MEGAS

Monport is positioning the MEGAS as an entry point for LightBurn users who want to explore the software’s advanced feature set without adding a second app to their workflow. Full setup guides and LightBurn configuration walkthroughs for the MEGAS are available on Monport’s website.

Summer Sale Pricing

As part of Monport’s Summer Sale this July, the MEGAS desktop CO2 laser engraver is available at a special offer price of $2,799.99—the limited-time promotional price on the machine to date. The discount is applied automatically at checkout; no promo code is required. The offer runs for a limited time or while supplies last and includes two complimentary laser marking spray bottles, used to prepare bare metal surfaces such as stainless steel for laser marking.

Availability

The Monport MEGAS 70W desktop CO2 laser engraver is available through Monport’s official website.

About Monport

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Seattle, Monport designs desktop and industrial CO2 and fiber laser engraving and cutting machines for makers, small businesses and workshops, backed by U.S.-based technical support.

Media Contact:

Monport Laser
Email: official@monportlaser.com
Website: https://monportlaser.com

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SOURCE Monport

Technology

Tredence Launches Domain Native Forward Deployed Engineering to Close the Last Mile of Enterprise AI

Published

16 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

The FDE practice builds an elite class of engineers at the intersection of domain expertise and data & AI, solving enterprises’ hardest business problems.

BENGALURU, India and SAN JOSE, Calif., July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tredence, the world’s leading data & AI services company, today announced the launch of its Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) practice, committing to build a dedicated pool of 200 FDEs over the next 12-18 months. Through this practice, the company intends to build the most domain-native engineering capability in the market, helping clients move faster from problem to impact.

Built to tackle high-impact challenges for Fortune 100 enterprises, Tredence’s FDEs are domain specialists first and engineers second. A Retail FDE understands markdown cycles and assortment planning. A supply chain FDE understands network constraints and demand volatility. A revenue growth management (RGM) FDE understands trade spend and price elasticity.

Each Tredence FDE brings that depth to the work of building and scaling agentic systems, applying deep engineering expertise to the business decisions that matter most, from pricing and promotions to the data and semantic foundations that power enterprise operations. They are platform agnostic by design, working across clients’ existing technology stack, including Databricks, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Snowflake, AWS, and leading frontier model providers.

Enterprise AI often struggles at the last mile, where data, systems, and business decisions must come together to create measurable value. Tredence’s Forward Deployed Engineers combine speed, powered by deep AI, data, and engineering expertise, with depth, built through years of domain experience, to turn AI into business outcomes faster.

“Enterprise AI is at an inflection point, and success now depends on combining AI-native engineering with industry depth to turn technology into real business outcomes. Our FDEs are designed to solve the hardest business problems, lead end-to-end AI transformations, and take ownership all the way from business problems to enterprise-scale deployment. That’s the level of accountability enterprise AI needs today,” said Shub Bhowmick, Co-founder and CEO, Tredence.

Why Tredence’s FDE Model Is Different-

More than a decade of deep domain expertise across industries
FDEs bring years of experience in supply chain, customer analytics, built through work with 100+ Fortune 500 clients.AI native engineering as the default way of working
FDEs build with AI from the start, reinforced by Tredence’s AI Forge program, which is centered on AI-first problem solving.Frontline ownership, powered by specialized teams
Tredence FDEs lead from the front, anchoring small, elite teams and owning everything from business problems to enterprise-scale deployment.Hands on depth across hyperscaler, frontier AI, and data platforms
Tredence FDEs help shape the very platforms they build on, with seats on the product advisory teams of leading hyperscalers and ISVs.

About Tredence

Tredence is a global AI and data science solutions provider focused on solving the last-mile problem in AI, the gap between insight creation and value realization. Tredence leverages deep domain expertise, advanced data platforms and accelerators, and strategic partnerships to provide tailored, cutting-edge solutions to its clients. The company has 4,200+ employees across the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Riyadh, Dubai, London, Toronto, and Bengaluru, serving top brands in Retail, CPG, Hi-tech, Telecom, Healthcare, Travel, and Industrials. For more information, please visit www.tredence.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

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Technology

Fractus and Geotab settle U.S. patent litigation

Published

16 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

Additional agreements reinforce Fractus’ role in the IoT technologies ecosystem

BARCELONA, Spain, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fractus, a pioneer in antenna technology and patent licensing, today announced that it has reached a settlement with Geotab, resolving the patent infringement litigation filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The terms of the agreement are confidential.

The settlement is an important milestone for Fractus in the connected fleet and transportation market. It brings an end to the dispute with Geotab and confirms the relevance of Fractus’ patented antenna technology in IoT applications where reliable wireless performance is essential.

Fractus also welcomes the growing list of its IoT licensees, which further strengthens Fractus’ position in the IoT ecosystem and demonstrates the growing value of its technology in fleet management, cargo visibility, and mobile asset monitoring.

Fleet telematics and cargo tracking are expanding quickly as transportation and logistics companies look for better visibility, safety, compliance and efficiency. According to Berg Insight, fleet management systems in active use in North America are forecast to grow from 19.2 million units at the end of 2024 to 33.2 million units by 2029. Berg Insight also expects the global installed base of tracking devices for trailers, containers and other cargo-carrying units to grow from 13.8 million units in 2024 to 26.9 million units by 2029.

In these markets, antenna performance is more than a technical specification. Connected devices must communicate across networks, frequency bands, countries and difficult operating conditions, often within space-constrained designs installed on vehicles or other mobile assets. Fractus’ patented antenna innovations help enable the compact, high-performance, multiband connectivity that these IoT devices require.

“We are very pleased to have reached this resolution with Geotab and to see Fractus’ technology gaining further recognition in the IoT market,” said Jordi Ilario, CEO of Fractus. “Fleet management, trailer monitoring and asset tracking are clear examples of how wireless connectivity is transforming transportation. These recent agreements are an important validation of our innovation, and they encourage us to keep building constructive licensing relationships with companies that value strong technology and intellectual property.”

About Fractus

Fractus is an early pioneer in the application of advanced geometry and mathematics to antenna design. The company’s patented innovations enable compact, high-performance, multiband antennas used across smartphones, IoT devices, network infrastructure, connected health and transportation applications. Fractus holds a portfolio covering more than 40 inventions and licenses its technology to leading companies across the wireless ecosystem.

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