E-commerce Times

The TV industry has been quick to move into the app market, and these offerings may foster a new era for television services.

The term "app" was initially coined for small applications that run on mobile devices and fulfill a particular purpose, but apps are now common to several platforms, notably on smart TVs and game consoles. A TV app is a software application that runs on a computing platform and either initiates or includes functions related to television programming o ...read more

Generating more revenue from those advertisers falls in line with the company's overall strategy, said Jennifer Kent, senior analyst at Parks Associates.

"Flipboard is falling back on its existing business model of selling full-page ads at a much higher rate than traditional banner ads," she told the E-Commerce Times. "It would not surprise me if the ability for consumers to click directly from a catalog through to the retailer's product page would allow Flipboard to charge ...read more

eBay on Thursday announced that it is acquiring payment startup Braintree for US$800 million in cash. eBay will combine Braintree, which provides technology for processing payments on the Web and mobile devices, with its PayPal payments division.

"eBay's acquisition of Braintree complements the expansion of PayPal into the mobile payment space," said Jennifer Kent, a senior analyst at Parks Associates. "PayPal is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing mobile payments e ...read more

Almost all entertainment devices entering the home now have connectivity capabilities. These connected TV devices include smart TVs, gaming consoles, streaming video media devices such as a Roku or Apple TV, and Blu-ray players.

Currently, more than 50 percent of U.S. broadband households have at least one consumer electronics home entertainment device that streams video and is connected to the Internet. Among consumers, the prevalence of connected devices varies by age, wit ...read more

Competition heated up in the OLED TV market Tuesday as Samsung announced it was shipping its first production model using the technology and that it would sell for US$8,999.

That price will choke most TV shoppers, but it's being hailed as a new low price point for displays sporting the state-of-the-art technology. The only other OLED TV in the market sells for $15,000 and is made by Samsung's arch rival LG.

Anticipating comparisons with the new 55-inch Samsung model, LG ...read more

Although this is the second price cut in the Surface line, the discounts may not spring from the same motives.

"The price cut to the Surface RT will be permanent -- it simply hasn't sold well and has serious problems with its OS," said Jennifer Kent, senior analyst at Parks Associates.

However, Microsoft apparently is positioning the price cut on the Surface Pro as a temporary back-to-school deal, running only until Aug. 29, Kent added. With the next Surface not likely t ...read more

"Facebook is pursuing a platform strategy that maximizes/optimizes user engagement with its services, and gaming is a critical component of this experience-driven strategy," analyst Harry Wang of Parks Associates told the E-Commerce Times.

"Compared with Apple or Google, Facebook is at a disadvantage for lacking a device platform and a dedicated app store, but enjoys advantages such as a massive user base, heavy network usage and enhanced monetization opportunities," Wang ex ...read more

Nearly three years have passed since Apple first introduced its iPad, and the company still enjoys the largest market share in this space. This statement may seem a natural conclusion because Apple almost single-handedly reinvigorated this product category; however, creating a market does not guarantee a sustained monopolistic hold. This nascent market got crowded very quickly.

Many new players announced and rapidly deployed their own tablets, but in this fast-moving, highly ...read more