TechNewsWorld

"Apple is restricting Siri support for third-party applications, which may hamper growth of the product ecosystem and play as an advantage to competitors," said Dina Abdelrazik, a research analyst with Parks Associates.

Where voice commands are processed for the HomePod also could be a problem for the product, she noted.

"Apple is shifting the processing of vocal commands away from the HomePod and onto an iOS device paired to the HomePod," Abdelrazik told TechNewsWorld. ...read more

As these solution providers emerge, care organizations also are remapping their patient communications strategies, and rethinking how they manage patient experiences in and out of clinical settings. Many care organizations recognize that a holistic approach is better and more effective than today's siloed approach, which is centered on patient diagnosis and point-of-care settings.

This recognition gives rise to what Parks Associates views as a second major trend: Care organi ...read more

Google's introduction of a "little brother" for its Home smart speaker is a much-expected move, said Brad Russell, a research analyst at Parks Associates.

"They need a low-cost entry point for consumers that aren't already in the space," he told TechNewsWorld.

One of the goals of these product lines is ubiquity in the home, Russell pointed out.

"The reason Amazon's Dot has been so successful is not just because it's cheap -- it's because you can afford to put one in ...read more

Entry into the smart speaker market makes sense for a company with smart home aspirations.

"As the success of Echo and Google Home took off, everyone expected Apple to follow suit," said Brad Russell, a research analyst with Parks Associates.

Battle lines are being drawn over who will have the dominant voice technology in the home.

"Consumers have really responded to voice control, and the Echo has accelerated that," Russell told TechNewsWorld.

"It's pretty much ...read more

Consumer interest in UAVs has been less than anticipated by the industry, and the Karma recall isn't going to improve that, observed Brad Russell, a research analyst with Parks Associates.

Less than 5 percent of U.S. broadband households own a drone, and less than 4 percent said they were interested in owning one at the beginning of the year, he noted.

"Negative drone stories in the press and mechanical failures, such as GoPro's recent troubles, are likely stifling consu ...read more

Introduction of a drone is a natural extension of GoPro's core wearable camera business, and bundling its new cameras with Karma is likely to benefit sales of both devices, noted Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates.

"However, the Karma does not have obstacle detection, which is likely to be considered a detriment," she told TechNewsWorld. "Major drone maker DJI's Phantom 4 does have obstacle detection, which is an important safety feature because drones c ...read more

Attracting developers to an Alloy ecosystem is important to Intel, said Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates.

"It will broaden the content available to the platform. Intel doesn't have its own content as Sony does," she told TechNewsWorld.

From the article "Intel's Project Alloy Tosses Reality Into a Blender" by John P. Mello Jr.

Phantom Gold is a high-end product aimed at a high-end market that's been known for extremes, said Brad Russell, an audio analyst with Parks Associates.

"The high-end audiophile market has always been about extremes," he told TechNewsWorld. "It's about owning extreme technology even if it's not discernible to most of us. It's a $10,000 turntable sitting on a block of granite to minimize vibration that wouldn't make a difference to the vast majority of us."

From the artic ...read more