Dallas Morning News

With the wireless phone industry moving away from subsidized smartphones, the cost of the phone psychologically is going to feel more expensive, said Harry Wang, director of mobile research at Parks Associates. 

“When people pay up front for their smartphone or see the cost of paying it over 12 months, consumers will have a clear understanding of the price of their phone,” Wang said.  

From the article "RadioShack can fix that cracked phone screen" by Maria Halkias.

The bottom line

“A lot can be said about watching what you want on a Friday night. But when I’m getting ready in the morning, I’m not going to mess with on demand content. I want live streaming news, weather, celebrity gossip. We’ll never get to a world where everything is on demand. We really don’t want that. Sports is a good example where the value isn’t the same.” John Barrett, director of consumer analytics at Dallas-based Parks Associates.

From the article, “TV-watc ...read more

More than five years after smart thermostats were introduced as an easy-to-use alternative to the current programmable models, manufacturers are reporting triple-digit sales increases. The thermostats are pitched as the next “it” device and a revolutionary step in getting households to better manage their electricity use.

Parks Associates, a Dallas market research firm, estimates about 1 in 10 U.S. homes with a broadband connection now own a smart thermostat. That has driven ...read more

A ranking released Monday by Dallas-based Parks Associates listed headphones as the No. 6 consumer electronics item, right behind video game consoles. And among consumer electronics accessories, headphones ranked as the most desired item.

Parks’ research shows that about 21 percent of U.S. households with Internet access intend to buy headphones or earbuds this holiday season. That ranks headphones above a mouse, keyboard, motion controller and networked security camera, Par ...read more

For the ?rst time in 15 years, the Internet is the top holiday shopping destination, according to Deloitte’sannual survey. Nearly half of consumers said they plan to purchase items online, followed by 44 percentat discount/value stores, like Wal-Mart and Target. But much of that online spending will be with thosesame brick-and-mortar chains. After No. 1 Amazon.com, the top 20 online retailers include Staples, Apple, Wal-Mart, Sears, Of?ce Depot, Best Buy, Of?ce Max, Macy’s, Cost ...read more

Harry Wang, director of mobile research for the Dallas-based Parks Associates consulting firm, thinks a sale to Amazon is “very likely.” He said TI wants to either spin off or sell its mobile chip business.

TI said last month that it would pull back its wireless business, which includes OMAP chips for mobile devices like smartphones and other products. The Dallas-based chipmaker will shift its focus and investments to faster-growing, more profitable embedded processing produ ...read more

Representatives from Dallas-based AT&T Inc., Verizon and Sprint discussed mobile health applications and the industry known as mhealth at the event that brought together investors, entrepreneurs, experts in the medical technology sector. NTEC, the Frisco-based business incubator for medical technology and clean technology, hosts the annual event.

The mobile health market is big business: The industry is expected to grow from $1.7 billion in 2010 to $5.7 billion in 2015, acco ...read more

I talked to AT&T’s Kevin Petersen today before his Digital Life presentation at the Connections conference at the Gaylord Texan and asked if the company had a definite date yet for the launch of its home security and automation system in Dallas.

Previously, AT&T had said that Dallas and Atlanta will be the first markets, and that both would launch sometime this year.

“Trials will be later this year,” said Petersen, a senior vice president of the Digital Life group, which ...read more