The Boston Globe

But with a host of rivals cranking out tablets of their own, some believe the new iPad won’t be enough to prevent a steady erosion of Apple’s market domination. “This product is not a new revolution,” said Harry Wang, a mobile device analyst with Parks Associates in Dallas. “That gives the other tablet makers a chance in the next six months to gain some market share.”

From the article, "Apple’s iPad still dominates" by Hiawatha Bray

"People never thought about virus infection on smartphones, and they’re going to regret it,’’ said Harry Wang, director of mobile research at Parks Associates, a technology research firm in Dallas. “They are pretty much a computer in your pocket,’’ and therefore just as tempting to data thieves as a desktop PC.

Google’s Android Market offers 200,000 software apps, while Apple’s App Store has about 425,000 apps. That gap was far bigger when Google introduced the first Android ...read more

Kurt Scherf, principal analyst at Parks Associates in Dallas, said that Comcast’s fees are about average for subscription tech support services, and that the company’s lowest-priced plan is cheaper than rival offerings. “It is unique that you’ve got that affordable a price,’’ he said.

From the article, "Comcast Adds Tech Service" by Hiawatha Bray

“The road for future success will be very difficult for Microsoft at this point,’’ said Harry Wang, director of mobile research at Parks Associates in Dallas, who predicted that Google, Apple, and Research In Motion Ltd., maker of BlackBerry phones, will dominate the US market for years to come. “I think Microsoft, realistically, is fighting for fourth place.’’

However, Wang said that Microsoft could win over new customers in developing markets like China and Latin America. He ...read more

Pietro Macchiarella, a research analyst at Parks Associates in Dallas, was more optimistic. He said only a tiny percentage of free-to-play gamers make in-game purchases, but those players lay out about $10 a month, on average.

Zynga does not reveal its revenues, but the company says its games attract 215 million users per month. If only 1 percent of Zynga players spent the average amount, the company would generate $258 million in revenue per year, not counting advertising sale ...read more

Some of us prefer to communicate via e-mail. But researchers at Parks Associates say that 20 percent of Americans have never used e-mail, and half of these nonusers are 65 or older. These are people who've never used a computer and probably never will.

From the article, "Bigger can be better" by Hiawatha Bray

Gates envisions consumers building home networks with PCs, music players, game consoles, and media centers. Many expensive homes are already being outfitted with control panels that let you access automated systems, such as lighting or temperature; down the road you may be able to control them by the Internet, or via handheld devices, like cellphones or iPods. "There will be sensors that can tell you if your front door has been opened or closed and your kid is home," says Bill Ab ...read more

Another analyst, Michael Cai of Parks Associates in Dallas, said the Lycos Cinema technology was "really pretty cool," but he didn't see much future for Lycos Cinema as a general-interest site. Cai said the underlying technology could prove popular when applied to some existing Internet services, however.

For instance, Cai suggested that Lycos Cinema could be used as an icebreaker by online dating services.

"Instead of meeting up, you can watch a movie together," he said. Cai ...read more