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The home controls market must focus on individual applications, such as entertainment and energy management, to overcome current inhibitors and boost its penetration beyond the present 6% of U.S. households, according to international research firm Parks Associates.

The firm's report Home Systems: Home Controls - Analysis and Forecasts finds low consumer awareness and a shortage of affordable installation services currently hinder widespread adoption. The entry of well-known p ...read more

DVRs and video downloads will push the storage needs of U.S. broadband households to almost one terabyte by 2014, creating a parallel rise in the market for file backup and storage solutions, according to international research firm Parks Associates.

The firm's new report "Consumer Storage Opportunities" finds almost 50% of households are performing regular backups, including external storage, flash drives, and online backup, up from only 35% in 2006.

"This is a classic exa ...read more

Belkin’s Conserve products will provide easy, cost-effective ways for people to be more engaged with their energy use. According to a November 2009 survey by Parks Associates, 81 percent of US online households show high interest in cutting energy costs. When asked the main reason for learning about ways to reduce energy consumption, 58 percent of people questioned stated that they wanted to learn how to save money on their electric bill.

From the article, "Belkin Invests in J ...read more