The Star Online

The Internet of Things may be a hot topic in tech circles but it appears that it's not a popular topic of discussion in the average US household, yet.

A new white paper, Smart Home Ecosystem: IoT and Consumers — created and published jointly by the Consumer Electronics Association and Parks Associates — shows that when it comes to smart thermostats, smartphone-operated security systems and app-controlled lighting systems, US consumers are still very much in the dark.

Muc ...read more

Despite being begrudgingly adopted -- it is no longer possible to use the standalone Facebook smartphone app to send a message to another user -- Facebook Messenger is currently the most widely used messaging app in the U.S. According to Parks Associates, 53% of smartphone owners currently use it. And adding a mobile payments feature to the app could make it more popular still.

From the article "Pay your pals on Facebook Messenger."

It might have caused anger and dismay among the global Facebook community but according to Parks Associated research, Facebook Messenger is the most popular messaging app in the U.S. based on its number of users.

Over half (55%) of smartphone owners say that they use it, and 45% say that they use Skype, making it the second most popular messaging app.

"These two apps are dominant in this high-growth area. At the beginning of 2014, 34% of U.S. smartphone owners used a mes ...read more

According to Parks Associates, 33% of US broadband households want the ability to listen to their music libraries in their cars. There is also a growing demand for navigation, vehicle performance and diagnostics features and, of course, hands-free phone access.

However, only 16% are interested in in-car online video access, even for their passengers.

"One-third of car owners, and over 50% of luxury car owners, now have connected-car capabilities, and most of them use the ...read more

The two product categories are tied neck and neck as the most popular consumer electronics gifts in the US as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach.

Over half of US households may already own a tablet but, according to Parks Associates, they will still be top of most consumers' shopping lists as the holiday season approaches.

"Tablets are poised to be a big seller this Black Friday and holiday season, with Apple, Microsoft, and Nokia announcing new models, but the launch o ...read more

One in four US consumers now rely on their smartphones for advice and guidance when shopping in physical stores.

According to Parks Associates, over 25% of shoppers use their devices to research products when buying consumer electronics devices from brick-and-mortar stores.

Further proving that the smartphone is well and truly cemented into modern life, the study shows that among US consumers, those that frequent Target are the most likely to turn to their handsets rathe ...read more

Still, research firm Parks Associates believes that the age of the Smart TV is coming and that by 2017, the year that the tablet is expected to put the final nail in the PC’s coffin, there will be almost 70 million US households gathered around Smart TVs for all of their entertainment needs.

"The TV is still the most-popular and most-used platform for video viewing — over 40% of TV owners watch more than 10 hours of video per week on the device," said Parks Associates senior ...read more