Business Week

PLAYERS WANTED. Then there's the question of demand. Parks Associates surveyed 2,000 gamers with Internet connections, and found that only 18% of all gamers play games on consoles, portables, and cell phones. Of those, 31% would be interested in cross-platform play. "If you are an Xbox loyalist, [Xbox Live Anywhere] expands the value of the service," says Matt Rosoff, an analyst with consultancy Directions on Microsoft. "But it's an incremental thing [in terms of revenue and user ...read more

That gives Hiwire some serious advantages. Hiwire can potentially transmit twice as many video channels as Qualcomm or Modeo, according to its own estimates. "They just have a wider pipe than anybody else," says John Barrett, an analyst with consultancy Parks Associates. MediaFLO folks say they aren't worried. "People watch three to five different channels," says Gina Lombardi, president of MediaFLO USA. "We think we can create the right service offering." Modeo declined to comme ...read more

A spate of providers, including Boingo and Deutsche Telekom's (DT) T-Mobile, now offer Wi-Fi access in places like Starbucks (SBUX) and other locales, charging as much as $10 a day for wireless Web access. Wi-Fi service providers generate about $500 million in revenue a year, says consultancy Parks Associates. Those sales could dwindle—or end up in the coffers of rivals—as city-run Wi-Fi takes off.

From the article "Free Wi-Fi—at a Price," by Olga Kharif.
 

Online photo companies have a high level of customer loyalty, said Harry Wang, a research analyst with Parks Associates. After a customer uploads and accumulates a lot of pictures on an online photography site, it is hard to switch to another online site, Wang said. Switches usually happen in the first year or two, he said, making the hunt for new customers a key area of competition.

New customers are looking for two things: low prices and the ability to pick up pictures at a r ...read more

With the in-game advertising business continually growing and expected to hit $400 million by 2009 (source: Parks Associates), more and more top flight companies are likely to want to get in on the action. Microsoft's acquisition of in-game advertising specialist Massive Incorporated is proof positive that the software giant envisions a bright future for the in-game ad sector.

From the article "Intel's In-Game Ad Play."

So what's behind the billion-dollar arms race for these HDTV suppliers? The future looks too bright for TV makers to ignore. According to a recent study from Dallas-based research Parks Associates, HDTV sales will surpass $65 billion by 2009, when federal law requires broadcasters to end transmission of grainy analog programming.

From the article "Sony and Samsung's Big HDTV Bet," by Cliff Edwards."

Chances are, mobile podcasts might have to deal with some consumer backlash against advertising. "Some people will not be tolerant about this," says Harry Wang, an analyst with consultancy Parks Associates. But most mobile podcast advertisers say they haven't heard any complaints from users so far.

From the article "Podcasts Calling," By Olga Kharif.

It's a sentiment that many Americans find hard to imagine. Plowing through e-mail has become part of the daily routine, like brushing your teeth or walking the dog. But Rogers isn't as much of an oddity as it might seem. Despite its popularity among teens and techies, and its use in most offices, the Internet is far from ubiquitous. In fact, 39 million American households still do not have Internet access. That means only 64% of households are connected, according to a recent sur ...read more