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The Amazon Echo (more commonly known as “Alexa” based on the keyword voice command that triggers the female-sounding response) came on the market in November of 2014 to generally positive acclaim. The Siri-like voice interface proved to be quite capable in playing selected music, answering a question about the weather, or ordering a pizza delivery from Domino’s. But since Amazon opened their voice technology to developers last year, there has been an explosion of new uses for Al ...read more

The reality that is dominating the discussion at NAB this week is with only a broadband connection and a streaming device, consumers can now pay for what they want and how they want to watch it. The rise of video streaming content services such as HBO Now, Dish Network’s Sling TV, and CBS All Access demonstrate that pay TV providers are scrambling to capture a growing audience that buys Internet access but not subscription television, a phenomenon commonly known as “over-the-top ...read more

Technology is driving new generation of home buyers to prefer “Smart Homes.” According to Forbes, one of the things that home buyers want is home automation systems, opting to build or purchase homes using the latest technology. A recent Market Watch report stated that smart homes market in Americas is expected to grow to $224 billion revenue by year 2020. From 2013 to 2020, the compounded annual growth rate is at 17.62 percent, it added. The United States is leading the market ...read more

Bundled services are a major driver of smart-home technology adoption. More than 1.5 million homeowners nationwide control and manage their family's lighting, HVAC (heat, ventilation and air- conditioning), security, and manage intrusion and safety systems, by utilizing a LCD touch-screen display, the Internet, or smart phones. Applications include security, home management and control, energy management systems, and even health & wellness solutions, which are all delivered over ...read more

Mobile Real Time Bidding (mobile RTB) is at the intersection of two of the fastest growing areas within digital advertising as a whole, programmatic buying and mobile advertising. Market intelligence firms such as Forrester, IDC, and Parks Associates have all been monitoring the growth in online RTB and made various estimates on its current size. Using round numbers and comparing the available estimates, RTB as a whole is approximately a $3 Billion industry in the U.S. in 2013 a ...read more

The use of mobile devices everywhere is reshaping the shopping experience. In the U.S. merchants operate more than 3.6 million businesses that support one in four jobs. In exploring new ways to wow customers and enhance their buying experience, retailers are discovering mobile commerce.

Presented at the Mobile Commerce World 2013 in San Francisco this week, a recent Accenture study revealed that sixty five percent (65%) of shoppers want to receive offers on their smartphones ...read more

Consulting group Parks Associates surveyed 482 owners of the iPhone 4S, which is the only device to carry Siri (for now). Examples of things that Siri can be asked are "is it going to rain tomorrow" or "wake me up at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow." That's not how most consumers are using Siri, though.

87 percent of those who own the iPhone 4S use at least one feature of its Siri virtual assistant monthly. Most of that use, though, is to make phone calls and send text messages, or to lo ...read more

A study from the market research company Parks Associates has reported that the total number of people that play video games in the U.S. has nearly tripled, rising 241 percent, since 2008.

The company has published a study titled Trends in Digital Gaming: Free-to-Play, Social, and Mobile Games that reveal these staggering numbers of the growing gaming population in the U.S. The study states that "135 million people play at least one hour of games per month (compared to 56 mi ...read more