Inside Bay Area

The U.S. tech support industry makes about $30 billion in annual revenue, according to research by Parks Associates, a consulting firm. And with the growth of the Internet of Things -- devices such as thermostats, door locks and hot water heaters that are connected to the Internet to gather and share data -- the need for home tech service is expected to grow. Devices such as Dropcam, a Wi-Fi video streaming camera for home security, isn't the easiest devices to set up at home, e ...read more

Sometimes the company is a pioneer, such as when it added a headphone jack to its remote so users could listen to shows or music without disturbing others in their home. Other times, as with voice search, which previously was available on Amazon's Fire TV box, and with Roku's Chromecast-like streaming stick, it's been a quick follower.

"Roku is one of the few players in the space that this is all they do," said Barbara Kraus, an analyst who covers the streaming media player ...read more

With the wireless phone industry moving away from subsidized smartphones, the cost of the phone psychologically is going to feel more expensive, said Harry Wang, director of mobile research at Parks Associates.

"When people pay upfront for their smartphone or see the cost of paying it over 12 months, consumers will have a clear understanding of the price of their phone," Wang said.

From the article "RadioShack bets on in-store, same-day repairs to smartphones, tablets" b ...read more

The company is adding features and content to stay ahead of Apple, its nearest competitor. Roku makes the most popular streaming products used by consumers to watch films and TV shows from subscription services such as Netflix, according to researcher Parks Associates. With M-GO, Roku is offering sales and rentals as well.

Roku, which has sold more than 5 million boxes in the U.S., makes four models that retail for $50 to $100. It has 37 percent of the market for such device ...read more