SmartMoney

For the companies, the services are a way to "improve their revenue per user" by tapping into the $8 billion home security market, says Tom Kerber, research director for home controls and energy at Parks Associates, a research firm.

From the article, "Home Security -- From the Cable Guy" by Kelli B. Grant

But in most cases, retail experts say, the slightly older models are perfectly fine. "Most of what people will buy this season will get them a lot of mileage," says Kurt Scherf, a principal analyst with consulting firm Parks Associates. For those looking to pick up a new set for the big game, here are three tips to consider.

While holiday sales focused on small brands and cheap TVs, current deals encompass a wider range of brands and price points, says Green. That makes it i ...read more

Starting Tuesday, Wal-Mart will sell the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97 with a two-year AT&T contract, instead of the $199 price tag both AT&T and Apple offer. When Wal-Mart announced its planned price drop last week, analysts and consumers alike saw the move as a confirmation that Apple would unveil a new model of the popular smartphone in June.

But it’s not at all unusual for big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Best Buy and Radio Shack to offer handset prices that are s ...read more

A report out Tuesday morning says the search engine giant began phasing out Microsoft’s operating system, the wildly-popular Windows, at the Googleplex in Mountain View, Calif., and in the company’s offices around the globe.

For now, it appears unlikely that Google’s reported move to ditch Windows would put a dent in Microsoft’s dominance over the sector. As of May, Windows accounts for 91.28% of market share world-wide, Mac OS is second at 5.27%, and in third place is Linux w ...read more

Companies like Whirlpool and GE are making “smart” appliances. The problem is, a smart meter can order certain smart appliances to shut off if they’re running at a time of peak energy use. Bill Ablondi, director of home systems research at Parks Associates, suggests scrutinizing any new power agreement’s terms and conditions to see if consumers can override the utilities and operate their appliances freely.

From the article, "Heating Your Home for Less " by Neil Parmar

Tech support can also serve as a way to save cash, says Kurt Scherf, principal analyst for Parks Associates, a market research and consulting firm. "Consumers who might have bought a new computer and recycled the old one are now more of the mindset to keep the current model operational," he says.

From the article, "5 Ways to Get Gadget Help Cheap" by Kelli B. Grant

Just days before the release of "World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade," Blizzard Entertainment, which is a division of Vivendi Universal that makes the game, said "World of Warcraft" had hit a record eight million online subscribers, putting it firmly among the ranks of some of the most popular videogames of all time. Doing some back-of-the-envelope math with Michael Cai, the director of broadband and gaming research at Parks Associates, that means Blizzard could pull in close ...read more