Blog articles from 02/2011

"Cloud" is such a buzz phrase today that it's easy to be overwhelmed by what's really happening on the consumer side. Parks Associates specifies the following requirements for a product or solution to fit in the "personal cloud" category: • For hardware, appliance, and online solutions, the ability to upload all desired content to remote storage, not just a single-purpose site • The ability to "push" - or share - only specific folders or files...

Connected products: One popular theme among the products displayed at CES was the ability to be connected, whether to the Internet, other products, or a consumer’s smartphone. There were numerous products at CES that were designed to be part of a network, with the goal of delivering more useful, efficient, and compelling customer experiences. The television is one product that’s undergoing a major transformation, with virtually every TV manufacturer at CES displaying their...

Togetherville , a social network for for families to create safe online neighborhoods for their children under 10 years old, has confirmed that it was purchased by Disney according to Mashable.com . It sets itself apart from other social networks for children by facilitating parent-child interactions. Togetherville mimics adult social networks in a kid-appropriate way. Each neighborhood is built around each specific child and remains closed to outsiders. Kids have their own...

Join Parks Associates on Thursday, February 24th at 1 PM CENTRAL for the webcast, SOCIAL GAMING , and examine the current state of the social gaming industry and its business models. Parks Associates research finds: -- More than 200 million people play games on Facebook every month -- 64% of U.S. broadband households with an Internet-connectable game console have it hooked to the Internet, a major increase from 2007, when only 25% had their next-gen console connected --...

CABA Digital Home Forum will take place in St. Paul, Minnesota on February 17, 2011. Tricia Parks , CEO, Parks Associates will be presenting on the session, Connected Home Roadmap on Thursday, February 17 from 10 AM - 10:45 AM. CABA’s Digital Home Forum, hosted by 3M, will bring together leading companies dealing with integration of consumer electronics and other cutting-edge technology throughout the home. Attend the forum to learn about current trends in the digital and...

Almost 50% of U.S. mobile phone users pay for mobile Internet access, and the popularity of mobile data services will continue to grow revenues for carriers. Percentages of paying consumers are even higher for smartphone owners: 95% pay for SMS, 92% pay for Internet access, 83% pay for mobile email, 63% pay for mobile navigation, and 43% pay for mobile video. In Mobile Data: Analysis and Forecasts , Parks Associates analysts forecast mobile data services, including messaging,...

Parks Associates is supporting the Mobile World Congress on February 14-15 2011 in Barcelona. The mobile ecosystem is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation. As business models adapt, new verticals and players emerge. Technology evolves, perceptions shift, and lives are improved. At the centre of this transformation is GSMA Mobile World Congress , the must-attend annual gathering of the mobile industry. Our participants - 50,000 senior mobile leaders from...

IQare has been shortlisted for Philips Livable Cities Award ! From more than 450 ideas received from 29 countries across the world, a shortlist of eight innovative ideas has been selected for the Philips Livable Cities Award - and now you can help decide the winning entry . IQare is an innovative online set of tools, designed to offer organizations, large and small, a cost effective way to develop new service and delivery options. The aim is to give users a simple to use...