Blog articles from 02/2015

New digital health research from Parks Associates announced this week reveals that 5% of U.S. broadband households report using a smart watch with health and fitness tracking functions, and just 8% of U.S. households use a digital pedometer or fitness/activity tracker. Though adoption for smart watches is increasing, the low numbers should tell companies that education and differentiation are key. Commenting on the new data, Parks Associates mobile analyst Tejas Mehta said,...

Internet of Things research from Parks Associates predicts rapid growth in the smart home in 2015, as 37% of U.S. broadband households intend to buy one or more smart devices this year. This growing adoption of smart devices will raise the importance of interoperability and speed in innovation as consumers will expect all devices to work together and offer the latest benefits. In 2014, nearly two-thirds of devices purchased were part of a home controls or security system. Parks...

Earlier this week, British Gas and AlertMe announced a new partnership , estimated to be worth over $100 million. According to the press announcement, the deal will create the UK’s leading connected homes provider by bringing together British Gas’ ability to innovate for mass market consumers with AlertMe’s next generation Internet of Things technology and expertise. The acquisition will also create a highly experienced and fully integrated team to accelerate the development of new...

WSJ today reported that the upcoming Apple Watch will feature fewer health sensors than originally planned. The article cited people within Apple saying that efforts to integrate multiple health sensors include ECG, blood pressure, and skin perspiration, ran into performance issues. After extensive trials and tests to improve sensor accuracy and reliability failed, Apple decided NOT to include such sensors in the first-generation Apple Watch, according to this article. The news is...

Earlier this month, Senator Edward Markey’s (D-Mass) staff released a report “ Tracking & Hacking: Security & Privacy Gaps Put American Drivers at Risk ,” which heavily criticized the manner in which vehicle and driver behavioral data is collected, stored, and shared by the automotive industry. The report addresses both concerns about hackers’ ability to penetrate the connected car ecosystem and remotely control the vehicle, as well as the commercialization of drivers’...

Last week, Swatch Group AG announced plans to enter the smart watch race in the coming months.  The timing of Swatch’s smart watch will likely pit it squarely against smart watch release of another tech heavyweight in Apple. After a number of smart watch launches in 2014, the momentum shows no sign of abating with a slew of smart watch debuts likely in 2015, including from Swatch’s competitors in the watch space such as Tag Heuer.  The details of Swatch’s smart watch...

Recently, rumors have been circulating that Apple intends to launch its own subscription OTT service independent of iTunes or Apple TV. Online tech news site Re/code reported this week claims from industry executives that Apple is in talks with TV programmers regarding an Apple-backed subscription over-the-top linear pay-TV service. This service would be similar to what DISH Network offers with SlingTV, with selected bundles of linear cable channels and cloud DVR features. Apple has...