Blog articles from 10/2010

Avanquest Software and SoftAtHome have partnered to bring universal parental control capabilities to networking devices. With SoftAtHome's focus on residential gateway and set-top box software, this feature will apply parental controls to different types of home network devices, including smartphones, connected television, tablet computer, game console, and more. We are already seeing strong uptake in broadband service provider-deployed parental controls software in Europe. From...

I don't suppose that it will attract the zaniness associated with the release of Apple products, but the Boxee Box will be available on November 10 (Boxee and D-Link had previously reported the November date), and there will be a launch event in New York City. Just in case you're there...

I imagine that every service provider will soon be enabling remote control capabilities on smartphones and tablet computers; it just seems that Verizon's FiOS is ahead of the curve...as usual. The company reports that its Mobile Remote application is now available on more than forty devices. The FiOS TV Mobile Remote app can be downloaded to Apple’s iPhone and iPod devices and will soon be available for download on tablet devices. Mobile Remote - which launched in February on...

After several missteps into the living room, Intel seems to have made significant progress in working with service providers and their CPE vendors. There have been announcements with Technicolor, Telecom Italia , and Liberty Global/UPC this year. Now, Reuters is reporting that Intel and Chunghwa Telecom are in discussions for a "smart TV initiative.  

Although Silicon Valley powers such as Google and Yahoo! get the lion's share of attention regarding their plans for the connected TV strategies (yesterday's article in Home Media Magazine discusses this and cites our data), the TV manufacturers (who also happen to make mobile handsets in some cases) are harboring their own ambitions. From Reuters , Samsung Electronics is developing a joint software platform for use on its cellphones and televisions, hoping wider audience...

Parks Associates reports consumer electronics buying in the U.S. rebounded in the first half of 2010, with 63% of broadband households making at least one purchase, a rate 6% higher than in the first half of 2009. Smartphones promise to be the highest selling product through the end of the year, fueled by both repeat and first-time purchases. Twenty-one percent of broadband households intend to purchase a smartphone by year’s end, according to the report Consumer Decision...

The expanded role of wireless networks in a managed video realm (that is, distributed video from a pay-TV provider) has been an area of speculation, but not a whole lot of action. We've seen consumer electronics manufacturers willing to experiment with next-gen wireless solutions in devices such as digital video players (Roku, etc.) and even connected TVs, but we haven't really seen many operators going the wireless route whole-home DVR features or even bridging between a residential...

Exhibitors at the Consumer Electronics Show typically find the last day - now a Sunday - to be a particularly slow day. Most industry participants do their best to get their meetings out of the way on Thursday and Friday to head home for the weekend. However, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) will open the doors once again to consumers on the final day, providing for heavier show floor traffic and perhaps allowing companies to find their next gadget guinea pig. Here's the news...