Blog articles from 10/2016

Sony launched its much-anticipated PlayStation VR Thursday morning in a move that will likely have a drastic impact on the gaming experience. Brett Sappington , Senior Director of Research at Parks Associates, provided insight on the retail launch strategy, the impact of PlayStation VR on the market, problems to anticipate, and new games/content for the device. His comments are included below: Retail launch strategy: The launch strategy and advertising surrounding...

Today’s launch of Amazon’s standalone streaming music service , Amazon Music Unlimited, will definitely have an impact for the streaming music industry. Amazon announced a standard $9.99 per month price, but a $2 discount for Amazon Prime members and a $3.99 per month rate for Amazon Echo owners. The Amazon Echo offering does not include the ability to listen on alternative devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. Parks Associates research indicates a...

Safety and security in the home has expanded beyond the long-term mainstays of burglar and fire alarms. There are now varied smart home devices that provide security and safety in the home  as well as convenience and peace of mind for the consumer. Key industry players are leading various sales channels for these devices, with security system providers at the forefront of that effort. Security system providers represent the sales channel for about one-third of all the safety...

Before attending CONNECTIONS™Europe  in Amsterdam, Ashley Hathaway , Senior Developer Evanglist of IBM Watson, answered several industry questions: Where do you feel the largest opportunity is for the smart home industry in Europe? Certainly our devices are now helping us manage our resources more wisely, automate mundane tasks, and provide information about our usage. There are certainly many moving parts now and any way we can streamline the process or continue to...

Before attending CONNECTIONS™ Europe in Amsterdam, Andrew Thomas , Co-Founder & CRO of SkyBell, answered several industry questions: Where do you feel the largest opportunity is for the smart home industry in Europe? The largest short-term opportunity in Europe is to mirror the success of smart home adoption in the U.S. by focusing on solving real customer problems. Users are flocking to individual products that bring them more home security or help them save money....

The most recent issue of the  Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology published results of a randomized clinical trial evaluating the impact of fitness tracker usage on consumers’ activity levels and health benefits. The trial, taking place in Singapore and involving 800 participants over a 12-month period from 2013 to 2014, found that fitness trackers, such as Fitbit, do not raise activity levels enough to improve health. Even when employers offer financial rewards, the outcome...

Everything Google announced today (10/4) at the Pixel hardware event is the first tech giants’ movement of October. Google CEO Sundar Pichai implied that the company desires to build an ecosystem around users. As proof, here are some of the “Google goodies” that will enhance personalization and customized experience for you: Pixel and Pixel XL : smartphones that come in Quite Black, Really Blue or Very Silver, with exceptional camera that is complimented with free Google...

Last week, Appliance Design magazine hosted a webinar focused on best practices for appliance manufacturers to consider when incorporating IoT features in their appliances. The discussion included speakers, Brad Russell , Research Analyst of Parks Associates, and Justin Ruiz, Product Marketing Manager of Ayla Networks. Before exploring the smart home arena, manufacturers who consider designing, building, and selling IoT connected appliances must understand the current landscape...