Blog articles from 12/2013

Tricia Parks , Chairman, Founder, and CEO of Parks Associates, was recently recognized by Women in CE as a 2014 Legacy Awards honoree . Other honorees include: Sandra Benedetto, director of product management for THX; Deena Ghazarian, vice president of global sales and strategy for Monster Products; Kathleen Thomas, vice president of domestic sales for AudioQuest; Deb Kassoff of CEA; and Nicole Yelland, director of marketing and communications for Livio. The organization...

The new complimentary whitepaper from Parks Associates and Cognitive Networks , “Smart TV Unleashed: Engagement through Cognition,” examines the transformation in the TV industry as a result of connected device adoption, new content recognition technologies, and consumer demand for multiscreen video access. The whitepaper provides a contextual review of the evolution of interactive TV (ITV), examines the transformation the TV industry is experiencing as a result of rising...

Watches, bracelets, gloves and hats, are currently being updated with Bluetooth wireless technology which allows them to collect data and send it back to a smartphone or tablet application. Bluetooth Smart is fast becoming the connectivity solution or wearable technology by appealing to consumers with both wearable sports and fitness trackers. Bluetooth Smart, an intelligent and power-friendly version of Bluetooth wireless technology, is making wearables accessible for the mass...

The Smart Power Strip allows its users to control their plugged-in home appliances through a smartphone app for iOS and Android. Besides turning the appliance on and off directly, the app can also function as timer and will turn an appliance on and off at a certain time, it can also send notifications appliances have been on for too long, and monitor the specific energy consumption of different electronics. The current Smart Power Strip prototype has three U.S. power sockets, but...

A new survey found one-quarter of pay-TV subscribers have tried to watch online video that requires them to "authenticate" their status as a pay-TV subscriber. Authenticated video is one way of providing subscribers access to content via computers, tablets, and smartphones. The upside (from the pay-TV provider's point of view) is that the technological burden of delivering access is shifted onto content provider. The downside is that it makes for a pretty lousy user...

The new industry report, “The New Face of Home Security” analyzes changes to the home security industry compared to five years ago and posits continuing change for five years hence. The analyses include changes to products and services, distribution channels, and players and positions, including broadband service providers and other potential disruptors. Topics in the report include: trends and history for residential security, forecasts through 2017, 2013 market status, the...

Healthcare providers are using new technology to improve communication between doctors and patients and create new applications to provide efficient care remotely. The new whitepaper from Parks Associates, “Connected Health Opportunities for Service Providers,” evaluates the opportunities for broadband service providers in the connected health products and service market. It examines how aging baby boomers, healthcare reform, and the role of technology are changing the...

Parks Associates has released a new industry report called, “Transforming Commerce: Mobile Wallets & LBS.” In this report, Parks Associates analysts examine the impact of mobile payment applications and location-based services (LBS) and technologies on retail and commerce. The report evaluates the prospects of several competing mobile wallet approaches and profiles the leading mobile wallet solutions. The report outlines the opportunities and challenges of mobile wallets...