The obvious answer is premium video, including movies and TV shows.

Parks Associates' Digital Media Evolution II survey indicates that the basics (customized weather and traffic widgets) along with music and games will also be of interest. In fact, it is interesting to see the growth of consumer interest in gaming applications at the set-top box or connected TV.

This space is starting to heat up, and companies such as Accedo Broadband and OnLive could be significant players. Of course, as Michael Lantz from Accedo Broadband reminded us at the CONNECTIONS US Conference, it's difficult to get consumers to pay for the games. So how will these services be monetized?

Keep an eye on remote UIs. The concept of the "remote UI," which would provide a more consistent experience in search and discovery of content across different platforms, will be of significant interest to service providers and content owners.

At CONNECTIONS 2010, we learned about different technologies to facilitate this UI:
• HTML5
• AJAX CE
• The RVU Alliance

Securing the connected experience should go beyond the PC. At this year's CONNECTIONS Conference in Santa Clara, companies like Mocana remind us that security concerns will grow more prevalent as huge numbers of devices (including those aimed at M2M applications like smart meters) become more interconnected.

Please join us for our upcoming CONNECTIONS Conference in Europe this November. Visit www.connectionseurope.com for more information.