Blog

Another Home Screen For Your Home

by John Buffone on January 14, 2013 at 2:32 pm

The TV is evolving into a more complex device and the basic concept on turning it on and immediately watching TV could become a thing of the past. As consumers we’ve become conditioned to expect home screens on computers, tablets, and smartphones; TVs now look set to follow suit. New TVs from Samsung and Panasonic launch to a home screen rather than the last TV channel you were watching. This home, or launch page, is a customized experience based on recognition from a built-in camera.

The iPhone versus Android Smartphone User: Top Apps Used Highlight “The Core Five (or Six)”

by Linda Barrabee on January 8, 2013 at 10:59 am

Google and Apple have taken clearly different approaches to the smartphone market overall. On the one hand, Apple approaches the market from a hardware-centric perspective (after all, Apple fundamentally sells hardware), while Google outsources the hardware component, focusing instead on the content delivered by the hardware and related search and advertising opportunities. At the center of these two approaches are the smartphone-toting Connected Consumers who leverage the ecosystems, but there are clear differences between iOS and Android Connected Consumers when it comes to a wider brand loyalty beyond the device itself.

Internet Connected TVs Are Used To Watch TV, And That’s About All

by John Buffone on December 27, 2012 at 10:09 am

The Internet connected HDTV screen has so far failed to break beyond the bounds of its TV-centric heritage, with little use for the big screen beyond the obligatory video services. But the connection is being used to provide access to a far wider variety of alternative sources for video content. The latest NPD Connected Intelligence Application & Convergence report highlights that nearly six out of ten consumers who own a connected HDTV are accessing Over-the-Top (OTT) video services through the device.

The Great T-Mobile iPhone experiment

by Ryan Hilton on December 7, 2012 at 1:04 pm

T-Mobile has finally got its hands on the iPhone, and should be launching the device early in 2013. That’s the great news and is clearly a “good thing” for the carrier as it attempts to protect and increase its subscriber base. The bad news, of course, is the timing of the launch with two key issues reducing the impact of the deal, at least near-term...

Smartphone Friday

by Ryan Hilton on November 26, 2012 at 2:35 pm

The Black Friday extravaganza saw a major lift in mobile shopping app and website use, with more than 21 percent of smartphone users pulling out their devices to compare prices on apps and 40 percent using websites during the day.

Newsweek Moves to Digital Only

by Eddie Hold on October 18, 2012 at 12:53 pm

In 1995, The Economist Newspaper Group launched the world’s first web-only publication, a hi-tech-focused magazine called d.Comm. The magazine basked in a short-term glow of being an innovator, blazing a futuristic trail, and then closed its doors due to a lack of advertising. 17 years later, does Newsweek’s bold step to go all-digital stand any better chance of success?

Apps Further Bolster Smartphone Usage

by Linda Barrabee on October 16, 2012 at 9:34 am

It’s no surprise that the smartphone has become central in the connected consumer’s daily communications, utility, and entertainment experiences. Over the past year, and, in step with device, network and content/app ecosystem improvements, the connected consumer is spending even more time on their phone. According to NPD’s Connected Intelligence SmartMeter when comparing monthly usage of minutes per day for August 2011 versus August 2012, Android smartphone users spent nearly one-fifth more time on their smartphones daily – 247 minutes, or over four hours versus 210 minutes or 3.5 hours.

Softbank and Sprint: Odd couple or perfect match?

by Eddie Hold on October 15, 2012 at 10:35 am

Softbank has announced its purchase of Sprint, in a deal valued at $20 billion. This cash infusion will give Sprint a much-needed boost, ensuring that the company can continue with its current LTE network roll-out, which is key to the long-term success of the carrier.

But beyond the cash infusion, the benefits of the deal are a little more of a head-scratcher, with little-to-no synergies between Softbank and Sprint.

Let’s All Differentiate Together

by Eddie Hold on October 8, 2012 at 8:01 am

As the holiday season draws closer, a plethora of mobile phones have been announced; some have even hit the streets already while others are due out well before the all-important Thanksgiving deadline. Despite the array of devices that will soon be available, choosing between them is proving to be somewhat more complex as they all look and work in very similar ways.

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