Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Rise of connected homes raise security concerns

And that may be just the start. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich demonstrated at CES how a connected door lock might unlock automatically when a security camera recognized the owner's face. Hosain Rahman, CEO of Jawbone, described how his company's latest Up activity tracker could automatically tell your lights to turn on when it sensed you were getting up from bed.

"I don't have to program that," said Tom Kerber, director of research at Parks Associates, a technology consulting firm. "The devices are talking to each other and making those smart decisions on your behalf."

However, the show also pointed out that as the Internet of Things is rapidly developing, it's also facing some serious challenges, most notably a lack of standards.

For years now, many Internet of Things devices haven't been able to talk to one another because they use different communications protocols. That problem has started to be solved by hub devices that can translate among devices.

But a new problem is emerging: Many different companies want to establish themselves as the primary gatekeeper for the Internet of Things, and the ability of devices to communicate with one another is starting to be more about which companies have deals with each other.

From the article "Rise of connected homes raise security concerns" by David Jackman.

Previously In The News

Apple Plans a 4K Upgrade for Its TV Box

Apple is seeking to revive its video ambitions with the new product. Apple TV trails devices from Roku Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google in the U.S. set-top box market share with only 1...

73% Of Broadband Consumers Want To Tightly Control Their Personal Data

A large majority (73%) of U.S. broadband consumers express a desire to keep tight control over access to their personal data, with nearly half being very concerned that someone will access the data wi...

Free ESPN in Dorm Rooms Gives Comcast Access to Future Customers

A study by Parks Associates found that password-sharing cost the TV industry $500 million in 2015. On its website, Comcast advertises its college streaming service by telling students: “Mooch no more....

Best Buy Bets on Adults Remotely Monitoring Their Aging Parents

Fueling the interest in monitoring aging relatives remotely are some compelling demographics. By 2020 about 45 million Americans will be caring for 117 million seniors, spending on everything from foo...