In a new analysis by eMarketer, we learn that Google has made significant inroads into the smart speaker market, causing Amazon’s Echo to begin to lose market share. So far, they remain the number one smart speaker, but projections show continued erosion, as consumers are embracing Google’s, as well as other’s, smart speaker options on the market.
Surprise Look at Nest Numbers: Smaller & Poorer
Look Quickly, You Likely Won’t Ever See These Numbers Again
For the first time, because of a change in Google’s accounting, we get a look at the real financial numbers of Nest and analysts are truly surprised. It turns out, according to a report by Recode, that Nest is both smaller than many thought, and is losing a lot of money on an operating basis – so much so that it appears that any hope of profitability is far off in the future…if at all.
See what we’ve learned about Nest’s true operating financial results… [Read more…] about Surprise Look at Nest Numbers: Smaller & Poorer
Polls: Facebook Faces a Major Trust Crisis
Stunning Reversal for Once-Loved FANG Brand
Facebook finds themselves square in the middle of a political and public relations fire storm, as news of the firms connection to Cambridge Analytica and the harvesting of the personal data on at least 50 million Facebook users, including perhaps you and I, have recently received a lot of news coverage. Now word comes via two new polls that the company’s brand has taken a serious hit in the eyes of their users and former fans.
See more on these latest polls about Facebook from Reuters/Ipsos… [Read more…] about Polls: Facebook Faces a Major Trust Crisis
Apple & Google Brands Drop Big in Latest Survey
A Drop So Surprising that Reuters Deems it Newsworthy
Reuters is reporting that the Apple and Google brands both saw precipitous drops in their brand reputation in the latest version of an annual survey conducted by the respected Harris Poll. At the same time, and perhaps offering a dire warning, Amazon came in at number one (again!) and Tesla saw a big jump in their brand reputation.
See more on the somewhat surprising results of this latest brand survey… [Read more…] about Apple & Google Brands Drop Big in Latest Survey
Lawyer Warns: Alexa is ‘Betraying You’
Smart Devices Put 1st Amendment Rights at Risk, Lawyer Says
Stahl Criminal Defense Lawyers
As we perused the newswire services Monday, one release, from a New Jersey criminal defense law firm, caught our eye. Titled, “Are Your Smart Devices Betraying You?” the release was written more like a poison warning label than a news release. Your smart device, Westfield, NJ-based Stahl Criminal Defense Lawyers said, are “always on and potentially recording or transmitting.”
You should be concerned Stahl says, as your First Amendment rights are at risk… [Read more…] about Lawyer Warns: Alexa is ‘Betraying You’
Voice-Enabled Device Usage Will Grow Nearly 130% This Year
Momentum continues to build for voice-enabled devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home products, according to new data and forecast from eMarketer. Usage rates also appear to be increasing for the broader category of virtual assistants, such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Now and Microsoft’s Cortana.
See more on this all-new data on voice-enabled and virtual assistant market… [Read more…] about Voice-Enabled Device Usage Will Grow Nearly 130% This Year
At Long Last, New Nest Products are Coming
Four New Models Would Double the Nest Line
Bloomberg News is reporting that, after a long wait, Google Alphabet’s Nest division is finally preparing to launch multiple new models. Nest, which is seeking to become a dominant player in the connected home space, has laid relatively dormant in the wake of the tumultuous exit of founder Tony Fadell. Now, Bloomberg tells us, things will begin to heat up with new models to expand the product segments in which the company participates.
Find out what new items are coming from Nest by reading on… [Read more…] about At Long Last, New Nest Products are Coming
Sprint Throws a Life Preserver to Drowning Tidal
Cash Infusion Buys Time for Struggling Service
Tidal, the musician-owned music streaming service put together by rapper Jay Z, announced this week that it has sold a third of the company to telecom giant Sprint. Although the original announcement did not disclose the price, Billboard, the music industry trade journal, said that Sprint invested $200 million for a 33% stake in the company.
See more on the dynamic situation surrounding Tidal… [Read more…] about Sprint Throws a Life Preserver to Drowning Tidal
Want an Amazon Echo? Sorry…All Sold Out for Christmas
We’ve been reporting lately on the growing popularity of voice control. Driven largely by the introduction of Amazon’s Echo in 2014, which featured a dramatic improvement in performance over previous hands free systems like Siri, voice control has been picking up momentum with consumers and attracting new competitors like Google with its Home model, and soon Microsoft with Cortana.
But news services are reporting that Amazon has sold out of the Echo right in the heart of the holidays. Not good…
Amazon running out of Echo shows the difficulty in predicting inventory needs… [Read more…] about Want an Amazon Echo? Sorry…All Sold Out for Christmas
Only Days Away From Official Launch, Toshiba Scraps Wearvue Smart Glasses
Toshiba Corp. has pulled the plug on a highly-touted smart glasses project – a product similar in concept to the recently cancelled consumer version of Google Glass. What’s most interesting about this decision by Toshiba is that they made it just days before the originally scheduled – and loudly promoted – launch date.
