Wal-Mart will start a locker program to enable customers to pick up items they purchase off site. Other retailers have looked at the model, but Wal-Mart has 4,000 pickup spots in the United States. Read more »
Delivering and managing the web experience isn’t just about mobile. Companies are also faced with new challenges in the desktop environment, including browser fragmentation, network evolution, and client-side technologies. They must invest in both the desktop environment as well as to create an optimized experience for mobile. Read more »
Whether it’s the iPhone 5, the importance of LTE, or BYOD trends disrupting the enterprise, there are always technologies, trends, and companies changing the way we define mobile. Here are some noteworthy segments to watch in the coming months, from location-based shopping to apps to wireless networks. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Listening platforms — or social media monitoring, analysis, and engagement tools — are bringing massive amounts of new information to businesses’ marketing departments. These tools are also leading the way in the growth of social media information and access throughout organizations so that customers’ wants and needs can be better understood and, presumably, satisfied. This report analyzes how the adoption of listening platforms is transforming marketing departments, their relationships with central IT, and the core systems that run the enterprise. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A patent troll, working with the University of California, gained infamy by filing patent suits claiming to own the world wide web. Even though Amazon and Google knee-capped it earlier this year, the troll marches onward. Read more »
Cloud-based storage and cross-device syncing of media content are two of the most competitive areas in consumer IT. Apple, Google and Amazon see cloud-based media services both as a way to increase attachment to their platforms and a means to extend and amplify their broader strategic goals. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Anecdotal evidence suggests over-the-top video is a booming trend. But it takes technical skill, state-of-the-art broadband connections and the willingness to shell out money for both bandwidth and content subscriptions to fully integrate OTT into a household, much less consider trying to use it to cord cut. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Cloud computing and big data are in the enterprise to stay, but making the most of them presents challenges for IT decision makers. The future belongs to those companies who can work through legacy tools, ongoing security issues and the data scientist shortage. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In the first quarter of 2012 all eyes were on the screen, both big and small. Apple’s new Retina display pushed video streaming, and broadcast-TV streaming service Aereo’s launch was quickly followed with litigation. These events and more are discussed in a new quarterly report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Big data now touches everything from enterprises to smart-meter startups, while Hadoop is fast becoming the leading tool to analyze that data, and debates around privacy abound. GigaOM Pro analysts offer insights on what to consider when it comes to big data decisions for your business. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The audio file is no longer the product when it comes to digital music. Instead, the experiences built around it are, and services like Spotify, Facebook, Topspin and others are leading the way into this new era of dynamic, interactive and social music. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
We told you it was coming — and it did. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has formally announced its support for Hollywood’s struggling UltraViolet movi… Read more at paidContent »
Wal-Mart is looking to use its leverage in Hollywood to accelerate the movie industry’s move to cloud-based storage and digital commerce. In the process, it could steal a march on other providers of cloud-based media lockers like Apple, Google and Amazon, whose platforms to date are ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
New entrants are pushing alternative business models in the music industry. Though this evolution will take time, the overall industry should return to growth within the five-year forecast horizon, as digital music spending, driven by subscriptions, will average double-digit yearly growth to total $4.1 billion in 2015. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Apple could add considerably to its retail reach, if a new report out Friday is accurate. According to the report, Apple will bring store-within-a-store retail outlets to Target locations sometime soon, helping it reach markets in the U.S. that Apple’s own stores don’t cover. Read more »
Wal-Mart’s digital labs arm has snapped up a small but influential mobile software-development team, adding Small Society to its group of te… Read more at paidContent »
Walmart Labs, the social and mobile lab created by the retail giant, has picked up mobile agency Small Society. The small Portland team will be incorporated into Walmart Labs, which has a Portland office and previously acquired Set Direction last year. Read more »
In today’s crowded world of e-commerce, it’s not easy to make a name for yourself. That’s why it’s so impressive that Wayfair, a relatively little known website dealing in home furnishings and decor, is set to make more than $500 million in top-line sales for 2011. Read more »
The outsize growth in online spending this holiday season suggests that e-commerce as a sector of the economy has passed some kind of tipping point and that factors beyond simply convenience and price — both long-standing hallmarks of online shopping — are propelling the e-commerce sector ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A week ago, millions of Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) subscribers received an email saying they would receive a payment over price-fixing in the onli… Read more at paidContent »
The store of the future has yet to be imagined if Venky Harinarayan, SVP Walmart Global eCommerce and Head, @WalmartLabs, is correct. His organization is experimenting with integrating social, search and shopping experiences for both retailers and consumers. Read more »
Connectivity changes everything. That’s the credo driving just about every corner of our day-to-day lives. As human beings, we are now connected to one another through not just our social networks but also our cars, the books we read, the albums we download and even our own health and wellness habits (to name just a few areas). With that in mind, GigaOM Pro has singled out certain areas in the technology industry where we see this shift to constant connectivity taking place most drastically. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As our demand for data increases, so too do the number of mobile devices and services. Add to that the infrastructure needed to support such connectivity, and a wide, complex picture of the mobile industry emerges. This report examines the various sectors of the mobile landscape and what the future holds for each. Hardware, cloud services, mobile search, advertising, location-based services and the growing ubiquity of the Internet of Things will all play an important role in the concept of mobility as it shifts and evolves over the next several years. With the help of more than a dozen contributors, GigaOM Pro presents a comprehensive analysis of the companies and trends that will lead us into the next era of mobile. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) recently surged into third place in the movie-download business, barely a year after buying the startup Vudu. Now, the… Read more at paidContent »
After a year in which over-the-top video services grabbed most of the media’s attention, some of the online video headlines shifted back to traditional pay-TV providers in the first quarter of 2011. Device manufacturers rolled out new offerings, while cable-TV providers moved to expand their in-home footprint beyond the TV itself. But over-the-top continued to encroach, with Roku adding its first linear channels to the Roku store and Netflix acquiring exclusive rights to high-profile original series House of Cards. Finally, traditional web powers like Google, Yahoo and Apple made moves to reassert their presence in the living room after their early stumbles. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Comcast, Cablevision, Viacom and VUDU. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Once an isolated world dominated by network operators and their manufacturer partners, mobile is now a space where “outsiders” are some of the most powerful players. In 2010, companies like Google, Apple, MetroPCS, Huawei and Foursquare were among those who made the most impact in mobile ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The television business is on the cusp of the biggest technological upheaval since the introduction of cable TV. The addition of Internet connectivity to living room devices will enable new functionality around programming services, program discovery, social networking, ad targeting and measurement — aspects of the TV viewing experience that have remained largely unchanged for decades. These trends have the potential to become the foundation for new economic models around how viewers pay for video service and how program creation is financed. In this report, we examine the leading contenders’ strategic positioning, relative strengths and weaknesses, and provide the early line on their odds of success. Companies mentioned include Google, Apple, Boxee, Roku, Vudu, Samsung, Microsoft and Sony. To see a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Tomorrow, when Pixar’s Toy Story 3 becomes available on DVD and Blu-ray, any consumer who buys a disc at Walmart will receive a code to download the film to their VUDU-enabled device. According to VUDU, “The future of media has officially arrived, and it is awesome!” Read more »
While Redbox confirmed that it would have a digital video offering in 2011, and said it would do so with a partner, it had little to say about the specifics of what such a plan would look like. Here’s who we think that partner might be. Read more »
TV apps — interactive, web-like applications meant to “enhance” the TV viewing experience by supplementing programming content with additional material and activities — are evolving quickly from a novelty feature on some Internet-enabled HDTVs and a few cable systems to a standard capability. Their rise is driven by rapid growth in the number of Internet-connected devices in consumers’ living rooms, growing consumer familiarity with mobile apps and strategic competitive forces that influence video service providers. In this report, we look at the market dynamics, key players, and provide forecasts for the market, including network-connected televisions, embedded app marketplaces, app downloads, paid TV apps, and revenue from the sale of paid apps to consumers, which will grow from $10 million in 2010 to $1.9 billion by 2015. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Embedded app stores are finding their way onto connected HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and set-top boxes, where streaming video apps are likely to predominate. With the number of connected devices expected to grow rapidly over the next five years, cable and satellite providers could again find ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
For years, people have gone to Wal-Mart and Best Buy to buy DVDs and Blu-ray discs of their favorite movies, but pretty soon those brick-and-mortar stores will be coming to them, in the form of digital storefronts through HDTVs, Blu-ray players and other connected devices. Wal-Mart’s […] Read more »
Wal-Mart is buying over-the-top video company Vudu, according to a report by the New York Times. Apparently talks are already underway with Hollywood studios and television manufacturers. Here’s what else you need to know. Read more »
As analysts scratch their heads try to explain why Amazon’s stock defies gravity, they’re coming up with theories that are of interest even to non-investors. A Cowen & Co. analyst argues that Amazon “can eventually achieve a Wal-Mart-like share of the U.S. retail market.” Read more »
Peter Kafka at MediaMemo reported this morning that Wal-mart is in talks to acquire Vudu, which, if true, could very quickly make the brick and mortar retailer a powerhouse in the digital media realm. After all, Wal-mart is where many people in the US buy their […] Read more »
News Corp. Shaking Up TV Execs; details are still being finalized, but Peter Rice is expected to assume greater control over the entertainment assets, and David Hill will gain greater power on the sports side. (Broadcasting & Cable) Is Wal-Mart Ready to Try Web TV Again, […] Read more »
As the year winds to a close, GigaOM Pro’s crack team of contributors takes a look back at what went right, what went wrong, and for whom in the world of ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Just released this morning, the new Ustream Live Broadcaster app (iTunes link) actually allows you to stream live video from your video-capable iPhone 3GS to the web, something which the recently released Qik app couldn’t (and still can’t) boast. It’s the first app to offer live […] Read more »
My hunt for a cheap, 32″ LCD TV via one of Black Friday’s so-called “door-busting” sales is over. And it ended in frustration, anger and tears. OK, just anger and frustration. Like many others this holiday season, I found myself in want of a new HDTV, […] Read more »
