Digital Living Room: Hell For Now

So was the conclusion at the Digital Living Room conference today in SF. According to Don Norman, a co-founder of the design-consulting firm Nielsen Norman Group, building a network practically requires the average person to be an IT expert.

The reason for the lack of cooperation is money, says Gartner analyst Van Baker, who was also a panel member. Electronics companies are trying to lock consumers into using their proprietary technology so they can charge a premium for their products, he said.

Red Herring: Amid all the pessimism, IntelCapital’s Mike Buckley tried to provide a positive note. He said VCs have come back to investing in consumer companies in the two years since his company announced its digital home fund, and pointed to video search and decentralized digital distribution as interesting markets.

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