CES Is here, and . . . oh come on, we're gonna have plenty to talk about!
Economics/Geekonomics:
The Atlantic gives us an Infographic. Some of this is fluff, some interesting, but overall worth viewing.
An interesting speculation: with the large number of unemployed, the US has potential for a sudden hypergrowth spurt. I at least see the potential there in abstract; a lot of unemployed people who if they had a chance to be employed could do a lot. Also with technology there may be a chance to help people do more, better, and faster. Coming down from the abstract that would probably require concerted effort.
Have we hit "Peak Auto" in the US and the market is just saturated?
Mobile:
ATT is jumping heavily into 4G. Well they have issues but they're certainly aggressive. I think, tentatively, AT&T may be on a comeback after their recent misadventures.
Social Media:
Groupon may not be as hot as people think. A look at it's model, likely declines, and possible future. Basic argument is its model will not endure over time.
Technology:
A deeper look at Amazon's App Store.
An analysis of Google's strategy with Android – Viewing it entirely as an ad company. Some good analysis here I'd recommend reading.
A little more detail on Digital Sky Technologies, the russian investment firm whose been sinking money into several big names in Silicon Valley – like Facebook. They've got stronger ties to Goldman-Sachs than I thought – which as I've noted may not be good due to Goldman's past involvements and incidents.
Schools across the country adopt the iPad. A question here – has this made things harder on past crush object Kno?
In the world of internet service providing do cable companies have the upper hand? The argument here is yes.
Video:
Oh, this wasn't obvious – Comcast is getting into live TV streaming on Tablets. Yes, not surprising, but the embrace of it seems pretty powerful. At this rate Comcast really is just mutating into a data carrier – though I have to wonder just how the service is accessed and what agreements and issues may come up.
Vudu jumps into 3D movies – I can't say I'm impressed since I don't think 3D has taken off to quite the extent people (including us) predicted.
Video Games:
Nintendo will get a remade SMT Devil Survivor for the 3DS. Sounds like Atlus (who probably should be a crush object) is getting smart, but makes me wonder if 3DS support is just going to be ports.
THQ Makes deal with Mattell for toy line games – including HeMan. HeMan is a guaranteed money printing machine if done right, and THQ does know how to rock some decent-to-good combat and action games. The Mattell synergy is also good for the company, which has had its ups and downs recently.
QUESTION: How far is Comcast going to go to re-invent themselves?