Digital Lifescapes

Web-enabled devices have become a key growth segment for the global consumer electronics industry. The smart devices, when connected to the Internet, create opportunities for advertisers to influence people while they are actively searching for visual entertainment content or other information. According to the latest market study by In-Stat, the value of this ad-supported content discovery will reach $2.4 billion by 2015. "When consumers are navigating for content, advertising is not seen as an interruption. In fact, it might help consumers find what they're looking for," says Gerry Kaufhold, research director at In-Stat . Of course, the typical advertising creative process will need to be totally re-imagined -- in order to attain this degree of value or benefit in the eyes of consumers. With the rise of mobile Internet services, the proliferation of smartphones, and the growth of tablet devices, a lot of content discovery engines will work on a mobile device, to...

Some people believe that multifaceted media tablets are a more desirable choice than single-purpose e-readers. That said, the U.S. installed base of e-reader devices has more than quadrupled since 2009 and demand remains strong. eMarketer now estimates more than 20 million e-readers will be in use by the end of 2011 -- reaching 8.7 percent of the U.S. adult population. By 2012, 12 percent of adults will have a Kindle , Sony Reader, NOOK or similar portable e-reader device. "Two recent developments illustrate the broad reach of e-readers," said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna. First, the Amazon announcement that its lowest-priced Kindle is its best-selling product supports the view that their customers are eager for affordable, no-frills mobile devices that easily enable e-book purchase and consumption. Second, Liberty Media's $1 billion offer for Barnes & Noble was predicated largely on the book retailer's success with the NOOK Color -- whose list pr...