Category Archives: Market Analysis

Market Analysis

Two Great Speaker Systems in Market

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There are tons of speakers available in the market and it is really hard to choose amongst them the range is quite intimidating. I wanted a speaker set for my iPod, to listen to music while I am at home. The Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 that I got has excellent value for money with the great sound quality and lot of useful features. It has a travel friendly design with understated looks and the speaker is compatible with both iPod and other music players. But for the latter, you will have to plug it through the auxiliary line in. The iPod is connected directly through the dock provided in the center of the unit. The sound quality of the Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere is really good for an iPod speaker. I won’t say that it is the best one out there but for the given price range, the quality is certainly worth noting. The speaker is powered by rechargeable battery so you can take this with you while traveling. However, if you are looking for a compact, I would recommend you to look elsewhere because this set is a bit big. The wall charger is quite innovative.

Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere comes with a remote control and its range is not that good. The main reason to have a remote control is to control the speaker from a distance but if you have to move closer to the unit for controlling it, then the whole purpose is defeated. This is the only problem that I had on this device. Other than that, it is pretty good. On the other hand, if you want something to play music in the car, check out the Alpine car audio alpine ida-x305 which I got a couple of weeks ago. It has some cool features like quick search function which make it really easy to search through the large music libraries very quickly. The manufacturer offers add on modules for extending the feature set of this device. Here too, I have a complaint; there is no optical disc player. This means if you have a huge CD collection, it won’t be of any use on the Alpine car audio alpine ida-x305. The music will have to be copied to a thumb drive through a computer first but this needs extra time. Plus, if you have a really big collection, then converting the music will take ages.

On the bright side, I was impressed by the audio support on the Alpine car audio alpine ida-x305. The player supports AAC, WMA, and MP3 formats for audio and thus it covers all the important ones. To sum it up, I’d recommend the Alpine car audio alpine ida-x305 to people who listen to music via thumb drive. I will again reiterate that searching through loads of music is really easy on this player and this is a big plus. But if you have a big audio CD collection, there are other players in the market. Before you purchase them, make sure what all features they have to offer. Also check their audio quality.

Market Analysis

Why Does Market Movement Fluctuate The Mortgage Rates

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The rates generally rally up with news of weak housing data. Typically mortgage rates fluctuate with the movement of market prices for mortgage-backed securities. It is important to determine from qualified advisors the potential movement of rates with current economic trends and how lenders are typically responding with their rate offers, and their marketing messaging. Buying a home is likely to be the largest, most significant purchase of your life. So while it is part of the “American dream,” it can be equally as exciting as it is stressful for many people. Down payments represent the amount of cash investment that buyers have available to put towards the purchase price of a home. Depending on the type of loan, there may be restrictions on the down payment, such as the length of time for which the cash has been in the buyer’s possession, the source of those funds, whether the funds were a gift or not, etc. Furthermore, often times prospective home buyers estimate their down payment requirements by simply multiplying the percentage of down payment by the value of the home, which can be incorrect. Involving your lender early can help you with understanding how much of a monthly payment you can afford, how to calculate the down payment needed and ultimately the maximum purchase price of a home. The principal is the final loan amount needed to secure the home purchase. The principal may or may not include all of the closing costs rolled up into the loan. Securing the right mortgage rates for home purchase loan may involve the consideration of many factors, several of which are mentioned below.

The duration of the loan is specified by the number of months or years for which the contract is scheduled. If payments are made exactly according to the schedule, mortgage loans are calculated to expire when the final payment in the series is processed. The standard length of term for a mortgage is 30 years, but other common terms are 20 and 15 years, with 40 year terms becoming more popular. Mortgage Interest Rates and APR are two key terms used in mortgages. If you’re not careful, you might confuse or otherwise not fully understand the difference between the two. The mortgage interest rates to purchase home represent only the rate itself, whereas the APR more accurately represents the “true” cost of the loan by accounting for the added costs of lender fees and spreading those fees out across the life of the loan. In this sense, the APR provides an accurate measurement of the cost of the loan over the entire length of term. It is always advisable that you compare both the interest rates as well as the APRs when competing lenders submit mortgage rate quotes to you.

Locking in home purchase mortgage rates is very important. Interest rates can vary from day to day, which means that as a savvy consumer you may want to pay close attention to interest rate tables or establish enough rapport with your lender to make sure you are immediately notified of favorable interest rate drops when home purchase offers are in play. At some later point in the home buying process you may work with your lender to lock-in your low interest rate. Locking in a rate means that the interest rate for your loan is now set and will not change, regardless of the market fluctuations which occur after the rate has been locked. Locking in a rate too early in the purchase process however, could provide you with a false sense of security if the rate expires prior to the loan closing. It is advisable that you work in tandem with your lender to ensure that the lowest possible rate is locked in for your loan at the appropriate time.

Market Analysis

Flash games Market Overview

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It seems like the free online games niche is expanding. Having twice the players the console games niche is having. In 2006 the flash games industry revenue was 1.1 billion and it was expected that by 2010 it would reach 4.4 billion. But now it’s expected that it will reach 15 billion $ . This gigantic growth and the fact that most ( about 60% ) of the players are around the age of 30 and are seeking entertainment while at work, makes the free online games niche very stable. Believe it or not the online gaming are responsible for 40% of the WHOLE web traffic. Even if someone is controlling about 0.1% of the flash games market these 0.1% would still mean a couple of thousand visitors.

All that said it’s clear that it’s not only giant but also a very competitive niche. If you’r thinking of starting a online gaming website you should have a substantial knowledge on SEO ( search engine optimization ). Almost every web developing or web hosting company is offering you to SEO your website. It won’t work ! SEO is not a overnight process it needs months of consistent work and i suppose the only way is to take your time and learn how to do it on your own and then gradually break through the competition. A number of website are offering you to teach you about SEO.

Market Analysis

Using Franchising as a Route to Market

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The franchise model is a great way to establish a company and may well be the quickest route to market. Once the brand is recognised on a national or international platform it becomes easier to develop and enhance new product lines. By starting your own franchise, your place in the market could grow faster than going at it alone.

This may be true for some businesses but not all businesses are suitable for adaptation to the franchise model. You must evaluate your business and assess whether or not it can be taught to individuals who are not from a business background. It is important to understand the costs involved especially with regards to recruiting your franchisees.

You must consider all aspects of your business with relation to the franchise model. Being selective in your recruitment is one of many points to take into account before any decision is made. You should ask yourself what type of person it takes to make a successful business and find out who possesses such traits from the people who are interested in becoming franchisees for your company.

It is wise to investigate methods of training as you will have to decide who will train your franchisees and provide constant support. Your franchisees are only able to make a success of the business if they have sufficient product knowledge which is solely obtainable through the quality of training they will embark. First, you should look at the unique selling points of your business and then educate your franchisees to the level where they are confident it their pitch.

Once you have researched the practices involved with setting up your own franchise, and are happy with results, then you are ready to seek expert advice. There are many administrational processes to navigate before launching your franchise and you will need guidance in producing franchise agreements, training systems, support mechanisms and marketing material. The franchise agreement is one of the most integral parts of your business, so it is best to consult a franchise lawyer that can help produce a professional document for you.

If you choose to outsource your training as opposed to offering it in house, you should look at a range of training providers then decide which company will do the best job, and there are many good training providers, so they must be examined in depth. The companies you come across should not only provide initial training to your franchisees, but also supply constant support whenever necessary.

You may need assistance with your marketing materials so a marketing expert is worth investing in and should be preferably selected from the franchise industry as this way they will have inside knowledge of how to target franchise buyers productively. It is crucial for them to have an understanding of what your franchise entails and they should be in a position to mange your business sufficiently.

The franchise route may seem a daunting challenge especially when entering new markets however, if the procedure is carried out strategically, your business can become a remarkable success resulting in a long term lucrative business.

Market Analysis

Samsung Galaxy Tab Carries 205 Bill of Materials Isuppli Teardown Reveals

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According to a market research firm iSuppli Corp, with its new Galaxy Tab GT-P1000, Samsung Electronics has developed a product with features and component costs that position it as a large-scale smart phone, rather than as a true competitor to Apple Inc.’s iPad.

The Galaxy Tab carries a Bill of Materials (BOM) of $205.22, significantly less than iSuppli’s $264.27 estimate for the 16Gbyte 3G version of the iPad, based on the preliminary results of a dissection conducted by iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis service. However, the reduced cost is largely the result of Galaxy’s smaller and lower resolution display compared to the iPad.

“Instead of matching up with the iPad on a feature-by-feature basis, the Galaxy Tab really is larger version of Samsung’s Galaxy S smart phone,” said Andrew Rassweiler, director, principal analyst and teardown services manager for iSuppli. “While the design approach makes the Galaxy less expensive to produce than the iPad 3G, it also makes for a product that lacks the same usability. The Galaxy Tab’s screen resolution, size and technology are not at the same level as the iPad. This is a critical difference, given the fact that the display is a key differentiating factor for the iPad.”

On the plus side for the Galaxy Tab, the device includes some features not found in the iPad. For example, the Galaxy Tab includes a gyroscopic Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor, likely for use in gaming. Furthermore, the Galaxy Tab comes with a primary 3 Megapixel (MP) autofocus camera along with a 1.3MP front-facing or video conferencing camera. Finally, the Galaxy Tab includes build-in support for Adobe’s Flash to provide more universal Web browsing—something notably lacking from the iPad.

The expanding Galaxy

Aside from the use of a larger display, the component content of the Galaxy Tab closely resembles that of the Samsung Galaxy S smart phone. Notably, both feature a Samsung-branded Hummingbird 1GHz ARM-based applications processor and an Infineon Technologies baseband processor that controls the wireless telephony/communication portion of the design.

The Galaxy Tab is a functional cell phone as well as tablet computing device, running 3G (UMTS/HSPA) in three frequency bands. According to Samsung, Galaxy Tab users can download applications from the Samsung Apps store and digital media from the company’s Hub service.

Display of thrift

The Galaxy Tab employs a 7-inch TFT-LCD display with a 1,024 by 600 resolution. In contrast, the iPad uses a larger 9.7-inch diagonal display with a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels. While also using a TFT-LCD display, the iPad adds In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology, which enhances the viewing angle and picture quality.

iSuppli estimates the cost of the display/touch subsystem in the Galaxy Tab at $57; The comparable figure in the iPad analysis would be $98. As in most new smart phone and tablet designs dissected by iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis service, the display and touch screen represent the most expensive portion of the design, accounting for 27.8 percent of the Galaxy Tab’s total BOM. Samsung Mobile Display is the source of the LCD screen.

Stardust memories

Next on the cost ranking is the memory subsystem, at a cost of $51, representing 24.9 percent of the total BOM. This subsystem features a 16Gbyte of Multilevel Cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory from SanDisk Corp. It also includes a Samsung multichip package combining 8Gbits of MLC Flex-One NAND, 4Gbits of mobile Double Data Rate (DDR) mobile DRAM and 1Gbit of One DRAM.

The numerous mechanical and electromechanical components represent the third most expensive electronic subsystem in the Galaxy Tab, at a cost of $15.22, or 7.4 percent of the BOM.

User interface facts

The user interface subsystem is fourth on the cost list at $13.87, or 6.8 percent of the BOM. This section includes the gyroscope—a 3-axis device from STMicroelectronics. It also features a capacitive touch screen controller from Atmel Corp. and an LVDS transmitter from Texas Instruments Inc.

Next on the cost countdown is the Samsung-supplied battery, at $10.60, or 5.2 percent of the BOM. No. 6 on the cost list is the baseband subsystem, featuring an integrated circuit from Infineon, at a cost of $10.07, accounting for 4.9 percent of the BOM.

Radio frequency and more

Coming in seventh on the cost list is the radio frequency/power amplifier subsystem at $9.09, or 4.4 percent of the BOM. This system features an Infineon radio frequency transceiver and four TriQuint Semiconductor transmit modules.

Next are the applications processing subsystem at $8.84, or 4.3 percent of the BOM. This section includes the previously mentioned apps processor from Samsung. Other notable suppliers include a single-chip Bluetooth/FM/WLAN controller and a GPS receiver device from Broadcom Corp. Maxim Integrated Products contributed a power management Integrated Circuit (IC).