Rebecca Day

Consumers “have made it clear that they would prefer access to all voice assistants from all devices,” Juniper Research reported. Alexa is considered good at shopping, Google Assistant at knowledge, and Siri is locked into the iPhone: “Consumers want it all,” the researcher said. “Microphones are everywhere” and access to voice assistants has become “ubiquitous,” it said. Voice commerce growth will outstrip e-commerce growth through 2024, providing a mostly hands-free touch point for shopping “from anywhere,” the trends-watcher said Tuesday. Voice payment authentication has been a challenge: current modes are biometrics or a four-digit PIN that can be read aloud, it said. Strong customer authentication (SCA) requirements in Europe could be a challenge for retailers using voice payments; customers’ payments could be declined due to stricter authentication measures that will be enforced by Dec. 31, the firm said.

Spotify usage shifted amid shelter-in-place directives, with in-car, web-based and wearables listening down as much as double digit percentages, while listening surged via smart TVs and game consoles, said its Q1 shareholder letter Wednesday. Consoles were a top-three platform in hours listened among advertising-supported users. Connected device usage rose 40%-plus among global ad-supported monthly active users (MAUs), it said Wednesday.

Silicon Labs shares closed 7.7% higher at $102.66 Wednesday after the company reported stronger than expected Q1 earnings. Revenue was $214.9 million vs. $188.1 million in the year-ago quarter. IoT revenue, falling 8% sequentially, was up 11% year on year to $118 million; infrastructure and automotive grew 19% year on year, to $97 million. IoT revenue growth was led by microcontrollers followed by strength in 802.15.4 wireless products for home automation, security and lighting applications, said Chief Financial Officer John Hollister. The company, which announced completion of its $308 million cash Redpine Signals purchase Tuesday (see 2004280067), drew down $310 million from its bank credit facility to fund the acquisition out of an “abundance of caution given uncertainties surrounding the current environment,” he said. Redpine’s low-power Wi-Fi products and intellectual property are important technology for IoT connectivity, said CEO Tyson Tuttle, saying Wi-Fi 6 will become a key wireless technology to meet the low power performance, security and interoperability requirements needed in the IoT. China is “rebounding strongly,” said Tuttle, and Silicon Labs is encouraged by “stimulus activity” on the communications infrastructure side that will “bleed over” into IoT. On the company’s Z-Wave and Zigbee home automation business, Tuttle said operators and security installers are feeling the impact of not being able to access customers’ homes during the coronavirus shutdown. Retailers are feeling a boost from online ordering from do-it-yourselfers, but retail stores will take a “bit of a hit.” Q2 guidance is for lower revenue, $190 million-$210 million. Silicon Labs is acting to protect profitability including by “prioritizing hiring, virtually halting travel and participation in events worldwide, and judiciously evaluating discretionary projects and expenditures,” Hollister said. Tuttle reported “minimal disruption” in the supply chain during the pandemic and “strong” bookings and revenue late in the quarter.

COVID-19 confinement rules led to a drop in music streaming consumption for some services, reported Futuresource, because subscribers spent less time in places where they typically listened, including cars and gyms. “Consumers’ routines have been disrupted," blogged analyst Alexandre Jornod. The type of content being consumed has adapted to become more home-friendly, "lean-back" and mood-inspired; podcast listening about news, fitness, cooking and kids has also grown, said Jornod Monday. Subscriptions haven’t been affected, with some services reporting an uptick, and video streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus grew, reflecting homebound entertainment trends. Futuresource expects streaming music subscriptions to be “unaffected” by COVID-19, growing 19% in 2020 to 371 million globally. The research firm expects VOD subs to exceed one billion by midyear. The lockdown is encouraging more TV viewing and a change in behavior, as gaps in live TV scheduling encourage consumers to “look elsewhere for entertainment,” said analyst David Sidebottom.

CTA slashed 2020 unit sales forecasts for core CE categories Friday “as consumers struggle with economic uncertainty” due to COVID-19.

Entercom said its expanded relationship with Sonos via Sonos Radio will "soon" allow Sonos users to find its Radio.com stations such as WINS(AM) New York, KROQ(FM) Pasadena and WFAN(AM-FM) New York by entering a ZIP code or searching for stations by name. Access to Radio.com stations will be free as part of Sonos’ curated local radio offerings, it said Thursday. This month, Sonos updated its data and privacy policy for users as part of the Sonos Radio add to its feature set. It’s collaborating with music services to make sure listeners have access to favorite playlists and can discover new artists, it said, or get “high responsive customer support when something goes wrong.” Sonos collects data only “for clearly defined purposes,” it said, adding, “We do not and will not sell your personal data to third parties.” For users who elect to use Sonos Radio, the company will share “pseudonymized and anonymized data” with third-party advertising companies to present, via Sonos Products, “interest-based ads for features, products, and services that might be of interest to you.” It shares with advertisers location, language and genre of the station listened to, “which is not based on your overall listening history.” Sonos will share anonymous information with advertisers that describes the overall listening audience in general, it said. “We may also share limited location information (i.e. an IP address and anonymized ID) with some of our third party radio content partners who may run ads on their stations,” it said. Sonos doesn't use information that personally identifies users to present interest-based ads, it said. The company didn't comment.

Sonos, with more than 100 streaming audio services, added its own Tuesday, launching the Sonos Radio "free, ad-supported streaming radio service." Customers who download the latest software to get Sonos Radio saw in the terms of service that the free service may not always be so: “The use, content or functionality of Sonos Radio may require additional payment and/or a subscription." Customers will be notified when an additional payment is required and won’t be charged for Sonos Radio “unless charges are made known to customers in advance,” terms said. The company reserved the right to permanently stop the service “without paying compensation.” The company partnered with Super Hi-Fi, an artificial intelligence company, for volume leveling, song blending and voice commentary mixing. Sonos listed among risk factors in its annual report its competitive position with much larger competitors that are also its customers, including Amazon, Apple and Google. The company didn't comment Wednesday.

Energous got FCC Part 18 certification for an over-the-air wireless charging transmitter based on a single antenna and new chip components, said the company Tuesday. The stock closed up 156% at $2.68. The certification reflects a “completely new” technology, CEO Steve Rizzone emailed Tuesday, contrasting it with the company’s first certification for wireless power received in 2017. That transmitter employed beamforming, multiple antennas to focus radio beams at a three-dimensional point in space. “Due to the use of several antennas required to beamform, the implementation was large and cost-prohibitive for many consumer electronic applications,” Rizzone said now. The new technology uses “a single antenna, single power amplifier and single control chip ... resulting in a much smaller design at a fraction of the cost of the larger, more powerful beamforming transmitter,” said the executive. “We’re imagining new products such as smart speakers and gaming consoles that can also wirelessly charge smartwatches, smart glasses, sensors and other IoT devices within range.” Citing uncertainties about the impact of COVID-19 and the bankruptcy filing of potential partner ZPower, Energous withdrew 2020 guidance of $1 million-$10 million in revenue that Rizzone projected on the company’s Q4 call. The companies showcased at CES their micro-battery wireless reference design aimed at small electronic devices such as hearing aids.

Sony’s new TV lineup is headlined by a pair of 8K LED TVs, due for order this summer. Its 4K OLED and LED sets went on preorder Monday at Best Buy and Amazon, it said Monday. Many 2020 models include “hands-free” Google Assistant. They're also compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Airplay 2.

AT&T outlined its much-anticipated HBO Max service Tuesday. It said subscribers will have access on launch day to six “Max Originals”: scripted comedy Love Life; feature documentary On the Record; dance competition series Legendary; Craftopia; new Looney Tunes Cartoons; and Sesame Workshop’s The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.