Archive for technology
Giving green energy a twirl and a promise
Photo courtesy of Yanko Design
I’ve been following green concepts over the years, and I’m always excited to see trends in energy power that will eventually make it into our hands someday. Or in this case, onto our fingers!
This innovative idea is a concept from the minds of two designers, Song Teaho and Hyejin Lee. Their new finger battery could one day be good news for those of us who are continually in need of a smart phone battery boost: A prototype mobile phone with a battery you can charge with a simple twirl of your finger.
The kinetic energy generated by the twirling motion powers the charge and would allow users to energize their cells.
It does take some coordination thought. The designers say you need to twirl for 130 rotations around your finger to generate about two minutes of talk or 25 minutes of standby power.
Perhaps there will come a day when we don’t have to expend quite that amount of effort. But it does give me hope that great minds are continually thinking of ideas for clean and green energy!
The Skin Cell gun
Science has found a new way to help people suffering from bad burns heal faster than we could ever imagine. This new technology is much like a paint spray gun that helps skin heal.
Click on the video and check out this astounding innovation that I think will change the face of how our medical professionals treat soldiers, firefighters and anyone else susceptible to burns. This “Skin Gun” uses the cells of the burn victim’s own skin to regenerate growth. The first day this video was posted on YouTube, it got over 100,000 views. And for good reason:
Social gaming soon to be a $1 Billion industry
If you are a software development entrepreneur, the hottest trend in the next few years appears to be the gaming industry for social media platforms.
I’ve not played too many games on social media, but I know a lot of people who do. And this year social gaming is predicted to become a $1 Billion industry.
That’s according to a new study from eMarketer. The group says more than 62 million Internet users in the United States — that’s almost a third of us — will play at least one game on a social network each month this year. That’s a huge surge from last year, when only a tenth of us used social media gaming to pass the time.
Check out the article and some very interesting statistics here. One thing the study does not touch on is the increase in mobile phone apps for gamers.
Top ten consumer trends for 2011
I am an avid follower of consumer trends, and I advise my clients to be as well.
Here is a terrific video I found on YouTube from JWT. It has several interesting elements I found particularly comforting, like the fact that human downtime and relationships still matter even as we become more and more attached to technology. (There’s even a mini-trend to de-tech!)
Comments are always welcomed! I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Media trends in emerging markets
Media in emerging markets is changing the way people in what we often call “third-world nations’ consume technology. I’m seeing some of the major trends mimic what we’ve experienced in the United States, while other media trends seem to be going in a different track.
An article titled Global Media Habits 2010, by Greg Lindsay, shows us how different types of media are being consumed around the globe, from television to newspapers to cell phones.
Among the trends is this fact: Even the most poor nations consider television a necessity. Lindsay writes,
In 2010, nearly half of Indian households have TV, up from less than one-third in 2001. But in urban areas, that figure jumps to 96%. (Compare that to 7% of Indians who use the internet.) In Kenya, the TV-penetration rate rose from roughly 60% to 70% from 2005 to 2009, even as the number of households measured increased by nearly half. Even in the slums of Sao Paulo, TVs are the top seller of Brazilian retail chain Casas Bahia, despite the fact that residents tend not to have electricity or running water.
Another interesting trend is in newspaper consumption. We know that in the U.S. newspaper circulation is declining, but not so in the rest of the world where the newspaper business is booming. There are 44 percent more paid dailys in India, with Asia, Africa and Latin America not far behind.
Facebook is another big media demand in emerging markets. Facebook’s user base is 517 million people, 70% of whom live outside the U.S. Interestingly, these users follow brands just as much as American users do:
According to a DDB study of 1,642 international Facebook users, the average self-avowed fan is 31 years old and follows nine brands. Three-quarters (76%) have already pressed “like” to signal they are a fan of a brand. In return, they expect special treatment (95%) and are willing to advocate for the brand if necessary (94%).
The invention of “cyber cafés” has been instrumental in online usage in emerging markets. But while access costs are often too high for the poorest of people to afford, cell phone costs are very reasonable, especially among the up and coming generation.
Consumers, trendwatchers roast tweeting refrigerator
This begs the question: Just because you can, does it mean you should?
Samsung’s new over-the-top refrigerator can play Pandora radio music, send tweets, check your Google calendar and more, but attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 think it may be overkill.
Check out this video from Mashable.com on the Wi-Fi-enabled appliance:
The International CES ended yesterday and is the world’s largest consumer technology trade show featuring 2,700 vendors. The Samsung booth grabbed a lot of attention for its new fridge, but I wouldn’t say all of the publicity was negative.
I wouldn’t mind pulling up a recipe or grocery list from my favorite websites, but tweets? Most of us can do that from our mobile phones! What do you think?
Friday Fun: Would you wear this shirt?
I came across a fun-looking t-shirt the other day that got me thinking. If a shirt can contain a hidden camera, what could someone do with that potentially-invasive technology? A company called Think Geek created the Electronic Spy Camera Shirt which allows you to take pictures of people–and they won’t even know you’re doing it. The shirt retails for $40.
The upbeat company has a huge product line that is definitely geared toward the younger crowd. With that in mind, here’s how Think Geek is marketing its invention. Enjoy:
Geofencing takes a stab at location-based apps
Imagine walking or driving through your local neighborhood and getting an instant message that alerts you to a home for sale that matches your needs, or a message that tells you your favorite hot wings are the deal of the day at a restaurant right around the corner. We are getting closer and closer to that kind of technology. Last week a new location platform was introduced that could be a stepping stone in that direction. Sparkle from Location Labs helps developers create better location-based applications, and will ultimately help businesses serve the wants and needs of consumers.
Using “geofencing,” Sparkle allows for the identification and location of any phone and supports voice control, SMS and a very intriguing feature: the ability to detect motion and velocity. Developers say that might be used to automatically disable your text while you drive. You can read more about geotechnology here.
For Android and iPhone owners, the new technology will someday be able to suggest deals or check-in points, and even set up location-based controls for your kids.
That’s just the start. From Location Labs’ website I found several fun apps that use geolocation technology:
- Mayor Maker – Automatically checks you into your favorite Foursquare places without actually opening Foursquare.
- Dine Out Cheap – Alerts you to a nearby dining deal.
- MobiQpons – Shows you when and where to redeem coupons as you walk by.
- Whatamap – Lets you roam a mall or other indoor shopping area to find great deals.
- Noel Group – For travelers wanting to know weather conditions and local events.
Research: Only 4% of U.S. adults use geosocial services
We’re hearing today that a very small percentage of adults in the U.S. use location-based applications like Foursquare. Pew Research has found that only four percent of adults use location-based services like Facebook Places or Foursquare.
The Pew Research center found it’s only four percent, and only one percent on any given day.
Geosocial services are enabled through your smart phone’s GPS, and sometimes just by checking in you can receive a coupon, discount or a free item. Check out the rest of the demographics and results here.
Yesterday Facebook announced it will begin allowing businesses to offer coupons. I wrote about Groupon earlier this week, and it is also announcing increased incentives to retailers.
I use these applications, but many from my generation do not yet feel comfortable using geosocial services, citing the need for privacy. How about you?