TREND REPORTS
Andreessen Pours $22M Into PlanetScale’s Database-as-a-Service
[Investing]
2019/05/26 09:05
PlanetScale’s founders invented the technology called Vitess that scaled YouTube. Now they’re selling it to any enterprise that wants their data both secure and consistently accessible. And thanks to its ability to re-shard databases while they’re operating, it can solve businesses’ troubles with GDPR, which demands they store some data in the same locality as the user to whom it belongs.Th...
How This Bacteria-Crawling Skincare Line Became a Fast-Growing Wellness Brand - Mother Dirt
[Product]
2019/05/26 09:05
Mother Dirt is adding to its stable of microbiome-friendly products. Can the brand help consumers rethink their hygiene habits?When Mother Dirt first launched in 2015, the skincare line’s bold take on personal hygiene challenged long-accepted public health concepts. The young brand infused live-cultured bacterium into its face sprays and lotions, claiming our society was far, far too clean. We...
(Infographic) What People Want From Direct-to-Consumer Brands
[Consumer]
2019/05/26 09:03
The most compelling reason for trying out a new DTC brand is a free trial period (27.4%).From Allbirds to Dollar Shave Club, DTC brands are popping up everywhere and across categories, imploring consumers via aesthetically pleasing, colorful ads to ditch store brands and try out their products. Still, fewer than half have purchased a DTC product, according to new data from Toluna and social med...
(Video) Ford Self-Driving Vans Will Use Legged Robots to Make Deliveries
[Tech]
2019/05/23 11:40
Agility Robotics’ Digit will bring packages from a delivery vehicle to your front door.The automaker is announcing today that its fleet of autonomous delivery vans will carry more than just packages: Riding along with the boxes in the back there will be a two-legged robot.Digit, Agility Robotics’ humanoid unveiled earlier this year on the cover of IEEE Spectrum, is designed to move in a more...
(PDF) PwC - Prepare for The Voice Revolution
[Business]
2019/05/23 10:02
An in-depth look at consumer adoption and usage of voice assistants, and how companies can earn their trust—and their business.How and why are voice assistants being used? What do consumers think of the technology, and what are the primary needs, current use cases, opportunities and concerns?We conducted extensive research to better understand consumer usage and perception of voice assistants....
(Paper) Mona Lisa Frown : Machine Learning Brings Old Paintings and Photos to Life
[Tech]
2019/05/23 10:02
Machine learning researchers have produced a system that can recreate lifelike motion from just a single frame of a person’s face, opening up the possibility of animating not just photos but also paintings. It’s not perfect, but when it works, it is — like much AI work these days — eerie and fascinating.The model is documented in a paper published by Samsung AI Center, which you can read he...
Trading a Trade Battle: ‘Markets Don’t Appear Ready for That’
[Investing]
2019/05/23 10:02
Some investors are shunning stocks with significant exposure to China. Some investors are shunning stocks with significant exposure to China. Apple is on pace for its worst month this year. How do you trade a trade fight? A previously abstract question is becoming more pressing for investors as U.S.-China trade relations fray.“What we’ve learned the last few weeks is this is a genuine negotia...
China Dominates Smart Speaker Market in Q1. 2019
[Business]
2019/05/23 10:01
The smart speaker business is booming in China with a 500% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of 2019.During the first four months, 10.6 million units were shipped helping China secure a 51% share of the global market. The US, on the other hand, saw only 5 million smart speaker sales for the same period with a 24% market share.Baidu captured the top spot in the Chinese market due in large...
Seedlip Taps Into Growing Demand For "What To Drink When You're Not Drinking"
[Product]
2019/05/23 10:01
Whilst global alcohol consumption is on the up, in the U.K. and across parts of Europe it is dropping. One startup in the U.K. called Seedlip, is pioneering the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirits, stealing the march on its competitors in taking advantage of the 7% drop in U.K. alcohol consumption over the past two decades. Brits are still drinking an average of 11 litres of alcohol...
