TREND REPORTS
(Patent) Amazon Wants Augmented Reality to be Headset-Free
[Tech]
2015/12/07 11:13
The retail giant took Microsoft's 'RoomAlive' ball and ran with it. Augmented reality (AR) isn't all headsets and funny glasses. Amazon wants to turn it into something that you can interact with in your living room, judging by a couple of the company's recently approved patents. The "object tracking" patent shows how a system of projectors and cameras could beam virtual images onto real objects...
(PDF) Mckinsey - A Better Way to Understand Internal Rate of Return
[Investing]
2015/12/07 11:13
Investments can have the same internal rate of return for different reasons. A breakdown of this metric in private equity shows why it matters.Executives, analysts, and investors often rely on internal-rate-of-return (IRR) calculations as one measure of a project’s yield. Private-equity firms and oil and gas companies, among others, commonly use it as a shorthand benchmark to compare the relat...
(Video) Epson's Paperlab Office System Recycles Shredded Documents to Produce Fresh New Paper
[Product]
2015/12/07 11:13
Japanese printer company epson has developed a compact office paper making system capable of producing new paper from securely shredded waste paper without the use of water. Businesses and government offices that install a ‘paperlab’ in the building will be able to produce various sizes, thicknesses, and types, from office paper and business card paper to paper that is colored and scented. or...
(PDF) Estimating 3D Finger Angle on Commodity Touchscreens
[Tech]
2015/12/07 11:13
Today’s touch interfaces are primarily driven by the 2D location of touch events. However, there are many other dimensions of touch that can be captured and utilized interactively. By increasing the richness of touch input, users can do more in the same small space, potentially enabling richer applications. In this research, we describe a new method that estimates a finger’s angle relative to...
Pantone Color of The Year 2016 : Rose Quartz + Serenity
[Design]
2015/12/07 11:13
For 2016, pantone takes on a softer approach to the color of the year, combining for the first time, two shades – rose quartz (pantone 13-1520) and serenity (pantone 15-3919).the emblematic selection is a response to what has been taking place within our culture — consumers seeking well-being as an antidote to modern day stresses — and serves as an expression of a mood and attitude. ‘the tw...
10 MIT Media Lab Spinouts to Watch
[Business]
2015/12/07 11:12
Throughout Boston, there are plenty of university-affiliated incubators and accelerator programs. The MIT Media Lab isn’t one of them. But despite the organization’s focus on academic research, so many people’s projects there translate very well to startup-dom.In fact, some notable names in Boston’s entrepreneurial scene are spin-offs from research done at this MIT fixture, and you probably...
How Does Fur Keep Animals Warm in Cold Water ?
[Tech]
2015/12/07 11:12
MIT researchers have studied the entrainment of air in hairy surfaces and the water-repellant properties of fur and feathers, which may inspire the design of novel textiles -- like hairy wet suits.Seals and otters stay warm in cold water because their fur is ideally structured for trapping insulating air. These unique hairy surfaces could inspire the design of new kinds of textiles, such as wet...
WooBots - Transformable Wooden Robot
[Product]
2015/12/07 11:12
High-quality wood robot collection designed for action-packed fun, just in time for Christmas. Play, transform and enjoy!They’re new, they’re full of energy and they’re taking over the streets. The WooBots have hit the ground to change the game for everyone.WooBot is a collection of premium wooden robots specially crafted to transform into different states in just a few seconds. Each charact...
(PDF) IAB 2015 - Digital Shopping Report
[Consumer]
2015/12/06 11:10
Not every age group operates the same way when it comes to digital shopping excursions. While people in the 18 to 34 year old cohort focus on smartphones for retail activity, their parents (ages 35-54) primarily prefer tablets.urns out those younger shoppers are also interested in digital browsing, but often buying in a competitor’s store or hitting an online buy button.These distinctions — r...
Storeowners, Measure Outside Activity Through This Window Sensor
[Tech]
2015/12/06 11:09
Record and quantify pedestrian and vehicle traffic with a Placemeter sensor to know how effective your storefront is in driving in-store visits.The Placemeter sensor is a $90 device that wants to measure human activity outside your retail door. While it might have limited applications for the home, it’s a solution for storeowners and other businesses to measure pedestrian volume outside their...
Reading Is a Top Spare-Time Activity for All Generations
[Consumer]
2015/12/06 11:08
Our spare time is precious. How we unwind says a lot about what we value. With a wide array of pastimes available, respondents in a recent Nielsen global survey were asked to select their top three spare-time activities. While certain activities skew younger than older and vice versa, if you think technology-driven younger people don’t read anymore, think again.In this third of a five-part ser...
(Video) LifePrint Brings Photographs to Life by Embedding Video within Prints
[Product]
2015/12/06 11:07
The LifePrint printer and app allows users to create augmented reality photos that can play up to 15 seconds of video with audio. A picture is worth a thousand words, so the saying goes. But how many words is an image that springs to life with sound and moving video when viewed through a mobile device worth? LifePrint has launched a wireless portable printer and companion app, designed to print...
