TREND REPORTS
(PDF) Deloitte - The Future of Financial Services
[Business]
2015/07/26 11:10
How disruptive innovations are reshaping the way financial services are structured, provisioned and consumed.Steady yourselves, financial services players. You know the disruption that’s already well underway? From cryptocurrencies and mobile payment systems, to online crowd-funding and the emergence of the sharing economy? It’s just beginning. In fact, the prevailing view that disruption is...
(Video) F21 Thread Screen Displays Instagram Images Using Fabric
[Tech]
2015/07/26 11:08
F21 Thread Screen was created to promote clothing brand Forever 21Most Instagram users probably check their feed with a smartphone or similar device. New York-based studio Breakfast, however, has created a machine that displays Instagram images and basic animations using thousands of spools of thread.The 2,000 pound (907 kg) unit comprises over 200,000 parts in total, and includes 6.7 miles (10...
Amazon is Now Bigger than Walmart
[Investing]
2015/07/26 11:07
The retail king has lost its crown. Amazon.com’s market value whizzed past that of Walmart in after-hours trading Thursday, as investors increased their bets that the future of the US retail sector will be dominated by Jeff Bezos’ online behemoth.There’s no guarantee Amazon’s market value will stay above that of Walmart. During the thinly traded after-hours session, Amazon’s stock price le...
Apple is Already Dominating the Smartwatch Market at the Expense of Samsung
[Business]
2015/07/26 11:06
Apple hasn't disclosed official sales figures of the Apple Watch yet, but it looks like it's already established itself as a dominant force in the global smartwatch market — at least according to market research firm Strategy Analytics.New data from Strategy Analytics, charted for us by Statista, suggests Apple Watch has shipped 4 million units so far, claiming roughly 75% share of the global...
Gold is in its Worst Slump Since 1996
[Investing]
2015/07/26 11:06
So much for predictions that gold would spike to $2,000 an ounce. The yellow metal is in a deep slump. It's down more than 40% from its 2011 peak and crashing back toward $1,000.The slide just keeps getting worse. Gold has declined for 10 straight days. That's the longest losing streak for gold since September 1996. To put that into perspective, back then oil prices were fetching just $19 a bar...
The Transwheel - Ground Based Delivery Drones
[Design]
2015/07/26 11:05
The Transwheel concept reimagines package distribution as a round-the-clock autonomous service carried out by robotic single-wheel drones that work independently and together to ensure timely, efficient delivery. Each wheel features a self-balancing gyroscopic system, electric arms, and GPS-driven communication capability. Smaller parcels can be handled by a single robot while larger packages w...
"i-protect“ from Kiekert will Reduce Car Door Damage in the Future
[Tech]
2015/07/26 11:04
Kiekert plans to introduce an innovative “brake system” for car doors called “i-protect”. Kiekert’s sensor-based system is designed to reduce sheet metal damage and costly insurance claims by automatically stopping car doors from striking other objects as they are being opened. The idea for the door brake system “i-protect” was initially developed by students at Cologne’s Erzbischoeflic...
(Video) Terrafugia's Driverless Flying Car Concept Remedies Future Traffic Anxiety
[Design]
2015/07/26 11:03
Have you ever been stuck in traffic, surrounded by angry commuters and just look to the sky and begin imagining that your car can start flying? maybe back in the 1980’s it was a crazy idea, but with today’s quick advancements in aerodynamics and engine thrust capabilities, these daydreams are not so unrealistic just around the corner. this is where terrafugia comes in; founded in 2006, the co...
New Japanese Henn-na Hotel Has Robot Staff and No Room Keys
[Business]
2015/07/23 11:10
Robots are deployed at the front desk to help guests check-in and out.A new hotel that is staffed with robots has opened in Japan. The Henn-na Hotel (which translates as "Strange Hotel"), is part of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park complex in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture. Guests can also access their rooms via face-recognition, and are able to control room amenities via tablets.According to the Hen...
(Video) Xeros Hopes To Clean Up By Taking The Water Out Of Washing
[Tech]
2015/07/23 11:09
Commercial laundry is not exactly the fastest-moving area of technology, but one company thinks it has the disruptive technology to transform the sector.At a time when the scarcity of water resources is being starkly highlighted by the ongoing drought in California, a UK-based company called Xeros says that it is winning new business because its new cleaning technology can cut water use for its...
Tools of the Trade : How to Put Mobile to Use for Brands
[Consumer]
2015/07/23 11:08
With roughly three-quarters of Americans owning a smartphone, the ability to connect via mobile is now a necessity—for consumers looking to connect with content, as well as for marketers looking to connect to them!Monica Bannan, Nielsen’s senior vice president of Client Solutions for Facebook, moderated the Making Mobile Work for Brands panel at this year’s Consumer 360 conference in Washing...
The World’s Largest Economy
[Investing]
2015/07/23 11:08
The US is by far the largest economy in the World, with a nominal GDP of $17.4 trillion in 2014. However, it is not the World leader in all economic sectors: the US is a service-based economy, with a smaller focus on agriculture and industry than other countries.[click to enlarge]The graphic above (Voroni diagram) represents the relative size of each country’s economy in terms of nominal GDP:...
