TREND REPORTS
ClearMotion Lands $100M to Swap Software for Car Shocks and Boost Self-Driving UX
[Investing]
2017/02/06 11:00
ClearMotion, a company that’s building an alternative chassis for vehicle makers that replaces traditional physical shock absorbers with digital, software-driven adaptive actuators, has readied $100 million in a Series C roundled by a group of clients advised by J.P. Morgan’s asset management wing and with participation from NEA, Qualcomm Ventures and more.The company claims to have created t...
Philippe Starck Hits Out at Reissue of Jelly-Phone Concept - Alo Smartphone
[Design]
2017/02/06 10:59
Philippe Starck has threatened to take action against a fellow French designer he accuses of spreading "false information" by passing off a 20-year-old concept for a smartphone as a new project.The French designer sent out a statement denying he was involved in the project after seeing it published on design websites including Dezeen.The phone, called Alo, was presented by Jerome Olivet and bil...
(PDF) The World’s Most Valuable 500 Brands 2017
[Business]
2017/02/05 10:10
Google is now the world's most valuable brand, according to a new study, snagging the No.1 spot from Apple which has been the incumbent since 2011.[click to enlarge]The annual ranking from Brand Finance says Google's monetary value increased to $109.5 billion last year, representing a 24% increase overall. By contrast, Apple's monetary value fell from $145.9 billion in the previous year to $107...
(Patent) Amazon Just Patented a Robot Model That Also Takes Selfies
[Tech]
2017/02/05 10:09
Bad news for models: Amazon just received approval for a patent for a robotic model that can automatically adjust its proportions to best fit the clothes it is modeling. Bad news for photographers: It takes selfies.The patent, approved Tuesday, was filed by Harry James Lewis Eakins, the lead software designer at Amazon’s device design center, Lab126, in December 2013.The selfie-taking robot mo...
(M&A) Two Speed Market Drove Over $30 Billion Games Deals in 2016
[Investing]
2017/02/05 10:08
Last year was a record breaker for games, with Digi-Capital’s Games Report 2017 recording $30.3 billion games deals in 2016. The $28.4 billion of games mergers and acquisitions (M&A) was 77% higher than 2014’s previous record, and $1.9 billion games investment was the second highest ever. After a games deals ice age in 2015, what put a rocket up deal makers last year?Bigger and slowerLet...
Facebook - More Buck for the Chuck
[Investing]
2017/02/05 10:07
Facebook is on a roll. Ever since that rocky first year after its IPO in May 2012, when people were doubting the company’s ability to transition successfully into the age of mobile-first, the world’s largest social media company has made tremendous strides forward. Its high-profile acquisitions WhatsApp and Instagram continue to do well under Facebook’s management and the eponymous social ne...
Ehsaas Concept Watch for Visually Impaired People Raises Braille Numbers on Its Surface
[Design]
2017/02/05 10:05
Ehsaas is a concept watch designed specially for the blind, unlike Bradley watch where you feel the hour and minute hands, this concept features electronic active polymer surface that raises Braille numbers as representation time of day.I was at my home during my summer break and I was listening to Stevie Wonder, an inspiring artist who is blind since childhood. While listening to him, I ponder...
Across The Globe, A Golden Year for China’s Smartphone Brands
[Business]
2017/02/05 10:04
China’s smartphone makers had a bumper 2016, luring in more buyers around the world than ever before. In the ultra-competitive global smartphone market, three Chinese brands made up the top five, collectively shipping 316 million devices amid a global total last year of 1.47 billion, according to data from IDC.The record high of 316 million – covering Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo, which were behind...
Less Phone, More Music - Waterspeaker
[Design]
2017/02/05 10:03
For those times you just wanna get your face away from the phone, there’s the Waterspeaker! Unlike other standalone speakers, it doesn’t require pairing with your phone, a memory card, or any other external device. Instead, it sports its own digital, widescreen interface where you can scroll through your downloaded playlists and favorite artists or music sharing apps. You can even search for...
