Talk abut some slick marketing. NTTDoCoMo one of Japan’s largest mobile operator has developed a smartphone only toilet paper. These special rolls are installed at the toilets of Tokyo’s Narita airport. Their purpose, well, to clean your smartphone screen and rid the phone of germs. The toilet paper is printed with vital information which include WiFi service instructions, travel information...

New technologies are impacting a wide range of Americans’ commercial behaviors, from the way they evaluate products and services to the way they pay for the things they buy.Americans are incorporating a wide range of digital tools and platforms into their purchasing decisions and buying habits, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults. The survey finds that roughly eight-in-ten...

It might not look like anything fancy, but the MIT Hyperloop Project aims to revolutionize the way we move. Using electromagnetic levitation, it offers fast, efficient and weatherproof travel.The droplet-shaped pod would be capable of carrying 28 passengers. Unlike maglev transit systems which require a large power infrastructure, the stripped-down Hyperloop Project is much less expensive to pr...

It’s the year 2026, and you’ve just emerged from a tough earnings call with analysts. Revenue was down by 10%, and profits fell twice that. You tried to pin the blame on e-tailers’ price promotions for their delivery options, but the analysts didn’t buy it. They said you would just have to get used to fighting for share against these new rivals with all their momentum and tech buzz. What a...

OneWeb, a company that’s setting out to launch a “constellation” of micro-satellites to deliver broadband access, has raised a whopping $1.2 billion in private equity funding from Japan’s SoftBank Group, with participation from some of its existing investors, which include Qualcomm, Airbus, Intelsat, Coca-Cola, and Virgin.Founded out of London in 2012, OneWeb is planning to bring high-speed...

Emotibot combines deep-learning AI, image and text-based recognition software to offer an open-source API for more emotionally aware chatbots.The use of AI chatbots is on the rise, whether it’s helping users with recruitment, insomnia or acting as a hotel concierge, and now China-based Emotibot are enabling developers to offer more personable automated user experiences.In collaboration with MI...

One of the most important questions facing a business of any size is: why do your customers leave?It doesn’t matter if you are a part of a Fortune 500 firm, or if you are a local plumber that works out of a van. This question should be important to you, because it has a huge impact on your livelihood.Oddly enough, it turns out the answer to the question could be deceivingly simple. Businesses...

More meatless options are hitting retail shelves.Much has been made in recent years about how declining cereal sales have hurt breakfast giant Kellogg. The company also has to contend with helping revive another core brand: meatless foods leader Morningstar Farms.Morningstar Farms has had a couple of tough years. It was stung by a recall in early 2015. It holds market-leading positions in the m...

"Azuma Hikari" is the holographic interface for the Gatebox.While artificial intelligence-based smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home may be grabbing the headlines, Tokyo-based Vinclu's Gatebox is looking to set itself apart with a virtual assistant who isn't just a disembodied voice, but takes the holographic form of a tiny anime girl who seems a bit too eager to please. The device w...