Today, there are well over 2bn smartphones in use, and there are between 3.5 and 4.5bn people with a mobile phone of some kind, out of only a little over 5bn adults on earth. Over the next few years almost all of the people who don't yet have a phone will get one, and almost all of the phones on earth will become smartphones. A decade ago some of that was subject to debate - today it isn't. Wha...

Paulien Routs has developed a sweat-sensitive textile coating that can provide a visual cue of hydration levels.Design researcher Paulien Routs has developed SOAK, a sweat-sensitive textile coating that provides a warning of dehydration. It can be applied to sportswear and changes color while the wearer is working out. The different colors provide a visual cue, showing the composition of their...

The Climate Portal houses three separate rooms, each of which hosts the conditions of a different location around the world.Have you ever wished you could change the weather to be more like somewhere else in the world? Well, travelers at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden can now experience just that. The airport's new Climate Portal simulates the weather from other locations in real time.The...

The ecosystem is composed of Flowies which scan and alert, a base to control the system and additional air cleaners.Thanks to airflow, a very light design, the flowies can move in the environment and integrate a small cO2 ship to detect pollution levels. They can move closer to windows thanks to a light sensor which will guide them in the right direction.When the night comes, the top of each fl...

Knocki can be set to alert you via text if someone knocks on your door when you're away.Can you knock on your kitchen countertop to dim the lights, turn on your favorite music or send your partner a text message? You can if you have a "Knocki" stuck to it. Developed by Texas-based Swan Solutions, Knocki is a disc-shaped device that turns solid surfaces, such as walls, doors or tables, into remo...

Researchers have documented reactions like pupil dilation, an indication of happiness, in people as they’re browsing their Facebook.You might recognize that particular “itch” to check in if you haven’t been on Facebook in a day or two, but did you know that using the world’s dominant social network actually elicits a physical response in many users? A new infographic from QuickSprout sheds...

Believe it or not, out of all the super-companies, Samsung was the first to launch its Gear Smart Watch. Most people believe the reason behind this was to get ahead of Apple in this sector. This however also meant that Samsung entered a new market with almost no rules, and its flagship watch made a lot of mistakes, being the first of its kind.Designer Kovács Apor thought it would be a good thi...

The home is a major hub for consumer technology startups offering everything from on-demand painters to smart washing machines.[click to enlarge]Investors are pouring money into startups that are changing consumers’ home lives. While some startups are providing services that help with household chores, others are trying to transform your home itself by making it smarter. We used CB Insights da...

By now everyone is aware how smartphones have ushered in a new digital age of mobile technology. Online engagement on mobile devices surpassed desktop in 2013, and the majority of our digital media consumption now takes place specifically on apps. Mobile, and the smartphone in particular, has already revolutionized the news, video, social media and transportation industries, just to name a few....