Three-quarters of people said they'll continue to socially distance, even after having a vaccine.Over 3 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered globally.Three-quarters of people said they’d continue to social distance and wear masks post-vaccination, according to a survey.But responses varied by country in terms of when people would feel confident about resuming activities suc...

The adjustable neckband features two upfiring speakers for the promise of satisfying, open sound, and beamforming microphones that focus on a wearer's voice during calls.Wearing headphones for extended Zoom sessions can be an uncomfortable, or even painful, experience, but using a laptop's built-in speaker can be less than satisfactory. Sony has launched a wireless neckband speaker designed for...

Climate change, rising sea levels and flooding are expected to have an outsized impact on Asia where millions of people live on low-lying land in close proximity to the ocean. A new report by Greenpeace East Asia looks at the risks in seven regional cities, concluding that in these metropolises alone, more than 15 million people could be affected by rising sea levels and flooding by 2030.While...

Global venture capital funding in the first half of 2021 shattered records as more than $288 billion was invested worldwide, Crunchbase numbers show. That’s up by just under $110 billion compared to the previous half-year record that was just set in the second half of 2020.A greater number of those venture-backed companies have gone public valued above $10 billion so far this year — just half...

Osso VR has raised $27 million to train doctors and other medical professionals using virtual reality surgery simulations.The San Francisco-based Osso VR said its numerous hospitals have validated its virtual reality surgical training and assessment platform as a training tool for surgeons.GSR Ventures led the second institutional round of funding, with participation from SignalFire, Kaiser Per...

The global pandemic brought online platforms to center stage for grocers. Retailers should consider five trends and take five steps to ensure this shift is sustainable and profitable.Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US grocery sector was lagging other retail sectors in e-commerce adoption. Customer reservations about buying fresh food online, along with high e-commerce fees and nonintuitive...

The FLEXSOUND Pulse generates its own immersive ‘bubble’ of full-range audio around the person sitting in it. Its makers designed it to be the cinema seat of the future, but they see it being used in gaming, live performances, and even at home.The terms ‘immersive’ and ‘loud’ aren’t necessarily interchangeable… that’s a distinction that the FLEXSOUND Pulse focuses on. It replaces the n...

The music industry’s growing obsession with declining ARPU will continue to colour the outlook for the global streaming market in revenue terms, but the positive driver of this equation is the rapid growth of music subscribers.There were 100 million new music subscribers in 2020, taking the total to 467 million. (In 2019 there were just 83 million net new subscribers). A further 19.5 million n...

In most hearing aids, sounds emitted by a tiny speaker are directed down the ear canal. The "alpha" hearing aid is different, however – and reportedly better – in that its speaker actually sits directly against the wearer's eardrum.Described as a "hearing contact lens," the device is being manufactured by German startup Vibrosonic. It incorporates technology developed by researchers at the Un...