TREND REPORTS
Blinkist Raises $4M to Help You Read Nonfiction Books in 15 Minutes
[Investing]
2016/01/11 12:23
linkist, a Germany-based startup that gives you the gist of well-known nonfiction books in 15 minutes or less, has raised €4 million ($4.3 million) to accelerate product development and expand in U.S. and across Europe.Founded out of Berlin in 2012, Blinkist uses human subject-experts to condense popular nonfiction titles into abridged versions, and includes the likes of Richard Dawkins’ The...
Fashion Icon Iris Apfel Is Designing Wearables for Wisewear
[Design]
2016/01/11 12:22
THE COMPANY'S LINE OF BRACELETS CAN SEND DISTRESS SIGNALS IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS—AND ARE FASHIONABLE TO BOOT.In 2010, Jerry Wilmink’s grandfather got up in the middle of the night for a glass of water. While he was up, something went terribly wrong: His grandfather fell and broke his hip. He was unable to call to his wife upstairs, and his injuries ended up being fatal.Wilmink was devastated...
These Sky-High Balloons Could Generate More Power Than Solar Panels
[Tech]
2016/01/11 12:21
If you want to capture energy from the sun, it helps to go above the clouds.For all the cost and efficiency improvements in solar panels in the last few years, all land-based photovoltaics have one serious Achilles Heel: performance is dependent on the weather. If clouds are in the way, even the best solar panels don't work that well.That's why Jean-François Guillemoles wants to look above the...
Teslasuit Offers Full-Body Haptics to VR Users
[Product]
2016/01/11 12:21
Tesla Studios (no relationship to Tesla Motors) recently announced that it has developed a full-body suit that will give the wearer a sensory experience to match the visual experiences now available through virtual reality headsets. Called the Teslasuit, it relies on neuro-muscular electrical stimulation technology also used in medicine, electrotherapy and professional sports to offer both tact...
The Xoopar Sonar Speaker
[Design]
2016/01/11 12:20
I just couldn’t resist it. I just HAD to open the New Year week with a speaker design! The Xoopar sonar speaker is just the kind of magic you need to begin the new year. Using NFC technology, this impressive little thing manages to eliminate the need for auxiliary cables, or even cumbersome Bluetooth pairing! All you need to do is slide your phone into the slot and boom…literally!Obviously, n...
(Infographic) FinTech Market Outlook
[Business]
2016/01/10 11:10
This infographic, created by Wirecard and Statista, provides an overview of the current state of the global fintech market and gives an outlook on how quickly the financial technology sector will grow until 2020.Infographic : https://d28wbuch0jlv7v.cloudfront.net/images/infografik/normal/chartoftheday_4204_fintech_market_outlook_n.jpg[statista]
(M&A) Apple Buys Artificial-Intelligence Startup Emotient
[Investing]
2016/01/10 11:09
Apple's acquisition of Emotient hints at devices that understand how you're feeling.If it wasn't already clear that Apple is getting serious about artificial intelligence, it is now. The company has confirmed that it bought Emotient, a fledgling outfit that uses AI to gauge emotions based on facial expressions. As usual, the Cupertino crew isn't saying what its plans are. However, Emotient's sp...
Could This One Passenger Autonomous Drone Change Transportation Forever ?
[Product]
2016/01/10 11:08
NO ONE'S SEEN IT FLY YET, BUT EHANG'S 184 DRONE IS SAID TO BE ABLE TO CARRY A SINGLE PASSENGER UP TO 10 MILES. NO PILOTING IS REQUIRED.Amazon may have shaken things up when it first talked about delivery drones, but the Chinese company EHang now wants to take disruption to the next level with the unveiling today of its 184, which if it actually works as promised, could be the world’s first aut...
Venture Investing Declined Sharply at the End of 2015
[Investing]
2016/01/10 11:07
RIP Good Times? Venture Capital Funding, Unicorn Births, And Mega-Deals Plummet in Q4’15. 2015 was a banner year for VC activity...until the end.In Q3’15, funding to VC-backed companies hit levels last seen during the dot com boom. There was a new unicorn birthed every 4th day. $100M+ financings were commonplace.Good times.2015 was shaping up to be a banner year for venture capital… and then...
