TREND REPORTS
(Patent) Apple Invents Woven Fabric Displays for Apple Watch Bands
[Tech]
2015/12/08 11:10
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday published an Apple patent application describing a method by which light-transmissive materials like nylon are interwoven into conventional textiles, literally creating a woven display for use with devices like Apple Watch. Aptly titled "Woven display," Apple's application details a technique of weaving light pipe fibers into conventional fabrics...
How Major Insurers Are Teaming Up With Internet Of Things Companies
[Investing]
2015/12/08 11:10
A roundup of partnerships between big insurers like State Farm, Liberty Mutual, and AXA with IoT firms including Censio, Canary, Nest, and Ring.[click to enlarge]Insurers are increasingly recognizing the IoT’s potential to offer real-time monitoring of vehicles, homes, and other areas of key risk exposure. And one way they are seizing on this opportunity is partnering with emerging startups an...
The Smartphone Is Eating the Television, Nielsen Admits
[Consumer]
2015/12/08 11:10
A new study of media and attention by Nielsen Co. confirms what has now become conventional wisdom: Smartphones are winning and traditional television is losing, especially when it comes to viewers in the most desirable 18 to 34 demographic.Nielsen also says that traditional TV viewing by all age groups peaked in the 2009-2010 season, and has been on the decline ever since. Until that point, th...
Changing the Face of the Gas Mask
[Design]
2015/12/08 11:10
Israeli designer Zlil Lazarovich aims to make masks less frightening by allowing family members to recognize the face behind the safety harness.Let’s face it: if the situation requires a gas mask, then something scary is already happening. So why do masks themselves have to look so terrifying? The design of such apparatus has changed little since World War II, so most still resemble an alien f...
Uno Portable Desk System by Davide Modanese
[Design]
2015/12/08 11:09
UNO, a portable station was born out of the intention to design a movable support, essential and elegant in shapes but efficient and effective in its functions. It aims to become the ambassador of the beauty of visual and tactile language of wood material. The adjustable height makes it exploitable in different contexts, thanks to the modules of which it is composed, rigid but articulated throu...
(Patent) Amazon Wants Augmented Reality to be Headset-Free
[Tech]
2015/12/07 11:13
The retail giant took Microsoft's 'RoomAlive' ball and ran with it. Augmented reality (AR) isn't all headsets and funny glasses. Amazon wants to turn it into something that you can interact with in your living room, judging by a couple of the company's recently approved patents. The "object tracking" patent shows how a system of projectors and cameras could beam virtual images onto real objects...
(PDF) Mckinsey - A Better Way to Understand Internal Rate of Return
[Investing]
2015/12/07 11:13
Investments can have the same internal rate of return for different reasons. A breakdown of this metric in private equity shows why it matters.Executives, analysts, and investors often rely on internal-rate-of-return (IRR) calculations as one measure of a project’s yield. Private-equity firms and oil and gas companies, among others, commonly use it as a shorthand benchmark to compare the relat...
(Video) Epson's Paperlab Office System Recycles Shredded Documents to Produce Fresh New Paper
[Product]
2015/12/07 11:13
Japanese printer company epson has developed a compact office paper making system capable of producing new paper from securely shredded waste paper without the use of water. Businesses and government offices that install a ‘paperlab’ in the building will be able to produce various sizes, thicknesses, and types, from office paper and business card paper to paper that is colored and scented. or...
(PDF) Estimating 3D Finger Angle on Commodity Touchscreens
[Tech]
2015/12/07 11:13
Today’s touch interfaces are primarily driven by the 2D location of touch events. However, there are many other dimensions of touch that can be captured and utilized interactively. By increasing the richness of touch input, users can do more in the same small space, potentially enabling richer applications. In this research, we describe a new method that estimates a finger’s angle relative to...
