Filter CategoriesCategories - AllInnovationNews & AnalysisReviewsTrendsUbertrends Apps With Built-In AI Will Checkmate the Competition The rapid ascent of ChatGPT has kicked off an A.I. arms race among application developers, both within the AI and general productivity software markets. Apps that feature some AI integration will have a leg up... June 24, 2023 News & Analysis Generative AI Will Shape-Shift Our Future in a Profound Way In 2019, Kai-Fu Lee boldly predicted that AI would change the world more than anything in the history of mankind, more than electricity. Three years later, Generative AI is making his prediction come true. June 22, 2023 News & Analysis Hearing Aids Disruption A new FDA ruling has opened up the hearing aids market to over-the-counter devices that do not require a prescription or custom fitting, guaranteed to disrupt the industry with new innovations. January 12, 2023 Trends Streaming Amplifiers The newest name of the game in audio is “streaming amplifier” — a device that combines a music streamer with an amplifier for a “just add speakers” entertainment experience. January 8, 2023 Trends Facial Rejuvenation The facial rejuvenation market is shifting to less invasive and safer procedures, driven by the dermal filler and botox markets — advances that are nothing short of breathtaking, if not wrinkle reducing. January 18, 2022 Facial Rejuvenation,Innovation Cryptocurrencies Fully 16% of Americans have invested in cryptocurrencies, resulting in a run up in prices in bitcoin, ether and even dogecoin. In April 2021, the crypto market capitalization hit $2 trillion for the first time. November 10, 2021 Trends Managing Content for Online and Offline Publishing With the plethora of tools available today, you would think that you could easily choose a writing tool that could fulfill all your content creation needs. Nothing could be further from the truth. November 5, 2021 Reviews Air Rage Incidences of air rage have increased since the 1980s, becoming unprecedented in 1990s. Conditions leading to air rage: intoxication, tight seating, full flights, fewer flight attendants, and a marked decline in human decency and civility. August 19, 2021 Trends Tractable Video Inspection Tractable’s Video Inspection tool, currently under development, inspects a car in realtime using AI to assess car damage and provide an instant assessment, including figuring out whether a car is beyond repair. June 16, 2021 News & Analysis Retail Apocalypse With more than 200 million Prime members worldwide, Amazon.com is siphoning off frequent shoppers from bricks-and-mortar stores. Huge debt and management misteps did not help, leading to the shutdown of more than 45,000 U.S. stores. June 7, 2021 Trends Grayfields The retail sector collapse, with more than 45,000 store closures since 2007, is accelerating due to the pandemic, leading to hulking, deserted malls, called “grayfields.” Another 500 malls are expected to close in years ahead. June 6, 2021 Trends Supersonic Aircraft The era of supersonic travel is once again on approach. Barring a bumpy ride, passengers will board a United supersonic flight by 2029 and travel from LA to Sydney in six hours and 45 minutes. June 5, 2021 Trends A United Boom United promises to buy 15 of Boom’s Overture airliners once it meets stringent requirements. If all goes as planned, passengers will be able to fly from New York to London in 3.5 hours by 2029. June 5, 2021 News & Analysis Darwin on Steroids There’s little doubt that the human body is changing under our very eyes. Human evolution is accelerating, leading to bulkier athletes, taller people and more precocious young adults. Charles Darwin, you’re so right. May 30, 2021 Trends NFTs NFTs, non-fungible tokens, have taken the art market by storm. NFTs are “one-of-a-kind” digital assets that can be purchased and sold like any other piece of property but have no tangible form of their own. May 29, 2021 Trends Ghost Franchises MrBeast, a 22-year-old YouTube star with 54 million subscribers, opened 300 restaurants virtually overnight and sold more than a million sandwiches in the first two months by using such new services as Virtual Dining Concepts. May 26, 2021 Trends CRM on the Mac We have good news to report. Our past two updates in 2013 and 2017 lamented the fact that the Mac was weak in database management, specifically CRM-type solutions. Since then, two recent arrivals, Airtable and... May 25, 2021 Reviews Replica AI-Synthesized Rapping Dover, Del.-based Replica has created a video that demonstrates the capabilities of AI when combined with synthetic speech. It’s a preview of feature that will combine Replica’ AI voices with Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman software. May 25, 2021 News & Analysis Singles Nation Married couple households have been on a steady decline since 1930, when they made up 84% of all households. In 2020 that figure was 49%. America, and other countries, are becoming a nation of singles. May 22, 2021 Trends Supersizing A trend kickstarted by The Cheesecake Factory in 1978 has resulted in a doubling of food portion sizes in the past two decades. Egged on by aggressive marketers, the impact on American waistlines is severe. May 22, 2021 Trends Virtual Reality Investments topping $3 billion in 2017 created unrealistic expectations for the VR/AR market, which caused a venture-capital cooldown. The pandemic, however, led to a boom in virtual reality use in the workplace. May 19, 2021 Trends Sexing Up Bottled Water Driven by health-conscious consumers, bottled water consumption in the U.S. has grown more than tenfold in the past three decades. That has opened up many new markets, including niche premium brands targeting experience seekers. May 18, 2021 Trends 2022 Kia EV6 Hyundai may have been first but KIA has launched its Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) version, Kia EV 6. Response is glowing, as exemplified by this comment, “Tesla better start making nicer and better cars.” May 18, 2021 News & Analysis Halide 2.2 Halide has developed a loyal following for its iPhone app due to the control it offers over photographs. This functionality has been ported to the iPad complete with a redesigned interface optimized for larger displays. May 18, 2021 News & Analysis Self-Driving Cars Self-driving cars have captured the headlines recently due to some unfortunate crashes. However, in many instances it was operator error that caused the accident. The auto industry marches on to a self-driving future. May 17, 2021 Trends Memory Protection In an age of endless information overload, multitasking, and ultra-reliable digital gadgets, memory has become a fungible asset. This will make the business of remembering one that is simply unforgettable. May 16, 2021 Anti-Aging,Trends Air Taxis Meet George Jetson and his air taxi by Joby. Air taxis are predicted to be a $7 billion market by 2030. Already more than $2 billion has been poured into this market via SPAC mergers. May 16, 2021 Trends Generation X-tasy “Moderation is a fatal thing,” Oscar Wilde wrote in 1893, “nothing succeeds like excess.” Were Wilde alive today, he would see plenty of evidence in the “experience economy” to support his pointed observation. May 15, 2021 Ubertrends Digital Lifestyle As technology becomes more tightly interwoven with the fabric of life, humanity is becoming addicted to digital gadgetry. The trend is so acute that Americans are cutting back on core expenses to afford more devices. May 13, 2021 Ubertrends Fountain of Youth: Rejuvenating Body, Face and Mind As people live longer, the Fountain of Youth Ubertrend fuels a growing demand for physical, aesthetic and spiritual reinvention and rejuvenation. The anti-aging market is forecasted to reach $421 billion by 2030. May 11, 2021 Ubertrends Energy Drinks Time Compression has made on-demand energy a key part of daily living. The energy drink market, which only got its start in the 1987, is now a $93 billion industry hoping to pump you up. May 9, 2021 Trends Legalizing Marijuana In 25 years, 35 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana and 16 states have approved recreational use. A record 68% of Americans polled say the drug should be legalized. May 9, 2021 Trends Globesity (Global Obesity) The obesity epidemic is threatening to tip scales all over the globe, propelling a trend dubbed “globesity.” In the U.S., four in 10 Americans, or 43%, are now obese, up from 13% in 1960. May 9, 2021 Trends Plant-Based Food Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are disrupting the food business, with realistic looking faux meats that even bleed like real beef. Retail sales of U.S. plant-based foods market reached $7 billion in 2020. May 9, 2021 Trends Digital Banking The banking sector is under assault from challenger banks and the $42 billion venture capitalists are pouring into fintech startups worldwide annually. Big data and artificial intelligence could significantly disrupt the world’s financial system. May 8, 2021 Trends Drones Since debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2010, drones have helped locate missing persons and capture spine-tingling surveillance videos. With three companies now approved to make drone deliveries, expect to seem see them everywhere. May 8, 2021 Trends Smart Home (Home Automation) Seven out of 10 consumers want to control something in their home from their mobile device without getting out of bed. That basic instinct will help U.S. revenues reach $29 billion in 2021. May 7, 2021 Trends Celebrity Worship Syndrome One third of Americans are obsessed with celebrities, leading to a modern affliction dubbed Celebrity Worship Syndrome. This voyeurgasmic trend has accelerated since the arrival of smartphones and digital cameras. May 7, 2021 Trends Control Enthusiast Here’s another fascinating lifestyle phenomenon: Control Enthusiasm. Spurred by a freedom from wires, and used to instant gratification offered by digital devices, consumers are demanding ever more control and thereby becoming difficult to please. May 7, 2021 Trends Yoga Culture Yoga is now practiced by more than 200 million people worldwide, including over 100 million in India and 20 million in the U.S., more than triple the number compared to 1994. May 6, 2021 Anti-Aging,Trends Bystander Recordings Bystander recordings, a trend that began in 1963 with the Zapruder film of Kennedy’s assassination and Rodney King’s beating in 1991, has gone mainstream due to the the arrival of smartphones and YouTube. May 6, 2021 Trends Botox Botox is the world’s most popular facial rejuvenation procedure with more than 5 million performed each year. Its popularity has spawned a series of cultural phenomena, from parties to gift card to Botox humor. May 6, 2021 Facial Rejuvenation,Trends Voyeurgasm: I Like to Watch The Rodney King beating was a major point of departure for the Voyeurgasm Ubertrend, which presages a future where just about everything will be captured on video by smartphones, action, surveillance or body cameras. May 6, 2021 Ubertrends Innovation The popularity of innovation has skyrocketed since 1939, when Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter defined innovation as an expression of intellectual creativity undertaken without considering its economic impact. May 1, 2021 Trends Accelerators and Incubators The technology boom is driving the establishment of accelerators and incubators that offer entrepreneurs mentorship, advice, and practical training on technical, business, and fundraising topics to help get from idea to product launch. May 1, 2021 Trends 3D Printing Homes A 3D printing revolution has vaulted this once arcane technology from industrial prototyping to the glamorous world of footwear design and single-family home building, providing a significant boost to a $13 billion market. May 1, 2021 Trends Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Robotic Process Automation (RPA) automates formerly manual procedures, such as processing insurance claims or moving a purchase order process automatically, while involving humans only when necessary. May 1, 2021 Trends Animated GIFs Animated GIFs, a technology developed by CompuServe in 1987, have infused today’s social dialog. These often humorous and sometimes unexpected silent animations are now part of the cultural landscape. May 1, 2021 Trends Startups Startups are society’s most disruptive forces, explaining the urgency of incubating ventures among the more than half billion entrepreneurs worldwide. It’s also why U.S. and global venture-capital investing is setting new records. May 1, 2021 Trends Coffee Consumption Interest in coffee grew 32% in the past few decades, yielding a $70 billion global market. The trend is behind the fortunes of Keurig, Nespresso and Starbucks, which generates more than $25 billion in sales. May 1, 2021 Trends Aging Population In 2030, all Baby Boomers will be 65 years of age or older. The implication of this demographic shift is immense, with the world’s 60+ population nearly doubling to 2.1 billion by 2050. May 1, 2021 Trends Time Compression: The Acceleration of Life The Time Compression Ubertrend is responsible for the acceleration of life, a phenomenon that encourages multitasking and an “I want it yesterday” attitude, and has led to increasingly shorter attention spans. May 1, 2021 Ubertrends Blockchain Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that allows the transmission of digital assets while dispensing with the need for trusted third parties. It’s the fundamental technology layer of all cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. May 1, 2021 Trends Epic Games MetaHuman Creator Powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the MetaHuman Creator is a browser-based software application that lets you create realistic human faces, complete with realistic movements and expressions. It’s another trend infusion from videogaming. April 14, 2021 News & Analysis evian (re)new Fashion designer Virgil Abloh and Evian’s latest innovation, the evian (re)new fountain, is made from 100% recycled plastic. The fountain includes a 5-liter pouch or “bubble” that slowly collapses so it can easily be replaced. April 13, 2021 News & Analysis USPS Postal Truck — The Crucible of Electrification? A few weeks ago, the U.S. government outlined a plan to replace its fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S., part of a new “Buy America” initiative. Using the government’s... March 25, 2021 Innovation 100 Mac Applications We Can’t Live Without Apple’s innovative M1 Macs have attracted some of the best software on the market today, unfortunately that rarely gets due credit. Here are 100 outstanding apps. March 17, 2021 Reviews Palari Villas The Palari Group has introduced the first 3D-printed homes community in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Parts of Palari Villas homes will be printed using technology provided by Oakland-based Mighty Buildings. Occupancy is planned for spring 2022. March 14, 2021 News & Analysis Bowling Alley Drone Video This drone footage is actually better than being at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. Posted by YouTuber jaybyrdfilms, this first-person view (FPV) video demonstrates an astonishing level of drone piloting skills, exploring areas rarely seen. March 9, 2021 News & Analysis Qwo Cellulite treatments have typically required interventions with minimally invasive medical devices. Qwo makes it even easier, being the the first FDA-approved injectable that treats cellulite in women. Currently only approved for the buttocks area. March 3, 2021 News & Analysis MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia My Heritage’s “Deep Nostalgia” service uses AI/machine learning to animate vintage photos. The service allows you to upload family photos and animate them for free. Already 83 million have delighted their family and friends. 😁 March 3, 2021 News & Analysis LOCKDOWN – True Story: How the novel coronavirus escaped Wuhan, China and terrorized the world The following is an excerpt of the full preview chapter, which you can download from the home page of this site. The Yangtze, spelled “Zhang Jiang” in Hanyu Pinyin, or just pinyin, the standard way of... February 28, 2021 News & Analysis 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Is the highly anticipated Hyundai IONIQ 5 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) the most sustainably designed automobile in the world? It features many eco-friendly materials, yet the AWD model generates 320 horsepower and has a 290-mile range. February 22, 2021 News & Analysis M1 — A New Apple Silicon and Application Standard In November, Apple took the computer world by surprise, launching a new RISC-based computer chip, dubbed “Apple Silicon,” that set new performance and compatibility standards. Using the same microprocessor architecture Apple developed for the iPhone,... February 6, 2021 Innovation ATSC 3.0 — Joining the Over-the-Air 4K/HDR Revolution In 2020, more than 6 million U.S. households cancelled their pay TV package, bringing the total number of “cord-cutter” households to 31.2 million. Meanwhile, the latest generation of televisions boast a new technology, called ATSC... February 4, 2021 News & Analysis A MemeStock Is Born It was a fight of the common investor against hedge-fund cronies. A collision of the real and virtual world, blurred beyond recognition. In one corner were “Jokerfied, pandemic-bored Redditors” moving market for lulz (laughs), seizing... January 29, 2021 News & Analysis Wireless Entertainment: KEF LS50 Wireless II For years, consumer electronics companies have been pursuing the holy grail of home entertainment, the ability to provide music and video without the encumbrances of wires or tethers. It’s still largely a dream, of course,... January 26, 2021 Innovation Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Just in case you have not kept up with the world of videogaming, today’s 4K HDR games are mindboggling. Watch this clip of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War featuring President Ronald Reagan. 😳😎 October 30, 2020 News & Analysis Ring Always Home Cam The Ring Always Home Cam marries the mobility of drones with the video capabilities of surveillance cameras, offering home owners a futuristic convergence of two powerful technologies in order to protect their property from intruders. September 24, 2020 News & Analysis Burger King Burger King shared its idea for restaurants of the future, including car parks with solar powered canopies. And as you will see, the designers did not lose their sense of humor during the pandemic. 😂 September 2, 2020 News & Analysis KLM Flying V Jet Dutch airline KLM, working with researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, has launched the Flying V jet concept, named after an iconic Gibson guitar featuring a similar shape. September 1, 2020 Innovation Quizlet Learning Assistant The Quizlet Learning Assistant enhances the company’s core study tools by providing learning-science-backed guidance that streamlines remote studies. QLA offers a personalized study path that adapts based on study goals and knowledge level. September 1, 2020 News & Analysis Paper-based Covid-19 Test Could Solve Need for Quick, Inexpensive Testing Several startups are working on innovative technology that offers simple and inexpensive paper-strip Covid-19 tests that can be used at home by consumers, much like a pregnancy test. July 23, 2020 Innovation Eye of the Storm: Fraunhofer’s New H.266 VVC Compression Codec Data compression technology is rapidly advancing spawning more efficient algorithms, such as Fraunhofer’s new H.266 VVC codec, which help to speed up data transmission. Codecs lie in the eye of the Time Compression storm, helping... July 18, 2020 News & Analysis lululemon Acquired this Interactive Mirror Startup for $500 million Mirror positions itself as the “world’s first nearly invisible, interactive home gym that brings live and on-demand fitness classes right to your home.” It does so for $1,500 plus, just like Peloton, a monthly $40... June 30, 2020 News & Analysis Live Roaches and Bloody Pig Face They say truth is stranger than fiction and that’s certainly true of the strange case of six former eBay employees, who are accused of intimidating a blogger and her husband to keep them from writing... June 18, 2020 News & Analysis KFConsole KFConsole keeps chicken warm using excess heat generated by you playing Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War endlessly. Featuring a fully loaded Intel NUC with 2TB SSDs, this will likely be made of unobtainium. June 15, 2020 News & Analysis China disavows the Wuhan virus. Here’s a timeline. The Chinese government claims that naming China as the origin of the novel coronavirus is “hasty and reckless and totally irresponsible.“ As this timeline shows, however, there is a 23-year history that lends credence to... May 13, 2020 News & Analysis Business Ethics Collapse There is no question that moral behavior among business executives is on the decline. This trend was accentuated by the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, a forgivable loan plan, which was designed to let small... April 22, 2020 Trends Ford and GE Healthcare to Build 50,000 Airon-licensed Model A-E Ventilators Ford Motor and GE Healthcare announced plans to produce 50,000 ventilators in the next 100 days with the support of 500 United Auto Workers to help battle the novel coronavirus. March 30, 2020 Innovation Abbott ID NOW Lab-in-a-Box Innovation Delivers COVID-19 Results in Five Minutes There is no question that when it comes to testing for COVID-19, the U.S. government has fallen short. Abbott has received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the detection of novel... March 27, 2020 Innovation Dyson CoVent Ventilator Developed in 10 Days to Help Treat COVID-19 Patients Dyson — the U.K. technology company best known for its distinctive vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, and fans — has introduced a new ventilator, dubbed the “CoVent,” which, it claims, was developed in 10 days. March 26, 2020 Innovation Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Is First 45-Minute “Rapid Point-Of-Care” Test Sunnyvale, Calif.-based biotechnology company Cepheid has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the first rapid test for the novel coronavirus that returns results in around 45 minutes and does not require lab... March 25, 2020 Innovation A Trip Through 1911 New York Demonstrating today’s remarkable video capabilities, this film, shot in New York by Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern in 1911, was upscaled to 4K, had frame rates boosted to 60 fps, sharpened and colorized using neural networks. February 23, 2020 News & Analysis OPTE OPTE is an innovative handheld device that combines optics, proprietary algorithms, and printing technology to scan your skin and deposit the right amount of serum to camouflage hyperpigmentation, age spots, and sunspots. 😍 January 6, 2020 News & Analysis L’Oréal Perso Developed by Paris-based L’Oréal Technology Incubator, Perso is an innovative, AI-powered at-home system, featuring a 6.5-inch-tall device that delivers optimized and personalized skincare and cosmetic formulas in a four-step process. January 5, 2020 News & Analysis WeWork Co-Working Reinvents Commercial Real Estate WeWork has disrupted the commercial property market, with its innovative co-working facilities. The company is now the largest private office tenant in New York City with 8.9 million square feet of co-working space. October 14, 2019 Innovation Celebrity Edge Magic Carpet Celebrity Edge was named the best new cruise ship of 2018. That award was due to a raft of innovations and new features, including “Magic Carpet” — a deck that moves up and down the... October 3, 2019 Innovation First Exoskeleton Suit Receives FDA Clearance Marlborough, Mass.-based ReWalk Robotics has received clearance from Food and Drug Administration for the company’s ReStore soft exo-suit system designed for U.S. rehabilitation centers. ReStore is the only soft exo-suit with FDA clearance, and is... June 7, 2019 Innovation Bird Launches Cruiser Electric Moped Scooter-sharing company Bird will offer an electric moped in select markets this summer, called the “Cruiser,” the first to include a seat. Mopeds can be used like a bike, with the electric motor offering assistance... June 4, 2019 Innovation Panic Playdate Panic, a 20-year-old Mac software company, has made a major splash announcing its first hardware device. Playdate is a bright-yellow handheld gaming console with a monochrome screen that was co-developed with Swedish design firm Teenage... June 1, 2019 Innovation Tiny House Kit Goes Viral, Sells Out We have been major proponents of the small homes trend, and probably the only research firm to make a market in this emerging sector. Earlier this month, a tiny house kit, sold on Amazon of... May 10, 2019 News & Analysis Retail Innovation One of the standout innovations at SXSW was shown by Lush Retail, a U.K. cosmetics firm that sells, of all things, bath bombs. Lush runs an innovation division called Lush Labs that designed a mobile... May 6, 2019 News & Analysis Deepfake If the tech behind ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com is any indication, AI is going to disrupt the visual sciences. A few days ago, The New York Times wondered if ethical A.I. is even possible. That’s not a rhetorical... March 4, 2019 Trends Harley-Davidson Electric Scooter America’s 74 million Baby Boomers have been noticeably missing from Harley-Davidson’s recent motorcycle sales. The company recently reported a 9% decline in fourth-quarter revenue. In order to attract new customers, read “millennials,” America’s favorite Easy... February 22, 2019 Trends Small Homes Can you live in an 600-square-foot home? Many Americans will soon. U.S. homes are poised to get smaller, driven by a financial constraints and downsizing baby boomers. April 4, 2018 Trends InstaBeauty: How Social Media Is Transforming Makeup The experiential nature of social media has had a significant impact on the $200 billion global cosmetics market. The popularity of selfies has turned social networks like Instagram into the new Tupperware party. I first wrote... March 21, 2018 Trends Airtable, A Spreadsheet On Steroids Last August, we bestowed an “Ubercool Innovator” award on Airtable. We love Airtable because its simplicity and ease of use completely upstage both Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, while also delivering a blow to Apple’s... March 15, 2018 Innovation KAGOY (Kids Are Growing Older Younger) Modern technology and a shape-shifting societal landscape are conspiring to accelerate the maturity process of children, this is trend called — KAGOY — Kids Are Getting Older Younger. October 17, 2017 Trends Face ID and Animoji Now that we know more about Apple’s new iPhone X, let’s delve into two truly outstanding iPhone X innovations, its Face ID face recognition system and animated emoji, dubbed “Animoji” The iPhone X discards an already... September 19, 2017 Innovation Saks Fifth Avenue ConBody The Amazon Factor will lead to as many as 8,600 store closings in 2017. Retailers have three options: Close up shop, innovate, or change and become a discount retailer, which, as Costco and Ross Stores... August 22, 2017 Innovation ZIIP As you may have read, microcurrent innovation is all the rage in health and beauty. If you’re wondering when the day will arrive that your skin regimen involves using an iPhone app, wonder no more... August 15, 2017 Innovation K-Beauty: DeepSkin Anti-Aging Mask If you drive a Kia, own a Samsung TV, smartphone or perhaps a refrigerator too, you’re well on your way to living ”Gangnam Style.” The Korean invasion doesn’t stop there. You’re going to hear a... July 18, 2017 Facial Rejuvenation,Innovation ASUS ZenBook 3 A slender gadget that exudes ultimate sophistication; the ASUS ZenBook 3 ($1999) is a true marvel sculpted to perfection. This slender damsel in cocktail blue has edges adorned in golden, giving the laptop a hint... June 28, 2017 Reviews Public In 1982, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell ignited the boutique hotel trend with the opening of Morgans on Madison Avenue, which boasted the design touches of French designer Andrée Putman. Schrager is once again disrupting... June 27, 2017 Innovation Apple Watch The “wearables” field was already on fire when Apple threw its hat into the ring in 2015. In classic Apple fashion, the company reinvented the category, from interface to Apple Pay, downright to the intricacies... June 22, 2017 Innovation Airbnb Airbnb has ushered in the concept of “home optimization,” offering homeowners the same opportunity to boost cash flow the major airlines have enjoyed for years, a disruptive innovation. The option of staying in someone’s private dwelling... June 22, 2017 Innovation Ultimate Lightning McQueen Sphero, best known for its two-year-old BB-8 gadget made famous by The Force Awakens, is launching an innovative remote car. Ultimate Lightning McQueen ($300) is another result of Sphero’s collaboration with Disney and is based... June 20, 2017 Innovation How Do You Create A Winning Innovation Strategy? Now that the concept of innovation is defined, its history covered and its current importance explained, it’s time to apply innovation to your business. An innovation strategy should be a crucial part of any business... June 11, 2017 Innovation What Is Innovation? We are in the midst of an era of sweeping change, with major challenges to address, such as poverty, and new planets to explore, like Mars. With all of the recurring talk of change and... May 14, 2017 Innovation Technivorm Moccamaster Disclosure, I was Dutch-born although now I’m a dyed-in-the-wool American, but despite that inherent bias, I will give you my dos centavos of the Technivorm Moccamaster, a highly rated and accomplished coffee maker born in... May 11, 2017 Reviews Starbucks Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is a visionary man. His Starbucks vision has catapulted the company to the exalted position of the world’s No. 1 coffee retailer. Today, there are some 25,572 Starbucks stores worldwide and... May 2, 2017 Innovation Influencer Metrics In the early 90s, the founder of Sidney Frank Importing Co. hired 20 young women, dubbed “Jagerettes,” to visit bars and use a spray gun to assist customers in gulping down Jägermeister. The tactic reaffirmed... May 1, 2017 Trends Amazon Amazon has changed the way America shops. In September 2016, Bloomberg reported that more than half of U.S. online consumers begin their product searches on Amazon.com’s site or mobile app. That was an early distant warning.... April 30, 2017 Innovation Amazon Echo Look One of the biggest challenges innovation consultants and speakers face is the “tyranny of the installed base” — as legendary founder of Ziff-Davis, Bill Ziff, liked to put it. Retailers eagerly listen to innovation presentations... April 30, 2017 Innovation Devialet Silver Phantom Major innovations in audio technology were last introduced by the likes of Bose, Dahlquist, Magneplanar and Quad in the 1970s. But a French company, Devialet is causing big bass vibrations throughout the audio industry with... April 17, 2017 Innovation Four SXSW Takeaways SXSW was, as usual, a spectacle to be experienced. Here are some key takeaways: Multitasking events – SXSW may remind you of the COMDEX conferences of yore, but with a twist. While there were many corporate... March 18, 2017 News & Analysis Top 10 Innovators Like that year-end ritual where some organizations claim to be able to pick the hottest trends of the next year, some market watchers compile lists of the top (fill-in-the-blank) most innovative companies. As much as... March 9, 2017 Innovation Pioneer Rayz: When Opportunity Knocks Apple’s decision to remove the audio port from the iPhone 7 resulted in a public outcry of world-ending proportions. To some Apple aficionados, it was Armageddon meets invasion of the headphone port snatchers. But as any... February 16, 2017 Innovation When Did Innovation Catch On? Innovation is at the top of everyone’s agenda these days. Why? Because the executive mindset changed markedly in the 1990s. Global competition, the internet, and the onslaught of more than 40,000 product launches each year... August 22, 2016 Innovation Why Innovation Now? “Innovation is one of the key drivers of everything that goes on in business,” says London Business School Dean Sir Andrew Likierman. Organizations realize that innovation keeps them on the cutting edge of everything from... August 22, 2016 Innovation The Unbearable Drabness of Dressing The Casual Living Ubertrend is leading to a world where the accepted global uniform is t-shirt and jeans. Yet judging by the innovative vision of sci-fi wardrobe designers, fashion will eventually resemble Jessica Alba’s unitard... May 11, 2016 News & Analysis HP Spectre 13 We love laptops so much that aficionados at NotebookReview have given it the oh-so-cute diminutive “lappy.” The innovative new HP Spectre 13 ($1,170) qualifies as our latest seductress with her beautiful lines and very sexy... April 9, 2016 Innovation CES 2016 Innovations The Consumer Electronics Show is an excellent beacon of tech’s future. Here’s what was trending sharply at this annual Las Vegas innovation extravaganza: Virtual reality, 4K Blu-ray, action cameras and, yes, believe it or not,... January 7, 2016 News & Analysis Domino’s While FedEx was first to introduce parcel tracking in 1986, Domino’s is the first restaurant to apply the technology to pizza delivery. The Pizza Tracker combined with Domino’s radically reinventive “tasted like cardboard” campaign, its... December 27, 2015 Innovation Google Inbox With the average U.S. business executive spending 3.2 hours daily on work email alone, it’s no surprise that email is the bane for many. After many years of stagnancy, email innovation if finally accelerating. In 2015,... December 27, 2015 Innovation Sketch You can’t call Sketch an overnight success. Its creator, Pieter Omvlee, has been working on it for 10 years now. But what Sketch has achieved in that timespan is truly noteworthy. Sketch, a Mac only software,... December 27, 2015 Innovation Slack Slack launched in August 2013 and one year later it had already attracted 1.1 million users. By December 2015 that figure had reached 2 million users, 570,000 of whom were paid accounts. With that type of... December 27, 2015 Innovation Tesla You know the Tesla effect is rippling across the auto industry when a headline proclaims that “Porsche, Mercedes building electric cars to challenge Tesla.” Comments one insider, “Although competitors are years behind, things might get... December 27, 2015 Innovation Tuft & Needle There is no industry in America in need of disruption than the mattress industry. That’s because most mattresses are sold with a time-tested technique that revolves around smoke and mirrors. Phoenix-based upstart Tuft & Needle... December 27, 2015 Innovation Zenni Optical A conversation about innovation inevitably sparks visions of Apple, AirBnB or Uber. However, there are many unsung heroes who practice the art of efficiency innovation extremely well. In prescription eyewear retailing, Zenni Optical has carved... December 27, 2015 Innovation Woman’s Acceptance Factor (WAF) A growing list of trends points to the rising clout of women, an Ubertrend dubbed the “Woman’s Acceptance Factor” — a play on WAF — an online phenomenon that has men catering to women. December 19, 2015 Ubertrends Cobalt Valkyrie Co50 Cobalt has introduced the Co50 Valkyrie ($699,000), a high-end aircraft inspired by fighter jets. The Valkyrie is the fastest private aircraft in its class, able to travel at speeds of up to 260 knots, compared... December 11, 2015 Innovation Unwired The Unwired Ubertrend has created a culture that considers connectedness a fundamental human right. The power and freedom of wireless devices have also contributed to a “control enthusiast” phenomenon. April 13, 2015 Ubertrends CES 2015 Innovations The technology industry now knows the importance of good design in product success. Among the thousands of innovations shown at CES, these eight stood out with outstanding design. January 11, 2015 News & Analysis Chez José There are 54 million Hispanic people in America. They cook your nouvelle cuisine, your French food. Few own restaurants today but expect more to do so in the near future. December 13, 2014 Innovation An Innovative Marketing Stack The top 10 digital marketing acquisitions have topped $13 billion. Despite the availability of more than 1,000 digital marketing tools, innovation is stalled. Here’s a truly useful idea. June 3, 2014 Innovation CES 2014 Innovations CES has become U.S.’ default technology show where marketers from all walks of life preview new technology trends for the coming year. As USA Today put it “It’s becoming increasingly clear that the road to... January 14, 2014 News & Analysis Tony Hsieh’s Big Las Vegas Vision When it comes to big ideas, it’s not surprising to find Zappos.com co-founder and CEO, Tony Hsieh, outlining Las Vegas’ innovative future. Where others see emptiness amid a 1.5-square mile stretch of land, Hsieh sees... November 24, 2013 Innovation Ford Fiesta ST Last week, I had a chance to test-drive the new 2014 Ford Fiesta ST, Ford Focus ST and Ford C-Max, Ford’s hybrid car. As you can tell from the headline, my favorite of the three... July 16, 2013 Reviews Cadillac ATS Last week we had a chance to test-drive the new Cadillac ATS, the company’s latest attempt to unseat the BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-class hegemony. There’s no question the Cadillac is a kick to drive... December 29, 2012 Reviews Smiley Talk Smileys, also called emoticons, can help unleash a torrent of emotions. Each day, these little conversation helpers add a dash of humor, sadness, or spiciness to trillions of typed, black-and-white words. January 4, 2010 Trends A New Political Science Social media has revolutionized the science of politics. Using leading-edge social media engagement strategies, ranging from a MySpace page to text messaging, Barack Obama was able to harness a new trend in politics. November 13, 2008 Trends
Filter CategoriesCategories - AllInnovationNews & AnalysisReviewsTrendsUbertrends Apps With Built-In AI Will Checkmate the Competition The rapid ascent of ChatGPT has kicked off an A.I. arms race among application developers, both within the AI and general productivity software markets. Apps that feature some AI integration will have a leg up... June 24, 2023 News & Analysis Generative AI Will Shape-Shift Our Future in a Profound Way In 2019, Kai-Fu Lee boldly predicted that AI would change the world more than anything in the history of mankind, more than electricity. Three years later, Generative AI is making his prediction come true. June 22, 2023 News & Analysis Hearing Aids Disruption A new FDA ruling has opened up the hearing aids market to over-the-counter devices that do not require a prescription or custom fitting, guaranteed to disrupt the industry with new innovations. January 12, 2023 Trends Streaming Amplifiers The newest name of the game in audio is “streaming amplifier” — a device that combines a music streamer with an amplifier for a “just add speakers” entertainment experience. January 8, 2023 Trends Facial Rejuvenation The facial rejuvenation market is shifting to less invasive and safer procedures, driven by the dermal filler and botox markets — advances that are nothing short of breathtaking, if not wrinkle reducing. January 18, 2022 Facial Rejuvenation,Innovation Cryptocurrencies Fully 16% of Americans have invested in cryptocurrencies, resulting in a run up in prices in bitcoin, ether and even dogecoin. In April 2021, the crypto market capitalization hit $2 trillion for the first time. November 10, 2021 Trends Managing Content for Online and Offline Publishing With the plethora of tools available today, you would think that you could easily choose a writing tool that could fulfill all your content creation needs. Nothing could be further from the truth. November 5, 2021 Reviews Air Rage Incidences of air rage have increased since the 1980s, becoming unprecedented in 1990s. Conditions leading to air rage: intoxication, tight seating, full flights, fewer flight attendants, and a marked decline in human decency and civility. August 19, 2021 Trends Tractable Video Inspection Tractable’s Video Inspection tool, currently under development, inspects a car in realtime using AI to assess car damage and provide an instant assessment, including figuring out whether a car is beyond repair. June 16, 2021 News & Analysis Retail Apocalypse With more than 200 million Prime members worldwide, Amazon.com is siphoning off frequent shoppers from bricks-and-mortar stores. Huge debt and management misteps did not help, leading to the shutdown of more than 45,000 U.S. stores. June 7, 2021 Trends Grayfields The retail sector collapse, with more than 45,000 store closures since 2007, is accelerating due to the pandemic, leading to hulking, deserted malls, called “grayfields.” Another 500 malls are expected to close in years ahead. June 6, 2021 Trends Supersonic Aircraft The era of supersonic travel is once again on approach. Barring a bumpy ride, passengers will board a United supersonic flight by 2029 and travel from LA to Sydney in six hours and 45 minutes. June 5, 2021 Trends A United Boom United promises to buy 15 of Boom’s Overture airliners once it meets stringent requirements. If all goes as planned, passengers will be able to fly from New York to London in 3.5 hours by 2029. June 5, 2021 News & Analysis Darwin on Steroids There’s little doubt that the human body is changing under our very eyes. Human evolution is accelerating, leading to bulkier athletes, taller people and more precocious young adults. Charles Darwin, you’re so right. May 30, 2021 Trends NFTs NFTs, non-fungible tokens, have taken the art market by storm. NFTs are “one-of-a-kind” digital assets that can be purchased and sold like any other piece of property but have no tangible form of their own. May 29, 2021 Trends Ghost Franchises MrBeast, a 22-year-old YouTube star with 54 million subscribers, opened 300 restaurants virtually overnight and sold more than a million sandwiches in the first two months by using such new services as Virtual Dining Concepts. May 26, 2021 Trends CRM on the Mac We have good news to report. Our past two updates in 2013 and 2017 lamented the fact that the Mac was weak in database management, specifically CRM-type solutions. Since then, two recent arrivals, Airtable and... May 25, 2021 Reviews Replica AI-Synthesized Rapping Dover, Del.-based Replica has created a video that demonstrates the capabilities of AI when combined with synthetic speech. It’s a preview of feature that will combine Replica’ AI voices with Unreal Engine’s MetaHuman software. May 25, 2021 News & Analysis Singles Nation Married couple households have been on a steady decline since 1930, when they made up 84% of all households. In 2020 that figure was 49%. America, and other countries, are becoming a nation of singles. May 22, 2021 Trends Supersizing A trend kickstarted by The Cheesecake Factory in 1978 has resulted in a doubling of food portion sizes in the past two decades. Egged on by aggressive marketers, the impact on American waistlines is severe. May 22, 2021 Trends Virtual Reality Investments topping $3 billion in 2017 created unrealistic expectations for the VR/AR market, which caused a venture-capital cooldown. The pandemic, however, led to a boom in virtual reality use in the workplace. May 19, 2021 Trends Sexing Up Bottled Water Driven by health-conscious consumers, bottled water consumption in the U.S. has grown more than tenfold in the past three decades. That has opened up many new markets, including niche premium brands targeting experience seekers. May 18, 2021 Trends 2022 Kia EV6 Hyundai may have been first but KIA has launched its Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) version, Kia EV 6. Response is glowing, as exemplified by this comment, “Tesla better start making nicer and better cars.” May 18, 2021 News & Analysis Halide 2.2 Halide has developed a loyal following for its iPhone app due to the control it offers over photographs. This functionality has been ported to the iPad complete with a redesigned interface optimized for larger displays. May 18, 2021 News & Analysis Self-Driving Cars Self-driving cars have captured the headlines recently due to some unfortunate crashes. However, in many instances it was operator error that caused the accident. The auto industry marches on to a self-driving future. May 17, 2021 Trends Memory Protection In an age of endless information overload, multitasking, and ultra-reliable digital gadgets, memory has become a fungible asset. This will make the business of remembering one that is simply unforgettable. May 16, 2021 Anti-Aging,Trends Air Taxis Meet George Jetson and his air taxi by Joby. Air taxis are predicted to be a $7 billion market by 2030. Already more than $2 billion has been poured into this market via SPAC mergers. May 16, 2021 Trends Generation X-tasy “Moderation is a fatal thing,” Oscar Wilde wrote in 1893, “nothing succeeds like excess.” Were Wilde alive today, he would see plenty of evidence in the “experience economy” to support his pointed observation. May 15, 2021 Ubertrends Digital Lifestyle As technology becomes more tightly interwoven with the fabric of life, humanity is becoming addicted to digital gadgetry. The trend is so acute that Americans are cutting back on core expenses to afford more devices. May 13, 2021 Ubertrends Fountain of Youth: Rejuvenating Body, Face and Mind As people live longer, the Fountain of Youth Ubertrend fuels a growing demand for physical, aesthetic and spiritual reinvention and rejuvenation. The anti-aging market is forecasted to reach $421 billion by 2030. May 11, 2021 Ubertrends Energy Drinks Time Compression has made on-demand energy a key part of daily living. The energy drink market, which only got its start in the 1987, is now a $93 billion industry hoping to pump you up. May 9, 2021 Trends Legalizing Marijuana In 25 years, 35 states plus the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana and 16 states have approved recreational use. A record 68% of Americans polled say the drug should be legalized. May 9, 2021 Trends Globesity (Global Obesity) The obesity epidemic is threatening to tip scales all over the globe, propelling a trend dubbed “globesity.” In the U.S., four in 10 Americans, or 43%, are now obese, up from 13% in 1960. May 9, 2021 Trends Plant-Based Food Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods are disrupting the food business, with realistic looking faux meats that even bleed like real beef. Retail sales of U.S. plant-based foods market reached $7 billion in 2020. May 9, 2021 Trends Digital Banking The banking sector is under assault from challenger banks and the $42 billion venture capitalists are pouring into fintech startups worldwide annually. Big data and artificial intelligence could significantly disrupt the world’s financial system. May 8, 2021 Trends Drones Since debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2010, drones have helped locate missing persons and capture spine-tingling surveillance videos. With three companies now approved to make drone deliveries, expect to seem see them everywhere. May 8, 2021 Trends Smart Home (Home Automation) Seven out of 10 consumers want to control something in their home from their mobile device without getting out of bed. That basic instinct will help U.S. revenues reach $29 billion in 2021. May 7, 2021 Trends Celebrity Worship Syndrome One third of Americans are obsessed with celebrities, leading to a modern affliction dubbed Celebrity Worship Syndrome. This voyeurgasmic trend has accelerated since the arrival of smartphones and digital cameras. May 7, 2021 Trends Control Enthusiast Here’s another fascinating lifestyle phenomenon: Control Enthusiasm. Spurred by a freedom from wires, and used to instant gratification offered by digital devices, consumers are demanding ever more control and thereby becoming difficult to please. May 7, 2021 Trends Yoga Culture Yoga is now practiced by more than 200 million people worldwide, including over 100 million in India and 20 million in the U.S., more than triple the number compared to 1994. May 6, 2021 Anti-Aging,Trends Bystander Recordings Bystander recordings, a trend that began in 1963 with the Zapruder film of Kennedy’s assassination and Rodney King’s beating in 1991, has gone mainstream due to the the arrival of smartphones and YouTube. May 6, 2021 Trends Botox Botox is the world’s most popular facial rejuvenation procedure with more than 5 million performed each year. Its popularity has spawned a series of cultural phenomena, from parties to gift card to Botox humor. May 6, 2021 Facial Rejuvenation,Trends Voyeurgasm: I Like to Watch The Rodney King beating was a major point of departure for the Voyeurgasm Ubertrend, which presages a future where just about everything will be captured on video by smartphones, action, surveillance or body cameras. May 6, 2021 Ubertrends Innovation The popularity of innovation has skyrocketed since 1939, when Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter defined innovation as an expression of intellectual creativity undertaken without considering its economic impact. May 1, 2021 Trends Accelerators and Incubators The technology boom is driving the establishment of accelerators and incubators that offer entrepreneurs mentorship, advice, and practical training on technical, business, and fundraising topics to help get from idea to product launch. May 1, 2021 Trends 3D Printing Homes A 3D printing revolution has vaulted this once arcane technology from industrial prototyping to the glamorous world of footwear design and single-family home building, providing a significant boost to a $13 billion market. May 1, 2021 Trends Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Robotic Process Automation (RPA) automates formerly manual procedures, such as processing insurance claims or moving a purchase order process automatically, while involving humans only when necessary. May 1, 2021 Trends Animated GIFs Animated GIFs, a technology developed by CompuServe in 1987, have infused today’s social dialog. These often humorous and sometimes unexpected silent animations are now part of the cultural landscape. May 1, 2021 Trends Startups Startups are society’s most disruptive forces, explaining the urgency of incubating ventures among the more than half billion entrepreneurs worldwide. It’s also why U.S. and global venture-capital investing is setting new records. May 1, 2021 Trends Coffee Consumption Interest in coffee grew 32% in the past few decades, yielding a $70 billion global market. The trend is behind the fortunes of Keurig, Nespresso and Starbucks, which generates more than $25 billion in sales. May 1, 2021 Trends Aging Population In 2030, all Baby Boomers will be 65 years of age or older. The implication of this demographic shift is immense, with the world’s 60+ population nearly doubling to 2.1 billion by 2050. May 1, 2021 Trends Time Compression: The Acceleration of Life The Time Compression Ubertrend is responsible for the acceleration of life, a phenomenon that encourages multitasking and an “I want it yesterday” attitude, and has led to increasingly shorter attention spans. May 1, 2021 Ubertrends Blockchain Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that allows the transmission of digital assets while dispensing with the need for trusted third parties. It’s the fundamental technology layer of all cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin. May 1, 2021 Trends Epic Games MetaHuman Creator Powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the MetaHuman Creator is a browser-based software application that lets you create realistic human faces, complete with realistic movements and expressions. It’s another trend infusion from videogaming. April 14, 2021 News & Analysis evian (re)new Fashion designer Virgil Abloh and Evian’s latest innovation, the evian (re)new fountain, is made from 100% recycled plastic. The fountain includes a 5-liter pouch or “bubble” that slowly collapses so it can easily be replaced. April 13, 2021 News & Analysis USPS Postal Truck — The Crucible of Electrification? A few weeks ago, the U.S. government outlined a plan to replace its fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles assembled in the U.S., part of a new “Buy America” initiative. Using the government’s... March 25, 2021 Innovation 100 Mac Applications We Can’t Live Without Apple’s innovative M1 Macs have attracted some of the best software on the market today, unfortunately that rarely gets due credit. Here are 100 outstanding apps. March 17, 2021 Reviews Palari Villas The Palari Group has introduced the first 3D-printed homes community in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Parts of Palari Villas homes will be printed using technology provided by Oakland-based Mighty Buildings. Occupancy is planned for spring 2022. March 14, 2021 News & Analysis Bowling Alley Drone Video This drone footage is actually better than being at Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis. Posted by YouTuber jaybyrdfilms, this first-person view (FPV) video demonstrates an astonishing level of drone piloting skills, exploring areas rarely seen. March 9, 2021 News & Analysis Qwo Cellulite treatments have typically required interventions with minimally invasive medical devices. Qwo makes it even easier, being the the first FDA-approved injectable that treats cellulite in women. Currently only approved for the buttocks area. March 3, 2021 News & Analysis MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia My Heritage’s “Deep Nostalgia” service uses AI/machine learning to animate vintage photos. The service allows you to upload family photos and animate them for free. Already 83 million have delighted their family and friends. 😁 March 3, 2021 News & Analysis LOCKDOWN – True Story: How the novel coronavirus escaped Wuhan, China and terrorized the world The following is an excerpt of the full preview chapter, which you can download from the home page of this site. The Yangtze, spelled “Zhang Jiang” in Hanyu Pinyin, or just pinyin, the standard way of... February 28, 2021 News & Analysis 2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Is the highly anticipated Hyundai IONIQ 5 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) the most sustainably designed automobile in the world? It features many eco-friendly materials, yet the AWD model generates 320 horsepower and has a 290-mile range. February 22, 2021 News & Analysis M1 — A New Apple Silicon and Application Standard In November, Apple took the computer world by surprise, launching a new RISC-based computer chip, dubbed “Apple Silicon,” that set new performance and compatibility standards. Using the same microprocessor architecture Apple developed for the iPhone,... February 6, 2021 Innovation ATSC 3.0 — Joining the Over-the-Air 4K/HDR Revolution In 2020, more than 6 million U.S. households cancelled their pay TV package, bringing the total number of “cord-cutter” households to 31.2 million. Meanwhile, the latest generation of televisions boast a new technology, called ATSC... February 4, 2021 News & Analysis A MemeStock Is Born It was a fight of the common investor against hedge-fund cronies. A collision of the real and virtual world, blurred beyond recognition. In one corner were “Jokerfied, pandemic-bored Redditors” moving market for lulz (laughs), seizing... January 29, 2021 News & Analysis Wireless Entertainment: KEF LS50 Wireless II For years, consumer electronics companies have been pursuing the holy grail of home entertainment, the ability to provide music and video without the encumbrances of wires or tethers. It’s still largely a dream, of course,... January 26, 2021 Innovation Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Just in case you have not kept up with the world of videogaming, today’s 4K HDR games are mindboggling. Watch this clip of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War featuring President Ronald Reagan. 😳😎 October 30, 2020 News & Analysis Ring Always Home Cam The Ring Always Home Cam marries the mobility of drones with the video capabilities of surveillance cameras, offering home owners a futuristic convergence of two powerful technologies in order to protect their property from intruders. September 24, 2020 News & Analysis Burger King Burger King shared its idea for restaurants of the future, including car parks with solar powered canopies. And as you will see, the designers did not lose their sense of humor during the pandemic. 😂 September 2, 2020 News & Analysis KLM Flying V Jet Dutch airline KLM, working with researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, has launched the Flying V jet concept, named after an iconic Gibson guitar featuring a similar shape. September 1, 2020 Innovation Quizlet Learning Assistant The Quizlet Learning Assistant enhances the company’s core study tools by providing learning-science-backed guidance that streamlines remote studies. QLA offers a personalized study path that adapts based on study goals and knowledge level. September 1, 2020 News & Analysis Paper-based Covid-19 Test Could Solve Need for Quick, Inexpensive Testing Several startups are working on innovative technology that offers simple and inexpensive paper-strip Covid-19 tests that can be used at home by consumers, much like a pregnancy test. July 23, 2020 Innovation Eye of the Storm: Fraunhofer’s New H.266 VVC Compression Codec Data compression technology is rapidly advancing spawning more efficient algorithms, such as Fraunhofer’s new H.266 VVC codec, which help to speed up data transmission. Codecs lie in the eye of the Time Compression storm, helping... July 18, 2020 News & Analysis lululemon Acquired this Interactive Mirror Startup for $500 million Mirror positions itself as the “world’s first nearly invisible, interactive home gym that brings live and on-demand fitness classes right to your home.” It does so for $1,500 plus, just like Peloton, a monthly $40... June 30, 2020 News & Analysis Live Roaches and Bloody Pig Face They say truth is stranger than fiction and that’s certainly true of the strange case of six former eBay employees, who are accused of intimidating a blogger and her husband to keep them from writing... June 18, 2020 News & Analysis KFConsole KFConsole keeps chicken warm using excess heat generated by you playing Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War endlessly. Featuring a fully loaded Intel NUC with 2TB SSDs, this will likely be made of unobtainium. June 15, 2020 News & Analysis China disavows the Wuhan virus. Here’s a timeline. The Chinese government claims that naming China as the origin of the novel coronavirus is “hasty and reckless and totally irresponsible.“ As this timeline shows, however, there is a 23-year history that lends credence to... May 13, 2020 News & Analysis Business Ethics Collapse There is no question that moral behavior among business executives is on the decline. This trend was accentuated by the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, a forgivable loan plan, which was designed to let small... April 22, 2020 Trends Ford and GE Healthcare to Build 50,000 Airon-licensed Model A-E Ventilators Ford Motor and GE Healthcare announced plans to produce 50,000 ventilators in the next 100 days with the support of 500 United Auto Workers to help battle the novel coronavirus. March 30, 2020 Innovation Abbott ID NOW Lab-in-a-Box Innovation Delivers COVID-19 Results in Five Minutes There is no question that when it comes to testing for COVID-19, the U.S. government has fallen short. Abbott has received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the detection of novel... March 27, 2020 Innovation Dyson CoVent Ventilator Developed in 10 Days to Help Treat COVID-19 Patients Dyson — the U.K. technology company best known for its distinctive vacuum cleaners, hairdryers, and fans — has introduced a new ventilator, dubbed the “CoVent,” which, it claims, was developed in 10 days. March 26, 2020 Innovation Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 Is First 45-Minute “Rapid Point-Of-Care” Test Sunnyvale, Calif.-based biotechnology company Cepheid has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the first rapid test for the novel coronavirus that returns results in around 45 minutes and does not require lab... March 25, 2020 Innovation A Trip Through 1911 New York Demonstrating today’s remarkable video capabilities, this film, shot in New York by Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern in 1911, was upscaled to 4K, had frame rates boosted to 60 fps, sharpened and colorized using neural networks. February 23, 2020 News & Analysis OPTE OPTE is an innovative handheld device that combines optics, proprietary algorithms, and printing technology to scan your skin and deposit the right amount of serum to camouflage hyperpigmentation, age spots, and sunspots. 😍 January 6, 2020 News & Analysis L’Oréal Perso Developed by Paris-based L’Oréal Technology Incubator, Perso is an innovative, AI-powered at-home system, featuring a 6.5-inch-tall device that delivers optimized and personalized skincare and cosmetic formulas in a four-step process. January 5, 2020 News & Analysis WeWork Co-Working Reinvents Commercial Real Estate WeWork has disrupted the commercial property market, with its innovative co-working facilities. The company is now the largest private office tenant in New York City with 8.9 million square feet of co-working space. October 14, 2019 Innovation Celebrity Edge Magic Carpet Celebrity Edge was named the best new cruise ship of 2018. That award was due to a raft of innovations and new features, including “Magic Carpet” — a deck that moves up and down the... October 3, 2019 Innovation First Exoskeleton Suit Receives FDA Clearance Marlborough, Mass.-based ReWalk Robotics has received clearance from Food and Drug Administration for the company’s ReStore soft exo-suit system designed for U.S. rehabilitation centers. ReStore is the only soft exo-suit with FDA clearance, and is... June 7, 2019 Innovation Bird Launches Cruiser Electric Moped Scooter-sharing company Bird will offer an electric moped in select markets this summer, called the “Cruiser,” the first to include a seat. Mopeds can be used like a bike, with the electric motor offering assistance... June 4, 2019 Innovation Panic Playdate Panic, a 20-year-old Mac software company, has made a major splash announcing its first hardware device. Playdate is a bright-yellow handheld gaming console with a monochrome screen that was co-developed with Swedish design firm Teenage... June 1, 2019 Innovation Tiny House Kit Goes Viral, Sells Out We have been major proponents of the small homes trend, and probably the only research firm to make a market in this emerging sector. Earlier this month, a tiny house kit, sold on Amazon of... May 10, 2019 News & Analysis Retail Innovation One of the standout innovations at SXSW was shown by Lush Retail, a U.K. cosmetics firm that sells, of all things, bath bombs. Lush runs an innovation division called Lush Labs that designed a mobile... May 6, 2019 News & Analysis Deepfake If the tech behind ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com is any indication, AI is going to disrupt the visual sciences. A few days ago, The New York Times wondered if ethical A.I. is even possible. That’s not a rhetorical... March 4, 2019 Trends Harley-Davidson Electric Scooter America’s 74 million Baby Boomers have been noticeably missing from Harley-Davidson’s recent motorcycle sales. The company recently reported a 9% decline in fourth-quarter revenue. In order to attract new customers, read “millennials,” America’s favorite Easy... February 22, 2019 Trends Small Homes Can you live in an 600-square-foot home? Many Americans will soon. U.S. homes are poised to get smaller, driven by a financial constraints and downsizing baby boomers. April 4, 2018 Trends InstaBeauty: How Social Media Is Transforming Makeup The experiential nature of social media has had a significant impact on the $200 billion global cosmetics market. The popularity of selfies has turned social networks like Instagram into the new Tupperware party. I first wrote... March 21, 2018 Trends Airtable, A Spreadsheet On Steroids Last August, we bestowed an “Ubercool Innovator” award on Airtable. We love Airtable because its simplicity and ease of use completely upstage both Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel, while also delivering a blow to Apple’s... March 15, 2018 Innovation KAGOY (Kids Are Growing Older Younger) Modern technology and a shape-shifting societal landscape are conspiring to accelerate the maturity process of children, this is trend called — KAGOY — Kids Are Getting Older Younger. October 17, 2017 Trends Face ID and Animoji Now that we know more about Apple’s new iPhone X, let’s delve into two truly outstanding iPhone X innovations, its Face ID face recognition system and animated emoji, dubbed “Animoji” The iPhone X discards an already... September 19, 2017 Innovation Saks Fifth Avenue ConBody The Amazon Factor will lead to as many as 8,600 store closings in 2017. Retailers have three options: Close up shop, innovate, or change and become a discount retailer, which, as Costco and Ross Stores... August 22, 2017 Innovation ZIIP As you may have read, microcurrent innovation is all the rage in health and beauty. If you’re wondering when the day will arrive that your skin regimen involves using an iPhone app, wonder no more... August 15, 2017 Innovation K-Beauty: DeepSkin Anti-Aging Mask If you drive a Kia, own a Samsung TV, smartphone or perhaps a refrigerator too, you’re well on your way to living ”Gangnam Style.” The Korean invasion doesn’t stop there. You’re going to hear a... July 18, 2017 Facial Rejuvenation,Innovation ASUS ZenBook 3 A slender gadget that exudes ultimate sophistication; the ASUS ZenBook 3 ($1999) is a true marvel sculpted to perfection. This slender damsel in cocktail blue has edges adorned in golden, giving the laptop a hint... June 28, 2017 Reviews Public In 1982, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell ignited the boutique hotel trend with the opening of Morgans on Madison Avenue, which boasted the design touches of French designer Andrée Putman. Schrager is once again disrupting... June 27, 2017 Innovation Apple Watch The “wearables” field was already on fire when Apple threw its hat into the ring in 2015. In classic Apple fashion, the company reinvented the category, from interface to Apple Pay, downright to the intricacies... June 22, 2017 Innovation Airbnb Airbnb has ushered in the concept of “home optimization,” offering homeowners the same opportunity to boost cash flow the major airlines have enjoyed for years, a disruptive innovation. The option of staying in someone’s private dwelling... June 22, 2017 Innovation Ultimate Lightning McQueen Sphero, best known for its two-year-old BB-8 gadget made famous by The Force Awakens, is launching an innovative remote car. Ultimate Lightning McQueen ($300) is another result of Sphero’s collaboration with Disney and is based... June 20, 2017 Innovation How Do You Create A Winning Innovation Strategy? Now that the concept of innovation is defined, its history covered and its current importance explained, it’s time to apply innovation to your business. An innovation strategy should be a crucial part of any business... June 11, 2017 Innovation What Is Innovation? We are in the midst of an era of sweeping change, with major challenges to address, such as poverty, and new planets to explore, like Mars. With all of the recurring talk of change and... May 14, 2017 Innovation Technivorm Moccamaster Disclosure, I was Dutch-born although now I’m a dyed-in-the-wool American, but despite that inherent bias, I will give you my dos centavos of the Technivorm Moccamaster, a highly rated and accomplished coffee maker born in... May 11, 2017 Reviews Starbucks Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is a visionary man. His Starbucks vision has catapulted the company to the exalted position of the world’s No. 1 coffee retailer. Today, there are some 25,572 Starbucks stores worldwide and... May 2, 2017 Innovation Influencer Metrics In the early 90s, the founder of Sidney Frank Importing Co. hired 20 young women, dubbed “Jagerettes,” to visit bars and use a spray gun to assist customers in gulping down Jägermeister. The tactic reaffirmed... May 1, 2017 Trends Amazon Amazon has changed the way America shops. In September 2016, Bloomberg reported that more than half of U.S. online consumers begin their product searches on Amazon.com’s site or mobile app. That was an early distant warning.... April 30, 2017 Innovation Amazon Echo Look One of the biggest challenges innovation consultants and speakers face is the “tyranny of the installed base” — as legendary founder of Ziff-Davis, Bill Ziff, liked to put it. Retailers eagerly listen to innovation presentations... April 30, 2017 Innovation Devialet Silver Phantom Major innovations in audio technology were last introduced by the likes of Bose, Dahlquist, Magneplanar and Quad in the 1970s. But a French company, Devialet is causing big bass vibrations throughout the audio industry with... April 17, 2017 Innovation Four SXSW Takeaways SXSW was, as usual, a spectacle to be experienced. Here are some key takeaways: Multitasking events – SXSW may remind you of the COMDEX conferences of yore, but with a twist. While there were many corporate... March 18, 2017 News & Analysis Top 10 Innovators Like that year-end ritual where some organizations claim to be able to pick the hottest trends of the next year, some market watchers compile lists of the top (fill-in-the-blank) most innovative companies. As much as... March 9, 2017 Innovation Pioneer Rayz: When Opportunity Knocks Apple’s decision to remove the audio port from the iPhone 7 resulted in a public outcry of world-ending proportions. To some Apple aficionados, it was Armageddon meets invasion of the headphone port snatchers. But as any... February 16, 2017 Innovation When Did Innovation Catch On? Innovation is at the top of everyone’s agenda these days. Why? Because the executive mindset changed markedly in the 1990s. Global competition, the internet, and the onslaught of more than 40,000 product launches each year... August 22, 2016 Innovation Why Innovation Now? “Innovation is one of the key drivers of everything that goes on in business,” says London Business School Dean Sir Andrew Likierman. Organizations realize that innovation keeps them on the cutting edge of everything from... August 22, 2016 Innovation The Unbearable Drabness of Dressing The Casual Living Ubertrend is leading to a world where the accepted global uniform is t-shirt and jeans. Yet judging by the innovative vision of sci-fi wardrobe designers, fashion will eventually resemble Jessica Alba’s unitard... May 11, 2016 News & Analysis HP Spectre 13 We love laptops so much that aficionados at NotebookReview have given it the oh-so-cute diminutive “lappy.” The innovative new HP Spectre 13 ($1,170) qualifies as our latest seductress with her beautiful lines and very sexy... April 9, 2016 Innovation CES 2016 Innovations The Consumer Electronics Show is an excellent beacon of tech’s future. Here’s what was trending sharply at this annual Las Vegas innovation extravaganza: Virtual reality, 4K Blu-ray, action cameras and, yes, believe it or not,... January 7, 2016 News & Analysis Domino’s While FedEx was first to introduce parcel tracking in 1986, Domino’s is the first restaurant to apply the technology to pizza delivery. The Pizza Tracker combined with Domino’s radically reinventive “tasted like cardboard” campaign, its... December 27, 2015 Innovation Google Inbox With the average U.S. business executive spending 3.2 hours daily on work email alone, it’s no surprise that email is the bane for many. After many years of stagnancy, email innovation if finally accelerating. In 2015,... December 27, 2015 Innovation Sketch You can’t call Sketch an overnight success. Its creator, Pieter Omvlee, has been working on it for 10 years now. But what Sketch has achieved in that timespan is truly noteworthy. Sketch, a Mac only software,... December 27, 2015 Innovation Slack Slack launched in August 2013 and one year later it had already attracted 1.1 million users. By December 2015 that figure had reached 2 million users, 570,000 of whom were paid accounts. With that type of... December 27, 2015 Innovation Tesla You know the Tesla effect is rippling across the auto industry when a headline proclaims that “Porsche, Mercedes building electric cars to challenge Tesla.” Comments one insider, “Although competitors are years behind, things might get... December 27, 2015 Innovation Tuft & Needle There is no industry in America in need of disruption than the mattress industry. That’s because most mattresses are sold with a time-tested technique that revolves around smoke and mirrors. Phoenix-based upstart Tuft & Needle... December 27, 2015 Innovation Zenni Optical A conversation about innovation inevitably sparks visions of Apple, AirBnB or Uber. However, there are many unsung heroes who practice the art of efficiency innovation extremely well. In prescription eyewear retailing, Zenni Optical has carved... December 27, 2015 Innovation Woman’s Acceptance Factor (WAF) A growing list of trends points to the rising clout of women, an Ubertrend dubbed the “Woman’s Acceptance Factor” — a play on WAF — an online phenomenon that has men catering to women. December 19, 2015 Ubertrends Cobalt Valkyrie Co50 Cobalt has introduced the Co50 Valkyrie ($699,000), a high-end aircraft inspired by fighter jets. The Valkyrie is the fastest private aircraft in its class, able to travel at speeds of up to 260 knots, compared... December 11, 2015 Innovation Unwired The Unwired Ubertrend has created a culture that considers connectedness a fundamental human right. The power and freedom of wireless devices have also contributed to a “control enthusiast” phenomenon. April 13, 2015 Ubertrends CES 2015 Innovations The technology industry now knows the importance of good design in product success. Among the thousands of innovations shown at CES, these eight stood out with outstanding design. January 11, 2015 News & Analysis Chez José There are 54 million Hispanic people in America. They cook your nouvelle cuisine, your French food. Few own restaurants today but expect more to do so in the near future. December 13, 2014 Innovation An Innovative Marketing Stack The top 10 digital marketing acquisitions have topped $13 billion. Despite the availability of more than 1,000 digital marketing tools, innovation is stalled. Here’s a truly useful idea. June 3, 2014 Innovation CES 2014 Innovations CES has become U.S.’ default technology show where marketers from all walks of life preview new technology trends for the coming year. As USA Today put it “It’s becoming increasingly clear that the road to... January 14, 2014 News & Analysis Tony Hsieh’s Big Las Vegas Vision When it comes to big ideas, it’s not surprising to find Zappos.com co-founder and CEO, Tony Hsieh, outlining Las Vegas’ innovative future. Where others see emptiness amid a 1.5-square mile stretch of land, Hsieh sees... November 24, 2013 Innovation Ford Fiesta ST Last week, I had a chance to test-drive the new 2014 Ford Fiesta ST, Ford Focus ST and Ford C-Max, Ford’s hybrid car. As you can tell from the headline, my favorite of the three... July 16, 2013 Reviews Cadillac ATS Last week we had a chance to test-drive the new Cadillac ATS, the company’s latest attempt to unseat the BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-class hegemony. There’s no question the Cadillac is a kick to drive... December 29, 2012 Reviews Smiley Talk Smileys, also called emoticons, can help unleash a torrent of emotions. Each day, these little conversation helpers add a dash of humor, sadness, or spiciness to trillions of typed, black-and-white words. January 4, 2010 Trends A New Political Science Social media has revolutionized the science of politics. Using leading-edge social media engagement strategies, ranging from a MySpace page to text messaging, Barack Obama was able to harness a new trend in politics. November 13, 2008 Trends
