Sensors are the next wave in personal tech. We already have heart-rate sensors, organic produce sensors, even laundry sensors. Matt Rogers, the tech whiz behind the Nest thermostat, surveys five gadgets on the bleeding edge.
Many stores are marketing Cinco de Mayo specials, hoping it will become the next St. Patrick’s Day. But Ken Muench--director of strategic planning at Draftfcb, who has worked with Tecate and Taco Bell (and grew up in Mexico City)--says the gimmick is missing some necessary ingredients.
The 3-D printing boom of the past few years brought with it a big promise: You can manufacture anything, anywhere. But for designers and engineers, whose work often revolves around rapid prototyping, a satisfactory 3-D printing technology has yet to surface.
The average shopper spends 1.5 to 3 seconds picking an item from a shelf. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research assesses how brands can best exploit that time.
Blame the iPhone. It was the first in a wave of smartphones with cameras that pack the pixels and precision of the real thing. In 2012, camera-equipped phones outsold cameras by a six-to-one ratio. Now the old guard is fighting back with these souped-up models.
As consumers seek more natural foods, big companies are in a bind: Can they sell seemingly fresher--yet still packaged and branded--fruits and veggies? Three big food-makers are giving it a shot.
The music business has been on edge since Napster. But in 2012, global revenue spiked for the first time in 13 years. These industry innovators see a rockin’ future.
