Monday 5th July:
Take a tablet (device)
Retailers are using the iPhone and iPad (and other gadgets of their ilk) to give their customers better service. Installing them in store means customers can personalise their visit, getting information from the web, as well as one-to-one help from the sales staff.
Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, for example, has announced plans to equip its concierge teams with iPads. That means they can recommend local restaurants and outings to guests, reserve tickets and tables for them and, once all that’s done, help them find their way with turn-by-turn directions.
Via. PSFK Future of Retail
Tagged with: Customer service, Hotels, Retail, Technology
Saturday 19th June:
Stick with me, baby
You use your Mac to express yourself, so why not do it on the Mac itself? With a nice hairstyle for your Apple symbol, for example?
‘Stick with me baby’ says ‘hell no’ to boring and ‘yes’ to creativity and fun. (Love it, thanks, Alex N.)
Via. http://www.stickwithmebaby.com//about
Tagged with: Personalization, Technology
Thursday 10th June:
Brand buddies
How can brands hook up with like-minded partners to co-create innovative products? Think like the Elecom’s Lego ear buds. Pretty inspired.
Ref. http://www.swiss-miss.com/2010/06/lego-playbrick-earphone.html
Tagged with: Co-creation, Gadgets, Music, Technology
Thursday 1st April:
A new form for an old format
In Enschede, the Netherlands, artists and photographers are looking backwards to make instant Polaroid camera film mainstream again. The Impossible Project, with the help of Ilford Photo and Harman Technology, has acquired the original Polaroid production plant and re-released the famous instant film in a format compatible with modern cameras.
The project has provided a platform for The Impossible Collection, a growing archive of instant photography artworks by international photographers and artists. To help resuscitate the medium, they were given test packs of Impossible film to instantly capture the moment.
In all, The Impossible Project plans to produce one million films in its first year, ramping up to 3 million annually, beginning in 2011. Meanwhile, the project next month will open a combined shop and gallery at 425 Broadway in New York City, in part to host exemplary works of the artists who use its film. Along similar lines, it also recently placed a binding offer to purchase the International Polaroid Collection from the Musée de l‘Elysée in Lausanne.
http://www.the-impossible-project.com
Ref. http://www.springwise.com/style_design/impossibleprojectpx/
https://www.lsnglobal.com/seed/view/1688
Tagged with: Events, Nostalgia, Technology
Friday 18th December:
iDrink
The Department of Health has announced that people can download a mobile phone application to keep track of their festive drinking. Public health minister Gillian Merron launched the ‘alcohol tracker’, which is available from iTunes and www.nhs.uk.
It allows drinkers to input how much they are consuming and view graphs of whether they’re sticking to recommended units: three to four a day for a man, and two to three for a woman. The application also helps people work out how many alcoholic units there are in a drink and get personalised feedback on their habits.
Ms Merron said, ‘It’s all too easy to lose track of how much you drink. So as the festive parties start to build up, this innovative tool will help people keep tabs on their drinking – wherever they are.
‘Sticking within the NHS-recommended limits means you reduce the risk of serious conditions such as mouth cancer and strokes.’
Chris Sorek, chief executive of Drinkaware, said, ‘Trying to stick within the daily unit guidelines will help people avoid the January slump and the long term health implications associated with drinking too much alcohol.’
People with a standard mobile can access a units calculator by texting the word UNIT to 64746.
Ref. http://itn.co.uk/b968a21944f10d281d8a908d12f40443.html
Thursday 15th October:
Spontaneous people power
Ever wanted to review restaurants and shops right there and then? Well, there’s an app for that. Users can now enter 140-character reviews or ‘quick tips’ which are then published to the mobile site. They can also begin a draft of a review on their phone, save it, and publish it from a computer later.
Yelp finds itself attempting to balance immediacy with relevance. Which does present potential problems, e.g. while instantaneous reviews better capture a reviewer’s feelings, this ‘heat of the moment’ reaction may be inaccurate or even misleading. Professional restaurant critics, on the other hand, visit a restaurant several times over many weeks to really understand the restaurant’s capabilities and consistency. Review sites must also consider how to encourage user posts, as the more time passes between the meal or event, the less likely it will be reviewed.
This all creates added pressure for restaurant and business owners to provide high quality customer service, as a poor online review might be just a few key strokes away. So while this may cause standards to rise, customers’ patience may well decrease as their expectations for immediate redress increase.
Ref. http://www.cscout.com/blog/2009/10/01/yelps-mobile-app-changes-reviewing-dynamics.html
Tagged with: Restaurants, Retail, Social networking, Technology
Tuesday 28th July:
Wear your tribe with pride
While consumers love to be unique, the paradox at play is that uniqueness needs to be accepted and admired by one’s peers or ‘tribe’. People are constantly going back-and-forth between individuality and the collective, wanting and needing both.
So how can you demo your tribe membership? Here’s an interesting keyboard design from designer Ignacio Pilotto, which features brands instead of letters. (Thanks to Darren for this geeky spot.)
Japanese casual fashion retailer, Uniqlo, has helped in other ways. They’ve offered special Google-branded goods to selected users in Japan who install a Uniqlo button for the Google Toolbar.
Ref. http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/the-brand-keyboard-15-07-2009/
http://trendwatching.com/trendreport/content/
Monday 27th July:
The new authenticity
45s are back. iTunes is going retro with the launch of the new ‘D45’ – a throwback to the old days of the two-song 45 rpm vinyl record. The D45 section on the iTunes Store features discounted prices on packs of two digital song downloads. Just like old 45s, the D45 selection includes a popular single accompanied by a B-side song. Prices range from $1.49 to $1.99. (A very big thanks to Ben and Tim.)
‘iTunes is bringing this concept to a new age with D45s – two great tracks at an equally great price,’ the iTunes Store reads.
Music company EMI announced that the release of D45s marks the 60th anniversary of the 45 single record. The digital bundles will be sold exclusively by iTunes through July 27. After that, they will be available for purchase from ‘all major digital service providers’.
‘More than 35 digital singles will launch the campaign,’ the EMI press release states, ‘including original 45 single A-sides and B-sides, and top hits by Coldplay, David Bowie, R.E.M., Poison, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dean Martin, Duran Duran, Nat King Cole, Blondie, and Billy Idol among others.”
Ref. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/07/14/itunes_goes_retro_with_digital_45s.html
Tagged with: Authenticity, Music, Retro, Technology
Thursday 2nd July:
Mashing up nostalgia and technology?
Photographer Lyle Owerko’s own nostalgia for the portable stereos stems from memories of heavy metal, punk and ska and provided the latest inspiration for his GelaSkins Boombox series – a graphic tribute to the giant stereos that ruled the ’80s. (http://www.gelaskins.com/artist.php?Artist=120)
His take on the trend draws on his personal collection of 42 ghetto blasters, which he’s been amassing for their ostentatious, industrial look since the mid-’90s. The result is a range of Owerko’s reverent images printed on GelaSkin’s removable adhesives that feature scratch and UV-resistant coating to keep iPhones, laptops and a wide variety of other devices intact while looking sharp.
Ref. http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2009/06/gelaskins_by_ly.php
Tagged with: Music, Nostalgia, Personalisation, Technology
Wednesday 1st July:
Making life a little easier!
Office drones chained to their desks have no hope of heating up a hot lunch… until now. Heinz has developed a prototype USB-powered microwave that lets workers keep working and eat a hot lunch without leaving their desks.
Called the Beanzawave, the mini-microwave stands a short 7.4-inches tall by 6.2-inches wide and 5.9-inches deep – just big enough to hold Snap Pots, a new microwaveable dish from Heinz.
Beanzawave plugs into a computer’s USB port and heats up dishes using mobile radio frequencies. But what about when the battery’s drained? Lithium ion power is a possibility if the product makes it to market.
Finding the balance between smart innovation and silly gadget is key as consumers crave smart tech that’s energy savvy. Beanzawave from Heinz is still a prototype, but is expected to retail for $160 if it comes to market.
Ref. http://www.iconoculture.com/Approach/WhatWeIdentify/Observations/GenXers/index.aspx?DocName=oa_USBMiniMicrowave_111019
Tagged with: FMCG, Office, Technology