Written By Paula Cizek on Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 5:45 PM | In General, Technology, UK | Please Comment
Chinese designer Daizi Zheng recently created a concept mobile phone that runs off of Coca-Cola. The Chinese ex-pat, who new resides in London, designed the phone as a proof of concept for Nokia. It uses the soda’s sugar to create a “bio battery” that powers the phone for potentially three to four times longer than a traditional lithium battery. Safe disposal is easy, as the only waste products are water and oxygen.
While the overall environmental benefit of using Coca-Cola to power mobile phones is debatable, this project shows that unusual sources can inspire new design and technology. It also demonstrates that there is interest in alternate forms of energy and concern about the effects of pollution.
For more articles on mobile phone innovation, please visit our Mobile Trendpool (subscription required).
Written By Paula Cizek on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 5:07 PM | In CScout News | Please Comment
Caroline Ohlson has joined the CScout New York as a Senior Trends Consultant. Caroline has international experience as an account/project manager at branding/design and digital agencies in Stockholm and London, and recently completed the PR 2.0 Social Media course at New York University. She has a passion for photography, interior design, art galleries and bridges.
Written By CScout on Friday, January 29, 2010 at 11:10 PM | In General, Marketing, USA | Please Comment
Players of the newest evolution of the popular Hasbro board game Clue, <em>Clue Secrets and Spies</em>, can opt to receive clues by SMS in their mission to capture the notorious Agent Black.
The real-time text message version is begun by texting SPY to a designated number. Hasbro then sends back six text messages throughout the game to spur on the action. When things get tough, players can text HELP for further clues.
Players are charged for every text message they send, the recognizable commands being SPY, HELP, PAUSE, RESUME, and STOP.
Participating mobile operators include AT&T, T-Mobile US, Nextel, Boost, Virgin, US Cellular, NTelos, Dobson, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, and Cincinnati Bell Wireless. Hasbro has pledged to support the game with text messages until December 2011.
Hasbro is clearly attempting to attract a younger generation, brought up on digital media, to more traditional board games. By integrating a mobile element, board games can offer an optional extra layer of stimulation to an existing game.Despite the fact that mobile phones are used, hybrid mobile-board games can actually facilitate face-to-face interaction.
For more developments in the mobile industry, please visit our Mobile Trendpool (subscription required).
Written By CScout Japan on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 12:51 AM | In General, Japan, Lifestyle | Please Comment
Epson has launched a campaign called “3D Nen-ga-jo”, bringing augmented reality to Japanese ??? (”Nen-ga-jo” or New Year Cards), traditionally small postcards hand-written and sent to different people at New Year.
Epson has long been campaigning for people to use their services for printing and making New Year Cards quickly and efficiently. Hand-writing a large pile of postcards is labor-intensive and the activity is normally seen as a chore undertaken by adults. This new variation inserts fun and customization into the process, and seems particularly aimed at children and families…
To learn more about this and other trends, please visit our Mobile Trendpool (subscription only).
Written By Ray Cha on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:11 PM | In General, Marketing | Please Comment
On January 12th, news began to trickle in of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. As NGOs, governments, and private companies began gearing up their relief efforts, a new way to send aid emerged via SMS. Concerned people can send “Haiti” to several short-code addresses to donate US$5 or US$10 pledges, which appear on the sender’s monthly bill.
Over US$8 million has been raised via mobile text donations. Jeffrey Nelson of Verizon Wireless noted that SMS donation was about US$4 million for the entire 2009 calendar year. Of the US$35 million the American Red Cross has received since Thursday, US$5 million was given to them through their mobile donation service provided by mGive.
Firms such as mGive as well as mCommons have been providing SMS donation services for a few years. However, until this week, this method of giving has been relatively unknown.
Typically, mobile donation firms cut deals with wireless carriers to reduce fees to non-profit firms raising money. However, the four major US carriers—Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile—have announced that customers will not be charged the typical SMS fee for sending a text message. T-Mobile also said that it would not charge people calling Haiti through January 31, and retroactively remove charges starting on January 12th, when the earthquake occurred.
Social media played an important part in the increased use of mobile donations. People used Facebook and Twitter to alert their friends and followers on how to donate. Over 150,000 Twitter updates have the words “Haiti” and “Red Cross.” Haitian singer-songwriter Wyclef Jean requested that his 1.4 million Twitter followers donate to Yele Haiti Foundation using text messaging. Also, the White House blog let people know how to give via SMS.
Donors may not be aware, though, that their contributions may take up to 90 days to reach charitable organizations as telecommunications companies typically do not transfer money until customers have paid their phone bills. Several companies have already stated that their are working to find a way to transfer money sooner, and Verizon has stated that it will advance US$3 million of SMS donations. Although this delay is undesirable, the relative ease of making a donation by text encourages people to give rather than not give at all.
To donate to Haitian relief efforts:
- Text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.
- Text the word “YELE” to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti foundation.
- Text the word “HAITI” to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief Fund.
- Text “HAITI” to 25383 to donate $5 to the International Rescue Committee.
- Text “HAITI” to 85944 to donate $10 to the International Medical Corps.
Written By Paula Cizek on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 10:30 PM | In CScout News, General | Please Comment
CScout has moved onward and upward to a beautiful new loft in SoHo. With new co-workers joining us here in New York, not to mention some of the best real estate prices in recent years, we went on an exhaustive search to find the best space in the city, and found it… a whole three blocks to the east of our old office.
CScout is now on the corner of Lafayette and Broome, and our new mailing address is:
187 Lafayette St., 5th Floor
New York, New York 10013
USA
Of course, you can still reach us at the same phone numbers and e-mail. If you’re in SoHo in the near future, you’re welcome to stop by for a chat or join us for coffee.
Written By Paula Cizek on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 5:34 PM | In CScout News, Events, General, Technology, USA | Please Comment
If you’re at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, keep an eye out for CScout. We’re touring with clients to showcase the latest trends and meet with experts and executives from companies such as Cisco, Audible, Sling Media, Eye-Fi, Nvidia, TiVo, and more.
Next week, we’ll be posting some of our favorite trends and new products on our site. Please contact us if you’re interested in more information on our trend tours and trend scouting services, and if you have time for a coffee or drink while at CES, we’d be happy to connect.
Written By CScout Japan on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 11:49 PM | In Japan, Marketing, Technology | Please Comment
Interactivity by touch was a key theme at CEATEC 2009 and Alps offered one of the best of these. Their booth showcased a prototype that used built-in technology allowing data transfer from camera (such as the one in your phone) to screen via human touch.
The two-way transfer system sends photos taken with your mobile to your PC, TV or other device simply by touching a panel connected to the latter. And, vice versa, data could be transferred from the same devices back to the mobile. There is no USB or other connection to your mobile device and the image (or other data) appears instantly on the display linked to the touch panel…
For more on CEATEC 2009, please visit the Mobile Trendpool (subscription required).
Written By Florian Peter on Monday, December 21, 2009 at 5:39 PM | In General, Lifestyle, Marketing, USA | Please Comment
The VooDoo Music Experience is one of Louisiana’s most popular festivals, so an app that helps visitors navigate the grounds is more than welcome. The VooDoo Experience app uses augmented reality to overlay useful information over images taken with a mobile phone camera. Users simply activate the app, point it at what they’re interested in, and information appears on the screen.
For example, users can point the phone at the stage and the app will display the band that is playing…
To read more about this app, please visit the Mobile Trendpool (subscription required).
Written By CScout Japan on Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 7:19 PM | In General, Japan, Lifestyle | Please Comment
Willcom’s new Nico Heart mobile phone is designed to do only one thing: make phone calls. For that reason, it has received the National Tutoring School Association’s official recommendation. Tutoring schools, nicknamed “cram schools,” are after-school tutoring programs run by private organizations and a way of life for many Japanese kids. Citing the distraction of mobile phones, used by students to browse the internet and play games, the organization is endorsing the single function phone.
Indeed, Willcom did design the Nico Heart phone with children—and parents—in mind. Recognizing that parents primarily give their children mobile phones as a safety precaution and as a means to check up on them, Willcom created a handset that focuses only on that, and does away with the rest…
To read more about the Nico Heart phone and other mobile innovations, please visit our Mobile Trendpool (subscription required).
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