InfoBit #2 – Amazon’s Kindle Fire
Article : http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/09/dynamite-the-levees-amazons-triple-threat-to-undercut-the-consumer-biz/
Twitter Summary:
Twitter Summary: This article talks about the resiliency in wall street on AAPL stocks as Jobs passes.
Steve Jobs had an amazing perspective on simplicity and what the consumers wanted. Not only did he create a product, but he created a following of loyal Apple buyers.
Surprisingly enough, the brand remains strong on the market as the man who created everything has passed. The shareholders still have confidence in Apple, and believe that the company will continue to succeed in the future. But the questions is, how long? What will the company look like without Steve in the picture? Will his long-term plan of the company survive? For now, and based on market confidence, the answer is yes.
Although there is some disappointment with the launch of the new iPhone 4s, the talks of the iPhone 5 has investors and consumers intrigued. As long as Apple keeps innovating, keeps their loyal following, they will have no problem with future success; all thanks to the man that made it happen.
RIP Steve Jobs
-Coleton Thielmann
Article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20116626-17/apple-stock-trading-up-following-jobs-death/
Amazon releases 3 new Kindle’s and undercut the entire market.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bozus announced earlier today that Amazon was releasing 3 new Kindles with the intention to gain all the market that currently don’t have or cant afford iPads or other higher end tablets.
The Kindle Fire will be sold for $199, Kindle Touch 3G for $149, and Kindle Touch for $99. Bezos said that he wants Kindle to be an end-to-end service. Not only will you be able to stream video, buy books, read books, and store media through Amazon’s cloud, you will be doing it all on an Amazon product. To me this seems very much like how Apple branded itself. (You buy music on iTunes to store on your iPhone or iPod, that connects to your Mac computer).
The article I read concluded the story best saying “Amazon’s unveiled a family of devices that stays true to its mission of bringing digital reading and media devices to as many people as possible. Now we have to see just how this market can grow.”
InfoBit #1 : A Smart T-Shirt That Monitors Vital Signs Without Wires
Twitter Summary:
New Smart T-Shirts that can monitor vital signs and possibly save lives.
Some researchers in Madrid recently came up with an idea that has the potential to help out the medical industry immensely. Right now hospitals use a Holter Monitor to measure electrical activity in the nervous system of patients, and the monitor uses a series of cords and intrusive patches to get the necessary information.
Jose Ignacio Moreno came up with a t-shirt that essentially does the same thing that a Holter Monitor can do, just with more comfort and less hassle. Currently the latest version of the T-Shirt isn’t able to transmit the exact same information as a holter but is said to be a good intermediate device. Patients can bring the shirt home and information will be sent to the doctor who will make the decision whether further testing is necessary.
As soon as I saw this I thought about the NYX Performance T-shirt company in our class. I think if they integrated this technology to their t-shirts it would separate them from the competition immensely plus users will be able to make sure they’re not working out outside of the proper intensity. The article also refers to a few Spanish soccer players who have died in the last few years, all of which could have been prevented with proper health monitoring.
http://www.incrediblethings.com/art-design/buy-extra-lives-and-extra-spin-cycles-with-the-same-quarter/2) THE GAMING-LAUNDRY MACHINE
Have you ever had to take your clothes to a public laundry area and wait around with nothing to do? There isn't a more boring place to be than the laundro-mat with just the whirr of machines to keep you occupied. This is where the Game Laundry Machine comes in to work it's magic! It is an innovative combo of a game player and a laundry machine, allowing the users to kick out their time with funny video games when keep washing their clothes at the same time. But keep in mind that you’ll need to put in more coins to do the washing if you lose the game – the more games you lose, the more coins you need to spend.
MY OPINION:
I think that this is a fabulous idea, especially for our generation of people who always need to be constantly stimulated and entertained. Living the student lifestyle, I know how boring laundro-mats can be, but having the opportunity to do something fun while I am also doing boring, practical chores would sure make the time fly. I think this is good for our class to know about because it shows people that there is a market for anything. Being able to take something so mundane and necessary, like doing laundry, and turning it into a somewhat fun time is incredible. Just think of other areas of everyday life we can apply this to.
1) THE MOVABLE SLEEP BOX
The movable sleep box is a small building that comes equipped with beds, electrical utilities including automatic shades and touch screen TV’s. The sleep box is ideal for airports or train stations, giving people a secure place to sleep while enduring long waits.
The movable sleep box first debuted in Moscow International Airport. The design is chic and trendy, modeled in a similar format of IKEA this product is as functional as it is modern and clean-cut. While you wait for your train or plane to come you can slip away into a private “temporary home”, charge your electronics, and catch some zzz’s. Some sleep boxes have up to three beds making it family friendly.
MY OPINION:
I think that this is useful for the class to know about because it shows us to think BIG. We always see people sleeping on benches at airports, train stations, even school in between classes! How often have you shook your head and said "they have no shame...." when really all you had to do was say "here is an opportunity to provide people a way to meet their needs". Clearly there is a need for a place to sleep in areas with long layovers and wait times, and this sleep-box makes crashing classy. People will pay for comfort and privacy- even if only for a few hours. This just goes to show that even the simplest ideas can be made into a business.
http://www.inewidea.com/2011/09/19/40212.html#more-40212
Info bits
Twitter Summary
Is aid really the solution? Patient capital is a new way to empower entrepreneurs in developing countrieshttp://www.ted.com/talks/jacqueline_novogratz_a_third_way_to_think_about_aid.html
In this article Jacqueline Novogratz talks about the impact of aid sent to developing countries especially Africa. She identifies two groups of people, one who are against any form of aid and the other who are strong supporters of aid. She calls for a new way to help developing countries. She calls it patient care whereby rather than sending aid money to governments or NGO'S, it should be sent to local entrepreneurs. She points out that any major changes that have happened in the world were a result of activities carried out by entrepreneurs.
This presents a huge opportunity for investors or businesses as they can start sending money or investing in local entrepreneurs who help make a difference in their community. In addition to this, they can help increase entrepreneurship around the world.
Twitter Summary: Google has come up with a payment option that can be transacted over your phone. "A credit card pasted to your phone."
Opinion: I am never enthusiastic about how technology is making payment options more easy. When I can't wrap my head around how the technology works, I don't trust it, especially when its dealing with my credit cards.
This will however, make our phones an all-in-one wallet, personal device, scheduling, social media, internet surfing, sharing device. You can now do pretty much everything from your phone. And in this North American, "Time is Money" culture, nothing is more suiting. But personally, I don't like where things are headed.
-Coleton Thielmann
Summary: President Obama signed a law that will implement a new patent filing system. This system will take over the old one that was slow and inefficient. It hopes to decrease wait times while updating the old computer systems as well. Currently, the old system has roughly 700,000 applicants backlogged.
In short, the old system was determined as "the first to invent," and now it is changing to "the first to file."
The downside is that more small business owners must pay a higher fee to receive a patent while the bigger companies have no problems with paying an upfront fee to be the first to file.
This will decrease "garage" invention companies that start small and give power to the bigger companies.
Also, the patent office has the right to challenge an application at any time which will cause more delays and even higher fees.
Twitter Summary: President Obama signed a law that will change the old system of filing patents to a new and improved version.
Opinion: Yes it might be more efficient, but the fact that less small business will evolve from this doesn't sit well with me. I also don't like the bigger and more competitive companies getting larger and more profitable. They can easily take advantage of the new system while paying the up-front fees with out blinking an eye. It doesn't give much hope for small inventor and their intangible property.
-Coleton Thielmann
