The Next Generation of Travel Mugs

During the cold State College winter, I frequently enjoy hot beverages like tea or coffee to keep warm. There is nothing like seeing Au Bon Pain in the distance after trekking across campus in a negative degree windchill. The steaming hot cinnamon spice tea from Au Bon Pain frequently warms me up. However, sometimes instead of sipping a hot tea, my drink quickly becomes lukewarm when going back outside.

To eliminate this problem, a startup called Ember has found a solution with a heated mug. The Ember mug has a built-in heating system which a user can control on the bottom of the mug. With a twist of the dial, a person can set the mug to their desired temperature. Ember then does the rest of the work of keeping your coffee at the set temperature.

In addition to the temperature dial, Ember’s Bluetooth capability allows users to use an app. You can be notified when the temperature changes, adjust the temperature by using your phone, and even store presets for your favorite drinks!

The battery allows the mug to stay at the target temperature for up to 2 hours or virtually forever when placed on the charging coaster. The mug holds up to 12 ounces and can be pre-ordered for $129. Eventually, the mug will retail for $149.

Ember is an expensive investment and it is difficult to tell the lifespan of the mug. In addition to the high price tag, it is not dishwasher or microwave safe. I looked whether it can be submerged in water for cleaning but could not find any specific information (it may prove difficult to clean).

In my opinion, I would not pay $129 for a mug that I could possibly lose or forget in the library. Even though it can be disappointing when my “hot” coffee or tea is barely warm, I don’t think I’m willing to drop over $100 on a high tech mug.

Would you spend upwards of $129 on a travel mug to keep your coffee warm? If not, what price would you pay? Do you think this new product will catch on?

Reference

Cosmetic Technology

Today, online shopping is growing more popular each day. By 2020, 87% of people are expected to be online shopping. Brick and mortar retailers must adjust their marketing techniques and store experience to entice customers to visit their store. Companies must also have user-friendly websites that facilitate an easy online ordering process.

It is fairly easy to purchase electronics online and even clothing items because many websites have size charts. However, it is difficult for the bath and body, beauty, and fragrance market to create a good experience for online shoppers.

Customers looking for a new perfume or a cosmetic item find it difficult to shop online because it is important for them to test the product in real-life. Two brands recognized this importance and launched partnerships with technology companies to develop an online “trial” process.

YSL partnered with Google to enable makeup artists to show customers how to apply makeup via digital technology. YSL makeup artists will use Google Glass to film makeovers with customers. At the end of the session, the video can be emailed with “before” and “after” shots. Women can re-watch the video at home to recreate and learn the artist’s techniques. Google Glass is especially helpful because it is hands free. This technology permits YSL to provide personalized customer service which no other luxury make-up brand has done.

L’Oreal developed an app to help customers find the right product. The Makeup Genius beauty app uses facial mapping technology that transforms the screen of an Apple product into a virtual mirror. Users are able to try on various L’Oreal products including lipstick and eyeliner. The app uses an algorithm to capture 64 data points on a user’s face that can distinguish your skin tone, lip color, and other features.

Have you used this app? Will other drugstore brands of makeup such as CoverGirl and Revlon begin using the same technology? Would you question whether the app truly represents the color of the product?

Check out the article for more information.

The Next Generation of Earbuds

EARIN are the smallest, wireless earbuds on the market.

Earin began as a Kickstarter campaign by Olle Linden in 2013 with a goal of creating extraordinary audio products for people who love music. Linden, a design and mechanical engineer, previously worked for Sony and Nokia designing audio components. He credits technological advances in wireless transmission of stereo sound for sparking his vision.

Their earbuds have no cords, no wires and the company has worked to make the earbuds as light and small as possible. Earin weighs only .12 oz.! Even though the earbuds are small, they don’t sacrifice acoustic detail and clarity. They are built with two amps that “drive high-precision balanced armature speakers”. The amplifiers produce excellent high and mid tones with minimal distortion and noise isolating technology.

Earin is specifically angled to fit in the ear channel and lock in the back of the ear. The angle, along with its minimal size and weight, allow for a perfect fit. There are three different sizes of the lock to make sure Earin does not fall out of the ear. This feature is perfect for athletes during their workouts.

When Earin is not in use, they can be placed in a silver capsule to charge automatically. The capsule can easily fit in a person’s pocket or backpack.

The Earbuds are available on Kickstarter for around $168.

If Earin becomes more affordable, will more people purchase them?

Currently, the big Beats headphones are popular. Will this small and compact product catch on? What are some benefits and drawbacks of Earin wireless earbuds?

Additional Source:

http://www.gizmag.com/earin-worlds-smallest-wireless-earphone/32554/

http://uncrate.com/stuff/earin-wireless-earbuds/

Privacy

If you can, think back to when you signed up for Facebook. Most likely you  quickly clicked through all the disclaimers and entered some personal information. As soon as your page was created, you couldn’t wait to send friend requests, post photos, and creep on your classmates. For many of us, this was ages ago. We have since deleted embarrassing and questionable pictures and replaced them with Instagram worthy works of art. How many of us have a picture of a sunset in Happy Valley or Beaver Stadium on game day? However, what you may not realize is Facebook holds the rights to all posted content.

A report concluded that Facebook is acting in violation of European privacy law.

An article on USA Today highlighted the fact that even if a Facebook user posts a legal notice protecting against copyright, their content is still not safe. Facebook’s Terms of Service indicate Facebook has the right to use, distribute, and share the items you post.

Although Facebook updated their Terms and Policies in January 2015 in an attempt to become more transparent, users still face privacy issues. Facebook’s privacy settings and terms and conditions may be sufficient in the United States, but European countries are questioning the standards. The Belgian Data Protection Authority published a report citing concerns about if the new policies comply with EU Data protection law. The main complaint involved Facebook’s use of data and plug-ins in creating advertisement networks. For example, if a friend “likes” a company’s post, they may be featured in a “Sponsored Story” or social ad. There is no way to opt out other than not “liking” altogether. Plug-ins also allow Facebook to track your location and produce location specific sponsored content. The report concluded that Facebook gives a false sense of security since it is difficult to disable plug-ins and other features. More information can be found in this Wall Street Journal article.

Is the United States too lenient on allowing private information to be accessed? Do you feel Facebook is transparent in their policies?

Internet Regulation

Although the internet in the United States is largely unregulated, this is not the case in other countries around the world. For example, China uses firewalls, threatens to incarcerate journalists, and shuts down publications that do not agree with Chinese government views.

China’s Constitution includes freedom of speech and press. However, China justifies their actions in regulating the internet by saying news releases divulge “state secrets” and could pose a threat. There is no written definition of what constitutes a “secret” leaving it up to officials to determine. Over a dozen groups commissioned by the government review and enforce laws related to information in China. The Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department is the main body that monitors internet content in China.

A country that has recently moved towards internet censorship is Russia. After protests in the summer of 2012, Russia created the Roskomnadzor. The agency keeps a list of blocked sites, eliminates access to websites criticizing Vladimir Putin. The main function of the Roskomnadzor is to keep “dangerous content” off of the internet.

It seems that Russia is gradually moving in the direction of full censorship of the internet.

Will other countries follow? What do you think the pros and cons are of internet regulation?  Will the United States ever regulate the internet?

Information on China’s censorship: http://www.cfr.org/china/media-censorship-china/p11515

For more information on Russia’s regulation: http://www.wired.com/2014/12/rospotrebnadzor/