Fancy pens are fancy. They’re nice to own, really great to write with, and awful pretty. But what happens when you mash up fancy pen manufacturer Montblanc with some digital paper? Baby, you got a 21st century stew goin’. Montblanc calls it Montblanc Augmented Paper and it’s basically specially coded (and coated) paper that lets the pen and notebook sense their position. The… Read More
BMW first to sell CarPlay as standalone service
BMW buyers will now have the option to get CarPlay installed in their new rides. But for a cost. BMW is charging $ 300 to add the service to new vehicles making the German auto maker the first to charge buyers for access to CarPlay.
This sits as a starch difference from other manufacturers which either include CarPlay as a standard feature or bundle it in a technology package. BMW is selling… Read More
HSN’s first pitch-off competition goes in search of the next big consumer product
HSN is looking for the next big American consumer product. Today, 100 makers and entrepreneurs from around the U.S. will pitch their products for a chance to win airtime on HSN, a listing on HSN.com, a piece in Good Housekeeping magazine and its “Seal of Approval,” following testing. The products will come from across categories, like home, kitchen, toys, productivity, and yes,… Read More
Taking Sphero’s BB-8 Force Band for a spin
Sphero’s BB-8 was arguably the compelling bit of merchandizing, which is, naturally, saying a lot. The latest Star Wars film was, as anticipated, a merch juggernaut, but there was no better bit of serendipity than a startup smartphone-controlled toy maker and the movie’s scene stealing droid. How does one go about improving up such a glorious bit of cross over marketing? Use the… Read More
Secret ‘bursts into flames’ feature may be behind Samsung’s Note 7 delays
The Galaxy Note 7 seems like a pretty decent phone if you like phones literally the size of the galaxy (Brian does) — but be aware that Samsung’s curvy-screened flagship device may be prone to, well, exploding. Fear not, however: Samsung is looking into it. Read More