360-degree video, which has been described as the next big thing in tech for 2016, is slowly gaining traction in New Zealand as brands begin experimenting with it in creative ways. Here’s a rundown of how a few of them have been using it so far. PLUS: a first-hand account of Augusto’s experience with the technology.
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The upcoming New Year’s resolutions may be easier to achieve thanks to athletic polar bears, vibrating belts, smart socks and maybe even wearable bananas.
Visions of the future are fertile territory for psychics, science fiction writers and highly paid consultants. And as Spark attempts to move from dumb pipes to digital services, it’s joined in the fun and created Spark Life 2025 to show what life might be like ten years from now. And NZME has helped bring its vision to life online.
For innovation to be successful, it needs to solve problems and make life easier. Wayne Pick believes there are three major tech trends doing just that and ushering in ‘the internet of me’ era. And, given the future is where the profit is proven to lie, brands should be paying attention to them.
Why are the likes of Google and Facebook acting so altruistically and exploring options to provide internet access around the world? And what do their movements mean for the traditional telcos and marketers? Anthony Gardiner looks at what is destined to be a highly disruptive journey.
Sam Gribben, former CEO of Serato, has ventured off to create his own app, Melodics, which aids aspiring DJs to learn the art of pad drumming. We found out more on the new app and how he’s rolling it out into a tech-crowded market.
As home automation makes its way to the mainstream, a system that lets you answer your doorbell on your smartphone or tablet is now available in New Zealand. And the company bringing it in believes it will help stop burglaries and remove courier-based frustrations.
In addition to performing a cameo on TVNZ show Reno Rumble and taking over the Herald homepage with an interactive ad, Kevin and Donna also made an appearance in Sunday magazine as part of an execution that saw the Valspar brand integrated across numerous pages. UPDATE: see the Valspar chameleon interrupt Reno Rumble.
There has been a lot of talk and hype about virtual reality in recent times. And just in the past month we’ve had a few sets of cardboard virtual reality goggles sent to the office from PR companies, which shows it’s very much in the public consciousness. One brand, which jumped onto the VR trend early in a marketing capacity, is Contiki. We had a chat to Contiki’s global CEO Casper Urhammer to find out more about the travel brand’s use of it. PLUS: with the amount of research and development going into virtual reality, is it better to wait?
Samsung has released its Samsung Galaxy Note5 and teamed up with designer menswear brand Working Style to promote the product in New Zealand, creating an analogy between the streamlined design of the device and the fine workmanship of a tailored suit via a TVC by Augusto.
SelfieJobs, a Stockholm-based startup, is shaking up the recruitment industry with an app that approaches recruitment and job hunting in much the same way that millennials are going about dating. The app requires users to pitch a 22-second pitch video and then swipe through available jobs in their region.
In an effort to draw attention to continued murder of humanitarian aid workers, Action Against Hunger has released a moving campaign that features a young boy called Barrack Obama calling on world leaders to provide support to the aid workers who are trying their best to feed those caught up in the misery of war.
Contagion’s Dean Taylor investigates why Google, Amazon and Apple dominate their respective fields, and what he finds is that these three juggernauts have a lot in common.
When we think about going on holiday often our imagination kicks in. We might picture ourselves on some luscious tropical island, lying on the beach, pina colada in hand, listening to the soothing sound of rolling waves or maybe even off on some big adventure, backpacking across Europe or Asia perhaps. Well, now Contiki is giving prospective travellers the opportunity to truly envision a travel adventure, with the use of virtual reality technology.
Half-a-dozen Kiwi Property shopping centres will soon be getting massive state-of-the-art digital screens, reminiscent of Times Square in New York. Not only that, selected centres will also be getting interactive, touch screen panels. The screens, called Evoke screens, can play high definition, full-motion video.
Idealog’s Jonathan Cotton on our oft-misplaced enthusiasm when overhyped technology doesn’t deliver what it promised and why from now on he’ll be taking the next big technology launch with a grain of salt.
At a time when new technology is increasingly presented as the answer to every problem, Damon Stapleton argues that we still need innovators and creatives to think up solutions for the problems caused by the technology we often revere.
Business speakers are often stimulating, sometimes boring. Often entertaining, sometimes worthy. Rarely is a speaker overwhelming. But listening to Silicon Valley strategist and entrepreneur Salim Ismail is just that. And he believes many companies are woefully incapable of adapting to a world where almost unimaginable growth trajectories are becoming the norm.
Book snobs, cover your ears. Booktrack, the platform that provides intelligent synced audio content to e-books has just secured another NZ$7.5M in funding. And the education market is where much of the potential looks to be.
When it comes to surprises, the most you’re likely to get from the established taxi industry is another arbitrary fee ($3 extra to pay using EFTPOS? Come on). But, in keeping with its desire to turn the transport industry upside down, Uber often looks to surprise its existing users—and add more new ones—by delivering more than just humans. So, as part of a global campaign that is set to deliver ice cream to 253 cities on Friday, inhabitants of Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown will be able to request a tub of Giapo’s hokey pokey gelato. And it’s working with Hyundai on the promotion as well.
Ahhhhh, the desk. That thing many of us spend far too much time sitting at (and slowly dying). And that thing that has been completely transformed by the technological revolution of the past few decades, as a clip from the Harvard Innovation Lab shows.
Following on from last launch of its digital app hub for small- to medium-sized businesses, Spark has now confirmed that it will begin offering smarthome security services later this year—adding yet another digital trinket to its growing portfolio of tools for both consumers and business people. The telco—a descriptor that’s becoming increasingly inaccurate—will beta launch the product called Morepork before the end of the week, enabling users to control and monitor their homes remotely via their smartphones.
The Register’s own Elly Strang donned one of the first sets of Samsung Gear virtual reality goggles to appear on our shores. This is what she saw when she headed along for a sneak preview at Noel Leeming.
Periscope is an app focused on mobile live streaming. And it’s been getting a lot of attention in certain tech media circles for the last little while. So will anyone use it? What about copyright issues? And what’s on offer for advertisers?
The Apple Watch has, as expected, created plenty of chatter. And it’s now launched three TV ads showcasing what it can do—and, perhaps unintentionally, what it can stop.
In the latest edition of the ‘Rise of the machines’ series, we chat to Vodafone’s general manager of digital and social media Geri Ellis on how the rapid progression in digital technology is impacting the teams that sit on the client side of the industry.
Modern humans already have plenty of gadgets around them. Now they have gadgets to put on them. And Apple is the latest to enter the wearables market with the launch of the Apple Watch, which will go on sale in April 24 in nine countries and in New Zealand later in the year. And, in traditional Apple style, the product has taken centre stage in the advertising.
New advances in drone technology have caused a big increase in patent applications, say AJ Park’s Anton Blijlevens and Jillian Lim.
ZenithOptimedia has released its latest consumer insights report containing its predicted top ten trends for 2015, with a main overall trend appearing to be the use of technology to create powerful, personalised experiences for consumers.
MYOB’s chief technology officer Simon Raik-Allen has in his publication, Future of Business Report – New Zealand 2040, speculated on what the future will look like—and, apparently, there are quite a few surprise on the horizon.