by admin | Oct 8, 2014 | Innovation
Headset vendor Plantronics is sponsoring a contest with $85,000 in total prize money to encourage developers to create innovations for future-generation Bluetooth headsets that will be used by enterprises, hearing-impaired people and the general public. The 2015 PLT Labs Application Innovation Contest, which is open to participants in 33 nations, opens for competition Sept. 29 and will crown its winners on May 9, 2015, according to a recent announcement by the company. The contest will give developers access to Plantronics APIs, SDKs and product concept prototypes that will allow them to experiment and create innovations that could find their way into future products from the company, Cary Bran, the vice president of innovation and new ventures with Plantronics, told eWEEK in an interview. It’s the first time that the company has sponsored a formal design contest like this one, outside of frequent 24- or 48-hour hackathons and smaller events it has participated in over the last few years, said Bran. “It’s ground-breaking for us. We’re very excited about it.” Read more about it...
by admin | Oct 7, 2014 | Innovation
Let’s do some word association. What’s your first thought when someone talks about “innovation” at your company? You probably think of “ground-breaking changes” and “drastic overhauls.” Gmail, the XBox, Nike Air, the Post-It Note. “We’re gonna make millions…” Yes, those certainly fit the definition of innovation. But there’s something to be said for getting the innovation ball rolling by focusing on a series of small ideas that have measurable impact over time. Read more about it...
by admin | Oct 7, 2014 | Innovation
If you are under the age of 50, there’s a good chance you are fiercely attached toSesame Street, the show that shepherded so many of us through our toddler years. You may remember sitting in rapt attention, wondering if anybody would believe that Mr. Snuffleupagus was real, or giggling hysterically about Oscar the Grouch’s musical ode to trash. For generations of viewers, Sesame Street is a portal to a simpler, more innocent time in their lives. This creates something of a quandary for the show’s producers: how do you keep evolving a show so it doesn’t get stale without offending its devoted fans? “It’s a lot harder than we make it look,” says Carol-Lynn Parente, executive producer of Sesame Workshop, who’s spent 25 years lovingly crafting the content of the show. “When you’re trying to keep a brand that is 45 years old fresh, you have to do it within the essence of what it is. Trying to stay relevant within the confines of people’s expectations is a tricky fence to walk.” To make things even more complicated, Parente tells Fast Company that Sesame Street–whose 45th season launches today–is written on two levels: for children, of course, but also for the parents who are watching with them. She says the show was never meant to simply educate children, but to foster better communication between toddlers and their caregivers. “The show has to be furry, heartfelt, educational, funny, and clever for both adults and children,” she says. “Any piece of content you produce always has to be some version of all of those things mixed into one.” Read more about it...
by admin | Oct 6, 2014 | Innovation
Risk aversion comes in many forms and faces. When the purchasingdecision chain is full of doubters, this can bedevil an entrepreneur’s attempts to find innovation-minded customers who will go out on a limb and try a new way of doing business. The media and entertainment industry offers a great example. It’s all sparkle and sizzle on the outside but when it comes to internal processes, decision makers often have an intense fear or change. The resistance is understandable. Much is at stake with TV and film production: There’s a need to monetize assets so that everyone is paid, plus the reputations of all involved on the screen and behind it are on the line. The pressure-packed global production cycle and 24/7 news cycle mean there’s little spare time to recover should a new technology fail to deliver. Read more about it...
by admin | Oct 3, 2014 | Innovation
Just look at the likes of Woolworths, Polaroid, Alta Vista, Kodak, Blockbuster, Borders… the list goes on. All steamrollered by strings of ones and noughts and changing consumer behaviour. But why are so many big companies so bad at it? “Typically, big companies are much more conservative than start-ups and won’t do anything that is untested or could risk future profits,” says George Deeb, managing partner at business consultancy Red Rocket Ventures. “Innovation efforts really require a very different, more entrepreneurial risk-taking mindset.” Jackie Fenn, a specialist in innovation at research consultancy Gartner, told the BBC: “Size can add to the challenges. A strong brand can have a fear that failure may damage its reputation. Read more about it...
by admin | Oct 3, 2014 | Innovation
During the last seismic Apple announcement, in 2010, I was at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco as Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad, a device he said was so singular it would create its own landing strip. When the expected reveal came, there was a huge roar, and I looked around to see many of my fellow journalists clapping their hands red. I was an interloper in the land of tech announcements, but I was surprised that a group of cynical-by-nature reporters had been so completely won over in the moment. Read more here....
