Smart displays — know what’s best for your space
As the holiday buying begins, a smart display is a great way to add Internet features such as maps, email, music and recipes to the right spaces. Wired’s review of smart displays shows the best choices for the appropriate application.
dis-rup-shun: This holiday season will be a good indicator of the longevity of this device category. Do consumers already have enough screens, or is there room for more? Being the best for a particular buyer has always been a smart competitive strategy, and JBL is the best for music lovers, whereas the Lenovo Smart Display seems optimized for Google recipes. The Lenovo Smart Clock is designed, well, to be a bedside clock with a USB charging port. Specialization equals differentiation in a crowded and yet unproven category.
Tesla Cybertruck makes a bumpy debut
Elon Musk debuted the electric Cybertruck pickup. The vehicle’s design reminds one of the stealth bomber. Its aluminum alloy body is bulletproof, withstanding a pounding with a sledge hammer on stage. Its bulletproof glass, however, did shatter when smashed with a steel ball, but the ball did not penetrate the glass. Production is said to begin in late 2021. CNN Business
dis-rup-shun: Ford and GM have announced electric pickups, but one can expect them to look nothing like the Tesla stealth-like design. Musk’s success with Tesla has not been simply that the company created an attractive electric car, but from the company’s ability to create a conversation piece — something unique and beautiful that people want. The Cybertruck’s unique look and bullet proof promise will ensure that it, also, appeals to a premium buyer and becomes a object of desire when released.
Expand your (virtual) art collection
Netgear’s Meural provides an attractive and interesting way to add art — both your own photos and digital creations, as well as a collection from the greatest masters of the world, through a subscription service — to your walls. The framed display, priced from $400 to $600, is updated via Wi-Fi and can be controlled with a smartphone app as well as through gestures. TechCrunch
dis-rup-shun: While it may happens slowly, art will be increasingly displayed digitally, especially in smaller homes. Art-as-a-service (AaaS) will become a convenient and economical way to enjoy variety.
A winner in U.S. – China trade war: European entrepreneurs
An unexpected beneficiary of the trade war has been European startups seeking venture capital. Capital investments in European tech firms has surged upwards due to the perception that they are safer bets, plus a strong track record of successful growth and exits by European tech. CNBC
dis-rup-shun: The trade war, like a hurricane, is redirecting rivers and changing landscapes. More money flowing into European tech will spur creativity and increase the rate of spin-offs, likely having a long-term effect on the continent and keeping an increased focus on the geography long after the trade wars end.