Imagine you find yourself shopping for a brand new outfit at the local Macy’s. You’ve tried on far more options than you can count, but you’ve managed to narrow it down to two options. The difference? Fifty dollars and a fancy name brand. You decide to go ahead and indulge yourself, walking away with a new lavish gettup. However, what convinced you to select the more expensive outfit over the more economical option? This article from The Guardian suggests that background music could have played a role in this process. Music consultancy is a thriving industry responsible for curating the music you hear when checking into a hotel, selecting a new vehicle, or even when browsing through the Macy’s showroom. Assigning a musical personality to a space or brand can be a very abstract and subjective ordeal. In fact, a music consultant might have to cultivate an entire playlist based on the desired atmosphere the client wants for a room. So, next time you find yourself listening to background music in a public setting, you just might try to figure out the intention behind the music.
Carpooling and Live streaming music services are two seemingly unrelated topics that are very popular in the modern world. However, efforts from emerging ridesharing companies such as Cargo and Steereo are combining the best of both worlds. Cargo focuses on offering passengers an environment of entertainment through music streaming while Steereo rewards drivers for streaming music from undiscovered artists to its passengers. This combination offers an entire new realm for media creators and advertisers to experiment with. Furthermore, the introduction of 5G mobile networks linked with autonomous vehicles has the potential to shift consumer spending habits. The potential is limitless and these collaborations may become commonplace sooner than we know it.
Imagine rolling up your laptop and shoving it in your back pocket before rushing out the door for your next meeting. According to The Verge, scenarios like this aren’t too far fetched. In fact, Samsung is devising a new piece of tech called the Infinity Flex Display, a tablet that folds into a full functional smartphone. This device has two screens made out of a flexible polymer. By closing the tablet, the user can then activate the cell phone screen on the outside of the device. Although the invention sounds sleek, the device is somewhat clunky in phone form. Still in its elementary stages, the projected success of foldable phones is a debatable topic. However, many other types of foldable devices (e.g. rollable televisions, stretchable displays, and foldable iPhones) are already rumored to be released. As a result, it may not be a question of if foldable displays will succeed, but rather when they will be used and by whom.
Dolby is commonly associated with professional movie theatre sound. However, Dolby is now offering their first ever consumer-centered headphones. These headphones are designed to watch movies from home TVs, computers, tablets or phones, but with the portable Dolby-level sound. The headphones offer noise-canceling features and can connect up to three bluetooth devices. However, the company makes a point to mention that while the headphones are noise-canceling, they are not “life-canceling,” making the product friendly to the home environment.
