Eye Sightings
The Consumer Eyes Blog
Pizza Hut Courts Couples
February 13, 2012
Just in time for Valentine's Day, Pizza Hut has announced its new "Perfect Proposal" package, a $10,010 item that includes a ruby engagement ring, limo service, fireworks show, flowers, photographer and videographer, as well as a Pizza Hut dinner box. While this may be an extreme case of gilding the lilly - a standard, unadorned dinner box retails for a more reasonable $10 - we think it's also a clever way of highlighting a menu item aimed at couples. A few current trends suggest that this is a smart strategy-- spending habits learned at the depths of the recession appear to be holding even as the economic forecast brightens, and the number of married couples in which both partners work full-time continues to grow. A box of pizza, breadsticks and cinnamon sticks may not be the most orthodox way to start your life together, but, Pizza Hut seems to be thinking, it might help keep it together when you both get home at 8 o'clock on a Thursday night and don't feel like cooking. We're not expecting to hear about too many Pizza Hut-themed proposals in the coming months, but we wouldn't be surprised if other fast food restaurants begin to offer meals-for-two options.
The Future of TV
January 20, 2012
While the death of broadcast television has been widely predicted, this year's CES has shown that the television itself may outlive its original medium. New sets are offering higher-than-HD resolutions like 4K and 8K - something previously seen only in commercial movie theaters - as the next technological leap after 3D; web-connected apps for playing games, surfing the web and controlling a DVR; and creative new interfaces. Expect to see consumers controlling their televisions through voice and gesture commands, as well as repurposing the home TV as a family Skype station. Even Google TV is looking to make a comeback, with much-improved software that it hopes to see installed in a wide range of third-party devices. It may not be connected to rabbit ears or a cable box, but the TV looks like it will remain at the center of the 21st century home at least a little longer.
Power to the Patient - High Tech Home Treatment (And Diagnosis)
January 13, 2012
We've been hearing a lot lately about the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize, a competition to create the first real-life approximation of Star Trek's famous tricorder - a portable device that could diagnose any disease. Winning entries need only to be able to capture "key health metrics and diagnose a set of 15 diseases" to earn the $10 million award, but so far the prize remains unclaimed. However, it has gotten us thinking about the potential for technology to make healthcare more convenient... and consumers more independent. Here are a few real-life technologies that are putting diagnoses and treatments in the hands of the patients:
The researchers at startup GlassesOff claim to have discovered a novel way to cure presbyopia, a common age-related eyesight ailment. Load their software onto your iPhone and follow the instructions; you'll be guided through a series of eye exercises that supposedly help your brain better decipher blurred images. In early testing at the University of California, volunteers found that their reading speed increased by about 4 seconds per sentence.
The latest touch-screen devices like the iPhone use a capacitive surface to detect taps and swipes - and researchers in Korea say they're also sensitive enough to diagnose diseases like strep throat or influenza in saliva. Does this mean that someday you'll have to spit on your iPhone screen? Well, in a word, yes - but a disposable film layer for the screen has already been proposed that might help to make the process a little less, er, unhygienic.
Zeo Mobile is the newest entry in the crowded field of electronic sleep monitors. Unlike its competitors, however, it actually measures your brain activity. The data it gathers is then sent via bluetooth to your smartphone, where it's organized in a series of easy-to-understand charts and graphs. According to Mat Honan of Gizmodo, "Zeo tracks hard to capture data, shows it to you in an easily digestible manner and helps you understand and act on those numbers."
All About Lamb
January 10, 2012
Our latest Eyes On the Road video takes you inside the sheep barn at the Iowa State Fair, where we learn a little about exhibiting a prize sheep - plus the factors that are determining market prices for this premium industry.
2011 Wrapped Up
December 15, 2011
Gift season is upon us...but before we tear open our presents, we want to take a second to appreciate what's on the outside. Because while you can't judge a book by its cover, you might just be able to judge a gift (or its giver) by its thoughtful, crazy, value-added or just plain fun wrapping. Here are some of the most unique we've seen this year:
This "universal" wrapping paper is designed to mimic a word puzzle....hidden in the text are over a dozen different holidays and occasions. Locate the holiday you're currently celebrating, circle it, and it's ready for a lucky recipient.
Each sheet of this artisan-made 3-D wrapping paper comes with a pair of 3-D glasses.
Covered in QR codes, this just might be the world's most interactive wrapping paper. Each QR code leads to an original, proprietary video... turning any gift into a tiny holiday film festival.
Think this set of five burger-themed papers looks fun? Go to fledgling wrapping paper company Gift Couture's Kickstarter page and donate...er, pre-order. As soon as the project gets funded each backer will get a set of prints!
Not only are these one-of-a-kind wrapping papers made from pages of textbooks ready for the recycling bin (including the students' notes and scribbles!), 20% of the proceeds go to charities that help buy new textbooks for schools in Africa.
Mr. Ellie Pooh is an eco-friendly Fair Trade company that offers brightly colored papers made in Sri Lanka that are acid-free, organic and 100% recycled. And...oh, yes... 50% of the fiber content comes from elephant dung. The company's mission is to reduce some of the ongoing Human/Elephant conflict as well as to stimulate the economy in an impoverished corner of the world.
Wrap is an international design magazine that publishes work by both up-and-coming and established graphic artists. And the magazine's large format has been designed with no staples or stitching so that every illustrated sheet can be reused as wrapping paper.
Happy Holidays from Consumer Eyes!
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