Ericsson ConsumerLab just released its annual "10 Hot Consumer Trends for 2018" report, providing insight on the biggest consumer tech trends for the coming year. The report hits on underlying shifts behind automation and the creation of a leisure society, social media echo chambers, augmented hearing, and other trends. Michael Bjorn, Head of Research at Ericsson and author of the report, sat down with us to discuss the biggest trends to watch out for.
Bjorn fills us in on what he believes is the most surprising trend. He says we used to have to know how to use the devices, but now the devices know how to use us. As an example, Bjorn highlights face recognition technology and says it could help use your mood or expressions to know how to react.
Emerging tech is scary and alluring at the same time, says Bjorn. One of the scary parts uncovered from his research is that half of the people said they'd be spooked if they couldn’t tell whether communication was coming from a bot or a human. Concerns that privacy is at risk have been rising, but he predicts we’ll see more of a demand for services that protect us as well.
This year's worldwide semiconductor shortage limited the supply of everything from new cars to smartphones; and now, many in the chip industry expect the shortage to continue deep into 2022, and maybe even 2023. Semiconductor senior research analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co., Tristan Gerra, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Pavel Bains, the Executive Producer of MixMob and CEO of Bluzelle, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to elaborate on an opinion piece he wrote for CoinDesk in which he compares the cultural significance of crypto to hip hop in the 1990s.
Direct health care company Nomi Health recently raised $110 million in a Series A round. Nomi Health lets public and private organizations directly purchase healthcare at reduced costs, and pay providers in real-time. It also delivers healthcare directly to under-served communities via its fleet of mobile care units, which the company says is the largest in the country. Nomi Health says its mission is to improve the health care experience for all Americans. Nomi Health CEO Mark Newman joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Bitcoin's rise to the mainstream has been a wild ride this year. The cryptocurrency is trading a little under $49,000 Wednesday morning and is set to finish the year sharply higher than where it began earlier this year. Ether prices also soared this year, rising from $730 per coin to nearly $4,000. Ben Armstrong, founder of Bitboy Crypto, joins us to discuss what's in store for crypto in 2022.
The NHTSA is investigating Tesla over the potential for crashes and distracted driving due to its front touch screen "Passenger Play" game option. The probe covers 580,000 vehicles for all four models from 2017 to 2022.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed staff about workplace culture concerns after they expressed issues with what they perceived as a lack of honesty, candor, and humility from their executives. Pichai attributed some of the challenges to remote communication during the ongoing pandemic.
The boys discuss President Biden's plans to send out free rapid tests as the testing supply chain starts to buckle ahead of the holidays. Also, why aren't Americans having more babies, and The Matrix returns.
