Looking to forms of functional design, we discover clocks that tell stories, orchestras that float, fashion that becomes food, bacteria that becomes fashion and a lamp that doubles up as a miniature greenhouse.Also see what maverick entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth has to say about his open source Ubuntu software project.Story tellingStory Time by Atelier NL with Laikingland is a time piece that doesn’t tell the time but tells a story as a sequence of events. By questioning our ...

Google accidentally posted a video of a new version of Gmail that features a revamped look, redesigned conversation threads and improved search to its YouTube channel. The new version of Gmail has been in the works since June this year when Google began tinkering with its features.This unofficial video, which features Jason Cornwell, user experience designer for Gmail, highlights other upcoming features in the new revamped Gmail. Google has since made the video private but not before YouTube user ...

There is little doubt that context will be the "defining principle" of mobile business for the next decade. That's according to Gartner's vice-president of research William Clark.Clark predicts that "context" will become a battle ground for powerful players in the tech industry such as Nokia, Microsoft, Baidu, Amazon, Google and Apple."Context-aware computing is the method by which new experiences are constructed that blend information from mobile, social, digital and physical world sources," Clark explained.Complementary to location awareness, ...

The Kindle is undoubtedly the world’s leading eBook reader. Slick, intuitive and lightweight, the Kindle feels like a real book in your hand. The e-ink technology creates the look of a paperback novel and as such, the Kindle can be read in even the most glaring of light. The Kindle with ads can be yours, thanks to Wantitall and Gearburn!WantItAll.co.za is an online shopping site that has been bringing over 14-million products to the South African market, since June 2006. ...

Google is determined that its social offering Google+ will be able to go toe-to-toe with social networking titan Facebook.According to Google executives, the California-based internet giant’s products will be increasingly woven into the fast-growing Google+ social networking platform. This, the executives said, would make joining the network irresistible."We are in an enviable position that we have people who come to Google," Vic Gundotra, vice president in charge of Google+, said at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco."We ...

The New York Times reportedly added more than 40 000 digital subscribers in the third financial quarter of 2011. Although advertising revenue continued to decline.The New York Times Co. reported a net profit of US$15.7-billion in the quarter which ended in September. This compared favourably with a loss of US$4.3-million in the same quarter last year.Revenue at the printing giant declined 3.1% to US$537.2-million.In addition to its New York Times flagship offering, Times Co. owns the Boston ...

A consortium of companies led by Microsoft is assembling a fund to purchase the ailing Yahoo!, the Wall Street Journal reported after speaking with “people familiar with the matter”.Reported partners in this deal with Microsoft include private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners and Silver Lake investor, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Silver Lake also recently invested in China's Alibaba in which Yahoo! has a 40% stake.People familiar with the matter also said that in addition to Microsoft’s consortium looking at ...

Technology moves at a breakneck pace, with the digital camera seemingly being left behind to lap up the sloppy-seconds of digital innovations. New startup Lytro is hoping to change all that by “focusing” its efforts on creating a camera which lets people snap shots, adding in the focus later.Eight years of hard work has led innovator Ren Ng to the release of his product. His idea of “Shoot now, focus later” will be pushed to the extreme as eager buyers ...

A strategic technology is defined as a technology that can have a significant impact on a company. It may be an existing technology that has matured or become suitable for a wider range of uses. It may also be an emerging technology that offers a strategic business advantage for early adopters or with potential for significant market disruption in the next five years.Here are 10 top strategic technologies you need to keep your eye on:Media Tablets. Users can ...

Much has been made about BlackBerry being backed into a corner. Its device sales are "falling" (not so, it has 20-million more users today than a year ago), there are "no apps" for the platform (yet it's the second most profitable app store), and BBM or BlackBerry Messenger is fast-becoming "irrelevant".Apple’s iMessage baked into iOS will "kill" BBM. Or, so say the headlines. Except it won’t.Today, BBM has more than 50-million active users (it had 28-million just a year ...