The Future Laboratory

190 results

Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

Smartphone reselling platform Cashify is challenging outdated attitudes to second-hand tech by reimagining a long-standing wedding ritual as a celebration of circularity.

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Culture & Media

Teens, Tech and Tapping Out

The unprecedented teen mental health crisis, coupled with the toxic and addictive nature of social media, may be inspiring a grassroots movement of activist parents looking to change youngsters’ relationships with their smartphones. But how will this evolve?

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Culture & Media

HMD and Nokia promote digital detox with new pocketable phones

HMD, the largest European manufacturer of smartphones and makers of Nokia phones since 2016, launched a trio of compact 4G phones in April 2024 to signal a departure from the relentless smartphone race.

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Marketing & Branding

Heineken and Bodega unveil The Boring Phone to encourage offline social…

In response to smartphones’ growing dominance and impact on real-life interactions, beer specialist Heineken and Bodega, a conceptual retail space encompassing street culture and contemporary fashion, have unveiled The Boring Phone.

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Culture & Media

Stat: Gen Z crave phone breaks more than Boomers

According to a new study by website-building company Squarespace, digital natives Gen Z are more willing to take a break from their devices than Baby Boomers.

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Technology

Stat: Low-income Americans rely on smartphone-only internet

According to a survey by Pew Research Center, this reality has caused particular concern during the pandemic, with many citizens having had to work or learn from home.

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Culture & Media

Lumenate app mimics the effects of psychedelics

Start-up Lumenate has released an app that uses a smartphone torch to put users in a meditative state that mirrors the effects of psychedelic therapies.