Consumer Electronics Daily News

Kia Motors to Host NYC Pop-Up Concert as Lead-in to YouTube Music Awards

By Tara Neal and Paul Harris
Consumer Electronics Daily News Staff Writers

Kia Motors is hosting a pop-up music and comedy concert in New York City that will lead up to the first-ever YouTube Music Awards on November 2 and 3. The Kia Motors event will be held on November 2 and will be live-streamed on YouTube. Kia says that the concert, called “Soul Live,” will be featuring some of YouTube's biggest talents in addition to the 2014 Kia Soul.

"As a presenting sponsor of the YouTube Music Awards, Kia has the opportunity to tap into the world's largest online music destination and a new media property that aligns well with our brand's youthful spirit as well as our marketing pillars of music, pop culture and connected life," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing & communications, Kia Motors America. "The first-ever YouTube Music Awards will be a truly unique music experience, and our activities around the sponsorship, including the 'Soul-Live' event, are designed to engage and entertain music-loving audiences across the globe."

“I'm fitting this in between a housewarming and a Day of the Dead party,” said music superfan Abeer Abi-aad. “It's going to be huge. I'm really excited.” Streamed concert events at global venues around the world will start live-streaming at 5 a.m. ET on November 3, with a live awards ceremony held on New York City's Pier 36 and live-streamed on YouTube starting at 6 p.m. ET on November 3. Arcade Fire and Lindsey Stirling are among those who will be performing in the concert events.

Among the nominees for the YouTube Music Awards Artist of the Year are PSY, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Rihanna. Artist of the Year nominees were based on total number of views, likes, shares, comments and subscribers for music videos posted on YouTube. Winners will be selected from online voting at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/youtube.

Fan Stephanie Tinnelly of Tucson, Ariz., will be rooting for Rihanna in that category. “The only one I like on the list is Rihanna,” she said. “I'm not a fan of the other artists, and I really enjoy most of her songs.”

Among those in the running for YouTube Breakthrough, which recognizes the biggest breakout acts on YouTube, based on artists with the highest growth in views and subscribers over the past year, are Passenger, Rudimental and Naughty Boy as well as Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.
Fans can vote on their favorite artists in six categories: Artist of the Year, YouTube Breakthrough, Response of the Year, YouTube Phenomenon, Innovation of the Year and Video of the Year, until the show starts. Visit www.youtube.com/musicawards to vote.

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I Forgot My Phone-- A Short Film Critiquing Smartphone Overuse

by Hannah Hollins

Before stepping out of the door every morning, you ask yourself, "Wallet? Keys? Watch? Smartphone?" Now that the mobile phone has become a requirement-- a safety blanket, rather-- for modern society, its presence is becoming obnoxious in many situations. Last night on the 2013 Video Music Awards, the cameras had difficulty getting shots from the crowd-perspective because cell phone screens-- also recording the event-- were raised up, impeding the TV camera's vision. Where do smartphone users draw the line for documenting memories? Is it proper to instagram every meal and happy hour drink? Do you check your facebook feed absentmindedly while waiting for the bus to come, or when your friend excuses themself to use the bathroom? Charlene deGuzman wrote and stars in the short film, "I Forgot My Phone," which attacks the oversaturation of cell phone use in any given day.

 

While people are connected in new and innovative ways, social media and smartphone habits are actually alienating people from real life happening around them. Now that smartphone has become so ingrained with peoples' lives, the appearance of wearables on the market will create another buffer between tech users and the rest of the world. The world behind the google glass, the world around the bright little screen, is giant, compelling, and stimulating. Unfortunately, some smartphone users need a push-- or a day when they forget their phone-- to realize this.

Ubuntu Edge's Indiegogo Campaign a Flop

by Hannah Hollins

Canonical, creators of the Ubuntu Edge, the smartphone designed to run as its own linux-based computer, has failed to reach its ambitious $32 million campaign goal on Indiegogo. Since its July 22 start date, the campaign managed to fund $12,812,776, which is no small feat-- the highest grossing (and successful) campaign on Kickstarter, the Pebble watch, funded just over $10.2 million. However, Pebble didn't set the bar high-- their initial goal was a mere $100,000. This inspires interesting debate on the capabilities of crowdfunding. How does a startup or company find the right medium between a successful pitch and a reasonable goal?

The market was excited to see the Ubuntu Edge become a reality, but not $32 million excited. Would the Ubuntu Edge have succeeded if their goal was $10 million? $12 million? Yes. There were enthusiastic backers: Bloomberg purchased the top-tier, $80,000 bundle, which included 115 Ubuntu Edge smartphones and a free month of tech support and classes. 8 supporters gave $10,000 for one of the first 50 Ubuntu Edge phones to roll off the factory belt. Even when the supporter donation price for an Ubuntu Edge was dropped from $830 to $635, it sold a few more units, but no offer could motivate three times that number of backers to jump on the campaign.

Canonical justified their lofty goal by noting on their indiegogo campaign, "between design, certification and manufacture, the costs of building a new phone are huge -- but the more we produce, the lower the final cost of each handset. Setting such an ambitious target means a more competitive price per device." However, if there were backers willing to initially pay $830 initially for an Ubuntu Edge, it's clear that having a competitive price wasn't necessarily the deal maker. The Ubuntu Edge was something that would have been initially a niche market item, regardless of its price. People unfamiliar to the capabilities of Ubuntu likely would not spring for this phone, when placed next to an iPhone or other Android-based smartphone. The backers most enthusiastic about the Ubuntu Edge were developers and excited techies who prefer linux-based everything. Managing to hail the Ubuntu Edge to the worldwide market while making it affordable and accessible to everyone should not have been Canonical's initial goal.

With Canonical falling $20 million short of their goal, this event will be a lesson for other entrepreneurs trying to launch a large-scale project. Realizing a product in small batches and putting the product on the worldwide market are two entirely different steps. Aim for the first and the second wave of success will roll in easily over the first.

 

CEDN Exclusive: An Interview with Filip Technologies, Maker of First FCC-Certified Wearable Cellular Device

by Hannah Hollins

Filip Technologies announced that its debut product, the Filip, is officially the first FCC-certified, full-voice capability wearable cellular device. The Filip is worn on the wrist as a watch; it is a phone and smart locator for kids that keeps them in touch with parents at the push of a button. Children wearing the Filip can make and receive phone calls to and from five parent-approved phone numbers, and they can receive text messages from parents.

The Filip sets itself apart from the wearables trend because this tool is more than a tech accessory-- it is a necessary, useful communication device for modern families. It has only the necessary kid-friendly and adult-approved features, and none of the bells and whistles that make smartphones unsuitable for children. A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Filip Technologies found that 70 percent of parents in the United States feel that it is not appropriate to buy a smartphone for a child under 13. The same Harris Interactive survey found that 33 percent of parents with children between the ages of 6 and 12 were likely or very likely to purchase a very small, wearable, child-friendly mobile device that would allow them to call or locate their child in the event of an emergency.

In a CEDN-exclusive interview, I asked Jonathan Peachey, CEO of Filip technologies, about the future of wearables and about 21st century parenting.

CEDN: Do you think that as wearable devices become more common (such as the current-day smartwatch tech boom), the Filip will become more popular with parents and children?

JP: Absolutely. It's for a behavioral reason-- kids take cues from their parents. Wearables will become more popular among adults, and so kids will want to wear them to mimic their parents. The Filip was designed from the perspective of a child from the outset, so it's desirable and kid-friendly. The wearables space is currently in its infancy. While wearable computing and futuristic devices are being discussed with much hype, consumers are skeptical. They wonder if many of these wearable products are something they really need. There is a need for a product that keeps parents and children connected, and the Filip performs that function. Because it's a wearable, kids will lose it less than they would a mobile phone. Filip Technologies is excited for the Filip's success in the wearable space, but is keeping both feet on the ground.

CEDN: How does Filip's FCC certification place it at the forefront of wearable consumer technology?

JP: We're very proud of the FCC certification-- the Filip is the first wearable device with full two-way voice capability. Every consumer device with a radio-transmitting function must undergo a certification process. There are varying degrees of tests, and for those with full mobile capabilities, such as the Filip, the tests are very strict. Three years of engineering effort was spent on the Filip so it could meet those standards-- it was designed to comply with the toughest standards in the industry. This certification is paving the way for the Filip to operate on a national network, and a wireless partner will be announced in the coming weeks.

CEDN: While some people believe that this sort of technology will bring about a generation of helicopter parents and bubble kids, others find this technology to be an advantageous, integrated revolution to how kids will grow up in this new era. Do you have any comments on the future of 21st century parenting?

JP: Personally, I believe there is a natural inclination among parents to be connected to their child, but not too little, and not too much-- balance is necessary. When it comes to mobile devices specifically, parents are concerned about cyberbullying, texting, inappropriate content-- and that's why research shows that parents think their kids shouldn't have smartphones. Instead, parents and kids can balance their connection with the right technology used in the right way. There is no substitute for responsible parenting, but technology like the Filip brings greater freedom to kids and parents. It's interesting to talk to parents with kids in our target group: they are more concerned than ever about their children outside the safety of their home. They are keeping their children indoors, and are even stopping them from attending after-school activities. Their main concerns are not being able to reach their child, or the child not being able to reach the parent. The Filip is enabling kids to be kids again, and parents have the peace of mind that the child can take their parents with them on their adventure.

The Filip will be available for pre-sale in the fall and will ship in time for the 2013 holiday season.
For more information, please visit www.myFilip.com.

Nintendo Surprises with Wii U Release of Earthbound

by Hannah Hollins

Yesterday, Earthbound became available for digital puchase in the online Wii U store for $10. This came as a complete surprise to gamers everywhere-- there was no big announcement for the reintroduction for this SNES cult favorite. 

With very few new games being released for the WiiU console, Nintendo is making their strongest sales with the re-release of their back catalogue. Once again, the best parts of NES and SNES are available-- but this time around, you don't have to blow on the cartridge and reset the console several times.

While it's a joy to see Nintendo capitalizing on the popularity of their past games, it is necessary for Nintendo to create new content so the Wii U can stay relevant. Even if new games are being developed, Nintendo should still be informing fans of new re-releases of games in their digital store. Though seeing Earthbound pop up in the digital store yesterday was a pleasant surprise, a more public announce of its rerelease may have generated some much-needed positive buzz around Nintendo.