Amazon is opening new stores — in the real world. And in true Big Tech fashion the experience is meant to emphasize convenience. All you need to do is walk in, grab your stuff, and go. #Economy #Labor #Workplace #Consumers #Tech #Amazon

The online food delivery industry has managed to solve an issue that has managed to stifle online retailers-- the so-called "last-mile"delivery. But the companies that can pull it off and turn a profit, tend to be local. The logistical challenge of the last mile is, in part, why Amazon's food delivery service, Amazon Restaurants, just failed. Companies like Seamless, Postmates, and Grubhub have the advantage of being small and local. Still, Amazon has taken note, and might co

A lot of money is pouring into the global diamond industry, but demand for diamonds has been less than lustrous of late. But, at the same time, money has been pouring into the industry. Why? We have on our hands – a four carat mystery. Full length podcast, here. Shorter, radio/All Things Considered version, here. #Consumers #Science #Tech #Marketing

India's population is 1.3 billion. So it only makes sense that American streaming giants Amazon and Netflix would want to get into the market. After all, that big number represents a lot of potential customers to binge watch your content. The move seems simple, right? Both companies have already figured out successful, international strategies. But so far, success in India has proved elusive. Sally Herships identifies three key strategies that may help. The first step - under

Cities across America are competing to host Amazon's second headquarters. Will it be worth it? Sally Herships reports from Newark, New Jersey, where tax breaks worth some $7bn are being offered to attract the online retail giant. #Tech #NewJersey #Amazon

Founding a startup today has become the stuff of TV and movies around the world. There's even a startup podcast about, you guessed it, startups, that can provide twenty-somethings who were not too long ago eating Cheetos in their dorm rooms while guzzling red bull, the opportunity to brush the crumbs off their hoodies, break out their best Vans and ask billionaires for millions. But in Japan today, founding a tech company is not what you might call super popular. Silicon Val

The Internet can tell us how long it takes to walk the length of the Great Wall of China (10 months), how many girlfriends George Clooney has had (lots) and even how many snowflakes fall in a year (about a septillion). But consumers still can’t quickly and easily compare prices for a leather purse (big enough to tote a laptop, please) or a 10-quart aluminum stockpot. Read more... #Retail #Consumers #Tech

Sally Herships: I’m about to play a joke on someone. Benjamin Clymer. Here’s what you need to know -- he’s editor of an upscale watch blog Hodinkee.com. This guy is all about watches. He’s wearing a vintage Rolex. Herships: Hey, do you know what time it is? Clymer: It is 1:37 on the dot. Herships: And how did you tell me? Clymer: On my iPhone. Here’s what makes Clymer’s answer even more ironic, we’re at Audemars Piguet, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, in midtown Manhattan, surroun

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Monday that Cornell University, with its partner the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, has been chosen to build a new applied sciences and engineering school on Roosevelt Island. It is another sign of his administration’s push to promote and expand the city’s growing technology sector. “It promises to create a beehive of innovation and discovery, attracting and nurturing the kind of technical talent that will spawn new companies, cr

New Yorkers are hearing things these days — and it is coming from the bushes. It is the sound of concrete crickets, little devices created by artist Michael Dory that play bits of music and make cricket-like sounds. Dory hides small sound devices in containers around the city, similar to the way graffiti artists spray paint their art on walls without asking anyone's consent. The crickets are just loud enough for passersby to hear. And like their namesake, the crickets stop ch