Each Friday, PhocusWire dissects and debates an industry trend or new development covered by PhocusWire that week. The New York Times once called Ian Schrager “the Steve Jobs of the hospitality industry.” Meaning, the Studio 54 founder and pioneer of the boutique hotel concept knows a thing or two about innovation and what consumers want. […] Read more
How smart is your home? If it’s anything like mine, it’s a heck of a lot smarter than it was 10 or even five years ago. That’s because our homes are now stocked with intelligent devices, like smart thermostats, smart speakers, and smart lightbulbs. But the trend for intelligent spaces extends far beyond our homes. […] Read more
A major plan that will form part of China’s global technology push has been dubbed as hype and will face a number of challenges, a technology industry body. China Standards 2035 is an ambitious 15-year blueprint that Beijing is expected to release this year. It will lay out China’s plans to set the global standards for the […] Read more
Technology giant Amazon has banned the police from using its controversial facial recognition software for a year. It comes after civil rights advocates raised concerns about potential racial bias in surveillance technology. This week IBM also said it would stop offering its facial recognition software for “mass surveillance or racial profiling”. The decisions follow growing […] Read more
China is the world’s largest manufacturer and consumer market for cars. Photo: Xinhua Beijing is aiming to boost exports of China-made foreign vehicles in coming years as domestic car sales slump and restrictions on overseas firms are loosened, according to a government report. Manufacturers like Ford Motors, GM, BMW and Honda are expected to expand […] Read more
Robots could be the future of food delivery in Asia. Companies in Japan and China have begun trials for indoor food delivery robots. China’s biggest food delivery company, Meituan Dianping, is testing its unmanned robots in about 10 offices and hotels in large Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen, said the company’s head of […] Read more
Buyer interest in Apple’s latest iPhone line up is lower than the previous year despite a more affordable price point, an annual survey by Piper Jaffray found. While Apple’s new iPhone 11 starts at $699, $50 less than last year’s iPhone XR, customers may be holding out for 5G models that the company is reportedly […] Read more
Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield are on board to star in the Fox Searchlight biopic “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” with “The Big Sick” director Michael Showalter on board to helm. Based on the documentary “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato from World of Wonder, the film tells the […] Read more