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A phone case system for simpler living

Nolii, London

London – Nolii's collection of multipurpose gadgets offers sustainability-centric technology to improve how we live, work and play.

The range is built around its patented Click Lock Couple Case system for smartphones, which allows users to switch the case between a variety of accessories in line with their daily routines, including a wallet, battery power pack and fitness band. To give a degree of personalisation Nolii offers 40 over colour combinations, allowing customers to tailor the case system to their personal or workplace aesthetic.

To produce the range, the brand has focused on human-centric design principles that tackle everyday points of friction. It has also ensured the product line is responsibly manufactured and built to last. ‘Nolii is the result of my own frustrations with how tech accessories seemed to make life harder, not easier. We built Nolii [as] a challenger brand set to re-imagine how we experience tech,’ explains Asad Hamir, the brand's co-founder.

As explored in our recent opinion piece, product designers are being challenged to design true era-appropriate goods by understanding the current and future needs of users alongside the planetary impact.

Multifunctional lighting to elevate Los Angeles streets

Superbloom by Project Room, Los Angeles

California – Design studio Project Room hopes to bring a new standard of street lighting to Los Angeles.

Having won the city's Lights the Way competition, its Superbloom concept works by accommodating the city's current lighting requirements while also having the ability to adapt to residents’ future needs.

Featuring a 'bouquet' of aluminium tubes, the Superbloom light system can serve multiple functions – from a pedestrian-height sidelight to a vehicle charging port. The design also allows additional features such as coloured bulbs, shade fixtures and 5G functionality to be added to street lamps as needed, or in line with a district's personality.

‘Project Room’s design illuminates a future that does more than brighten public spaces – it brings smarter design to our neighbourhoods, helps us combat climate change and promotes equity across our city,’ said Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles.

In our Future Cities vertical, we delve into more ideas, innovations and expert opinions that will shape the future of urban environments for 2030 and beyond.

String unites daters via voice notes

Global – String is a new dating app that allows users to find their match by sending voice messages.

While social distancing has temporarily halted physical connections, String elevates online dating by using voice notes as a key form of communication.

Members seeking romantic connections can first narrow down the selection of people they want to converse with by swiping left or right. Once matched, they then record and send voice notes back and forth as a means of breaking the ice.

‘Sometimes jokes are misunderstood, and sarcasm is missed because they are just words on a screen and you don't really know the person well enough to pick up on the cues,’ reads a statement from String. Consequently, by adding the voice-led feature, String hopes to offer a platform where personalities and connections can flourish better.

As people navigate the current climate of socially distant dating, new functionalities are emerging to enable connections and conversation. To find out more, explore Socially Distant Dating.

String

Stat: Bollywood loses viewers to on-demand streaming

Nike Air Max Day

Digital tv, film and game streaming among India's youth is leaving the nation's popular Bollywood film industry in its wake.

A new report by Dentsu Aegis Network India examines the daily content and gaming habits of India's urban Generation Z and Millennial audiences. It reveals a 240% rise in the viewing of on-demand streaming services between 2016 and 2019, surpassing the popularity of the nation’s film industry.

The report considers India's national lockdown as a catalyst for more recent growth, with those surveyed saying they have signed up to two or three new platforms on average during this period. Today, some 49% of India’s youth spend two to three hours a day binge-watching content, while 65% of young people prefer to consume video content on a laptop or mobile over traditional tv.

This behavioural shift presents entertainment platforms with an opportunity to tap into these new content preferences. As Pluc TV founder Tamseel Hussain tells us, India’s youth are increasingly driving more purposeful storytelling.