Focus: Latest

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Google Now: the power of context

Intelligent 'predictive' assistant Google Now is set to irreversibly change the way we interact with the web. Yet, riddled with privacy and ethical concerns, the reality is not so simple.

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Soundhalo: redressing the live experience

At concerts, the urge to document on smartphones is often prioritised over the experience itself, affecting the atmosphere for performers and fans alike. In response, video app Soundhalo attempts to offer its users the best of both worlds.

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Chris Hadfield: reinventing the role model

The boundaries between ourselves and the world's frontiers are diminishing. Astronaut Chris Hadfield used his online presence during his time on the International Space Station to let the public discover the wonders of space for themselves.

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YouTube goes live with Comedy Week

Combining old and new media stars with plenty of hype, YouTube Comedy Week is the site's first attempt at creating a live broadcast event. But can YouTube close the gap between internet success and its equivalent in the mainstream media?

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Target brings Facebook users in-store

As e-commerce expands, brands are rethinking their business models to cater to shifting consumer habits. Cartwheel is a collaboration between US retail titan Target and Facebook that bridges the gap between real-world shopping and social media.

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BT Sport: from broadband to broadcast

With 4.3 million people using internet video last year rather than paying for TV, broadcast and broadband are increasingly fused. While BSkyB hopes to eat into BT's broadband market share, BT is responding by moving into BSkyB's turf: television.

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SmartThings: integrating physical and digital lives

By 2020 there will be 50 billion objects connected to the internet. SmartThings enables true human-computer interaction by ensuring that everything we own – electronic and otherwise – is part of the conversation.

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Shared emotion: Dove's social experiment hits a nerve

Half of teenage girls in the UK have avoided certain activities because they feel bad about their looks. Skincare brand Dove is out to tackle low female self-esteem with its new advert that tells women “you are more beautiful than you think”.

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FreedomPop: the internet as a human right

According to 'disruptive' new internet service provider FreedomPop, 'the internet is a right, not a privilege'. Starting with low-income Americans, can the company's 'freemium' super-fast broadband model challenge the internet's biggest players?

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How The Hunt makes social media shoppable

The internet has become a sprawling hub of images often featuring desirable content – but no place to buy it. California-based start-up The Hunt has set out to tackle the problem by providing a new and interactive online shopping experience.

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How Tictail is bringing niche boutiques to the global marketplace

UK high street shops are shutting down at the rate of 32 a day, but new business Tictail has managed to open 10,000 boutiques across Europe in just ten months, with very little cost. There’s a bright future for retail, and increasingly it’s online.

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Mean Stinks: how P&G created a social movement for tweens

Secret is America's best-selling female deodorant. Keen to encourage a new generation of consumers to take up the product, parent company P&G tapped into a broad social concern that connects parents and children alike: bullying.

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How Vizify is putting personal data to work

With 92% of employers using or considering using social networks for recruiting in 2012, personal identity platform Vizify collates information from social media to deliver the perfect first impression.

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How rome2rio built a new path to purchase for travellers

With a third of Brits spending over 10 hours researching a holiday, a new generation of apps is refining the process. As mobile becomes indispensable for travellers, rome2rio maps out journeys door-to-door to minimise both travel and planning time.

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How Nesta is using coffee to bring people back together

While technology increases connectivity, it can also create distance, and even feelings of isolation. In a drive to spark new conversations and connections, UK charity Nesta is turning to coffee breaks to bring alienated workers back together.

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How Disney is using data to make magic

As smart technology changes the way consumers interact with brands and products, innovations like Disney's MyMagic+ are leading the charge towards contactless payment and a smarter, more efficient world.

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How H&M is getting down with Tumblr's teens (& Other Stories)

As 'remix' culture becomes increasingly popular, people are placing a greater value on self-expression than ever before. & Other Stories is a mid-range conceptual clothing brand that encourages customers to build their own 'stories'.

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EatWith: social dining experiences

The rapid rise of smart technologies can make creating and maintaining meaningful human relationships a challenge. In response, EatWith offers its users an authentic dining experience coupled with the opportunity to form new social bonds.

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The connection economy: Net Minds reinvents self-publishing

With the internet making self-publication easier than ever, from fan fiction to restaurant reviews, how does 'next generation' publisher Net Minds help truly authoritative, quality-focused voices break through the unfiltered multitudes?

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Shopkick: rewarding shoppers on the high street

In the smartphone era, 'traditional' card-based loyalty schemes are evolving. How does Shopkick, an app that rewards people for shopping, inject new life into the high street?