Trends to Watch
Recession helps cut auto deaths
Car crash fatalities fell in 40 states in ‘08, driven partly by people driving less because of the recession and seat belt use reaching a record high of 83%. That's according to a survey by the Governors Highway Safety Association. Other reasons for the decline include high gas prices in the first part of the year that caused people to drive less or even more slowly to boost fuel efficiency. The survey follows a government report that found auto fatalities dropped 10% in Jan.-Oct. If that trend held up in Nov.-Dec., car crash deaths could reach their lowest level in 42 years.
Robo-medics eyed for battlefield
A snakelike robotic arm could help military medics to check wounded soldiers in the midst of a battle without putting the medics in harm's way. Carnegie Mellon Univ. scientists said the robot includes a camera that can send images back to medics, who would guide the device using a wireless controller. Researchers are also working with the Army on a similar robot that would be integrated into a portable intensive care unit to help medics quickly assess battlefield injuries.
55% of Americans say a college degree is
essential for success, up from just 31% in 2000, a new survey said. The perceived need for a degree fell in the 1990s as Internet startups amassed quick fortunes, which were largely lost in the dot-com crash. Most surveyed, however, say college costs pose a major obstacle, with 70% expressing doubt that students can get the financial aid they need.
Execs less optimistic about future
Only 21% of CEOs worldwide are very confident of revenue growth in the next 12 months, down from 50% a year ago, says an annual survey of CEOs by PricewaterhouseCoopers. And executives are gloomier about longer-term growth prospects. Just 34% said they're very confident of growth over the next 3 years, down from 42% last year. In addition, CEOs said they're keeping an eye on energy costs, with 80% taking steps to cut energy expenses and 50% seeking alternative energy sources to power some of their operations.
Homes being built in the U.S.
are getting smaller as people downsize by choice or by necessity. The average size of homes started in Q3 last year was 2,438 square feet, down from 2,629 square feet in the previous quarter, according to U.S. census data. Among homebuilders, 88% say they're planning to build a greater number of smaller homes, according to an industry survey.
Job Web sites see surge in traffic
The number of Americans visiting job-search sites grew 51% to 18.8 mil last year, making such sites the fastest-growing Web content category, according to ComScore. The tracking firm said that as layoffs spread, the final months of '08 were among that year's most heavily trafficked; those months are usually a time of seasonal softness as people focus on the holidays. CareerBuilder.com led the category with 9.1 mil visitors, up 78% vs. a year ago. Monster.com was No. 2 with 6.7 mil, up 62%. Yahoo's HotJobs was No. 3 with 5.6 mil, up 146%.
China looks poised to surpass
the U.S. and become the world's No. 1 vehicle market. Auto sales in China have slowed, but they haven't plunged as in the U.S., where Jan. sales fell 37% to about 657,000 vehicles, a 26-year low. China's Jan. sales are expected to drop 8% to 790,000 vehicles. Experts see China's auto sales hitting 10.7 mil vehicles in '09 vs. estimates for 9.8 mil units sold in the U.S.
Mobile phone subscriptions soar
The global mobile market will add 1.9 billion net subscriptions in the next 6 years and reach 5.3 billion sign-ups, says a report by U.K. research firm Informa Telecoms & Media. Informa says that extraordinary growth will come after it took more than 20 years to reach 3 billion subscriptions. It sees 47% of the net subscription additions coming from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and Russia, with just 8% of the net adds coming from the mature markets of North America and Western Europe. Subscription penetration worldwide may approach 75% in 6 years.
Survey: Web tops print for news
A new survey says the Internet is a main news source for 40% of Americans, marking the first time that more people say they rely on the Web than on newspapers. That's up from being a main news source for just 26% in Sept. '07. TV continues to be the nation's No.1 news source, says the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. But among Americans younger than 30, the Web now matches TV as a main source of news.
Snakelike robots
that can climb scaffolding and buildings by wrapping around poles have been developed at Va. Tech. Researchers say their 3-foot long robots could fill in for construction workers when it comes to dangerous jobs like inspecting skyscrapers or underwater bridges. They say the robots maybe on the market in 2 years.
Half of Americans want to move
Nearly 50% of U.S. residents would rather live somewhere else,, a survey by Pew Research Center found. Denver was selected as the most desirable city to live in among 30 largest cities, followed by San Diego and Seattle. The least popular was Detroit, followed by Cleveland and Cincinnati. Also, more Americans would rather live in a place with more McDonald’s locations than in one with more Starbucks stores. In addition, the poll found 70% of rural man were content with where they lived, vs just half of the rural women.
Recession hit wedding industry
While in past economic slumps the wedding industry has been relatively resilient, the current recession has spurred lovebirds to cut back as they got hitched. This according to the Wedding Report, a market research firm. The average amount spent on a wedding fell 24% last year to $24,814. The amount spent is projected to drop 6%-8% this year. For engagement rings, the average amount spent fell 30% in ’08 and is expected to decline 10% in ’09, hitting $2,900.
A new solar technology
Can more than double the amount of heat created by solar panels. A regular panel only convert certain spectra of light, about 60% of the energy that is found in other wave lengths, goes to waste. But the technology developed by Boston startup MTPV which uses more spectra of light can boost energy efficiency by 85%.
A new video game
patented by Nintendo will allow players to turn over control to virtual players modeled after themselves. The virtual players analyze the performance of their human counterparts an seek to mimic their skill levels. The game also will let players skip to particular scenes. Nintendo hopes the changes will make its products more appealing to casual gamers.
Feature rich phones prove a pain
More than 60% of mobile phone users in the U.S. and U.K. think setting up a new handset is as challenging as moving bank accounts, according to a survey by a mobile phone company, MFformation. 85% of the users aid they are frustrated by the learning functions of new phones, and any spent more than an hour to set up phones even when the manuals say it takes only 15 minutes. Many users gave up sending pictures and e-mails if it wasn’t easy.