CONSUMER CATCH-UP: P&G launching 'smart diapers,' online searches for canceling Prime membership peaked on Prime Day, and Twitter tweaks its design again
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Procter & Gamble launches app-connected "smart diaper"
The Lumi by Pampers system will allow parents to monitor their baby through a "smart diaper" linked to a smartphone app.
Designed for babies ranging from newborn to 12 months, the system will include two diaper activity sensors, sensor-compatible diapers, and an HD video camera.
The sensors automatically record the baby's sleep patterns and detect when a diaper is wet.
These devices have a battery life of about three months. The app will notify parents when the battery is low to replace the sensor.
The system's camera features night vision, two-way audio and room condition tracking.
Procter & Gamble Co. collaborated with California-based companies Verily Life Sciences and Logitech to develop this "all-in-one connected care system."
Lumi by Pampers will be available for purchase this fall. Although there is no set price yet, P&G has started a waitlist for the product.
Online searches for "cancel Amazon Prime" peak on Prime Day
Looks like a lot of Amazon Prime customers are taking our advice. Searches for the term "canceling Amazon Prime" were up on Monday, the first day of Amazon's two-day Prime Day sale.
Intelligence company Captify found that those searches were 18 times higher than the day before. Captify posits that many people signed up for Prime memberships in order to browse the sale - then immediately canceled their account. Amazon offers a 30-day free trial of its program to new members.
"If Amazon is hoping to use Prime Day as a way to sign up and retain new Prime Members, they might need to rethink their retention plan," said Captify in a statement. "According to search, consumers are signing up for Prime, getting their deals and then canceling membership shortly after."
Twitter tweaks its design for clearer conversations
After rolling out a redesign of their web browser interface, Twitter is experimenting with new labels to help users follow conversations.
Twitter originally tried labelling the participants of a conversation with text labels like "Author" and "Mentioned." Those text labels took up too much real estate on a tiny phone screen, so now Twitter is trying out tiny icons instead.
Some are complaining that the new icons are too hard to see to be helpful, and that the feature might lead to more confusion than clarity.
These icon tests are live now, but not for all users.
Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.
