The week in innovation: AT&T, DuPont and the NY Times

The $128 billion telecom AT&T highlights new ideas related to communications in its online Innovation Showcase. The showcase features everything from new data visualization tools to smart luggage. Most of the innovations are only proof-of-concepts at this point, but the showcase demonstrates the breadth of what the company is cultivating. DuPont, on the other hand, focuses on breakthroughs in sustainability and waste-reduction in selecting its 24th annual packaging innovation awards.

An internal report at the New York Times highlights the paper’s difficulty moving from print-centric journalism into the world of mobile apps, social media, and round-the-clock digital publishing. A very honest look at efforts to transform a company that led its industry in the 20th century, but is watching competitors gnaw away at its customer base in the 21st. “The best companies constantly look for ways to get better,” wrote Dean Baquet, the Times’ new editor, in an e-mail to his staff. “They embrace change, rather than simply telling themselves how good they are.”

Executives from Deloitte, Intel Ventures India, Zensar, and Persistent Systems have banded together to source and mentor product innovations in India. Called i4C, which stands for “Inter-Institutional Inclusive Innovations Center,” the nonprofit will look to scout and develop innovations, using competitions and challenges to fuel submissions. The move is the latest in a series of partnerships aimed at identifying disruptive concepts in the developing world.