Is Tesla Trying to Compete With Uber?

tesla enhanced autopilot video

Tesla is making headlines for their recent press release on their new car models. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, revealed that Tesla’s three future models: the Model X, the Model S, and the Model 3 will be self-driving cars. This is of course is dependent on software and government regulations. People could argue that Tesla’s self-driving cars could be the new disruptive innovation of the car industry. Self-driving cars aren’t the main point of of this article is getting at, but rather it is one sentence in the report about Tesla trying to compete with Uber.

The sentence states that using Tesla’s cars for ride sharing for profit will only be available on the Tesla Network. Tesla declined make any comments about this post to Business Insider, but many speculations can be taken away from this. A so called “Driverless Taxi” could be coming very soon. Tesla plans to release an app for this service within the next year. Tesla’s plan for a “ride-hailing service” could be game changing for both customers and car owners. While Tesla owners are on vacation, they can connect their car to the Tesla Network, allowing it to pick up people and drive them where they need to go. This would be similar to Uber, but there would be no driver, and the owner of the car can make money while being thousands of miles away. In other words, Tesla has challenged Uber and other smaller companies with just one sentence from a news release.

Experts say that Uber has a slight edge on the new Tesla Network because they already have a well established system and network. Tesla might have a slight advantage with their name and how it is so appealing to customers. This idea can be related to Apple, and how everyone wants to have their products so they fit the norm. We will just have to see what happens.

I think that this could be an awesome innovation, but Tesla has to be careful with all potential threats to this system such as cyber attacks and driver error. If these can be accomplished, these cars could eventually take over the market. It would certainly take awhile to get used to this, but I think it could happen in the next 10 years.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-driverless-ridesharing-plans-could-take-on-uber-2016-10

OpenDataSoft Raises $5.4 Million For Analyzing Data

As we talked about in class, startups seem to be the new business model. A simple idea can spark exponential growth for a very small big in a short amount of time. OpenDataSoft, a startup company in France raised over five million dollars to make maneuvering large sets of data easier. Two well respected companies called Salesforce Finance and Asher Capital have backed OpenDataSoft so there future is looking very promising.

So what exactly does OpenDataSoft do? They are a company committed to making data easier to use and actually useful. In today’s world, many cities and governments have a plethora of data sets that go unused. OpenDataSoft strives to have these people take advantage of their data and pass it on. For example, they could take a cities data on mass transit, convert it a dashboard on a software such as Tableau, and then pass the data onto app developers to tackle a more efficient city. This will be a win win situation for city inhabitants.

This company will soon affect us in the United States, as OpenDataSoft plans to open an office in Boston. They hope to reach out to many more nationwide markets such as Germany and the U.K.

This is an awesome idea. Making data open to companies can have a major impact on improving people’s lives for a multitude of reasons. This startup will definitely add to the Internet of Things and it becoming the next best thing. Is our privacy in jeopardy though?

Source: https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/24/opendatasoft-raises-54-million-to-turn-data-into-apis/

 

Removing the USB Port from the MacBook Pro?

With the release of the Iphone 7 this fall, Apple removed the headphone jack from their device. Now there are rumors that Apple might remove USB port on their new MacBook Pro. This could cause a huge uproar for Apple customers.

skitch macbook pro usb port

Besides the possibility of removing the USB port and the magnetic charger, there are rumors that the new MacBook Pro will have a Touch ID, a fingerprint scanner like the recent Iphones, and there is a possibility that it might even be slimmer. This concept reminds me of the Motorola Razr phones that we grew up with. The recent rumors point out that Apple will most likely replace these old USB ports with those named USB-C ports. These USB-C ports are faster and more efficient than their predecessors.

Apple is releasing their MacBook design on October 27, so we will just have to see. I think that this will cause an uproar, but like recent Apple products, consumers will still buy them to be in the “norm.” It sure is hard to turn loyal Apple customers nowadays.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-to-kill-usb-port-on-new-macbook-pro-report-2016-10

Startup Company is Building a Tablet Just for Storing Photos

Joy Album table 01

A startup company named Joy, headed by Alan is creating a tablet for one use and one use only, sharing photos.The price of the tablet is now $299 if you pre-oder it, but this will be jacked up to $499 when it hits stores in the summer of next year. Chan stressed that the purpose of this tablet is to make sharing photos very easy. He talked about how his family has several devices to store photos, and he thought it would convenient if they could put all the photos into one central device.

Alan Chan plans to design the tablet to be approximately 13 inches wide and to be very easy to operate.  Chan wants it to be “something every generation can use.” The key behind Chan’s design is that it will instantly update any photo you add to the tablet. That way, any family member or friend, regardless of their location can view the photos with ease.

The tablet will have no access to email or an internet browser to make it very “simple.” The tablet will also be completely wireless as it has zero ports. The tablet is endorsed by investments by big name companies such as Obvious Ventures, Box Group, and The Chernin Group.

I think that this tablet is a great idea. It allows family and friends to view photos on one device. Since it has a very simple design, anyone will be able to view photos. This includes anyone from toddlers to great grandparents. This is truly an amazing device if it can be used by four different generations.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/joy-photo-album-tablet-launches-2016-10

New Platform to Help the Blind Navigate Surroundings

IBM and Carnegie Melon have teamed up to deploy an app called NavCog. NavCog can be used by visually impaired people that are anywhere from completely blind to those that are sighted (partially blind). It helps the user to navigate anything from busy cities to the interior of buildings like hotels. Bluetooth signals that are placed around walkways or under exit signs transmit to the app to let the person know where they are going. For example, in a hotel, it can tell the user where the mens and womens bathroom is in the lobby, where the main desk is located, and where the fitness room is located. It is very accurate, and the app can guide the user within feet of their destination.

The app has received positive feedback from several visually impaired people. Chieko Asakawa stated that the app allowed her to gain independence in her own life. She also said that NavCog has “improved her overall quality of life.”

Navigation App

The combination of multiple technologies is known as “cognitive assistance.” IBM and Carnegie Mellon are committed to “develop  robots that will complement humans’ missing abilities to sense the surrounding world.”

In the article, they showed a video of a new software than can detect emotions of a person. This face recognition software can be worn by a blind person, and when they encounter a person the software can tell them what emotions the person is feeling. For example, if the person has very tense muscles in their face and clenched fist, the program will tell them that the person is mad. They can change the way they approach and talk to the person in return.

As someone who has a visually impaired family member, the app has helped them out tremendously. It has allowed her to navigate hotels and restaurants without the help of someone else. The only part of the app the she did not like was that the iPhone had to be held flat when in use for navigation. If it was not, the sensors could not pick it up. She said this made using the app quite challenging sometimes, but overall it greatly improved her ability to navigate the interior of buildings.

Source: https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/october/blind-navigation-app.html

Sharing Data Fuels Growth

Earlier in the semester, we learned about the Internet of Things(IoT). It can be characterized as a large number of interconnected networks and sensors that can be put nearly anywhere. These sensors are important, but the data they provide for users is more important than anything else.

MIT Sloan Management Review released a study that looked at different parts of the Internet of Things and how companies share data. The report showed that firms that share data have more of a chance to grow and take over the market one day. In fact, 66% of these companies report to sharing data with their competitors. Crazy, right? “This exchange of device data across organizational borders deepens existing relationships between organizations and forges new relationships.”

(Image: a-image/iStockphoto)

The good news is that the talent gap for the IoT is very small. In addition to this, new hirees are bringing talent to firms with their IoT knowledge. In fact, 56% of employers reported this. Also, over a third of companies are working together to become experts with the Internet of Things. This is a great thing for users, companies are partnering together so a world full of sensors and nearly infinite data may be in sight. More importantly, 50% of the people surveyed believed that the IoT was important as of today.

The Internet of Things has so much potential, but the study concluded that firms need to focus on one main until the IoT becomes the next greatest thing. This is that managing data and developing relationships about this data is what is crucial. Companies need to work together and create a “network of organizational relationships that require dedicated resources and management attention.” Maintenance of these networks and data services is also key.

I hope the Internet of Things is coming soon. The IoT is on track to be a technology that our children could use growing up from the time they are toddlers.

Source: http://www.informationweek.com/iot/iot-success-sharing-data-analytics-fuels-growth-/d/d-id/1326970

Digital Divide Between Patients and Physicians

Image result for physicians patients

As we discussed in class yesterday, there are many different elements to the digital divide. One of the biggest elements to the digital divide nowadays is geography. There is a digital divide in the healthcare field today as well. There is a disconnect between how patients and doctors view technology such as electronic health records, and patient portals.

A study done by Medscape, concluded that 80% of patients think that Electronic Health Records make healthcare more efficient. Doctors do not have the same stance as only 54% believe that they are efficient. To add further to this point, just under half of doctors think that it improves communication between patient and doctor.

Physicians are being criticized for their disconnect to technology in healthcare. Nearly 3 in 5 doctors thought of technology as a “requirement” rather than an innovation. That is quite frightening as a patient, isn’t it? Older doctors were found to be strongly against new healthcare technology while younger doctors said they were open to the idea.

In terms of telemedicine visits or self-diagnosing apps, there is also a discombobulation of feelings between physicians and patients. 68% of patients said that they would rather be diagnosed through an office visit while 81% of physicians preferred office visits. This was surprising to me, I thought patients would want to be diagnosed via apps or virtual visits.

As you can see, the digital divide is so real and exists in nearly every part of the healthcare field. Hopefully physicians and patients can come to a consensus to make healthcare more efficient and satisfactory.

Sources: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/869343, aptelresearch.com

 

Best Times to Post on Social Media

These Are the Best Times to Post on Social Media

Social media can be used from anything to getting in touch with a long lost friend or family member to promoting a new business. Although many people today think of social media as a way to view meme’s, see embarrassing pictures of their friends, or vent about their day there is much more that goes on. Businesses all over the world are using social media platforms to reach out to clients, and in some cases even potential business partners.

So the question is, when is the best time to post? Well, this answer is not so straight forward as each platform has a different peak time. An analytics software called TrackMaven may have the answer. They conducted a study on five social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. The peak time for Twitter is on Thursday nights at 5:00 pm while the peak time for Facebook is Thursday evening around 8:00. LinkedIn has a peak time of 9:00 am on Wednesday while Instagram and Pinterest have peak times during the night Friday.

This makes sense, people are focused on getting work done at the beginning of the week, so social media outlets. LInkedIn is considered the most “professional” social media so it is perfectly understandable that business men and women are viewing it Wednesday morning on their commute to work or early morning duties at work. In terms of Instagram and Pinterest, their peak times are when people are relaxing for the day or night owls.

It is important that people pay attention to these peak times. If they aren’t reaching all their potential clients or customers, then is there really a point to making a post in the first place?

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/283304

Disruptive Food Innovations

The food industry is going to be drastically changed within the next ten years. Experts say that these disruptive innovations will come in three separate waves. The three different waves are the “uberisation” of food, smart kitchens, and smart food.

The “uberisation” of food can be characterized as a collaborative market that can be applied to food. Companies such as Eatwith and Mealsharin allow customers to eat restaurant-style food in the comfort of homes. Soon enough, people will be buying more food from dining commodities rather than grocery stores.

Smart kitchens rely on the Internet of Things. Smart utensils will customize people’s portion size and prevent indigestion by telling them to slow down while eating. Smart fridges will allow users to view their fridge from anywhere, to see available recipes, and the expiration dates of all goods. This will lead to less food waste and healthier people.

Smart food is the last of the three waves. Nanotechnology will the be crucial step that will get this last idea booming. Some examples of this smart food include cultured meat from the lab, nutrient dense algae powder, and salads grown with lighting other than natural sunlight. Smart food may the most important wave of them all. The UN’s Food and Agriculture stated that food output must rise by over 75% in the next  thirty-five years to feed the growing population

So is this all possible? Smart kitchens and smart food are very possible innovations. The technology and devices are present. It just depends on whether people want to accept this idea or it may be a little before its time. If the uberisation of food were to occur, it would be a completely different world. There would be very few grocery stores, but rather huge storage facilities that dispense food in the form of restaurant-style meals. This would be quite weird wouldn’t it?

Source: http://www.foodnavigator.com/Market-Trends/Is-your-firm-ready-for-3-waves-of-disruptive-food-innovation