Nov 30, 2015 | General
I know many of you are tired of hearing it, but we’ve got to talk about Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales. It’s an indicator of how the Christmas shopping season will go and possibly, how 2015’s economy will go.
Between Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, retailers made 4.45 billion dollars online. But that’s part of the story. Over a billion and a half, about a third if those online sales, were processed with mobile devices. These stats are courtesy of Abode, who track 4,500 retail websites from mega global corporations to small businesses. According to IBM, basket sales (sales per person) on Black Friday/Thanksgiving Day increased 20% from last year. Electronics continue to lead the charge, especially items like smartwatches, LED TVs, Microsoft’s Surface Pro, and XBox video game systems. If you still do most of your online purchasing on desktop, don’t feel like a dinosaur. Desktop still leads the way in conducting online shopping. But trends are changing. In the next several years, more people will use mobile technology then desktop. Cyber Monday is tomorrow. Cyber Monday has traditionally been the Black Friday of Internet shopping. Adobe predicts- this Cyber Monday will be the biggest yet. Will Adobe be right?
First thing first: Just because Thanksgiving was such a good sales day doesn’t mean we should continue this nonsense. You’ve got the whole month to make money. Thanksgiving ought to be about family and friends and food . It should be no surprise LCD TVs lead the list of most popular electronics. I’ve seen many a Black Friday consumers carrying an LCD TV in reports. Two other trends: increased smartwatch sales tell me more are moving to smartwatch technology. Mobile online shopping increases tells me this method of shopping is now routine. What holds in store for Cyber Monday? And how do you think Small Business Saturday sales did?
Nov 28, 2015 | Uncategorized
Happy Small Business Saturday! Because they’re some of us who don’t like long lines, big crowds, snarling, pushing, trampling, fighting. This day is for us, and the Internet helps promote it.
One may think the Internet favors mega corporations because of they have most of the online superstores and most of the online advertising. But that’s just part of the story. Smartphones and cloud computing often give small businesses an upper edge. Accounting and inventory can be purchased, managed and used through automation services at high quality levels. And since over 90% of Americans own a smartphone, these small business needs can be worked on at any time. Cloud and smartphone technologies give them more time to innovate. In fact, it’s easier for small businesses to innovate because big, global corporations because of the scale of a major corporation. Don’t forget, a mom and pop website can get just as many hits, and as many sales as Amazon and Walmart. This may not happen often, but the technology, and the potential, is always there. All that’s needed is shipping, and shipping companies don’t discriminate based on business size. Add the business owner’s potential to the growing consumer sentiment about local businesses. Last year, consumers spent $5.7 billion of Small Business Saturday alone. This trend has no sign of slowing down.
I try to be as non-bias as possible at times with these blogs, but I can’t with this one. I’m glad people are taking note of Small Business Saturday. Thankfully, technology makes it a level playing field. And that’s good for everybody. Let’s not forget: American free-market enterprise is because of small business. Believe it or now, even Walmart and Target were once small businesses. And I’m happy small businesses can stand on their own without getting shut down or merged out. Whey should the big-time mega corporations have all the fun?
Nov 25, 2015 | internet, Uncategorized
The holiday season means pictures…lots and lots of pictures. Everyone has that retentive friend or family member who needs that perfect photo. There is an app for him/her.
This is where website LuxMyPhoto comes in. LuxMyPhoto has an arsenal of professional photo editors at your commands. All you have to do is type in or click the command and push the button. Upload your photos to the website. Leave instructions to the editor. Then wait and watch what you get back. LuxMyPhoto left some bait for potential customers. Use Yahoo Tech’s Deal Seeker exclusive code 7J35NA. This code will get you 20% off for the rest of 2015. From the looks of it, you can edit just about anything on LuxMyPhoto. You can make?the color background lighter or darker. You can remove wrinkles, and even alter body parts. Are there too many people in the background? This website can erase them. Are you taking pictures of pets? LuxMyPhoto can get rid of the grass in front of the pets’ face. If you’re taking corporate pictures for a job interview, it can even get the wrinkles out of your shirt. So you took a picture of your presentation and that pesky flower is in the middle? This website can get rid of it too. Prices start at $23 a photo; that’s before the pre-New Years’ discount.
I would use LuxMyPhoto for corporate/business photos, but that’s about it. For personal photos, this website just encourages fakeness. There’s something real about people in the background, a crying baby, snow on a dog, a bad pose, or bad lighting. Those are the best photos because often, they tell the best stories. There’s one when I beg them to wait until I was ready to have my picture taken, but they snapped the photo anyway. That picture tells a story. But that’s just me. Would you use LuxMyPhoto?
We at Geek Choice would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday.
Nov 24, 2015 | Smartphone
Ah, the holiday travel season. Nothing says Happy Holidays like crowded airports, miserable flights, tight security and exploding tempers. What if you miss your flight? Was it canceled or severely delayed? There’s an app for that.
That app is called Freebird. For about the cost of an airport dinner for two, you can book another flight on your smartphone or device. Just follow the simple instructions on Freebird. There are no mean-spirited airline reps, and no outrageous fees either. Before you can make alternative plans through Freebird, your original flight needs to be cancelled or delayed for 4+ hours. Then Freebird will send you a text to alert you about alternate flights. Freebird came out last week. It will cost you $19 to re-book an alternative one way, and $34 to re-book an alternative round trip. It will give you a choice of substitution flights. Follow Freebird’s instructions, pick your favorite flight, and press ‘Book Flight’. The ticket gets delivered to your phone, and you use that ticket to get on your new flight. And just like that; it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress. Let’s say a blizzard goes down. All flights are grounded. Not even Freebird can bail you out of that one.
I have a feeling Freebird is going to be very popular in the next five or six weeks. It’s no coincidence Freebird chose mid-November to be released. That’s just smart planning. Now let’s talk about weather related issues. If a couple of flights are canceled, Freebird is just what the doctor ordered. But remember how bad the last winter was for some of the country? Remember when airports were shut down for two days at a time…then again…then again? What if that happens again this year? What’s to say that it won’t? So far this Thanksgiving week, we’ve seen blizzard like conditions from Colorado to Illinois. Can Freebird save travelers from this during the busiest travel week of the year?
Nov 23, 2015 | Smartphone
The next time you have a medical issue or health emergency, there will be a new doctor in town. Here’s to paging Dr. Uber.
Word on the technology street is Uber is preparing to serve health care needs with the push of their app button. Later this week, Uber riders can get flu shots from registered professional nurses for $10. This will be in 36 US cities. They hope to vaccinate at least 10,000 people. Uber also hires their official health adviser: Dr. John Brownstein. He runs the Computational Epidemiology Group at Boston‘s Children Hospital in Massachusetts. He’s also a bio-medics professor at Harvard Medical School. Brownstein believes vaccines are important, but not always convenient. That’s why he wants Uber to bring vaccines to the people. In 2007, Brownstein co-founded Epidemico. Epidemico studies and interprets data to forecast potential health problems. Last year, Brownstein helped Uber do a trial run of this program. They used Uber to deliver vaccines in Boston, New York City, Washington DC and Chicago. Over 2,000 people were vaccinated. According to an article in Annuls in Internal Medicine, 486 people participated in a follow up survey. Up to 80% say Uber’s convenience was one of the main reasons they got vaccinated. Many surveyed say they won’t go to a doctor or clinic to get a flu shot.
This is a good way to get people to get a flu shot. And Uber has filled in the gap between patients and vaccinations. But I must admit, I’m slightly suspicious of the vaccinations themselves. Despite more people getting vaccinated, 2014-15 was one of the worst flu seasons ever. I know. Some medical experts say vaccinations are weaker because flu mutations are stronger. ?I’m no conspiracy theorist or anything like that, but if I were Uber I’d take a long, critical look at the facts before getting involved with this. Yes, getting shots delivered to you with nursing care for a low cost is admirable. But is it getting results?
Nov 22, 2015 | Entertainment, internet
Yesterday, I talked about the streaming race. Amazon lags behind You Tube and Netflix. And if you’re an aspire screenwriter, you could help Amazon Studios be more competitive in the streaming market.
A few days ago, Amazon launched a free cloud friendly screenwriter software service called Amazon Storywriter. Actually, it’s a product of Amazon Studios. Even before Amazon Storywriter, they accepted scripts for films, children’s shows, and comedies. With Amazon Storywriter, they will take drama submissions. There are other new policies. Before Amazon Storywriter, scripts submitted to Amazon Studios took a 45 day unpaid waiting option. It would pay $10,000 for an extended period. With Storywriter, they will negotiate with the screenwriter about proper payment. The writer can accept or reject the offer. Since I’m no attorney, you can read about it for yourself here. ?Amazon Studio is trying to follow Netflix’s footsteps and produce their own original programming. They’re starting to succeed. They have a show called “Gortimer Gibbon?s Life on Normal Street”, already in it’s second season. Amazon Storywriter has auto-formatting to help the screenwriter create his/her masterpiece. It supports PDF, FDX, and Fountain formats. It works with a Mac as well as a PC.
Amazon Kindle was to help get struggling authors get noticed, even make the big time. Amazon Storywriter is designed to help struggling screenwriters do the same. This is a great vehicle to get many a screenwriter the big break they dream of, without kissing up to the big boys in Hollywood. This could also help Amazon produce independent entertainment that can help them in the streaming race. It can help more professional scriptwriters, such as those from the Writers Guild of America. If they’re negotiating with screenwriters for proper salary, and they didn’t do that before, what does that tell you? So I wonder, will Amazon Storyline help Amazon get the edge in the streaming race?
Nov 21, 2015 | Entertainment, internet, youtube
Is it safe to say traditional TV is dying? I say this because not only is streaming taking over, but the streaming field is getting crowded. There’s You Tube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Go, and that’s just to name a few.
Netflix is winning the streaming war, but barely. In the last year, Netflix and You Tube have been neck and neck in competing for the hearts and wallets for a hungry streaming public. By November 2015, Netflix had a slight edge. But both Netflix and You Tube had a huge edge over competitors Amazon, Hulu and HBO Go. In the past year, 51% of Americans say they used Netflix. You Tube placed slightly lower. Less than 30% polled say they ever used Hulu or Amazon for streaming. HBO Go placed last. Around 15% of Americans polled said they haven’t used this service in the past year. The survey is conducted by RBC Capital Markets. Many credit Netflix’s top rise due to it’s original shows. Recently, You Tube announced it’s ad-free service called You Tube Red. For $9.99 a month, viewers can watch all the You Tube shows they want with no ads. Will it be worth it? I guess only time will tell.
Both Netflix and You Tube have unique things to offer. Yes, Netflix offers great shows like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards. These shows have won big time awards. But You Tube offers something even greater: the opportunity for anybody to be a star! It offers the housewife with two crazy kids and crazier husband to become a household name. It offers gaming experts to teach the whole world that craft. You Tube has introduced us to many rising stars over the years. But then again, we watch shows by the season and catch up with Netflix; we also see really great new shows there. So who will win this streaming battle? Can’t we have both?
Nov 20, 2015 | Computer technology
Let’s go back to November 20, 1985. The Cosby Show was the #1 show on TV, the Chicago Bears had their best season ever, and “We Built This City” was #1 on the radio. Meanwhile, a technological revolution was underway.
On this day 30 years ago, Windows was born. On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released this software and computer technology was never the same again. The 1985 Windows may be primitive by 2015 standards, but it paved the way for long-term support software. In fact, Windows 1.0 was supported until New Years Day 2002. Windows XP, released in 2004, lost it’s support in 2014. In 1988, Windows 2.1 came out. This was the first software system to support multitasking, and this was before the word ‘multitasking’ was a part of American psyche. In 1993, Windows 3.11 and the 32-bit network supporting helped prepare the way for the early days of consumer Internet. But many came to know Windows 95 and Windows 98 through a slew of TV commercials and other venues of advertising. By the late 1990s, with the Internet taking off, Windows was becoming a culture icon as well as computer software technology. But it wasn’t all good. Windows 98 was also known for creating the infamous blue screen of death. The second Windows 98 didn’t help matters.
Though 2001’s Windows XP was an improvement, as was 2004’s XP Service Pack 2, Vista became little more than a pop culture punch line. In 2015, Windows 10 was released. As far as we know, there won’t be a Windows 11, 12, or any new Windows future release. They’re going to make improvements to Windows 10 as needed. I feel a lot will be needed. I don’t say that to hate on Windows 10. I say that because technology is changing so rapidly today. For over half the 30 year period, the desktop PC was the dominant computer. Now there’s the laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc. Windows has a lot of competition now. Where do you see Windows in the next 30 years, or by 2045?
Nov 19, 2015 | Computer technology
Who wants X-Ray vision? Remember when that superpower was limited to our superheroes and villains? Soon, people like you can have x-ray vision.
It can track people using radio signals. This tracking can be put in your smartphones, video game consoles and health care systems. Scientists at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) are building systems that beam out human radio waves. Receivers pick up reflections. They’re processed by algorithms and map people’s live movements. This system of radio systems and wavelengths can travel through walls. This is how you get the x-ray vision. This system is called RF-Capture. Researchers at MIT brag about how they can identify 15 people walking through a wall. One MIT Ph.D. says you can look at a person from the inside out…literally. Not only can you detect them through walls, you can see their heart rate and breathing rate. They say RF-Capture will help build better games, especially ones where you play with your whole body, and not just with a controller. MIT isn’t the only institution interested in RF-Capture tracking technology. Earlier this month, they had a?SIGGRAPH Asia conference in Japan. One of the highlights was using radio waves 1,000 times greater than WiFi, to improve RF-Capture technology.
Scientifically, this is unprecedented. They’re accomplishing things that I use to think could only be done in sci-fi movies. But I’m concerned about the social ramifications. Government agencies around the world could use RF-Capture to track every move you make every second of the day, even what goes on in your bathroom and bedroom. Not only that, anybody with a smartphone could track your every move with RF-Capture. This includes nosy friends and family members, crazy exes, disgruntle workers and bosses, and overall criminals and psychopaths. They can know your every move. Yes, superheroes used x-ray vision to beat the bad guys. But this isn’t a movie, and we don’t even know who the bad guys are. So do you trust RF-Capture, or better yet, do you trust those who will use RF-Capture?
Nov 18, 2015 | internet
What if I told you Black Friday comes a week early this year? What if I told you the best deals will come on Thanksgiving Day instead of Black Friday?
Amazon announces eight days of deep savings beginning on November 20. The last day of their savings spree will be Black Friday itself. Amazon says it will offer deals every five minutes. And Amazon doesn’t want Thanksgiving to be just about family, turkey and football. That’s because their biggest deals will be on Thanksgiving Day. Their biggest deals won’t go up after the stuffing and pumpkin pie, but at midnight on Thanksgiving Day. They will have ‘ten deals of the day’ and will have ten more on Black Friday. There will be lightning deals throughout that period. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, live in one of the 20 chosen major US cities and use the Prime Now app, then you’ll get free two hour delivery service. But that’s not all. From Thanksgiving Day until December 8, Amazon advertises over 150 lightning deals. But there’s a catch. These lightning deals will only available through Amazon Shopping Mobile Android, Apple smartphone apps, and Fire OS apps.
Obviously, things have changed. I remember a time when it was almost blasphemous to shop on Thanksgiving Day. And there was a time when Black Friday was more peaceful. That’s about the only good thing I can find about this week long Black Friday deal. Maybe some of these deep deals will calm savage beasts all over America. Maybe on Black Friday, instead of trampling each other to death, maybe some will stay at home and shop on Amazon. But I don’t like the way they’re shoving the holiday shopping season down our throats earlier. Granted, Amazon isn’t the only one doing so. Call me old fashioned, but Thanksgiving is supposed to be about family, friends, football, and fellowship. So I’m turning my computer devices off that day, unless I’m wishing someone a good holiday through social media. Will you shop on Thanksgiving Day, even if it’s online?
