When we start thinking about wearable technology, it’s easy to think about Star-Trek. Wearable technology came out of the engineering closet looking clunky, sci-fi-in-a-bad-way-y, and uncool. Luckily, wearable tech has made some strides in the fashion department. Here are a few devices that get us excited about a little skin to tech contact.
Marissa Mayer recently brought the Yahoo workforce back to the office. For years, Yahoo let their employees work remotely, as long as the job was done and done well. This all changed in 2013 when Mayer stated in a memo to staff: “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important so we need to be working side-by-side.” But while Yahoo-ers have returned to the office setting, many others are doing the exact opposite. According to globalworkplacestatistics.com, the percentage of workers based in a home office has grown around 4% each year since 2009.
Last week, Austin Texas hosted SXSW. Thousands of people converged to discuss everything from start-up companies to trending music. It’s a great example of just how fast technology moves and ideas spread. Remember your first smart phone purchase? That feeling of holding all that powerful technology in your palm? The feeling of being un-tethered as you’re surfing the web on the subway…or in the stall. We’ve gotten so used to having this technology, that we forget how amazing it really is. Programmers and tech-like-minded individuals aside, most consumers take smart devices for granted. In the classic Louis CK bit on cell phones and flying, he points out “we have this beautiful device and we hate it! I’ve never seen a person say look at what my phone can do. They are always like, this piece of [expletive]” followed by a lot more colorful language. We get angry when downloads take longer than a few seconds because we forget that really, we’re waiting for signals from space!
Looking for the scoop on next season’s must haves? Well, maybe not next season, but the idea of smart devices as fashion accessories is definitely on the horizon. Sure, we’ve all heard about Google Glass by now, but what about the Sony SmartWig? Wearable tech is on the rise; helping us get things done, and look good while doing it. Here’s a sneak peak at what you can expect to see in the not-so-distant future.
Starting 2007 (launch of the venerable iPhone), Smart phones have changed the way we look at mobile communication. The erstwhile ‘mostly voice phone’ device suddenly transformed into a computing device and opened a new world of possibilities for mobile users.
Amazing User Experience (UX), … read more
As the adage states: the customer is always right. Companies like Zappos, Dillards, and probably even your local “ma-and-pa” grocery store have built their reputations on remarkable customer service. Zappos, for example, stands out from the clutter by encouraging website visitors to call their headquarters with any questions, 24-7. They’ve provided a unique personal touch in an increasingly person-less internet. Companies with attitudes like the Zappos team are rare, yet data shows that customers react positively to their approach. By investing more in customer service, they are able to generate more word-of-mouth referrals and decrease the amount of push advertising.
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