My test ride last month in a self-driving car was boringly uneventful — which is exactly what the goal was. Waymo’s cars first hit the streets last April after logging one billion miles in a simulator where common and uncommon scenarios were imagined and tested, aiming to program the cars to drive like a responsible adult and not careen like a ride at Disneyland. One billion … [More]
Serving Business in the 3-D World
Grown in three short years from a few friends working part-time out of a ramada in Papago Park to the largest company of its kind in North American, with 60-plus employees, Eco3d provides a digital model of the physical world — from topographical to structural, mechanical and architectural conditions — for a wide range of clients. The technology that enables this service is … [More]
Human Capital Maximized
iSolved Human Capital Management was designed for today’s employer. Advanced features such as employee self-management, executive dashboard and reports writer are combined to create an incredible user experience, making iSolved a convenient solution for the small to midsized company. From payroll, benefits enrollment, time and attendance to HR data, iSolved is all in one … [More]
TURO Rent-A-Car
One’s personal picks come to life with Turo — an innovative way for a person to rent exactly what he wants in the exact area he needs the car. The customer simply signs up, finds the car he wants, checks availability … and is on his way. For business or pleasure, this new app and online service can provide an economical and impressive ride for the user. Cars are individually … [More]
Diamonds — Made in America
Disruption in the diamond industry? You betcha! Spence Diamonds brings to retail an innovative offering that pairs a fun, friendly, transparent and educational experience with a breakthrough product: Spence Artisan Created Diamonds™. “After decades of development, scientists have replicated the diamond creation process of applying temperature and pressure to carbon that created … [More]
Vacation Rental Platform for Sports Fans
Using technology to tie together vacation rentals and major sporting events, Mike Doyle expanded what was initially conceived around the idea of weekend apartment rentals for visiting college football fans and leads Rent Like A Champion as the company expands to the Avondale area for the 2017 NASCAR season. In fact, he says, “Our business is entirely technology-based. We … [More]
Custom Tailoring Online
Custom tailoring has gone beyond the province of brick-and-mortar to the global world of e-commerce. London-based Santamaria Shirt Makers adds an innovative advance that enables consumers to convincingly explore the virtual representation. The technology enables the online consumer to customize his design through the world’s only photorealistic, fully 3-D shirt customizer. … [More]
Driving Blind?
Test-driven on Austin’s public streets last October by a blind man, self-driving cars are becoming reality. The new company Waymo (the name stands for a new way forward in mobility) purchased a physical warehouse in Chandler and has been testing its cars on the streets of Chandler, Ahwatukee and Tempe since April. Previously known as the Google self-driving car project, it has … [More]
Data for the People
Every time we Google something, Facebook someone, Uber somewhere, or even just turn on a light, we create data that businesses collect and use to make decisions about us. In many ways, this has improved our lives, yet whether it is a bank evaluating our credit worthiness, an insurance company determining our risk level or a potential employer deciding whether we get a job, it … [More]
Address the Risk of Data Breach
More than 90 percent of data breaches worldwide involve small and medium-sized business organizations. Data breaches result in increased global economic debt — and the reality is, hackers attack anyone, with few to no exceptions. The governing body of the payment card industry (PCI) is the Standards Security Council that includes the major card brands, who addressed card … [More]
Find Customer Service Stars
Logi-Serve enables companies to predict customer service ability, enhance customer experiences, increase sales and build a culture of sales and service excellence through patent-pending science and tools that pose questions based on story-boarded scenarios, its use of advanced response gathering technology, and a validated competency framework. … [More]
Build a Listening Culture
Waggl’s real-time listening platform enables companies to crowdsource feedback by creating a transparent, authentic, two-way dialogue that serves the dual needs of companies wanting an engaged workforce and employees wanting to know that their opinions count. … [More]
The Right Person Meets the Right Job
Sokanu’s career discovery platform to help people find their ideal career will ultimately benefit employers as well. Aiming to fundamentally change the way people prepare for the workforce by helping them to find the career that is right for them and the unique path to getting there, Sokanu employs education technology, social networking and career psychology. … [More]
Personalized Systems Enhance Fire Safety
Technology has advanced the fire alarm industry from blaring horn strobes to intelligent voice communication. The trend is to provide more information and give directions, replacing the traditional “make a lot of noise and flash some lights to drive everybody away from the fire,” says David Burns, production manager with Siemens, a multifaceted engineering company. A key … [More]
AC in e-Commerce
“E-commerce dominates our buying patterns now,” says Erik Bryan, founder and owner of newACunit.com, observing that Amazon has changed the way people buy. “People want simplicity and affordability, and want what they want now. Bringing air conditioning to that platform was only a matter of when.” Buying air conditioning units over the Internet has already been happening — … [More]
Tee Time Mobile-ized
Folla Media LLC, a Scottsdale-based holding company of leading golf brands, has launched Golfpay, a golf reservation app that offers golfers a new way to book their tee times. The Web-based app is the first in the world to allow golfers to pay and check-in from their phone, creating a time-saving, hassle-free experience that is quickly becoming the norm in other … [More]
On-Demand Access for Homebuying
Real estate company Opendoor has launched an app for iPhone and Android that gives homebuyers instant access to hundreds of homes for sale in the Phoenix area. With a few taps, buyers can find homes that match their criteria, view home details, and instantly take the next step of visiting homes on their schedule. Opendoor has seen more than 60 percent of its home visits … [More]
Lookin’ Good on Chat
Video chat platforms like Skype have become one of the main settings for interviews, but one big problem standing in the way of both recruiters and interviewees has been the quality of video lighting. Chatlight is a simple, lightweight LED light that connects to a smartphone, tablet or computer to help create studio-type lighting during Skype and video interviews, so chat … [More]
