Handwriting technology in 2017 burst out in a big way as major hardware vendors began bundling active pens with their tablets, laptops and smartphones. The Pixelbook was Google’s entry into this market. A Chromebook that comes with an advanced pen that virtually eliminates ink lag, the Pixelbook was built to take on Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Apple’s iPad Pro — the dominant … [More]
Gamification App as Management Tool
Phoenix-based Driggs Title Agency kicked off 2018 with the launch of its latest app, Kindness Kwest. The app utilizes gamification to build teamwork, enhance client relations and inspire employees to give back to the community. As they work through the levels and complete tasks, employees earn rewards; their efforts will generate donations in their name to charity. Adam … [More]
Digitization Coming to the Fore in Construction
Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, recently added Justin Wright to its global IT leadership team to oversee regional IT operations while defining and implementing a progressive digital strategy for the firm and its clients. “Arcadis has prioritized technology investment as a key part of its ‘Creating a Sustainable Future’ … [More]
Avnet Pioneers Digital Platform for Technology Distribution
“Ask Avnet” is the first digital platform for technology distribution, affording access to the engineering knowledge base across the vast ecosystem of leading global technology distributor Avnet, including Hackster.io and element14. After five months of closed beta testing, Avnet recently moved the tool to open beta, rolling it out first to all avnet.com users in the … [More]
Valley Golf Course Embraces Future with High-Tech Golf Cars
Quintero Golf Club in Peoria has become one of the first courses in the country to implement a new fleet of state-of-the-art golf cars from Textron Fleet Management. Each of the ninety vehicles is equipped with a touchscreen video monitor that allows players to track their GPS location on the map, place food orders delivered to the course, keep score, communicate with the … [More]
‘Ask Avnet’ and ‘Engineer on Demand’
Ask Avnet, from leading global technology distributor Avnet, encompasses a range of tools and services, including an intelligent agent, customer service, technical support and a new Engineer on Demand service. The automated assistant provides users with 24/7 support and a single point of entry for basic inquiries regarding product search and order status, and seamlessly … [More]
Technology Is Improving Expense Report Auditing
How common is expense report fraud? According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ “2016 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse,” 85 percent of all business fraud schemes involve some form of asset misappropriation, with expense fraud making up about 14 percent of such schemes. Obviously, this is a costly problem. Before the prevalence of expense … [More]
Technology Graduate Programs
The continued acceleration of technology requisites in today’s workforce has led to a huge gap in qualified talent to fill available jobs. Seven of the top 10 “Best Jobs of 2017” identified by Indeed, the world’s No. 1 job site, are in computer science. To meet this rising need, Northcentral University, an online and graduate-focused university serving professionals globally, … [More]
Business Travel Fraud Schemes Technology Is Squashing
With business travel spend reaching more than $318 billion in 2016, fraud potential is at an all time high. However, new advances in travel expense management technology combined with proper internal controls can help businesses reduce fraud and control their travel costs. Here are three fraud schemes businesses can now curtail with smart applications of … [More]
Speedier Feedback Improves Results
“What drives engagement is frequency of feedback,” notes Mark Heymann, founding partner and CEO of UniFocus, which recently successfully beta-tested its Pulse Survey solution with Best Western Hotels & Resorts. Working collaboratively with a group of its independently owned and operated hotels in North America, Best Western gained a valuable new metric to quantify the value … [More]
Reprogramming Tech Education
Woz U launched last month online and plans ground campuses in more than 30 cities across the country and around the world. Named after Apple Computer co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak, Scottsdale-headquartered Woz U is “education reprogrammed,” a new approach to higher education for the tech industry. It offers online curriculum to educate computer support specialists and software … [More]
Got Hacked Yet?
“There are two kinds of companies — those that were hacked, and those that don’t yet know they were hacked,” cybersecurity expert Sunny Handa, D.C.L., recently told attendees at The Counselors of Real Estate® Annual Convention, quoting former Cisco CEO John Chambers. Noting the global hacker economy is three to five times the size of the security industry, Dr. Handa warned that … [More]
Supporting the Tech Maker Community
The Hardware Studio, launched last month, is a new initiative designed to help hardware makers design products and plan ahead for manufacturing before they launch on Kickstarter. It is a collaboration among Kickstarter PBC, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects, Dragon Innovation, a leading provider of manufacturing software and know-how, and Avnet, a … [More]
Hardware Studio: Resources for ‘Makers’
Hardware Studio has two components: Toolkit and Connection. Toolkit is an education hub, open to anyone (however, Creators with technical hardware products will likely get the most benefit). Toolkit will have a ton of great content in a variety of formats, such as articles, blogs, technical data sheets and webinars, to help Creators at any stage of their journey. For … [More]
Music Platform Innovates on Innovation
Streaming music lies at the basis of Arena Music’s business operations, but its success comes from taking that technology and giving it an innovative twist in the business plan. In fact, “It’s more about doing everything opposite,” says founder Damon Evans, referring to the major subscription-based music streaming platforms. “Arena is an on-demand merchandise storefront that … [More]
Locksmithing via Cloud
KeyMe takes a new approach to locksmithing, a $7.5-billion industry, using a digital scan that is securely stored in the cloud. KeyMe comes in the form of both a kiosk and an app, and allows users to store, share and duplicate their physical keys Customers can instantly make copies of their keys at a kiosk. Or use the app to digitally scan keys from their mobile device — … [More]
Partnering in Delivery
In a strategic partnership, OnTrac, which specializes in delivery services throughout the eight western-area states, and AB&R® (American Barcode & RFID) have joined forces to address issues in mobility and route management, and package tracking. AB&R is working together with OnTrac to move their devices over to AndroidTM devices. The Android operating system is … [More]
3-D Transforming Business
Jack King, founder and CEO of DustRam LLC, has spent his entire career in flooring, and, 15 years ago, founded Arizona Home Floors, LLC. In 2008, high-end flooring took a huge hit when the market for new housing construction collapsed. Since remodeling became the only game in town, he went to work on an invention for dust-free tile removal. After several prototypes and … [More]
