Twitter Ban

Twitter is banning two Kremlin-backed news outlets, Russia Today and Sputnik, from advertising on its platform, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.

The decision is perhaps Twitter's most aggressive move yet and comes one week before representatives from Twitter, Google, and Facebook are set to testify before Congress about the role their platforms played in Russian interference in last year's election.

"We did not come to this decision lightly, and are taking this step now as part of our ongoing commitment to help protect the integrity of the user experience on Twitter,” the blog post said.

Twitter's public policy team said it made the decision "based on the retrospective work we've been doing around the 2016 U.S. election." The company also cited a report from the U.S. intelligence community that named RT and Sputnik as contributors to the "influence campaign by serving as a platform for Kremlin messaging to Russian and international audiences."

"Retaliatory measures will naturally follow," a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told RT on Thursday, adding that the "aggressive" step appeared to be "the result of pressure from some of the U.S. establishment and security services."

While RT and Sputnik are banned immediately from advertising, they will be able to continue to keep their Twitter accounts as long as they continue to follow Twitter's rules.

Twitter said it has earned $1.9 million from RT since the outlet became an advertiser in 2011. That includes the $274,100 RT spent on Twitter advertisements last year, including promoting tweets "that definitely or potentially targeted the U.S. market," Twitter confirmed last month.

That money will be donated to support third-party organizations studying the role Twitter plays in civic engagement.

Twitter also announced a new arm this week called the Advertising Transparency Center, which will provide Twitter users with more information about the advertisements they're seeing, why they're seeing them, and tools to provide feedback.

Twitter's move to self-regulate comes as lawmakers are considering legislation that, if passed, would require social media companies to maintain public records for election ads run on their platforms, holding them to the same disclaimers seen in broadcast and print election ads.

Royole Moon

By Bayle Emlein

It turns out you can take it with you. Wherever you go. As long as it has been digitized. With noise-cancelling headphones and a 1080p resolution AMOLED screen that simulates a giant curved 3D screen, the Moon 3D virtual mobile theater creates cinematic movie watching and immersive gaming experiences anywhere it is donned.

The user is quite obvious when wearing headset, but who cares when you’re the happiest camper on the trans-Pacific flight. Moon’s crystal clear imagery and active noise canceling headphones create a truly mobile cinematic experience so whether you’re traveling on a plane, or seeking immersion in the privacy of your own home, you’ll feel like you are in the middle of the action. The Moon virtual mobile theater is available at online at Brookstone.com and, for the hastily organized traveler, at select Brookstone airport and mall locations. With every new purchase of a Royole Moon, consumers will be offered three SD, HD or 3D movies from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), redeemable through the Royole Lounge app, the built-in dedicated entertainment hub for all Moon owners in North America.

Key Moon features include:

• AMOLED displays HD 1080p resolution, over 3000PPI, high contrast ratios

• Auto-detects 2D/3D content and provides an realistic stereoscopic 3D experience

• HDMI® and Wi-Fi® to watch video streaming services, movies, or play games

• Save content directly onto Moon’s 32GB of storage

• Movies, videos, and images can be saved directly onto the Moon Box

▸ Source movies from smartphones, set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and PCs

▸ Access content from most internet-based services, including Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, YouTube

▸ Enhances the gaming experience on popular platforms, including PlayStation, Wii, Xbox, Apple, Google,

• Charged battery lasts up to 5 hours

• Advanced optics allow most eyeglass wearers to watch without their lenses

• Ergonomic design avoids eye fatigue and dizziness while providing hours of comfort

• Patented folding design makes Moon truly mobile

Comhear Yarra 3DX

By Bayle Emlein

Tired of having your head encased in foam in order to “hear” your game or music? Running a scenario, such as a kiosk, that is incompatible with users donning a headset in order to gain access to your message? You want the Yarra 3DX™ sound bar from Comhear. Comhear uses their proprietary audio enhancing software, KAP™, to ensure the sense of live performance audio while protecting the ears from harmful sound levels. Listeners experience a wider, more natural soundscape.

Using the small MyBeam for Conference device, Comhear creates beamforming sound that adds vocal clarity and directional customization, including the ability to move voices closer or farther away. This reduces distraction and creates a more realistic, hence more productive, web meeting experience and a greater feel of reality in all soundscapes.

TYLT

By George Harding

This company designs and builds batteries and charging devices for electronic products. The company name gives you an idea if the innovative of its founder and employees. Its  icon has an upside-down Y, which I cannot replicate here, but it again shows the innovation tilt of the company.

I have had for several years and used regularly their Energi case. It is both a case for my iPhone and an external battery. The outside portion slips over the case and plugs into the energy charger link on the phone. The back of the charger has a button which turns on the charge function for the iPhone. It also shows the degree of charge remaining in the battery.

The charger knows when the iPhone’s battery is fully charged and stops further charging at this point. No worries about overcharging with this device!

The company provides a one-year warranty for the case and charger combination.

I recently upgraded my iPhone 6 to the iPhone 7. The TYLT case fit just fine, but the cutout on the back for the camera lens was  a bit smaller than the lens in the iPhone 7. Interestingly, the 40% coverage of the lens did not impact photographs and videos at all! I had expected photos to be truncated, but they came out normal size.

TYLT has a new version of case and charger with a wider window for the  camera lens.

I can recommend the Energi case and charger. I’ve used it for several years successfully, with satisfying results.

www.tylt.com
Price $50

Here Comes Huawei

Market research firm IDC recently said that Huawei is likely to become the company with the second-largest share in the global smartphone market this year or next year by beating Apple.

One year ago, Huawei’s and Apple’s market shares had been 9.4% and 11.9%, respectively. In the second quarter of this year, however, the figures were 11.3% and 12.0%. Huawei recently unveiled the Mate 10 equipped with the Kirin 970 chipset, an artificial intelligence (AI) chipset it developed on its own. Apple has its own AI chipset, A11, whereas Samsung Electronics is yet to unveil its AI chipset. Samsung Electronics’ first smartphone equipped with an AI chipset is expected to be the Galaxy S9, which is scheduled to make its debut early next year.

According to market research firm Counterpoint, the ratio of smartphones coming with an AI chipset is estimated to increase from 3% to 35% between this year and 2020. “In step with the development of AI chipset technology, smartphones will evolve to understand the patterns of the use of smartphones and provide users with the work they need such as natural language processing, real-time translation and automatic picture setting,” it explained.

At present, Samsung Electronics is working on the Internet of Things (IoT) and AI as two of its future growth drivers. The company is planning to incorporate its AI assistant Bixby into a variety of home appliances as well as smartphones and make the SDK public so that anyone can use it.

MSFT Kinect is Dead

Kinect has been discontinued. Microsoft has stopped making the movement-sensing Xbox accessory.

Although yours will continue to work, there'll be no new ones sold once current stocks disappear.

The news was revealed by Microsoft's Alex Kipman, creator of the Kinect, and Matthew Lapsen, general manager of Xbox devices marketing, in a FastCoDesign interview published Wednesday.

Kinect was launched in 2010 for the Xbox 360, with new models following for Windows and the Xbox One. It was cool how it tracked your whole body, but the peripheral also took up a lot of space and could be slow.

Kinect technology became integral to Microsoft's later advances like HoloLens, Cortana and Windows Hello.

App Retention

Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes has been downloaded perhaps 50 million times. It's a top-10 game for revenue. But 95 out of 100 people who install it on Android aren't using the app a month later.

And it is the very best game on Android for mobile user retention.

Mobile user retention is bad, as everyone in the mobile app install business knows. But new data seems to show that Android retention rates -- for top apps -- are half or a third of those on iOS.

Losing 80% of your new users almost immediately was business as usual in 2015. More recently, apps were considered unusually successful if only 70% of the people who originally installed it have left after two weeks.

Today, as a new report by mobile marketing intelligence firm Apptopia shows, mobile user retention has never been worse, and Android is particularly tough for mobile publishers.

The best games on Google Play are all in the single digits for 30-day retention.

Angry Birds Evolution has 3.6% day-30 retention, Marvel Future Fight is at 4.1%, and Gymnastics Superstar is at 3.5%. Apps perform better than games, but just marginally. For example, each of Pandora, Netflix, and Snapchat all have better retention rates than Galaxy of Heroes, but they are all hovering around 6.5% D30 retention.

iOS user retention rates for top apps are about three times better than Android, according to Apptopia's report. This is different from what previous studies have shown.

Airfox AirTokens

By Bayle Emlein

Airfox’s mission is to make internet access and mobile date more affordable. There are millions–billions–of people in the US and around the world who do not have a computer; but almost everyone at least knows someone who has a cell phone; people who do not have access to the economy via the banking system have cell phones. To this end, two former Google employees developed a token-based system that exchanges your data and eyeballs for further access world wide web. In exchange for granting the platform access to your data, for viewing ads, engaging in surveys, and browsing users earn AirTokens.

This enterprise has two major themes. The first is the AirFox browser, which you can currently download to your Android phone. The second will use AirFox tokens, a new cryptocurrency, to help users both afford access and also develop a digital economy that provides microloans, supports peer-to-peer lending in AirTokens, and eventually will support the purchase of goods as well as services. If you’re lucky enough to be in a position to be uninterested in exchanging your attention for internet time, you may be interested in investing in the AirFox blockchain consumer platform, AirToken (AIR). In the presale, AirFox limited the amount a single person could buy in order to promote a diversified pool of AirToken holders while maximizing individual contributions.

Triby

Several years ago, France’s Invoxia introduced what seemed like a novel product: a little smart speaker called Triby that was one of the first third-party devices to have Amazon’s Alexa baked in.

But the world of tech gadgets moves fast. And while having a voice-activated device in the home was unusual in 2015, now Invoxia faces a market in which tech giants on all sides are pushing voice-activated smart speakers, from Apple’s HomePod with Siri to Google Home powered by Google Assistant. And, of course, Amazon’s own line of Alexa-driven Echo gadgets continues to expand. Somewhere in the middle is Sonos, which has recently announced a new speaker that will work with Alexa, and eventually with Google Assistant.

So how can a small, independent player like Invoxia stay in the game?

The company offered its response to that question today with the release of a new version of the Triby. The general shape of the device is the same as that of its predecessor: a box with curved corners, a handle at the top, and a magnet on the back designed to attach to the refrigerator. As with the previous version, users can send short messages, use it to make calls to pre-set numbers, and stream music from services like Spotify. It retains its casual playfulness. And the price is still $199.

But Invoxia CEO Serge Renouard is hoping two things will help set the Triby apart: its portability and its ability to serve as a voice-activated hub for Apple’s HomeKit. The speaker has a rechargeable battery that frees it from being constantly plugged in. And having both Apple and Alexa features potentially makes it more appealing to folks who don’t want to be locked into just one ecosystem.

“The Triby becomes one of the first portable HomeKit switches,” he said. “You don’t need to have your iPhone with you anymore.”

The speaker has five buttons on the front that can be associated with different features. Users can assign the “scenes” they create on their HomeKit app to one of the Triby buttons. So, for instance, one button could activate a scene that turns on certain lights, changes the temperature, and activates other appliances.

For those who are a bit more technically minded, the Triby will also work with the IFTTT home automation protocol.

Of course, Renouard knows that home automation is primarily of interest for the earliest of adopters and is limited to those with the resources to install connected gadgets and appliances around the home. Still, the shift to a focus on home automation is a next step in carving out a distinct role for the Triby.

“It has become difficult,” Renouard said. “[Competitors] all have enhanced products. And there are a lot of new brands, like Sonos, that will support Alexa or Google. It’s a real challenge for us. And that’s why we don’t try to just rely on the voice recognition stuff. We probably address a very limited population. But we address the tech people who were already interested in connected devices. That’s a population that’s very familiar with these technologies, and they’re open to new products.”

New ZTE Dual-Screen Phone

Leading Chinese mobile devices provider ZTE launched a dual-screen foldable smartphone in the United States on Tuesday, marking another milestone for the company as it seeks market expansion overseas.

The latest flagship device, named Axon M, features two 5.2-inch screens that can be folded to the size of a traditional smartphone.

The phone has three unique modes to accommodate various users' needs.

With dual mode, the users can open different apps on each screen simultaneously. For example, one could watch a basketball game on one screen and order a pizza on the other.

When extended, the two screens can become one larger screen and offer game or video experience similar to that of a tablet.

The mirror mode provides people the option of sitting across each other and watching the same content on one device.

"The Axon M creates an entirely new foldable smartphone category, one that ZTE is committed to invest and lead the way in," said Lixin Cheng, CEO of ZTE Mobile Devices.

He said revolutionary model will also be available in China, Europe and Japan, and ZTE has partnered with major carriers and e-commerce platforms including AT&T, China telecom, jd.com, and NTT Docomo to market the model around the world.

Starting from November, AT&T customers will be able to purchase the Axon M for 24.17 U.S. dollars for 30 months on AT&T Next.

"Our customers continue to demand more from their mobile entertainment experience. Pairing DIRECTV with the dual screen capabilities of the ZTE Axon M will deliver a new and transformative way to enjoy the entertainment they want on the network they need," said Kevin Petersen, SVP of Device and Network Services Marketing, AT&T Entertainment Group.

Many of the ZTE customers have already been looking forward to buying Axon M and some say they believe in the future of foldable dual-screen devices.

"I'm very excited for Axon M because I want to be able to multitask with the device, watching video while reading emails or texting messages on the other screen," said Pete, who purchased his first ZTE smartphone, Axon 7, last year.

"While they (ZTE) are still behind Samsung and Apple, they are gaining market share with their lower-tier devices," he said, adding that he believes the brand is also gaining more presence with its higher-tier devices.

Privacy

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to resolve a major privacy dispute between the Justice Department and Microsoft over whether prosecutors should get access to emails stored on company servers overseas.

The justices will hear the Trump administration’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling last year preventing federal prosecutors from obtaining emails stored in Microsoft computer servers in Dublin, Ireland in a drug trafficking investigation.

That decision by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals marked a victory for privacy advocates and technology companies that increasingly offer cloud computing services in which data is stored remotely. Prosecutors say a ruling in favor of Microsoft could undermine a range of criminal investigations.

Microsoft, which has 100 data centers in 40 countries, was the first U.S. company to challenge a domestic search warrant seeking data held outside the country. There have been several similar challenges, most brought by Google.

“If U.S. law enforcement can obtain the emails of foreigners stored outside the United States, what’s to stop the government of another country from getting your emails even though they are located in the United States?” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post on Monday.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment.

Smartphone Sales

iOS and Samsung’s U.S. market share is now tied, following growth for Apple’s smartphone OS over the three months ending in August, based on new data from Kantar Wordpanel, which tracks smartphone market share by way of sales data. According to its analysis, iOS is up 3.7 percentage points year-over-year, to achieve 35 percent market share, while Samsung only grew 0.8 points, reaching a 35.2 percent share.

Kantar says that weaker sales through Verizon hurt Samsung, while Apple reached nearly a 50 percent with that carrier — the U.S.’s largest. That’s higher than its share with AT&T, the firm pointed out, which has been a traditional stronghold for the iPhone.

The increased iPhone sales in the U.S. also came one month before the release of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus — interesting to note, given that, sometimes, device sales slump ahead of the expected launch of new hardware.

But it’s also worth pointing out that while Samsung and iOS may now be tied, Android is still far ahead in the U.S., with a 63.2 percent share to iOS’s 35 percent.

That said, iOS is growing elsewhere, too.

iOS posted growth in China, Germany, France and Spain, but dropped in the U.K., where Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and J3 (2016) have been selling well. Overall, iOS market share was up by 1.2 percent in Europe’s five largest markets — only a slight increase due to Samsung’s success in the U.K., and some slowed momentum ahead of the new iPhone announcement.

“Samsung took full advantage of the weeks just before the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were released in Great Britain, with significant promotional activity that helped drive its overall share to a three-year high of 38.4% for the three months ending August 2017,” explained Dominic Sunnebo, Global Business Unit Director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, in a statement.

“More than one in four Galaxy S8 buyers cited a specific promotion as a key purchase influencer, and almost half said that a good deal on the price of the phone was key to their purchase. Both of these metrics experienced a large increase over the last two months of the period,” he added.

Strong iPhone SE sales, however, helped to contribute the slight growth seen in the top European markets.

Rapidx

By Bayle Emlein

Rapidx offers several small appliances to improve your motoring experience. The company name is based on their lead-off product, the Xscape. It looks like an ordinary dual-port USB adapter for your car, but has added features for emergencies: a seat belt cutter under the clip and at the power tip a safety hammer that can break through side window glass. The USB ports make it convenient enough that you are likely to have the Xscape where you can reach it should you need the emergency features.

Recognizing that we are not always solo in our cars, Rapidx developed the X-5. It has two 2.4A USB ports on the power jack for the front seat and three USB ports on the extension that reaches to the back seat: Up to 5 people can charge at once. You might not be able to give a new car for the holidays, but you can stuff several stockings with an X-5 in orange, red, green, or blue to match or contrast with the interior or exterior decor.

Their Dashio universal magnetic car mount is another Rapidx tool designed to make your mobile life easier. Stick the mount to any flat surface and then use its magnet to quickly and securely mount your smartphone or tablet in your car, boat, home, garage, or office. The 360° swivel design means you can easily rotate your device to any position.

Rapidx is trying something completely different with its MoodX wireless light. The light comes with a cork base that you use to create the lamp of your choice, for example using a jar or bottle. Depending on the brightness you choose, you get 4 to 40 hours of continuous 250 lumen (25 watt) light per charge cycling through the colors of the rainbow. Shake three times to turn it on, shake three times to turn it off. Waterproof and self contained, the MoodX lights can be used indoors or out without concern for the location of wall sockets.

More From Innovate and Celebrate

By Bayle Emlein

Sports Innovation

The October 9-11 INNOVATE and CELEBRATE event in San Francisco, co sponsored by the Consumer Technology Association and TechCo, highlighted trends and trajectories as well as the new and emerging initiatives that are just starting to see the light of day. Sports is a major passion world wide. Tech is changing how sports are  played and marketed.

Panel member Portia Blunt, Senior Digital Sport and Wearables Innovation Manager for New Balance pointed out that the New Balance brand is built on the notion of innovation and helping athletes meet their goals. Embedded technology and data analysis are now key to targeted, individualized modifications.

Mounir Zok, Director of Technology & Innovation for the U.S. Olympic Committee added that technology is helping put US Olympic competitors in a position to win. Most of the time it’s the difference between Silver and Gold but sometimes it's the difference between Gold and 12th place. Technology is a part of each athlete’s life. Technology captures body data and personalized use of technology helps each achieve individual goals. Technology that starts with elite athletes becomes available to the general public to enhance performance and life-long general health. One size does not fit all, and different users will employ a single device differently and make different uses of the data.

Investment options are also looking at improving the fan experience. How can technology enhance it?  The fan experience in stadiums might be enhanced by being able to reserve your space in line at the snack bar. Reserve parking before the event.  Just as the current tech landscape couldn’t be envisioned 10 years ago, it’s hard to imagine what tech will offer us in 10 years. (If any builders of the future are reading, how about an app that will GPS me to the shortest restroom line in a stadium or theater? And another one that provides just-in-time paper supplies.)

Innovate and Celebrate Celebration

By Bayle Emlein

A 3 day global celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship, originating in San Francisco

The Consumer Technology Association does so much more than sponsor CES, the premier B2B lollapalooza in Las Vegas each January. In its second year, INNOVATE/CELEBRATE brings together the ideas that will be making news at CES. Partnering with TECH.CO to not only provide ideas that have developed to market-readiness a forum but also to provide mentoring, funding information, and individualized support in moving from inspiration to marketabiity.

Frank Gruber, CEO and founder of TechCo reported on the selection process for companies seeking the honor of being among the final 100.  To show the kinds of opportunities that might evolve, NASA sends representatives to both provide input as to what is needed and also to gain inspiration.   

Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CTA reported two significant developments from Washington that represent not only progress but also wins for consumers: legislation that defines hearing aids as over-the-counter consumer products, rather than as high-priced medical devices. Also, states will individually be able to regulate self-driving vehicles.

Gary reported on the renewed focus on making life better, healthier, and more informed via technology and innovation.  Technology empowers people and equalizes opportunities. As old jobs disappear, new jobs that empower not only the users but also the workers in new industries. It is critical that new ideas get exposure with the fewest bureaucratic barriers.

   

Senior Vice President and General Manager of New Technology Group at Intel Corp, Josh Walden, keynoted how data-driven innovation is “the new oil” for the post-industrial economy. A smart world is a connected world, and we are rushing to a more connected world. Not just data, but analysis of data, drives innovation.  Josh leads Intel’s  New Technology Group to identify nascent technologies both within Intel and partnering with other companies. His horizon is 5 to 10 years. Initiatives that are not consistent with the Intel mission might be spun off, with funding support through Intel Capital.  It is critical that companies working together have congruent missions and vision.

Drone technologies are nascent technologies, but they are already saving time (=money) and lives. They can easily perform inspections where humans cannot go. This is consistent of the core Intel value of improving the experience of being human. The Intel Insight platform enables drone operators to analyze data and create actionable information. For example,  it can already report on vegetation encroachment in places like railroad tracks and power lines. It will eventually be able to report on developing  infrastructure problems before they become disasters. Because of regulatory barriers in the US, Europe currently leads in opportunities for testing and development.

Partnering with established leaders as well as with start-ups, Intel continues to seek to fill in gaps in the developing landscape.

Amy Jo Martin, Author of Renegades Write the Rules interviewed COO of GoPro, CJ Prober. CJ recapped this fall’s launch. Quick Stories automatically offloads GoPro content to your phone. The next feature of the announcement is the Hero 6 camera. The final announcement was the first GoPro 360 camera.  The Hero 6 edits automatically and highlights the most interesting content.

GoPro took off as a popular item. Just before their IPO, they began expanding not only as a company but also in devices. Customers were confused and the company was in financial trouble. Under CJ’s leadership, GoPro has flattened the organization and refocused on customer experience and content. Focusing on a few priorities and continually sharing information transparently helped GoPro return to profitability with minimal delay and the least pain possible.

The GoPro vision is that the camera is as an untethered lens to your phone. This makes sharing easier and more natural.

Amy Jo asked CJ about his personal operating system. It’s very organized and focused. Amy Jo then asked about common themes in the big decisions of CJ’s life. One that he could identify is following his passion. He is super analytical in planning, but in the end he pays attention to his gut. Regular physical activity is how he maintains perspective.

“What keeps you up at night?” asked Amy Jo. CJ’s answer:  striking a balance between growth and innovation and company focus.

Amy Jo’s final question for CJ asked what advice he would give his earlier self. He answered that maintaining focus was important. Team health has been critical, especially in the light of the layoffs necessary to return to profitability.

CTA’s Five Technology Trends to Watch, Jeff Joseph, Senior Vice President for Communications and Strategic Partnerships, CTA noted that the future of work will be increasingly automated and connected. Even garbage collectors will need new skills. STEM education ensures that the workforce of the future will be ready.

A second trend will lead to 5G smarthomes being as normal as indoor plumbing is today.

Justin Fishin, COO of Local Motors described how crowd-sourced vehicles and microfactories have changed the face of mobility. Safer transportation addresses the world’s number one cause of death in young adults: traffic accidents. In 2014 Local Motors introduced the world’s first 3D printed vehicle. Their goal is to be able to deliver a vehicle to customized consumer specs within a day. A traveler could choose the features that are needed for any kind of driving experience.

Crowd-sourcing a problem from a large manufacturer enables Local Motors to find solutions quickly. Olli, the autonomous trolley, is one example.

The Local Motors vision is to create many local microfactories,creating jobs at dispersed facilities. They are also focusing on creating the world’s most accessible vehicle.

Holly Liu, Co-founder and Chief of Staff at Kabam global gaming company. She addressed challenges and lessons learned as the company has grown.

In the founding phase of a company, innovation is natural. The company is unknown, and you have a lot of freedom. It's easy to re-invent yourself, you can see your impact quickly. In this phase, it’s more important to have a few users who love you than gazillions who sort of like you.

In the growth phase, it’s important to have enough resources to manage expanded use. Real competition provides solid impetus for growth.

As it goes to scale, building a company becomes focused on the organization rather than the product. Maintaining innovation becomes an issue. Focus on real users, reduced reporting, adequate resources, a system that works for the particular company all help to keep innovation alive as a company expands.

Cybersecurity is one of five technology trends to watch. Michael Hermus, Chief Technology, Department of Homeland Security, was interviewed by Jeff  Joseph, Senior Vice President of Communications and Strategic Partnerships with the Consumer Technology Association. INNOVATE and CELEBRATE hosted a Fireside Chat with the Department of Homeland Security.

What can companies do to be repared? It’s an uneven playing field: the bad guys only have to be right once. The good guys have to be right all the time.

Good online hygiene is essential. That includes keeping software updated, two-step authentication, and using the services of security experts in companies that don’t have inhouse security personnel. Even small businesses need to manage their security.

In the government, personnel operations (hiring and firing) and purchasing have become increasingly cumbersome. Each regulation is the result of reaction to the missteps of a few.

The DHS mission includes disaster recovery and law enforcement. Wearables and sensors are big in law enforcement, not only reporting incidents but also enhancing the safety of first responders. Advanced analytics will change the effectiveness of DHS.

The impact on jobs is not that jobs are being displaced but incorporating change is becoming increasingly important. Technology generalists who understand systems and how to work within the existing environment will become  technology leaders.

DHS, and the government, are just beginning to develop strategies for taking advantage of community resources. It is up to entrepreneurs to approach the government, and at this time it isn’t necessarily easy. Various agencies are at various stages of progress in adapting. The smaller, more independent agencies are less constrained. As one of the larger, Cabinet-level departments, DHS is relatively agile.

The rate of change is accelerating. Organizations need to learn to adapt. The competition is small and agile and is not necessarily constrained by the rule of law.

Jeff’s final question for Michael focused on his favorite technology now. In addition to the new iPhone and the new xBox,Michael is amazed by what a single user can accomplish with open resources such as Python.

Beyond the sharing economy, is the experience economy. GenZ (born after 1995) usage predicts the trajectory of change. Older users will eventually be brought along.

Kara MGuire, Advisory Leader, CEB Iconoculture Consumer Insights offered Insights on the GenWe (aka GenZ) Generation. This group believes in the power of the group. Surprise: many millennials are now parents.

GenWe worries about terrorism, war, bullying, homelessness, pollution. GenWe is diverse; it values individuality: being different is interesting. GenWe is shaped by technology. Teens don’t necessarily make a distinction between off-line and on-line. It’s all part of Real Life.

The top 10 GenWe values are success, equality, authenticity, loyalty, happiness, sharing, courtesy, comfort, ambition, and enjoyment. Many of these values are shared with Millennials.Sharing, ambition, and enjoyment are unique to GenWe. Purpose, fun, ambition and adventure are all important to the group as a whole. This generation has more social concerns than previous ones. They can’t just go to college without thinking of how to pay for it and how to make it pay.

What are the important traits of GenWe? Kindness, self confidence, common sense, hardworking, self control.

        

“I care about what happens to others, and, “When Someone’s feelings have been hurt, I try to make them feel better,” are the two statements GenWe survey participants found to be most descriptive of themselves.

Through technology, kids are empowered, viz. a teen Nobel prize winner, teen and pre-teen entrepreneurs. Access to technology also helps teens research options and make choices. Three quarters of kids consider how much things cost. This generation also realizes there are no guarantees and that they will need to work harder than those in the past to have a satisfying career. Work is not necessarily a bad thing for this group: doing something you care deeply about and making a profit are not mutually exclusive. Companies that depend on brand loyalty, beware!

        

To conclude day two of INNOVATE and CELEBRATE, Frank Gruber of TechCo hosted a couple of robot demos. First was “Sub” Datta of Soft Robotics. Problem: strawberries are very fragile and must be picked by hand. And because of lack of pickers, many rot in the field. And at the same time, companies hire a vast workforce for the holidays, invest in giving them space and training, only to let them go in a few months. Traditional robotics don't work in food and ecommerce.

         

Soft Robotics has developed a gripper that adjusts to the shape of the object to be grasped without additional programing. The Suerpick robot can be trained through Human-in-the-Middle programming to perform tasks. The robots can be controlled remotely, and one person can control multiple robots. It’s not a question man vs. robots; now its cooperative. Eventually they might have home uses, especially valuable for people with physical limitations.

The final demo was

Kaijen Hsiao CTO of Mayfield Robotics conducted the final demo  at the CTA/TECH.CO INNOVATE AND CELEBRATE conference in San Francisco. She presented Kuri. They designed Kuri to be a normal home robot, a part of the family. She has a touch sensor in her head to recognize touch, a heart light to express emotion, gestural mechanics in her eyes add expression, speakers for voice, 4 microphones so she can “hear” directionally.

         

Mayfield Robotics developed their own laser sensor to help Kuri navigate in the unstructured environment of a home.The user experience was critical to Mayfield. This included a quiet drive train. Kuri makes robot sounds, but does not speak; she is a companion like a pet. She is not a maid or butler. But she can recognize and capture video of family moments.  

It is important for robots to have believable personalities to become accepted. Mayfield worked hard to give Kuri a realistic personality. This acceptance can lead to kids becoming interested in robotics as a career field. In the meantime, before the demo was over, at least one audience member had preordered Kuri to be a watchful companion for her elderly mother, who is often home alone.