If necessity is the mother of invention, then no business segment follows that credo more than retail. Companies are constantly adapting to new consumer demands, trends, quirks and behaviors. And increasingly, that means integrating technology deeper and wider into their operations, to the benefit of employees, customers and of course profits. What’s on the technical horizon for retail? Here’s our take: Technology everywhere Retailers are creating a clear path to purchase on social, mobile, and…  MORE

Retail has always took advantage of new technology. From neon signs to cash registers to the shopping cart with wheels, technology has continually made it easier for consumers to shop and for store owners to sell. Now comes yet another advancement that’s already changing the retail landscape: Machine Learning. In fact, some experts feel machine learning will have a similar impact on retail as the industrial revolution did on manufacturing. For those unfamiliar with the…  MORE

If you attended the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, you couldn’t help but notice the endless amount of virtual technology being promoted. The display makes sense. With the way virtual reality (VR) is moving, it’s quickly becoming a major source of content delivery. And just like video was in the not-too-distant past, VR will present opportunities but also hurdles for telcos and content service providers. Video caused a substantial increase in Internet traffic. VR will increase…  MORE

Across the country each morning, millions of people get ready for work. They shower, get dressed, make breakfast, maybe catch up on the news before heading out of the door. Something else is becoming part of that routine: They’re putting on wearables such as fitness trackers and smartwatches. As these devices have grown more popular, they’re starting to be common in offices. But similar to proliferation of mobile apps, impatience to get wearables to market…  MORE

For years we’ve been hearing about virtual reality, the technology that will replicate “real life” and allow us to interact with it. Flying through space, riding a horse in the jungle, swimming in oceans with dolphins – with virtual reality just about any scenario is possible. The technology has been in development for decades and it seems it’s recently turned a corner. We can now take mental trips with devices like Samsung Gear VR and…  MORE

For those of use who live in cities, it’s impossible to fathom an existence without fast Internet speed. We assume that our friends, neighbors, and the people we pass by on the sidewalk have similar broadband or high-speed Internet plans. And I think I could speak for most and say that rural areas are where we’d find the lowest rate of access to the web, where as urban areas enjoy the highest rate of access….  MORE

When it comes to technology, we humans tend to be fickle, switching from one tool to another as the tides of popularity ebb and flow. Consider how we listen to music. The 1980s welcomed the birth of the compact disc, which eliminated those old scratchy LP records. Suddenly we got better sound and more space in our homes. Then MP3s and online streaming replaced the CD, giving us even more space in our homes with…  MORE

Smart phones, tablets, laptops, desktops. Email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text. With so many devices and myriad ways to communicate and stay connected, we’ve become a nation that doesn’t know how to say “no” to typing out the next message. We all see this problem play out in our daily lives. Take a ride on any form of public transportation and it seems that everyone is using a device – texting or surfing the web on…  MORE