In the near future, you can expect to sit or stand under a light bulb and use wireless internet through the light of that bulb only. The revolutionary technology that has become the talk of the internet town these days is known as Li-Fi which enables data transmission through visible light communication. Li-Fi (light fidelity) is a high speed wireless communication technology similar to that of Wi-Fi that was coined by Professor Harald Haas as a replacement of data transmission technologies. Haas first experimented the successful transmission of data through a single LED back in 2011 at the University...
It’s that time again – when we look back at the year that has passed and throw our predictions into the ring for what lies ahead. If anything was clear in 2015, it’s that advancements in technology showed no signs of slowing down. Apple Pay launched in the UK, smart watches took off and 3D printers were made affordable for the average consumer to use – to name just a few innovations. But one of the most common events to hit the news headlines in 2015 was data breaches and hacks across various industries, such as the Ashley Madison...
Thinking machines, real-time video, saying goodbye to your local video store, and everything goes bionic, these are just some of the trends for 2016 identified by Oresti Patricios, founder and CEO of brand intelligence company Ornico. Global economic outlook for 2016 Growth in the global economy is expected to be similar to that of 2015. This is according to the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook which says that both developed and developing economies will fare pretty much the same as they did the year before. But there's a big warning for commodities which will grow at a rate 30% lower than...
Technology and software is becoming integrated into every aspect of our personal and business lives and every year this integration gets deeper and deeper. Given the pervasiveness of technology in our lives it is hard to cover all the trends that are impacting us but in this article I will focus on a few we are seeing have an immediate effect on our customers around the world and what we can expect to see in the coming year. These trends are focused on simplification and how it is becoming easier for businesses to build highly effective applications that are...
As with so many things in human history, the evolution of money has been characterised by slow and steady progress, interspersed with periods of rapid technological advancement. Even so, we live an age of unprecedented change when it comes to both money and the financial sector as a whole. You only have to look at the strides being made in financial inclusion, fintech, and mobile-to-mobile payments to see that. Here are three big predictions for each of those fields in 2016. 1. Financial inclusion will mean big business Making serious money and reaching the unbanked have not always...
Pulse oximetry uses non-invasive photon technology to measure the redness of human blood. Oxygen saturation is essential when monitoring hospitalized patients and is now being used by extreme athletes to maximize physical performance. The reactivity of oxygen drives the main energy generation system of the human body. The inventors of this technology (Masimo Corporation) recently won a landmark US $467 million dollar patent infringement lawsuit. Mitochondria are masters of oxygen. In the presence of oxygen, they generate the adenosine triphosphate energy (ATP) that powers our muscles and vital organs. Mitochondria are the oxygen-consuming high-efficiency furnaces (inside each of your...
Artificial intelligence is a complex subject that conjures complex emotions. A good barometer for the public’s sentiment on AI is Hollywood, which can’t decide if AI is a menacing force, like the enslaving technology in The Matrix or a benevolent one, like C-3PO and R2-D2 in Star Wars or, more recently, Kevin Spacey’s soulful android Gerty in the little-seen 2009 film Moon. Actually, AI is neutral. Like other technologies, it’s merely a tool that reflects the intentions of the user. Ambivalence about the topic may have clouded its utility, though. For blue chip companies today, it’s the tool that will...
Do you want to know how to build a better democracy in under a 100 lines of code? Or what about building your own transparent bank on the blockchain? Well, Ethereum might just be the thing you're looking for. And no, it's not the title of an awful sci-fi novel. Ethereum goes under a lot of monikers. Some dub it the "world computer" or a "decentralised app network". Others simply refer to it as "Bitcoin 2.0". Whatever it's called, this exciting online experiment is as thought-provoking as it is ambitious. While still in its infancy, Ethereum is changing the way applications...
Thanks to smartphones, we remain connected to the Internet – and the world at large – wherever we are. We can also access email, messaging, Web browsing and media apps in an instant. This has led to a desire for efficient and fast experiences across the board even when it comes to shopping for goods or services, and that is exactly what has given birth to the on-demand economy. If you’re not already familiar – and you should be – the on-demand economy is a modern economic activity that has come about as companies focus on offering immediate fulfillment of...
As we all wind down (read: freak out, break out in hives) and skid into the much needed holiday season, it’s important to take time to reflect and prepare for the year ahead. Here are four key trends that will shape the approach to digital marketing in 2016. 1. Eschewing product-focused content The ‘infomercial’ approach to branded content on social media and digital channels isn’t working for anyone. You cannot claim to be successfully mastering storytelling if your story is: “Our product is the best thing on the planet and is 10% more amazing than everything else. Everyone who bought...
The digital revolution promises to change the face of South Africa’s insurance market over the next few years as new entrants and established players alike use the latest technologies to deliver products that are cheaper, more convenient, and more personalised. Digital channels, paired with sophisticated analytics and underwriting systems in the back-office, have already allowed companies such as Instant Life to offer high-quality insurance products at competitive prices. Now, as technologies such as the Internet of Things, wearable computing, big data, and cloud computing mature, aggressive financial services companies will be able to deliver even more compelling and...
There are many macro trends, globally and locally, which affect both retailers and brand manufacturers in the consumer goods space. Proper category management and its impact on retailers and brand’s success are driven by the industry’s ability to understand and capitalise on these macro trends. It is vital that strategic category planning must be part of the manufacturers overall strategy – an integrated business strategy is essential. In addition, retailers and manufacturers must collaborate together to propose meaningful growth opportunities and focus on a category driven platform not a transactional one based purely on price. Yet with the proliferation of trends...
There's a video that's made its way around the web a million or so times: it shows all the devices we used to need on our desk and how every function they performed can now be done with a laptop and smartphone. It suggests that our lives are simpler now and that we need fewer things. It could be right too, but it doesn't mean we want fewer things. Not even a little bit. In fact, according to technology research house Gartner, we're buying more devices than ever and are unlikely to slow down anytime in the near future....
According to Gartner, smart cities will use 1.6 billion connected things by the year 2016. This is an increase of 39% from 2015. By unifying facilities as well as advanced service operations through the collection of data and insights from a multitude of sensors, cities can function far more effectively. For example, in industrial zones, shopping malls, airports, seaports, office parks, the Internet of Things (IoT) can help reduce the cost of energy, spatial management and building maintenance by up to 30 percent. Bettina Tratz-Ryan, research vice president at Gartner, says in a recent press release that data collected in...
The falling prices and shrinking sizes of computer processors and sensors, coupled with a proliferation of mobile connectivity, is spurring the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT). As connected cars, connected homes, and connected workplaces join the IoT, devices such as smartphones, tablet computers and smartwatches will serve as the primary interfaces through which people interact with IoT devices and equipment. The IoT is a network of intelligent devices and machines that can monitor themselves as well as gather contextual information (temperature or GPS location, for example) using sensors, and share it with other devices and services....
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