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The Future of TV: What’s After HD?

July 25, 2011 By

On January 1, 1954, television viewers were treated to a glimpse of the future with the very first national broadcast in color — the Tournament of Roses Parade — but only 200 RCA sets capable of showing it existed. Talk about low ratings!

However, it still signified the death of black-and-white and the things to come for TV. Since then, rabbit ears have been replaced by excellent digital cable service, like www.direct.tv, and grainy picture quality has given way to crystal-clear high definition. So what does the future hold for your next home entertainment system? Let’s see.

3D: Things Get a Little Closer

The glasses have changed — they’re made of LCD lenses instead of thin plastic and are much more expensive — but the concept is the same. Readily available, for a price, from electronic retailers, 3D TVs fool your brain with alternating screen images and shuttering lenses to make you feel like you’re in the action.

However, follow the rules and avoid watching television in 3D while drunk or pregnant. Fortunately, 3D TVs are being developed and are starting to hit stores that will not require the use of special glasses. So far, 3D is popular among sports fans and male viewers of The Hills, but that is sure to change once prices start to decrease.

Internet: Your TV Becomes a Computer

Hate when nothing’s on? With Internet TV you can only blame yourself for being indecisive or production studios for making horrible programs — we’re looking at you Baywatch Nights.

Internet-connected televisions access the Web similar to computers but offer a more personalized viewing experience than normal TVs, letting you watch what you want to watch by streaming your favorite shows through services like Netflix and Hulu. Or you can catch up on the latest way someone can injure their groin on YouTube.

UD: Ultra Definition

As television screens start taking over larger portions of your living room walls, better picture quality will have to follow suit. Farther into the future, and farther back in the dictionary, will be ultra definition television.

UDTVs will boast around 3840 x 2160 pixel resolutions compared to the 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution in HD. One thing; such picture quality will provide extreme zooming capabilities. Again, it will probably be pretty popular with men who watch shows like The Hills.

Visible Light Communication: Light Speaks to You

In the future, the backlighting of your television may do much more than display an image. Each tiny backlight just might send you complex pieces of information. Visible light communication technology utilizes LED lights to send information through high frequency blinking.

Such technology will make it possible to control devices with lighting and open a Pandora’s box for advertisers. One day, simply turning on your TV will make you thirsty for a Coke.

Shrinking Bezels: Stack Screens Like Blocks

The bezel is the edge of your television where glass panels meet to form the LCD screen, pretty much dead space. Eliminate bezels and you have a seamless screen, and possibly the TV screen of the future.

Samsung is the first to give it a shot, scaling down bezel size to 7.33mm for new TV from Runco, the luxury home-entertainment retailer, called WindowWall (pity the neighborhood kid who puts a baseball through this window). And with thin bezels, you can stack several screens in numerous combinations anywhere in your home.

Quantum Dots: Bend Your TV

If Dippin’ Dots is the future of ice cream, then quantum dots just may be the future of television. These semiconducting nanocrystals shine brightly when stimulated by light or electric current, using significantly less energy than LCDs.

Scientists at Samsung have started to tap their potential by placing them on flexible plastic and charging them with a thin-film transistor. That means, in the future your TV might be made of some interesting material, such as plastic or rubber that can be bent and stretched as you see fit.

Smell-O-Vision: Get a Whiff of Your TV

One day, you may find yourself wondering what smells so good, only to realize it’s your television. That’s right; your future TV may be capable of emitting odors in accordance to what’s on your screen. You’ll be able to smell the latest creation from Emeril’s kitchen or the dead body floating in a New York harbor on CSI (okay, maybe not this).

Already, University of California, San Diego researchers have created a small box that uses electric currents to heat liquid solutions inside and produce a combination of 10,000 distinct smells. Based on the setting or featured objects on screen, such a device embedded in your TV will concoct the appropriate odor to stimulate another one of your senses. Can we consider this 4-D? If so, 5-D TVs just might be serving you lunch.

Conclusion: A More Interactive TV

Today, it’s safe to say watching TV is no longer simply staring at a box. But in the future, watching TV at home will be an even more interactive experience with additional sensory stimulations. You will be able to physically manipulate your TV, while advertisers will draw you in with much more than clever Super Bowl commercials. No pun intended, but the future of TVs in homes looks bright.

Filed Under: Business, Upcoming Industries

Utilise Social Networking And Gain More Fans

July 22, 2011 By

Whatever service your business offers, social networking is growing so big that it’s likely to contain your customers – if you aren’t using it, you should be!

First, work out your target audience group. This should be easy to do, using your business plan and looking at who frequently purchases your products, but needs to be kept up to date in order to be useful.

Next, set up a Facebook page, and a Twitter account. It is is better to do this at the same time, to give you better chances of getting both names. Using your business name, or very similar, is a good idea, to allow your customers to find you easier. If you use a different name, try to keep it consistant across your social networking.

Link your social networking accounts on your homepage. Twitter provide a button which you can use to link to your twitter account on your website, making this very easy.

Offer competitions to encourage people to find and ‘like’ your page, or ‘follow’ you. Commonly, companies give something away (a small product, or service) once they reach 100 followers, 500 followers…this encourages people to join. Once they have joined, they will see posts you make on their social networking feed.

Post regular updates. Be careful not to mix personal and business posts, and do not post anything controversial – keep it to topical conversations, and making updates about your products – you could post pictures of the production process, or ask customers about colors and patterns.

When your customers log on, your posts will be shown, reminded them of your business and ensuring they will remember you – this is a very effective marketing campaign which can really make a difference to your business! One final tip – schedule the time you spend on this each day, to ensure you don’t ‘lose’ too much time.

Filed Under: Adding Value, Increasing Success, Business Tagged With: , ,

Is Google+ The New Facebook?

July 15, 2011 By
Image representing Google Search as depicted i...

Image via CrunchBase

There is no denying that after all the hype Buzz failed badly, but good things are still being said about Google’s latest project – Google+. Rather then encouraging you to add as many people as possible, from close friends and family to people that your friends know, Google+ is a more intimate affair.

Using circles, it allows you to segment your friends into family, close friends and acquantainces, and limit different posts to different circles. Your posts appears like a wall, and it is exceptionally easy to use – sharing posts and pictures is very fluid, and Google will even pinpoint your location and ask if you want to include this too.

Celebrities seem to be flocking to the new networking, with the CEO of Dell holding 22 video conferences over Google+ recently, and even Facebook creator Mark Zuckerburg himself has created an account. When compared, many celebrities have posted on Google+ more then double the amount of times they posted on Facebook during a two week period.

10 million people have also joined the site, and visited at least once since, and it is rumoured this is due to its simplistic, inituitive nature: much like Google search engine. Others have claimed it is due to Google managing privacy correctly: Facebook appears to be in a never ending storm about users privacy, and the constant changes to terms of service which often give all rights to Facebook.

By combining the parts of Facebook and Twitter that work, and making them both simpler, more inituitive and more stylish, Google+ seem to be on the verge of becoming a serious contender for Facebook, something which has not really happened since the demise of Myspace.

Filed Under: Adding Value, Increasing Success, Business Tagged With: , ,

Selecting a Savvy Online Trading Broker: Practical Tips & Warnings

July 13, 2011 By

Until you take that initial plunge and make your first purchase, the stock market can be a little intimidating. In the old days, like just a few years ago, most new investors actually went into the brokerage office and spoke to a real person. Now, most people, especially small investors, opt for an Online Trading Broker.

With the massive amount of stock market information that’s floating around the Internet, you may have the notion that you know enough to make your own plays. While this may or may not be true, one thing is: All online trading brokers are not equal. Here are some practical tips and warnings to help you find the best online trading broker for your investing style:

Tip: Upfront Research Can Save You a Bundle


Believe it or not, some online brokers aren’t even qualified to make trades. Every stockbroker must pass both the Series 7 and the Series 63 licensing exams and maintain a current registration with the North American Securities Administration Association. Before giving out your hard-earned cash, check with your local NASAA regulatory board to see if the broker has a current registration and if there are any pending complaints or disciplinary actions.

Even if the broker is aboveboard, it doesn’t mean he’s good at his job. If it’s a full-service broker (you’re paying extra for investment guidance), ask for a performance review covering the last five years. Any broker worth his salt will proudly offer this information along with comparisons to the overall industry performance for the same time period.

Tip: Evaluate Your Investment Style


Even if the online broker is extremely qualified, fully registered, and has a sterling reputation in the field, it doesn’t mean that this is the right site for you. Like all good e-businesses, expect each broker to concentrate on a specific niche and tailor her pricing to meet the needs of her target customers.

Decide which of these niches you fitinto and choose accordingly:

  • New Investors — For higher commissions, you get a full-service broker who gives you plenty of advice and closely monitors your growing portfolio.
  • Passive Investors — Small-time investors who only have a little bit of cash to invest should look for a broker with no minimums and deep discounts on transaction fees.
  • Long-Term Investors — Large fund specialists charge more for frequent trades to encourage their customers to hold onto the fund for an extended time.
  • Active Investors — If you like to trade frequently, look for a broker with low commissions and fast turnaround times when you make a move. Some brokers batch trades and may not make the trade until the next day.
  • Day Traders — Most day traders use specialized brokers who offer real-time trades, live quotes, low commissions, and high-tech analytical tools. Expect to keep a minimum balance of around $25,000.

Warning: Pay Attention to the Fee Schedule


Carefully review all fees to make sure you understand what you’re paying for. If something sounds like a great deal, verify whether it’s an introductory offer and what you can expect to pay for the long haul. Ask about hidden fees in addition to per-transaction charges. Like all financial institutions, some brokers try to nickel and dime you with maintenance fees and other charges.

Here are some sample fees and charges:

  • Scottrade — $7 per trade, $27 per broker-assisted trade, no hidden fees
  • Ameritrade — $9.99 per trade, $44.99 per broker-assisted trade, $2 paper-statement fee
  • Zecco — 10 free trades per month with a $25K balance, $4.50 per trade, $19.99 per broker-assisted trade, $30 annual fee for IRA accounts
  • Vanguard — $25 and up per trade, $45 and up per broker-assisted trade, $30 annual maintenance fee
  • ING ShareBuilder — $4 per trade, $19.95 to sell within 90 days, $0.15 surcharge per stock on trades of more than 1,000 shares, $25 inactivity fee
  • E*Trade — $12.99 per trade, broker-assisted trade fees vary, $40 quarterly fee for not maintaining a minimum balance
  • Additional fees may also be charged for paper statements, obtaining the actual stock certificate, or transferring money out of your account.

Warning: Plan for an Emergency


While it’s fine to just interact with the web interface during your typical day, what would you do in an emergency? Make sure you can contact a live person just in case the system crashes or slows — or you’re away from an Internet connection — during a hot trading period. What if you needed to cash out immediately? Find out how long it would take to liquidate and get access to your investment.

To make sure you’re taken care of in a crisis, look for a broker with great customer service. Surprisingly, some of the biggest names in the online trading game don’t perform well in this category. In 2008, Kiplinger performed a little experiment to see how long it took some of the big names to respond to a simple email questions; here are the results:

  • Firstrade: 3 minutes
  • Schwab: 9 hours, 30 minutes
  • WellsTrade: 21 hours, 7 minutes

Tip: Look for Reinvestment Programs

DRIPS, or Dividend Reinvestment Plans, are one of the best ways to build an investment portfolio. Some stocks pay quarterly or yearly dividends. Instead of pocketing this cash, you can, in some cases, choose to reinvest this money in stock.

With this plan, each dividend check should be slightly larger and buy a little bit more stock so that your holdings grow exponentially. If this sounds like a plan, make sure your online broker or your stock holdings offer this feature. In most cases, you shouldn’t have to pay a brokerage fee to take part in a DRIP.

Tip: Do You Need Other Services?


Some online brokers offer IRA accounts, checking and savings accounts, and even debit-card access to your accounts. Others don’t even allow you to purchase mutual funds or buy a full range of stocks. Pick an online broker that has the right services to meet your needs.

Of course, you can expect just about ever extra service to come with some type of fee whether it’s specifically stated or simply worked into some other hidden maintenance charge.

CONCLUSION

In a 2006 study conducted by Kiplinger, 3.8 million online brokerage accounts were created in the first six months of that year. In the same timeframe, online trading increased by 87 percent. These numbers illustrate that online trading is more popular than ever and, by using these tips and warnings, you can pick a savvy online trading broker with a menu of services and a fee schedule that meets your individual investment needs.

Filed Under: Upcoming Industries

The Voice Activated Future

July 12, 2011 By
Traffic congestion, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Image via Wikipedia

By now, anyone having used a GPS unit wonders how they ever found their way around without one. But it can be irritating to constantly type in the address of choice for users. One new innovation that gets rid of this annoyance is the ability to input the address by voice. Voice recognition software has come a long way from its early days, in which even basic words were muddled up by the microphone’s ‘ears,’ resulting in a jumbled outcome. With better voice inputting abilities, today’s generation of gadgets that recognize voice commands seems slick indeed.

And the technology shows no sign of abating, either. Rather, more and more devices are offering this technology, as users appreciate the hands-free nature of the system. As it has been recognized by many states that typing while driving is dangerous – and thus made illegal – it’s especially nice for on-the-go consumers to be able to operate smartphones, GPS units, and many other devices with voice inputs alone.

Even automobiles have gotten in on the game, offering a slew of voice activated services. Ford offers drivers the ability to play music, make phone calls, and keep in touch with the vehicle’s needs all by voice control. But there’s more to it. Get into a wreck and need help? You can contact 911 without digging out a cell phone. Need a weather update on your destination? You can call that up with a voice command. And even traffic reports can be accessed, to avoid any traffic jams along the way. Encounter a jam? Use the voice activated GPS to find another route!

Filed Under: Business, Industries To Watch Tagged With: , ,

Keep Yourself Safe From Hackers

July 4, 2011 By
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware version 1.46 - a pr...

Image via Wikipedia

Hackers are everywhere these days – from businesses to influential celebrity websites and even social networking, hackers seem to be targetting more and more individuals, and the feeling of being hacked isn’t an enjoyable one. Whether they steal your content or just redirect your page, its normal to feel violated afterwards, and wonder how you can stop this from happening again.

Use different passwords. Statistically, it is much safer to use a passport tool then to use the same password for everything – this will allow the hackers easy access to your whole online world should they manage to work it out.

Be careful about what you reveal online. Hackers can use information which you’ve posted to work out the answers to security questions, or even to work out what your password is, if it’s an obvious one!

Check all your accounts regularly, and don’t forget your credit record. If anything unusual shows up, the earlier you alert the bank the more chance you have of the money being returned, and you’ll also know your security is lapse somewhere.

Change your password occasionally. Some services will prompt you to do this on a monthly basis, while others are happy for you to have the same password for years – something which makes it much less safe.

Use a good password. Try to use as many characters as possible, usually a minimum of six, and include characters or numbers, and capital letters. If your password is complex like this, it is much more difficult to gain access to the account.

Finally, keep your security system up to date, and ensure you have an anti-virus software along with a firewall which is set to at least a moderate security level. Combined, these things will significantly lower your chances of being hacked, both personally or professionally.

Filed Under: Adding Value, Increasing Success Tagged With: , ,

So what makes each online signature service different?

June 26, 2011 By
If you have been looking for an online signature service that will help make your business more efficient, then you have probably already learned that there are plenty of choices out there to consider. With so many options, you might find yourself wondering what makes each online signature service different from the others.

Top Online Signature Services

The top online signature services will concentrate on a few key features, including security, speed and flexibility. Each company, however, attempts its own strategies to make these essential elements more useful for customers. The top online signature services that you will find include:

  • EchoSign
  • Axway
  • MedGarge
  • BlueWare

Some of these companies focus on the needs of specific industries while others provide general online signature services. BlueWare, for instance, is well known as a software company that offers electronic signature services that meet the needs of the health care industry. EchoSign, however, offers a wider range of general services that most businesses will find useful. The option that you choose largely depends on whether you want a specialized or generalized service for your business.

The Importance of Security

Online signature companies can also vary by the types of security features that they offer. Ideally, you want to choose a company that can ensure your privacy. The documents that you send clients could contain sensitive information that you do not want other people to access. By choosing a signature company that provides reliable security, you help ensure that no one can steal your information.

Speedy Delivery

Just about any online signature service is faster than sending documents back and forth through the mail. Some companies, however, have found ways to make delivery even faster. Look for a company that can promise delivery within a certain amount of time. If they can’t deliver a standard-sized document within minutes, then consider using another service that has more advanced technology at its disposal. Every minute that you can save during the signing process is a minute that you can devote to more important matters within your business.

Document Flexibility

When you’re working with clients and business partners, you might have to make small adjustments to your contracts. When it comes down to the final stage of negotiations, you might find that people get very picky about the deal’s details. If you use a signature service that allows you to edit documents easily, then you don’t have to worry that this stage of the process will stall the deal. Instead, you just access the document, make the changes and re-send it. Depending on the number of changes that you decide to make, you should be able to get through this stage in a matter of minutes.
Although every online signature service claims to offer the best features, they are not all the same. Spend some time learning about your options and focus on the features listed above. This will help you choose a reliable service that meets the needs of your business, your clients and your partners.
Filed Under: Adding Value, Increasing Success

Does Your Small Business Use Twitter?

June 19, 2011 By

Most small businesses have realized the advantages of connecting with their customers through Facebook. Not everyone, however, has seen the potential in using a Twitter account to market small businesses. If you have been on the fence about whether to open a Twitter account for your business, then you will want to consider these advantages before you make a final decision.

Use Interesting Posts

Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun...

Image via CrunchBase

No one likes to receive boring posts. If you have ever gotten messages such as “drinking coffee,” “I hate Monday,” and “back in the car,” then you know how little it takes to stop following a dull poster.

When you use interesting Twitter posts, though, you get the opportunity to share your business’s personality with customers. This can help you create a brand identity without spending any money on advertisements.

Advertising Through Twitter

You can also use your interesting posts to keep customers in the loop. A café owner might post a message that says “next ten people through the door get a free latte!” to increase business on a slow day. You could even use Twitter to offer special deals to your customers by posting “today only, 10 percent off to anyone who says ‘hooligan’ during checkout.” That’s like sending a coupon to your favorite customers without even paying for paper and printing.

If you don’t see the marketing potential of Twitter, then sign up and start following some of your favorite businesses. You will quickly see that some companies have made a fine art of posting messages that stimulate business. What are some of the best Twitter messages that you have seen?

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

Balancing Supply and Demand

June 8, 2011 By

You already know the basic law of supply and demand. If supply drops and demand remains high, then prices increase; if demand wanes while supply increases, then prices drop. There are many different scenarios that can occur within this context. Learning how to balance supply and demand, however, might help your company compete with other businesses in your industry.

Finding a Balance

To make the most money at your store, you will want to have just enough product to meet the demands of your customer. If, for instance, you have too many televisions left over at the end of the month, then you are losing money by missing out on sales. If, however, you sell all of your TV sets two weeks into the month, then you are losing money because you are charging too little for the product.

To get the most, you need to find a perfect balance that allows you to generate maximum revenues while keeping your customers happy.

Searching for the Supply and Demand Balance

How do you know the perfect price for a product? You have to do a lot of research. Many manufacturers offer suggested retail prices that you can use as a benchmark. You can also browse other stores to see what they charge for similar products. Of course, you can also do your own in-store marketing. You might start by charging a slightly high price to see how many people buy your product. If sales are unexceptional, then lower the price gradually until you reach sales that make you happy.

What are some of the research tools that you have used to maximize sales for your business?

Filed Under: The Economy Tagged With: , ,

The Risk of Making Money in the Stock Market

June 6, 2011 By

 

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 18: Traders crowd around ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Everyone knows that the stock market can fall or rise considerable amounts in a single day. What many people don’t realize, though, is that volatility equals opportunity. As long as you know how to take risks reasonably, you could find that you increase your profits year after year despite how the stock market performs.

Buy Low and Sell High

Falling stock market prices certainly look scary. Why would anyone want to invest in a company that has lost value recently?

As stock values fall, you get the opportunity to purchase them at lower prices. If you have done your research, then you should be able to make educated guesses about how far the price will drop. If you manage to purchase stock at its lowest value, then you just have to wait for the price to start rising again. Then you can sell the stock that you do not need when it reaches a price that can earn you a substantial profit.

The Risk of Buying Stock

If you have been trading stocks for a long time, then you might find that you can spot certain trends in the market. No matter how much experience you have, though, there is always the chance that you will make a bad bet. Spread your stocks out over several industries to help ensure that you do not lose all of your investment capital during a correction. That way, you control your loses by mitigating risk.

Many people love the money that they get from buying and selling stocks, but they also love the rush. What are some of your biggest victories?

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,
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