You don’t take have to take my word for it (although as a tech writer I can confirm that explorations of big data’s impact on businesses everywhere were huge in 2015). Thanks to the handwork of the good people at research firm CBSInsights, data trends can be mined from the past ten years’ worth of earnings transcripts from 6000+ public companies. Here’s what they said. AI: So Hot Right Now Artificial intelligence is king....

That low price tag is a real statement of intent from the search giant. The Pixel 4a $50 cheaper than the iPhone SE and the OnePlus Nord. What’s more, it looks set to blow its new rivals out of the water in the camera department, as the Pixel 4a makes use of Google’s renowned image processing software. So, is the Pixel 4a the best cheap phone on the market?...

Ok, maybe the Mini wasn’t actually dead, but it sure felt like it, having not seen an update since 2014 – an ice age in computing terms. In that time, Apple has decided to update the processor to a current generation model, as well as make other changes such as faster Ram and speedier storage. As well as a specs bump, it’s also seen a considerable price rise, and now sits at a few hundred dollars more than the previous model....

Apple really hasn’t given us much of a reason to buy the gadget, and without killer software, the company’s fancy new wearable doesn’t do anything notable (other than beep at us while our phones stay in our pockets). The release of watchOS 2, however, does give developers some hope by offering a chance to access more than just full-screen notifications and animations. Utilizing all the sensors and capabilities of the device means we can finally explore some real functionality and look into Apple Watch design....

And as the churn rate nudge upwards, startups are at the greatest risk: They depend on relatively few employees, and stand to lose the most productivity to the tectonic shifts triggered when an employee pulls up their roots. Steven Kramer, CEO at the workforce management software business WorkJam, has his own theory detailing the four-phase cycle of employee turnover. He filters it through the retail sector, but it’s a concise way to explain the company-wide ripples that a worker’s leaving ultimately causes in any industry....

Now in more than 120 cities across the US and Canada, the lean company recently expanded to Oklahoma City, Nashville, and San Antonio Texas. While their largest pool of companies may be in the transportation industry, GataLabs continues to grow into new industries all with a focus on local. “We help local businesses fight tech giants, whether it’s Uber or some other major enterprise invested in mobile,” said Bourgeois. “Gata Hub provides access to the same technology and quality of experience that users expect....

Gilani is a director at the Mercury Fund, a seed- and early-stage VC based out of Houston. From his particular standpoint, he asserts that the point of investing is to find a sustainable business; for him, the Series A crunch is merely a healthy response from the startup ecosystem – a sign that the system is working. Essentially, this crunch is caused by a mismatch between the number of startup investments at the seed-stage versus the number of investments being made in Series A....

Formerly known as Bellyflop, this new Chicago-based loyalty rewards system is smart – utilizing your smartphone in place of the unnecessary assortment of tattered rewards cards hidden in the depths of your wallet and scattered throughout your desk drawers. The premise is simple: Open up the Belly app (available for iPhone and Android), scan your phone at the point of purchase of participating stores (on an iPad, provided by Belly), and immediately start earning points....

Of course, we all know that Thanksgiving isn’t really the event that tells our minds that we’re in the holiday season. No, of course not – what really marks the beginning of the holiday season for us is the day after that blessed evening of mac n’ cheese cheesecake and turkey popsicles, when all the suburban moms will attempt to fight their way to that iPad Mini that their Sarahs and Michaels have wanted for the past four months: Black Friday....

There are people out there who want to capitalize on this industry, among them NBA superstar Ty Lawson. Alongside Motti Shulman, James Spivey, George DeLisle, and Michelle Grinnell they officially launched their app, Bottles Waiting, last October. Today the team announced that they’ll officially be expanding the reach of their service outside of Denver, which has been monumental for them, into two new cities: Scottsdale, AZ and San Diego, CA....

Since the pandemic, BNPL companies like Klarna have become commonplace on ecommerce websites, but ethical questions are still lingering around the sector. Interestingly, PayPal’s offering has one of the longest repayment plans currently available – which could raise even more questions. PayPal Pays for You…Sort of PayPal has rolled out a new update – called the Pay Monthly plan – which will allow users in the US to stagger payments of large purchases over time frames of up to two years....

Before you pursue any plans into an entrepreneurship track, it’s important that you realize the very real costs of starting a company. Sure, you may have a (possibly) great startup idea, but recognize that in order for your idea to succeed, you need to implement a business model that can ensure a stable cash flow to keep your startup alive. In reality, cash flow concerns are the top challenges that entrepreneurs face....

Clover is a company that is trying to save these apps, particularly the ones that offer business solutions, and unite them with businesses that can benefit from them. They are a growing point-of-sale system that offers offer a large app market. In the app market you can find solutions for everything from authorizing tabs if you run a bar, to ordering rolls of paper…if you’re a business who happens to use rolls of paper for whatever reason (this one’s not for the tree hugging companies out there)....

Now there’s a company who’s taken latte art to the next level. Steam CC has developed The Ripple Maker (yes, that’s its real name), a device that creates incredibly detailed graphics, in the form of personalized messages and art, in the foam of your drink. Just remember, while the images are temporary, a photo (you know you were going to take one anyway) is forever. The current version is for commercial use and has already been tested at multiple coffee venues in NYC....

DC took over Revival Public House in Austin, TX, where I had the pleasure of sitting down with Julie Weber, WDCEP’s Director of Marketing and creator of WeDC, and Alexandra Gibson, CMO of Event Farm, which is an enterprise event marketing platform founded in DC, to talk about how they are working to further DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s mission to position DC as an innovation hub and promote the city’s small businesses and startups....

Individuals being prosecuted for creating and distributing ransomware is rare, but this hasn’t stopped the DoJ from accusing Zagala of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions. The charges are in part regarding the doctor’s “private ransomware builder.” The rise of ransomware-as-a-service is a reminder of the importance of ensuring your business is equipped with antivirus software with ransomware protection. Culprit Caught and Charged Moises Luis Zagala Gonzalez – the cardiologist in question – is alleged to have produced ransomware used in a number of ultimately successful attacks on businesses....

DroneShield, a Herndon, VA-based startup founded in 2014, uses sound-detecting technology to keep track of drones. While other companies use radar, radio frequency and camera technology to detect these machines, DroneShield technology is designed to record sound in a particular area, block out the background noise and find the drone in question. This will prevent any drone-related issues from occurring at airports, prisons, government buildings and commercial venues. If you are worried about how creepy this sounds, don’t be!...

Given that not all of it has value, it is even more important to sort what has quality to be used and shared. Knowing this, Cronycle has recently launched an iOS app that promises to be a revolution on how content is discovered and shared. This content discovery and collaboration platform is a place for professionals to discover, share, and annotate the most relevant articles or documents, allowing for it to be the “ultimate brainstorming” tool....

Of course, we already knew a lot about the the upcoming Pixel phones and PixelBook Go thanks to an absolute cornucopia of leaks. However, Google used the announcement to really flesh out its idea of “ambient computing”. Essentially, this means being able to access computer help whenever and wherever you are (if your device uses Google Assistant, naturally). So, let’s dive into the details and get under the skin of Google’s new products....

Facebook has gone from social connection app to a massive purveyor of global news in a matter of years. Along the way, elections have been decided, activist movements have been spurred, family gatherings have been ruined, all thanks to Facebook’s unflinching commitment to free speech and letting people share what they choose. Fortunately, the company is now trying to make the way users share news a bit more informed. It’s doing this by adding a warning notification to users when attempting to share an article that’s too old to be relevant....