technology Archives - LJ Sedgwick

December 7, 2017 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

5 Awesome Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas 2017

Christmas fast approaches and thoughts now turn to gift-buying. What on earth do you buy for everyone? While I can’t advise on what to get Great Aunt Doris, the cat-loving cook from Carlisle, I can give suggestions for more tech-minded people. So here is my selection of tech gift ideas for the more gadget-inclined among your friends and family.

1) Popcord

You go out on a day trip and take hundreds of photos. You’re constantly sharing videos on Instagram Stories. Maybe you even hop onto Facebook Live to show your friends something cool where you are.

All of that social sharing hammers your phone’s battery. You get on the train to head home and find you have 2% battery left. And you left your charger at home to save space in your bag.

Bummer.

It doesn’t have to end like that. With the Popcord, you’ve always got a charging cable with you because it’s small enough to hang from your keyring.

Struggling to decide what to buy this Christmas? Check out these tech gift ideas for the gadget-inclined among your friends and family. — Popcord

Just choose the cable you want (iPhone or Android), pick a colour, and order. Then, next time you’re out, simply pop one end into the nearest USB point, and the other into your device.

Easy.

Pick up a Popcord here for your social media-loving friend. Or grab one as a stocking filler for your teenager so they’ll always have enough battery to call for the Dad Taxi.

They’re an ideal tech gift for anyone with a device!

2) Google Pixel Buds

Wireless earbuds can be handy if you’re in the gym or out running. You don’t have wires getting in the way.

There are plenty of wireless earbuds to choose from if that’s a problem you want to solve this Christmas.

But these pricey wireless earbuds make a great tech gift for the traveller in your life. Why?

They use Google’s AI system to translate 40 languages in real time. They’re the closest you’re likely to get to a Babelfish.

I should note, they’re not entirely wireless as a cable still connects the two earbuds. The Translate option only works with a Pixel 2 phone. But any user can still enjoy rapid access to the Google Assistant, simply by tapping the earbuds.

Check out a pair of these earbuds here.

3) Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa

TV junkies can choose from a range of streaming devices, including the Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, or the series of players from Roku.

As cool as the Chromecast is, it can’t stream from the Amazon Video Android app. Whereas Amazon Fire Sticks will play content through other apps.

So if you want to catch up on shows from Netflix, BBC iPlayer or YouTube, you can. Or stream music through Spotify and Amazon Music.

This latest model also comes with Alexa voice search. Just press and hold the microphone button, and tell it what you want to watch.

I can personally attest that Alexa even understands Geordie accents.

Simply plug the stick into an HDMI port, and the power cable can either go in a USB port on your TV, or into a regular wall socket. There’s also an extender for the HDMI port if you need more space on the side of your TV.

Pick up an Amazon Fire Stick here. (This is an affiliate link but I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn’t enjoy using mine)

4) Polaroid Zip mobile printer

How many of your smartphone photographs do you ever see again once you’ve put them on Facebook?

It’s easy to take more photos than you actually need with digital technology. But sometimes you want physical copies to preserve the memories beyond a news feed update.

Enter the Polaroid Zip mobile printer. You can print 2×3″ photos directly from your smartphone using Polaroid instant printing. Download the free app for iOS or Android and away you go.

And your loved one can get started on Christmas Day because it’s ready to print up to 25 sheets on the first charge.

Grab one here. They come in a range of colours too!

It’s simpler than self-driving cars but who said a tech gift had to be complicated?

5) reMarkable

Everyone has that one relative who doesn’t see the big deal with digital. They prefer paper, and that’s the end of it.

Paper’s brilliant but it has its drawbacks – ink fades, it can be torn or smudged, and it’s pretty flammable.

Get the best of both worlds with the reMarkable tablet. Draw or write on the screen and it behaves like ink on paper.

But then you can access all of your notes on any device. So you might have scribbled a shopping list on your tablet but you’ve left it at home. No matter! Access it on your phone and never forget that loaf of bread again.

Research proves that handwriting notes led to better memory retention than typing them. So a reMarkable tablet might be ideal for the student in your life.

Pick yours up here.

Phew! 5 awesome tech gift ideas for Christmas!

Question is, which ones will you buy for other people, and which ones will you buy for yourself?

Let me know in the comments below which of these gift ideas catch your eye.

November 22, 2017 by LJ Sedgwick 1 Comment

Will we really be riding in self-driving cars by 2021?

Another November, another budget. The budget announced today is an interesting one for the tech world. With investment in 5G networks, extra recruitment of computer science teachers, and investment in the AI industry, it’s clear that the Tories want to get behind tech. But it goes further than that. Chancellor Philip Hammond wants self-driving cars on UK streets by 2021.

The move comes as part of the post-Brexit measures since the UK won’t be subject to the same constraints as the rest of the EU. Under the new regulations, self-driving cars can be tested on UK roads without a human operator on board.It certainly makes the UK more attractive as a production site for the car industry.

With the extra funds for the tech industry in the 2017 budget, will it push the appearance of self-driving cars on UK streets by 2021? — Image by Frank Derks (CC BY 2.0)

A segment on BBC Breakfast saw people canvassed for their opinions on self-driving cars. Many of those asked expressed concerns about “trusting their lives to a computer” – which they do on a daily basis but never mind.

Another problem was the perceived “lack of ethics”. One chap worried about the cars being able to make decisions or distinguish between situations. As a perpetual pedestrian, I can confirm that we have the same fears about human drivers. I’m less likely to worry about self-driving cars since I bet they’ll use their indicators, pay attention to stop lights, and not drive the wrong way along one-way roads.

But I digress.

Wait – are self-driving cars even safe?

Many detractors point to the fatal crash in 2016 of a Tesla Model S. Joshua Brown’s car hit a truck while on autopilot; it seems the car didn’t recognise the side of the truck, only being programmed to recognise the front and back.

Tesla pointed out the tech was in a “public beta phase”, so they were definitely anticipating bugs in the software. But a bug that ends up killing someone?

Still, autopilot doesn’t mean take your hands off the wheel completely.

At the moment, drivers are still expected to interact with their self-driving car. There’s nothing stopping you from grabbing the wheel or hitting the brakes. True, that does defeat the point of self-driving cars, but they’re still in the testing phase.

Often, other drivers are the problem.

In 2016, a self-driving car by Google hit a public bus in Mountain View. It was attempting to drive around sandbags in the road. The car knew the bus was there but the software predicted it would slow to allow the car to pass. It didn’t, and the car hit the side of the bus.

That said, the human test driver also thought the bus would yield to the car. How much can you blame software when a human makes the same assumption?

Plus, let’s take this one step further. If both vehicles are piloted by software, then yes, there’s still the risk that the same collision could happen. But the software in the bus might have noted the car’s failure to slow and applied the brakes itself – a decision the human bus driver didn’t make.

A study by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute found that driverless cars were involved in twice as many accidents as normal cars. Before you condemn self-driving cars, be mindful that they were being hit by human drivers. Some think the driverless cars stick so faithfully to the rules of the road that it throws human drivers, who are used to bad driving from other people.

So what are the advantages of self-driving cars?

Human error causes more than 90% of car accidents. Eliminate the human element and, in theory, you’d reduce the number of accidents.

You’d pretty much eradicate drug/drink driving. The same applies to texting and driving. Passengers could text and call people to their heart’s content.

Then there’s the option of the smart city. Imagine heading into a city and finding your self-driving car has already communicated with the parking facilities near your destination. Your car takes you straight to the nearest parking space without endless driving up and down. That’s more time at your destination, enjoying dinner, watching a film, or hanging out with friends.

And the disadvantages?

I don’t think that the computer making the decisions is necessarily the problem with self-driving cars. No, the problem is the security aspect. A driverless car is the last thing you want hackers to get into. Would you want your car’s brakes to be turned off on the M1? Delivery cars could be manoeuvred off main streets and into quiet side alleys by nefarious individuals.

The Guardian think we don’t actually need to worry about security. The extra tech, strangely, makes them more secure.

But, given self-service checkouts still can’t distinguish between products, and the dreaded ‘blue screen of death’ is an ever-present danger in UK offices, can we trust the computers in self-driving cars not to go wrong too? It would be pretty hairy to have to turn your car off and back on again while you’re doing 60mph down the A1.

Will we see self-driving cars on UK streets?

Uber certainly thinks self-driving cars are the future. They’ve bought 24,000 vehicles from Volvo as the start of their driverless fleet.

While it’s difficult to know how much Uber drivers make per hour, the company takes a fee of 25% out of passenger fares. It usually costs me between £9 and £9.50 for a 15-minute trip. If the driver manages a similar return journey in that hour, then Uber is only making £4.50 – £4.75 an hour. It doesn’t take a genius to see why Uber might want to dispense with the driver and net the other 75% of that fee themselves.

But regardless what Uber think, the British government seem to see them as the future…

Over to you – what do you think of self-driving cars? Let me know below!

Need me to write technology posts like this for your blog? Check out my Please Google and Your Users Bundle!

October 5, 2017 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

What can tech firms learn from Carl Sagan about marketing?

You want to find new ways to market your tech company. So you need to find people to learn from. I’d bet you £1 that Carl Sagan would not be on your list of potential mentors.

But he really should be.

In 1977, two spacecraft launched to explore the solar system. Part of the Voyager mission, both craft beamed stunning shots back to Earth. Without Voyager, we may never have known about Jupiter’s giant storms, the moons of Uranus, or the composition of Neptune.

In 2013, Voyager 1 entered interstellar space. Five of its eleven instruments still send data back to NASA, though it’s likely to run out of energy after 2025.

At the closest point in its orbit, Jupiter is 365 million miles away from Earth. How do you get the public to buy into a mission that won’t bear fruit for years, and takes place in the far reaches of space?

In the 1970s, Carl Sagan revolutionised public opinion of the Voyager mission. What can tech firms learn about marketing from his elegant solution? — Voyager 1’s 1979 photo of Jupiter. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

That was the problem Carl Sagan faced…and solved.

Technology often faces a buy-in problem.

You may have seen this with your own technology solution. It could solve a given problem, but buyers are either unaware of the problem, or reluctant to give up their existing solution. Perhaps your technology is more of a ‘long term’ product. Or your software solves a problem that’s not particularly fun or sexy (like accounting).

Or worse. Potential buyers are scared of your technology.

Tech and software can be confusing. To many people, it’s an alien, clinical, inhuman force. People don’t think of Wall-E or Johnny 5 – they think of the Terminator or the machines in The Matrix. When it goes wrong, it leaves users frustrated, embarrassed, or angry.

You need to make technology more human.

Let’s go back to Voyager for a moment. How was a tech-heavy, scientific mission going to appeal to the public at large?

NASA brought in Carl Sagan to help with public buy-in. He came up with a simple solution.

The Voyager Golden Record.

As a child, Sagan visited the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. The time capsule project captivated the youngster. The Time Capsule contained books, artifacts and newspapers from 1939, preserved for posterity beneath Flushing Meadows.

Voyager’s image problem recalled this beloved memory. Sagan realised the human need to make our mark on the world, or even the cosmos. We build monuments to remind those who will come later that we were here. Even having children helps to satisfy the urge towards immortality.

Why not connect that deeply-rooted psychological human compulsion with another human need, the desire to explore?

The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space, but the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet – Carl Sagan

The record contains scientific graphs and charts, as well as music, greetings in a range of languages, and images of life on earth. Designed as a giant “Hello there!” to any passing alien civilisations, the record also ensures humanity’s immortality. Even after humanity ceases to exist, a record of our achievements will be floating through space.

In essence, he made Voyager human.

Which is ironic, since no human will ever play those golden records.

What can you learn from Carl Sagan for your own marketing?

Let’s back up a second. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to launch something into space just to get people to buy your solution. (Though if that’s an option, you might want to look into it)

The key thing you can learn from Carl Sagan’s elegant solution is this;

Find a way to appeal to the emotions of your customers.

In Sagan’s case, he wanted to generate an emotional response in millions of Americans. People always make decisions based on emotions, before justifying them later with logic. If NASA could make people feel something about Voyager, they’d be able to logically justify the cost of the program.

How can you appeal to the emotions?

Your automated scheduling tool isn’t clever software driven by AI. It’s time spent at home instead of the office. It’s birthday dinners attended, instead of missed.

The smart light bulbs aren’t just energy efficient. They’re the parent able to turn off the light in the room of a sleeping infant without going in and waking them up.

Your fitness wearable isn’t just a heart rate tracker and pedometer. It’s your user losing weight on her terms so she looks amazing for that high school reunion.

Use your content to turn your solution into something human.

Use your content to give your technology a memorable name. Go behind the scenes – let your customers get behind the curtain so they realise they’re not quivering at the feet of Oz the Great and Powerful, they’re dealing with a regular person…just like themselves. Show customers the benefit of using your solution. Let them meet the creators of this mysterious technology.

By making your technology more human, you’re making it easier for your customers to relate to it. Which makes them way more likely to buy – and benefit from – it.

Not sure how to write blog posts to do all of these things? Grab my handy guide/checklist combo below and get cracking.

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November 9, 2016 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

5 awesome predictions for better digital marketing in 2017

Digital marketing has come a long way already.

But with new technology becoming more available, it’s predicted to alter its focus in 2017.

There are already hundreds of predictions posts online, so I’ve distilled them down into the top 5 common themes.

And if you’d like me to write posts like this for your business, then drop me a line!

With new technology becoming more accessible, digital marketing is predicted to change its focus in 2017. How can you get onto the trends and improve yours?

1) Virtual and augmented reality aren’t going away

You can’t fail to have noticed Pokemon Go in 2016. Even back in August, it still had 21 million daily active users. Nearly $3millon was spent every day on in-app purchases.

Augmented reality relies on the blurring of the line between reality and the digital space. Fortune.com predicts that gallery visitors will expect to see information about the artworks displayed alongside them. Shoppers may even be able to virtually ‘try on’ clothes instead of the old-fashioned method of using a changing room.

Virtual reality differs in its use of an entirely digital space. Yet marketers have already grasped its potential. In May 2016, Amnesty International began showing a VR film about a Syrian refugee to British people in the street. Sign ups for direct debit donations increased by 16%.

Immersing potential customers or clients in a virtual world stimulates better engagement and interaction. And with the industry predicted to be worth $120 billion by 2020, companies are only going to keep investing in the technology.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

It’ll be pretty difficult, considering the cost of developing virtual and augmented reality spaces.

But you can stay true to the basic theme – immersive experiences. You can’t fail to have noticed the sudden boom in posts and courses about the power of storytelling. Well now’s your chance to perfect it.

Tell stories that bring your readers or clients inside your world. Let them experience your solutions. Show them your expertise. And help them.

If anything, today’s election result proves that people need to be a little kinder to one another.

2) Mobile devices will continue to be popular

The popularity of Facebook 360 and its reliance on a smartphone gyroscope indicates the potential of mobile technology. And now Google have announced the release of their Pixel smartphone – which has crossover with their Daydream VR headset.

Make no mistake, mobile devices are still your main source of traffic. 70% of internet use now comes via a mobile device. Back in 2014, Google prioritised websites in their search results that were mobile friendly.

Now, having a website that is mobile responsive is the cost of entry. Especially since Google announced that in future, the mobile index would actually be more up-to-date than their desktop index.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Banish popups! From January, Google will be penalising websites that feature “intrusive interstitials”.

So if users have to click past a welcome mat, or some kind of popup that appears the moment they land on your page, Google will knock you down the rankings.

You simply cannot expect visitors to click through a popup before they can even access your content.

You can still use them on desktop websites, but they’re a total no-no on mobile devices.

3) Video is absolutely the way to go

The rise of video marketing parallels the wider availability of public wi-fi, and the higher amounts of data offered in mobile contracts. And video helps you to create much better connections with other people.

Think about it. Your potential clients and customers can see and hear you. They can tune in to your body language. Tone of voice goes a long way to forming a good impression.

And video isn’t restricted to pre-recorded content any more. Live streaming will bring your message to people in the here-and-now.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Take the time to get comfortable using video. Get used to being on camera. People seem to have forgotten that marketing is essentially about forming connections with people. Not leads, not clients, not sales. People.

Video offers an amazing way to connect with people.

Plan out what you’d like to share, but be open to live videos to respond to things as and when they happen. Live stream events and bring people inside your world.

The immediacy will create connections that blog posts just can’t.

4) Focus on better content, not more

Commentators have been discussing the sheer volume of information online for some time now. Back in 2014, Mark Schaefer coined the term “content shock”.

Not only that, but continual changes to social media algorithms make it more difficult for your content to be seen in the first place. In February this year, Twitter brought in the option for users to see the ‘best’ tweets first, instead of in chronological order. Instagram brought in a similar change in May.

Earlier this year, Pinterest altered its algorithm so content related to topics you’d previously pinned was displayed more prominently than pins created in real time.

And Facebook changes its algorithm as often as the weather.

Rather than pumping out more and more content in the hope it sticks, companies will focus on spending more time creating specific pieces. It’ll more important to track the effectiveness of those pieces.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Focus on creating excellent content! Is it valuable? Then post it. (Note: even if something is just entertaining, that’s still valuable) Is it just for link-building? Maybe give it a miss.

Learn how the different platforms work. There’s no point throwing lots of content onto Instagram without realising how people will (or won’t) find it.

And remember that a lot of other people are also trying to do the same thing. According to Content Marketing Institute, 88% of B2B marketers rely on content marketing. But only 48% have a documented strategy.

So make sure you know what your strategy is and you’re instantly off to a winner.

5) Don’t underestimate the Internet of Things

‘Omnichannel marketing’ means that no matter the time, place or device, the user experience is the same.

But the Internet of Things means we’ll also see everyday devices being connected to the web. Brands will be able to understand actual moments from their consumers’ day through the data transmitted by the devices.

Think smart kettles. Smart meters.

Intel even predicted there could be 200 billion of these devices by 2010. That’s an awful lot of data about user habits being sent back to the brand hub.

Scary, too.

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

You can’t really do a great deal at the moment. Until the data becomes accessible, it’s meaningless for those outside the brands using the technology.

But what you can take away from it is a need to have a seamless experience. Whether a user lands on your Facebook page, blog, Twitter feed or website, they should know that you’re behind it. Consistency will absolutely be king.

Over to you! What digital marketing trends are you interested in for 2017?

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If you’d like me to write posts like this for your business, then drop me a line and we can have a chat!

5 Awesome Tech Gift Ideas for Christmas 2017

1) Popcord

2) Google Pixel Buds

3) Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa

4) Polaroid Zip mobile printer

5) reMarkable

Phew! 5 awesome tech gift ideas for Christmas!

Will we really be riding in self-driving cars by 2021?

Wait – are self-driving cars even safe?

Still, autopilot doesn’t mean take your hands off the wheel completely.

Often, other drivers are the problem.

So what are the advantages of self-driving cars?

And the disadvantages?

Will we see self-driving cars on UK streets?

Over to you – what do you think of self-driving cars? Let me know below!

What can tech firms learn from Carl Sagan about marketing?

Technology often faces a buy-in problem.

You need to make technology more human.

What can you learn from Carl Sagan for your own marketing?

How can you appeal to the emotions?

5 awesome predictions for better digital marketing in 2017

1) Virtual and augmented reality aren’t going away

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

2) Mobile devices will continue to be popular

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

3) Video is absolutely the way to go

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

4) Focus on better content, not more

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

5) Don’t underestimate the Internet of Things

So how can you apply this to your own content marketing?

Over to you! What digital marketing trends are you interested in for 2017?

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