v.18 n. 42 – Released October 28, 2014
With a constant influx of new technologies to market, it can be tough to keep up with trends. Instead of spending months speculating what new features will appear, it’s worthwhile to consider how best to make the available products work for you.
We tracked down a slew of apps to streamline the tedious tasks in your life, from printing photos to adding a new contact to your phone. These recommended hacks will shave hours off your chore list — hours that can be well spent being far more productive.
Big online marketing mistakes seem all the rage these days. In late August, Spanish clothing and accessories retailer Zara got into hot water over what appeared to be a yellow Jewish star on a kid’s striped pajama top that looked like prison gear. Then there was Urban Outfitters with the Kent State sweatshirt that sported what looked like bullet holes and blood stains.
When confronted with evidence of what angered people, at least they managed to cleanly remove the offending items. It doesn’t make things all better, but it’s an important first step. If only Walmart had learned that lesson.
The company has just gone through a one-day rollercoaster with marketing stomachs likely still heaving. It all started with Walmart’s Halloween costume. Someone noticed a different subsection on the company’s website: Fat Girl Costumes, as the blog Jezebel reported.
And that started the very-bad-not-so-good day for Walmart’s marketing department. Even as the story was hitting online media and complaints were landing in the company’s social networking accounts–the term “fat girl costumes” apparently hit the top 10 of Twitter trends–things moved slowed at Walmart. Jezebel noted that by 11:15 a.m. eastern, there was still a fat girl costumes section, although there were no items in it.
Ding. It’s your smartphone alerting you of a new message–probably a message from the office, and you don’t want to touch that. But what if it’s something else? You can’t resist. And when you find out that it is from the office, you feel compelled to respond.
Sounds like a normal weeknight, or even weekend? Dr. Jennifer J. Deal has a cure. The senior research scientist at the Center for Creative Leadership discussed why this is a problem, both for individuals and businesses, in a Wall Street Journal column. She also wrote about potential technology antidotes, which we outline here:
The problem – For employees, it makes perfect sense. “The smartphone makes it seductively simple to answer emails immediately, at all hours,” Deal writes. “And because it’s so easy, people start to worry if they don’t respond to notes quickly all the time.”
But it’s a problem for organizations, too. Bosses exploit it, because why not? “In short, smartphones have gone a long way toward making work a race to the bottom,” she explains. “People’s lives are more tied to work than ever, employee time has been devalued because it’s no longer finite, and inefficiencies have spread uncontrollably throughout organizations.”
The introduction of Apple Pay last Monday was widely described as the dawn of a new era for smartphone payments. But within a week, two major pharmacy chains, Rite Aid RAD and CVS CVS, rejected Apple’s AAPL version of the future: Both disabled Apple Pay as well as other tap-to-pay mobile payments systems Google Wallet and Softcard. As expected, customers took to Twitter to complain, and they almost universally sided with the smartphone company over the drugstores.
CVS hasn’t publicly explained itself. Rite Aid spokeswoman Ashley Flower defended the company in an e-mail to Bloomberg Businessweek. “We are continually evaluating various forms of mobile payment technologies, and are committed to offering convenient, reliable, and secure payment methods that meet the needs of our customers,” she wrote.
Super savers and rich people will be able to put even more money in their 401ks next year. Starting in 2015, contribution limits for the tax-deferred retirement accounts will increase by $500 to $18,000, the Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday.
Meanwhile, the “catch-up” amount that workers age 50 and over can contribute to their plans will rise to $6,000 from $5,500, for a total of $24,000 next year.Of course, not many workers can afford to save those maximum amounts. In 2013, 12% of Vanguard’s more than 3 million 401k participants contributed the max allowed not including any match from their employer, according to the company’s annual How America Saves report.
Maintaining your privacy online, like investing in stocks or looking good naked, has become one of those nagging desires that leaves Americans with a surplus of stress and a deficit of facts. So it’s no surprise that a cottage industry of privacy marketers now wants to sell them the solution in a $50 piece of hardware promising internet “anonymity” or “invisibility.” And as with any panacea in a box, the quicker the fix, the more doubt it deserves.
Last week saw the fast forward rise and fall of Anonabox, a tiny $45 router that promised to anonymize all of a user’s traffic by routing it over the anonymity network Tor. That promise of plug-and-play privacy spurred Anonabox to raise $615,000 on the fundraising platform Kickstarter in four days, 82 times its modest $7,500 goal. Then on Thursday, Kickstarter froze those pledges, citing the project’s misleading claims about its hardware sources. Other critics pointed to flaws in Anonabox’s software’s security, too.
Americans are losing their appetites for Big Macs chased down by Cokes, forcing two megabrands to re-think how to gain market share.
This week McDonald’s reported a 3.3 percent quarterly profit decline, marking its worst performance in years, while Coke’s profit dropped 14 percent with a continuing decline in North American sales during the same period.
What’s going on? That’s the question on the minds of those running both companies who are under pressure to turn things around fast.
McDonald’s execs might take a cue from rival Chipotle Mexican Grill, which posted 20 percent growth in the third quarter. Chipotle restaurants feature a Fresh Mex menu that offers customers a choice of ingredients to customize their orders as well as organic beans and tofu in its Sofritas for vegans.
WHEN TO WATCH
New York City: The eclipse starts at 5:49 p.m. ET. The eclipse will still be going on as the sun sets at 6:03 p.m. ET.
Washington: The eclipse starts at 5:52 p.m. ET. The eclipse will still be going on as the sun sets at 6:17 p.m. ET.
Chicago: The eclipse starts at 4:36 p.m. CT. The eclipse will be at its maximum at 5:43 p.m. CT and the sun will set while still in eclipse.
Denver: The eclipse starts at 3:18 p.m. MT. The eclipse will be at its maximum at 4:35 p.m. MT and will end at 5:44 p.m. MDT.
Los Angeles: The eclipse will start at 2:08 p.m. PT. The eclipse will be at its maximum at 3:28 p.m. and will end at 4:40 p.m. PT.
A few years ago, we accepted that there were limitations to accessing the Web. However, this mindset has changed in a few short years thanks to the emergence of cloud computing and mobile technology. New businesses are now capitalizing on this recent technology to give us greater access to our assets stored online, with no strings attached.
Small business accounting has undergone a sea of change as a new breed of Web-based financial management tools has become available. These software providers have removed the constrictions of desktop software, allowing many accountants to work closer and more efficiently with their small business clients through the Web.
At the moment, the market is crowded with cloud accounting providers. Intuit is still the incumbent, but there are a number of alternatives to its flagship QuickBooks product.
I believe Xero will emerge from the pack and fortify itself as the must-have cloud accounting solution for small businesses in the future. Here’s what sets it apart from the other options and why it’s here to stay.
Dispatches From The Front 