Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen said that “software is eating the world” in a famous essay published in “The Wall Street Journal” back in 2011. He was referring to the way that software is reshaping a growing number of industries - from airlines to manufacturing — and how it's becoming a necessity to embrace software to remain competitive.

The good news is that these trends have created many opportunities for investors keeping a close eye on Apple, MySize, BlackBerry, Alphabet and Qualcomm.
It's hard to purchase clothing online because you can't try it on beforehand. But, that hasn't stopped online shoppers from purchasing billions of dollars worth of clothing and shoes online each year. Many shoppers purchase multiple items with plans to return the items that don't fit. These shoppers are expected to return about a third of these goods, according to Customer Growth Properties (http://tinyurl....

Deep learning machines are taking over a large portion of drivers' automotive tasks and will completely take over driving in 10 years, according to a recently published report by IoT [Internet of Things] market research firm ON World (www.onworld.com).

"The connected car is experiencing exponential technological advancements and enormous investment over the past three years," says Mareca Hatler, ON World's research director.  "This accelerated growth can be seen in the patents granted, favorable government regulations and the videos of Tesla cars driving their occupants to work while they shave.”

Over the past two years alone, $40 billion has been invested in connected car-related companies and associated technologies.  That staggering amount is targeting IoT technologies such as machine learning, 3D mapping, sensor processing, image processing, cloud-based services, data analytics, advanced LAN/WAN/CAN...

By Vern Oakley

We live in a visual society, and increasingly a video society. The corporate world knows this, and is leveraging video for uses other than just branding or marketing. Video is now often used to communicate important messages for moving people to action: for example, to invite investors to take a stake in your company, to encourage employees to rally around a strategy or initiative, or to recruit prospective employees.

As a filmmaker and creative director, I’m constantly looking for the next technology or trend to make my own work stronger and understand the context that corporations are coming to the table with. Here are some trends I’ve noticed lately.

° Welcome to the video tsunami. Video is by far the way more and more people want to receive messages and information. We’re at the crest of the wave, and the surf is up. By 2020, 84% of all Internet traffic will be video. That’s an astounding number.

° Video continues to...

Venafi (www.venafi.com), a provider of machine identity protection, has announced the results of a study on the cryptographic security practices of DevOps teams. Cryptographic security risks are amplified in DevOps settings, where compromises in development or test environments can spread to production systems and applications.

According to the study, many organizations fail to enforce vital cryptographic security measures in their DevOps environments. These problems are especially acute among organizations that are in the midst of adopting DevOps practices, but even organizations that say their DevOps practices are mature do not follow security practices designed to protect cryptographic keys and digital certificates.

“It’s clear that most organizations are still struggling with securing the cryptographic keys and digital certificates used to uniquely identify machines,” said Kevin Bocek, chief security...

The global market of artificial intelligence is anticipated to grow at a CAGR [compound annual growth rate] of over 60% during 2017-2022, according to Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com).

On the basis of application, global artificial intelligence market has been broadly segmented into image recognition, natural language processing, speech recognition, gesture control and others, according to the research group. Among these categories, image recognition dominated global artificial intelligence market in 2016, and the segment is expected to maintain its dominance over the next five years as well.

These machines are also capable of taking decisions by self-learning from the nearby environment. Global artificial intelligence market is expected to grow at a robust pace over the next five years, owing to its widespread implementation in numerous industries, such as automobile,...

Data Conversion Laboratory, Inc. (DCL) and the Center for Information Development Management (CIDM), have released the results of the 5th annual "Following the Trends – Is Your Content Ready?" survey, and the results show, among many other insights, that a surprising 51% of those polled responded "No," that their content is not ready – a 21% increase over last year.  

Each year the survey's goal is to probe and track how, and if, organizations or individual professionals are adapting their processes and content to be more viable in an increasingly electronic world. Questions covered a wide range of topics around content, including types of content being developed (User Manuals, Release Notes, Training Materials), authoring tools (XML author, MS Word, FrameMaker), and mobile strategies, as well as classic concerns like staff, budgets, and time.

Spanning five years, this survey has attracted almost 1900 respondents with 2017's drawing in 369 professionals. "There is...

Worldwide semiconductor revenue is forecast to total $386 billion in 2017, an increase of 12.3% from 2016, according to Gartner, Inc. (www.gartner.com).

Favorable market conditions that gained momentum in the second half of 2016, particularly for commodity memory, have accelerated and raised the outlook for the market in 2017 and 2018, according to the research group. However, the memory market is fickle, and additional capacity in both DRAM and NAND flash is expected to result in a correction in 2019.

"While price increases for both DRAM and NAND flash memory are raising the outlook for the overall semiconductor market, it will also put pressure on margins for system vendors of smartphones, PCs and servers," said Jon Erensen, research director at Gartner. "Component shortages, a rising bill of materials, and the prospect of having to counter by raising average selling prices (ASPs) will create a volatile...

IHS Markit (www.ihs.com) — an information, analytics and solutions firm — says the market for wireless power and charging is expected to grow in 2017, with global  receiver shipments reaching 325 million units by year end. The market grew approximately 40% in 2016.

According to the new report, mobile phones remain the primary driver for development of wireless power technology and mobile phones, laptops and wearable devices will drive receiver market growth. Receiver unit shipments are expected to climb this year as demand increases; Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) make their decision on specifications; and the market moves towards glass-backed phones.

In 2016, the flagship Samsung handset made the biggest single contribution to enabled receiver shipments, according to IHS Markit. Samsung’s decision to retain wireless charging on the Galaxy S7, and LG’s decision to add the technology to its new G6 device (U....

On April 3, President Trump allowed Internet Service Providers to collect and sell user data. Many experts feel that this was just the beginning - and the signs of new developments are already visible.
 
A notice has already been served by Trump administration that net neutrality - which guarantees that all content is equally accessible - will be possibly revoked. If that happens, ISPs will also be able to control which content users see, giving preference to more lucrative options, and making it harder for independent streaming services or smaller sites to compete.

As a result of the rights given to Internet Service Providers, a new type of an ISP might emerge: an ISP that is also an ad network and content company, taking full advantage of data it receives from its tracking supercookies and other methods.
 
According to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the founder of World Wide Web, the measure repealing the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) online...

According to the IDC (www.idc.com) research group, vendor revenue from sales of infrastructure products (server, storage, and Ethernet switch) for cloud IT, including public and private cloud, grew by 9.2% year over year to $32.6 billion in 2016, with vendor revenue for the fourth quarter (4Q16) growing at 7.3% to $9.2 billion.

Cloud IT infrastructure sales as a share of overall worldwide IT spending climbed to 37.2% in 4Q16, up from 33.4% a year ago. Revenue from infrastructure sales to private cloud grew by 10.2% to $3.8 billion, and to public cloud by 5.3% to $5.4 billion. In comparison, revenue in the traditional (non-cloud) IT infrastructure segment decreased 9.0% year over year in the fourth quarter.

Private cloud infrastructure growth was led by Ethernet switch at 52.7% year-over-year growth, followed by server at 9.3%, and storage at 3.6%. Public cloud growth was also led by Ethernet switch at 30.0% year-...

A new report from Mobile Experts (www.mobile-experts.net) says the small cell forecast ratcheted down a notch this year, as some key programs in China and direct-to-enterprise channel did not materialize as anticipated. However, growth due to "densification" and indoor coverage has grown in strength, resulting in a strong revenue outlook, according to the research group.

"The overall market, including residential femtocells, is growing at about 17% (CAGR) over our forecast period," says Mobile Experts Senior Analyst Kyung Mun. "But the growth for non-residential small cells is even more dramatic. We expect carrier and enterprise segments to grow at over 30% CAGR from 2016-2022.”

According to Mobile Experts, market trends point to an upward trajectory this year. Carriers with broad LTE coverage are reaching a level of traffic density in excess of 1 Gbps/km2, which leads to a need for small cells...

RESCUECOM (http://www.rescuecom.com), a computer repair company, has released its 2017 Computer Repair Report, which analyzes the data from its calls to provide insight and tips on how to handle top computer repair problems.

The 2017 RESCUECOM Computer Repair Report Top computer repair problems are as follows: Windows Application (32.0%); Windows OS (17.1%); Virus/Spyware/Malware/Pop-Up Ads (13.9%); Internet Connectivity (7.6%); Running Slow (7.0%); Email Trouble (6.0%); Printer Woes (6.0%); Computer Won't Boot (4.1%); Data Recovery (2.6%); Hardware Problems (2.0%); User Caused (1.0%); Mac Applications (0.4%); Phone Problems (0.3%); Mac OS (0.1%); and TV Problems (0.1%)

Modern apps are supposed to expand capabilities across multiple devices without the need to code a new app for each device; however, it seems that with each new Windows 10 build, something breaks, and that is likely with the...

The global OLED display market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.86% during the period 2017-2021, according to Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com).

The report from the research group has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The latest trend gaining momentum in the market is technological advances in augmented reality.

Apple partnered with Carl Zeiss, a German optics manufacturer, for the development of smart glasses set to be launched in the 2018. Based on patents released by Apple in June 2016, it used foldable TAMOLED display that can be wrapped around on the user's head. Apple's US patent No. 9,367,093 titled “Transparent Electronic Device” and patent No. 9,367,095 titled “Electronic Device with Wrap Around Display” would also have AR by incorporating TOLED.

According to Research and Markets,...

I heard someone plop in one of my chairs and creak it back. A pair of boots heels thumped on my table.

”Hope you're not wearing spurs today," I said without turning. Nellie Hacker is...rather informal. "That table is for helping my students with their assignments. Gouges would be counterproductive."

"Calculus, no doubt. What's the topic de jour? Lemmie see. 'Given an elliptical cross section with axis lengths 10 and 15 centimetres, the formula for the depth of the water, the rate of inflow and the volume of water going down a reverse trap as a function of time, how quickly is the surface area of the water changing three seconds after you flush the toilet?'"

"No, this is second semester. We're just into graphing conic sections in polar coordinates. But if you disliked it so much back in the day when you were my student, why did you do enough work to score an A+?"

"Caught up in the class culture I s'pose."

"Created and drove the class culture as I...

The wearables growth story continues unabated in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, with shipments reaching an all-time high of 746,000 units in the final quarter of 2016, according to the latest figures compiled by International Data Corporation (IDC).

The global ICT research and consulting services firm says shipments were up 29.0% year on year in Q4 2016, spurred by new launches from leading vendors and the entrance of new players to the market, according to the research group.

When looking at 2016 as a whole, IDC’s (www.idc.com) data shows that wearables shipments for the MEA region were up 52.2% year on year. This was primarily driven by the strong performance of low-cost basic wearables (i.e., devices that do not support third-party applications), which grew 67.9% year on year in 2016. The growth for smart wearable devices (i.e., devices that do support third-party applications) was not quite as...

Last year, Federal Communications Commission had passed strict privacy regulations (not yet in effect), banning ISPs (Internet Service Providers) from selling their subscriber’s browsing data without consent. Last week, these regulations were reversed in the Senate, allowing ISPs to collect all possible information about their subscribers.

Such data includes precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children’s information and web browsing history. This also means that from now on, an Internet provider can sell their users’ private data to third parties, such as ad buyers, ad aggregators, and anyone else who might want to use it for their purposes.
 
True, FCC’s regulations did not cover Facebook and Google that are able to collect data without any bigger restrictions. However, putting a brake on ISPs data collection/ and sharing powers would have saved Internet users’ Internet browsing privacy. 
 
This goes even further;  the...

Nearly 96 million Americans (or 31% of the population) have had their Internet network, e-mail, or computer hacked or compromised. That's according to the results of the Ooma.com Internet Security Survey—a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Ooma.

Notable findings of the study include: 

° 172 million Americans (or 54% of the population) have accidentally visited a website that infected their computer with a virus. A lack of awareness of which websites are phishing for their personal information or contain spyware, malware, or other threats leaves users exposed.

° 70 million Americans (or 22% of the population) wish their devices were protected from online threats such as viruses, phishing, and malware. Other users are either unaware that such threats exist, or don't know how to conduct safe searches, blacklist or whitelist domains, or filter content. 

° 38 million American parents (or 12%) wish they could block access to certain websites for their...

It’s become news that’s not unexpected any more. We awaken to learn that yet another national retailer has been hacked and once again credit-card information for millions of customers is at risk.
Yet, despite all the publicity these security breaches receive and all the warning consumers hear, cyber criminals still achieve success and seem more brazen than ever.

“Sometimes it can feel like the cyber criminals are working harder than the people who are supposed to be protecting our information,” says Gary S. Miliefsky, CEO of SnoopWall (www.snoopwall.com), a company that specializes in cyber security.
But when consumers and businesses are vigilant, he says, they can foil those cyber criminals despite all their scheming. To that end, Miliefsky says some cyber security trends and factors worth knowing about for the rest of 2017 and beyond include:

• Serious breaches still take too long to...

With its ability to reach and engage multiple audiences worldwide, video is becoming a vital component of the marketing toolkit. In 2017, video content is expected to account for 74% of all Internet traffic.

Research indicates that businesses that use video to market grew revenue 49% faster year-over-year than businesses that did not. When it comes to attracting an audience, four times as many customers would prefer to watch a product video rather than read about it. Asad Khan, founder of ePlanet Communications, Inc. (http://www.eplanetcom.com/), a global business process outsourcing provider, points out that the use of video in marketing is a vital part of an overall strategy.
 
Research has shown that video marketing offers a significant return on investment and increases the likelihood of a sale. While it costs an average of $115 in marketing funds to convert a sales lead using non-...

Quark Software (www.quark.com) and TSAM (tsamlondon.com) have announced the results of joint research on how asset management companies approach content creation, management, publishing, and delivery.

The research uncovers universal content challenges asset management companies face – from reliance on outdated technology solutions to increasing demand for Web and mobile content. The findings highlight how content teams struggle to effectively produce and provide multi-channel information to internal and external audiences.
 
“The way we consume content has changed dramatically in the past decade, but the tools financial services firms use to create and manage content have changed very little,” Gavin Drake, vice president of Marketing for Quark Software. “\ This makes it almost impossible to keep up with the demand to deliver timely and accurate multi-channel content, which is a requirement for firms that...

The number of new devices connected to the Internet is estimated to reach 21 billion by 2020, but recent reports indicate that the tech sector’s diversity and inclusion practices have failed to meet a commensurate level of innovation.
 
From a 2016 report by Intel and Dalberg Global Development Advisors, almost two-thirds of tech workers are white. The industry could, however, generate an additional $300-$370 billion annually if the racial/ethnic diversity of their workforces reflected that of the national talent pool.
 
“The problem isn’t going away, and it will take some intense soul-searching on the part of tech leadership to get to the root of what ails it,” said Bill Proudman, co-founder and CEO of leading diversity and inclusion consulting firm White Men As Full Diversity Partners (http://www.wmfdp.com/) (WMFDP), which has worked extensively with Dell and other Fortune 500 tech companies...

DeviceBits (www.DeviceBits.com) — a software company that offers digital customer service platforms designed to help companies make available self-service customer support materials, released results of its latest survey on customer service trends. The survey shows a disconnect in how brands are evolving their customer support initiatives and the desired preferences consumers have in obtaining customer service information.

Driven by the instant gratification of mobile, social media and search engines, as well as today’s omni-channel retail strategies, consumers of every age group today are desiring the ability to obtain customer service queries on-demand, at their own leisure, rather than opting for traditional customer service channels such as call centers, according to DeviceBits. What’s more, consumers seek a more personalized customer experience from their favorite brands, and this includes everything...

Despite over half of worldwide online customers using credit cards to make purchases, more than 50% of eCommerce sales are completed through alternative payment methods, according to Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com). The combined share of different alternative payment methods in global eCommerce sales will rise, leaving the share of bank cards at a decrease, according to the research group.

Alternative payment methods are particularly favored over bank cards in emerging markets such as China. Here, e-wallets like Alipay made up for more than half of online sales. Research and Markets also found that in Indonesia and Thailand, online consumers prefer bank transfers, but in Vietnam, this method comes second after cash on delivery.

Cash on delivery is also the most favored method from eCommerce consumers in many select developing markets due to the level of banking...

New data from the IDC research group (www.idc.com) found that large format printer (LFP) shipments and revenue grew by more than 4% year over year in 2016.

"The mix of printers continues to change as the technology and the needs of end users evolve," said Tim Greene, research director, Hardcopy Solutions at IDC. "The need to invest in the latest technology, to expand their business, to improve their bottom line, and even just to remain competitive is one of the defining characteristics of the large format digital printing market."

Shipments in the large format CAD/Technical printer market segment grew by 4.4% for the year, with a particularly strong performance in the large format toner-based printer segment. Shipments on the graphics side were up by 3.8% for the year, with a strong showing from UV-curable, eco-solvent, Latex, and dye-sublimation printers.

The top five suppliers in terms of shipments, in...