For a businesses the phrase ‘going digital’ no longer only means getting a website done and doing some Google and Facebook ads. It has gone far beyond that and in coming years it will evolve much more than anticipated. Digitalisation is at peak. People are readily embracing the digital devices and technology which is shifting their focus from traditional media towards digital media. Hence it becomes extremely important for SMBs to keep up the pace with technology and leverage the power of digitalisation to grow their business.
As of now large business owners have the capacity to try and commission latest digital tactics to grow business but what do SMBs do? They should wisely choose their digital strategy from the sea of digital techniques which claim to grow businesses. To help you out Maiden Stride have compiled an infographic of the tried and tested digital trends that SMBs can follow to grow their business cleverly.
As autonomous technology becomes more advanced, many retailers are exploring how self-driving vehicles can be used to optimise their logistics operations. Find out more about how the ecommerce sector could benefit from delivery drone technology in the infographic below from 2Flow.
McKinsey predict that in the future up to 80% of all items will be delivered by self-driving vehicles and drones. Drones in particular present an attractive option for retailers. While delivery drones have yet to become mainstream, we are already seeing major players within the ecommerce industry experimenting with this technology.
For example, in 2015 Amazon launched the Prime Air which aimed to deliver goods by drone within 30 minutes to customers in a handful of locations around the world. According to Amazon’s own estimations, the increased distribution efficiency resulting from the use of drones could bring about cost savings of up to 80% for last-mile shipping alone.
Proponents of cargo drone technology say that it could help improve delivery logistics in a major way. Some propose that drones could be used alongside traditional road haulage to cover the last mile of each delivery. This alone could drastically reduce the travel time for last-mile delivery thereby boosting efficiency, saving time and slashing costs.
One example of this is UPS who are experimenting with placing mini-helipads on the top of their vans. According to the company’s own projections, eliminating just a single mile from the routes of each of their 66,000 delivery drivers could save up to $50 million.
However, a few critical issues still remain that need to be resolved before delivery drones become commonplace. The law represents the biggest obstacle, as air space restrictions are greatly limiting where drones can currently travel. What’s more, short battery life means that drones can currently only handle small journeys with small loads.
For more information about delivery drones, take a look at the infographic below.
Mini PCs are becoming more and more popular. While the small, fast computers were mostly to be found on the desks of offices and agencies not long ago, there has been a shift towards more home-use in the last couple of years. The reasons are obvious: Mini PCs are space-saving, affordable and offer high-performance – such as the NEO N42C-4 from MINIX.
Desktops or so-called Mini PCs are enjoying a constant growth in popularity and, according to a study by British trade analyst CONTEXT, were able to increase their sales figures substantially, especially in German-speaking countries – in Germany in Q1 2018 by around 37 percent[1]. MINIX is one of the market leaders in the field of Mini PCs and Media Hubs and, as part of this trend, is presenting its most powerful Mini PC: the NEO N42C-4.
The NEO N42C-4 offers the full performance and functionality of a desktop computer in a compact, stylish case, but can be taken anywhere due to its light weight and convenient dimensions. This Mini PC allows up to three displays to be connected via HDMI, Mini DisplayPort and USB-C outputs. The NEO N42C-4 comes with 32GB of eMMC internal memory and 4GB of DDR3L memory – but both the memory and RAM can be expanded via the 2280 M.2 slot (SATA 6.0Gbps) and a pair of SODIMM (Dual Channel Support) slots, depending on your needs. The 2280-M.2 slot (SATA 6.0 Gbps) offers an optional memory expansion up to 512 GB, while each the two SODIMM ports supports up to 8 GB of DDR3L memory.
The NEO N42C-4 offers various connection options: Three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, USB-C, Optical S/PDIF, 3.5 mm audio jack, 802.11ac Dual-Band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet and Bluetooth 4.1. Its built-in USB-C port ensures ultra-fast data transfer, video display up to 4K @ 60Hz and power supply. The active cooling solution guarantees an extremely low background noise and ensures safe and stable performance even during long periods of operation.
Another convenient aspect: The NEO-N42C-4 can be easily attached to the back of a modern monitor thanks to the included fixture, thus creating even more space and clarity on the desk. The NEO N42C-4 Mini PC is available at Amazon.co.uk at a RRP of £249.90.
More information about the complete MINIX portfolio is available at www.minix.com.hk/en.
Ireland has become one of the most confident and successful countries in Europe, enjoying a booming jobs market and an economy that was the EU’s fastest-growing in 2018, for the fifth consecutive year.
It’s not all good news, however. Ireland sits within the EU’s top ten countries for money laundering activity, and reports have advised that Brexit has increased the risk of Ireland becoming a “perfect storm for money laundering”. This is a serious challenge for a responsible global citizen like Ireland – and, of course, its financial institutions.
Convergence of regulations and the banking customer experience
With every challenge comes opportunity. While financial regulation is often seen as a burden, in this instance it represents the opportunity for Ireland’s banks and financial services organisations to simultaneously revolutionise the customer experience in many ways – including account onboarding through mobile devices – as they strengthen their compliance. A quick look at what the law shows us how this can be achieved.
Ireland has long taken the issue of money laundering very seriously. The country has been a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) since 1991, and in 2010 enshrined its commitment to tackling money laundering in the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010. This piece of legislation brought Ireland in line with the European Union’s Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (MLD4) – the latest version of a constantly-evolving regulation designed to combat terrorist funding, human trafficking and other criminal activity. This latter regulation is one with real teeth: those who violate MLD4’s provisions face a maximum fine of at least twice the amount of the benefit derived from the breach or at least €1 million.
The next iteration to MLD due to come into effect in January 2020, providing further, much-needed improvements in specifying the acceptability of electronic documentation. The proposed MLD5 requires that member states “establish automated centralised mechanisms, such as central registries or central electronic data retrieval systems, of bank and payment accounts”.
For many EU countries, the digitisation of records may prove an enormous headache, since traditionally customer identification has been done via an in-person review of the identity document, with banks and financial institutions making photocopies. Ireland, however, is already ahead of the game. As Compliance and Risk Officers at Irish banks know, Section 33 of the 2010 Act (relating to customer due diligence) makes provision for “electronic verification of the customer’s identity on thebasis of documents (whether or not in electronic form) [emphasis on original].”
This puts Ireland’s financial service providers in pole position to handle new customer onboarding, and to create an experience that is fast, mobile, and hassle-free for their customers.
Digital Identity Verification
Because Irish law promotes electronic verification of identity documents, there is a substantial opportunity for financial services organisations to act fast, improve their operations, due diligence, compliance and customer experience and educate customers of the benefits.
Using digital identity verification for onboarding, due diligence is achieved by asking individuals to take a photo of their identity document and then a selfie with their mobile device, linking the document to the real person. Advanced artificial intelligence is then used to validate the authenticity and originality of the identity document. A second layer of identity verification is used on the selfie using sophisticated biometric face comparison algorithms that automatically compare the portrait extracted from the identity document with the selfie, proving that the person submitting the ID is its rightful owner. This digital process can be done in seconds and the individual does not have to visit a physical location to prove their identity.
Traditionally, this step in the account opening process has been conducted in person, which is typically very time-consuming for both the bank and its new customers. With the right technology, and solutions digital document verification enables financial institutions to meet all regulatory requirements, including GDPR, MLD4/5, and Ireland’s Criminal Justice Act – while also providing the convenience for the customer.
Combining identity document authentication with biometric face comparison enables banks, fintechs and other regulated providers to guide their prospective customers through the process via their mobile device. They can do this in a number of ways: for example, by using a digital assistant or chatbot, for fast and intuitive onboarding that they can complete with a few taps of their screen. Making ID verification “digital by design”, banks and other institutions can also prepare themselves for MLD5 and other regulations by making it easier to provide full records that prove due diligence was undertaken.
Further benefits of electronic verification
Important as it is to stay compliant with anti-money laundering regulations, there are a host of other benefits from implementing proven digital verification techniques. From the customer’s point of view, one of these is the ease, convenience and simplicity of being able to submit and verify their documentation.
Like many other industries, financial services are rebuilding long-established business models around the core principle of providing brilliant customer experiences. Challenger banks and other fintechs have so-far led this race, but now digital verification is available to any establishment, regardless of their existing technology estate. It means that they can immediately begin to make account opening fully digital, with no tedious requirement to visit a branch. What’s more, research by Consult Hyperion suggests that mobile technology can significantly decrease the risk of sanctions, provide significant improvements in user experience and reductions in Know Your Customer (KYC) friction, while delivering savings for the average bank of £5m in operational costs, rising to £10m in three years’ time.
Regulation is seen as a burdensome challenge in every industry, but the banking and financial services sector understands the importance of rules to combat the rise in crime such as money laundering. Seldom does a solution to compliance come about that can also provide for an intuitive and secure customer experience. Digital identity verification is one of these rare examples.
When it comes to computing most of us sport a PC or laptop at home or the office but when you travel and have no laptop and you need one, the likes of this product is the answer, Portability is another option we can factor in here and a portable computer is a great idea as its not cumbersome and can be used anywhere we have access to a screen and this is our first such product to arrive which is the MINIX NEO which is great in more ways than one. Check out the unboxing below and tell us what you think.
Intel Pentium N4200 Quad Core CPU • Intel HD Graphics 505 • DDR3L 4GB installed (expandable to 8GB) • 2x SODIMM slots with dual-channel support • 32GB eMMC 5.1 (MLC) installed • 1x 2280 M.2 slot (SATA 6bps) for upgrading with a M.2 SSD • 802.11ac dual band WLAN
Google today named the fifteen beneficiaries of its €1million Google.org Impact Challenge Dublin, with each receiving €50,000 in grants to bring their ideas to life. Launched last November, the Google.org Impact Challenge Dublin invited nonprofits, social enterprises, and educators throughout Dublin to submit proposals for bold ideas to grow economic and social opportunities in their local communities.
Pictured are some of the judges participating in the Google.org Dublin Impact Challenge: Stuart McLoughlin, Senior Regional Manager, Google.org EMEA; Fionnuala Meehan, Vice President and head of Google in Ireland; Dublin GAA legend, Bernard Brogan; Dolores Wilson from St Andrews Resource Centre, Pearse Street, Dublin 2; Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Nial Ring; Mary Rose Burke, CEO of Dublin Chamber. Picture Conor McCabe.
Of the fifteen recipients announced today, five are in line to receive an additional €50,000 of funding, bringing their total grants to €100,000 each. Four of these will be selected by Google’s esteemed panel of judges, with the fifth open to a public vote. Voting is open for one week from Tuesday 19th to Tuesday 26th of March at http://g.co/dublinchallenge. The five projects to receive additional bursaries will be announced at a celebratory event on the evening of Thursday 4th April and is funded by Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org.
Fionnuala Meehan, Head of Google Ireland commented, “We were blown away by the quantity and quality of the entries received. Over our 15 years here in Ireland we’ve supported many local projects but this is our biggest drive yet to support the community initiatives in the city we call home. The diversity and ambition of the submissions were very impressive, with small local initiatives through to more established charities all submitting entries.
“Choosing the final fifteen was not an easy task. Our aim was to tap into innovation across the city to support great ideas to build stronger communities, and the list of finalists represents a broad spectrum of charities and community initiatives across Dublin, with mental health, education, employment, support services, and more represented. I really hope that the Google.org Dublin Impact Challenge goes some way to assisting these great projects in achieving their goals, and I look forward to announcing the additional five bursaries in April.”
Pictured are some of the judges participating in the Google.org Dublin Impact Challenge: Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Nial Ring; Dublin GAA legend, Bernard Brogan; Mary Rose Burke, CEO of Dublin Chamber. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.
The Google.org Impact Challenge Dublin has been immensely popular with over 150 entries received by groups from all areas of the city covering a wide spectrum of initiatives. The public has been given the opportunity to double the funding of one of the winners by way of a “People’s Choice Award”, with voting now open at http://g.co/dublinchallenge for one week only (closes Tuesday 26th March).
The fifteen finalists are:
A Lust for Life
A Lust for Life is creating a new, innovative platform to share creative mental health content
An Cosán Virtual Community College
An Cosán is harnessing the power of technology to grow and innovate community education
Citywise Education
Fast Track Academy is providing educational support to young people in underserved communities
Down Syndrome Ireland
Down Syndrome Ireland is helping adults with Down syndrome to secure meaningful paid employment
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre
The DRCC is removing barriers to accessing support for those who have experienced sexual violence
Irish Females in Technology (I-FITs)
I-FITs is a Tech Apprenticeship Programme for unemployed females from Dublin’s ‘Silicon Docks’ area
GiveBack.ie
GiveBack.ie is technology that empowers individuals to break the cycle of homelessness
THEATREclub
THEATREclub wants to affect a shift in Dubliners’ view of addiction using audience activist groups
Irish Youth Foundation
‘Next Step’ is supporting students in the transition from primary to secondary level school
Music Generation Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Infinite Music is a music performance programme for young people with special educational needs
Peter McVerry Trust
Peter McVerry Trust is establishing a culinary training program for people experiencing homelessness
Senior Line
SeniorLine is offering peer-to-peer IT education and drop-in facility for older people
Dublin City Farm and Ecology Centre
St. Anne’s City Farm is a sustainable farm that promotes education and multiculturalism
Teen-Turn
Teen-Turn is changing how girls from underrepresented communities identify with STEM careers
Young Social Innovators
YSI is empowering Ireland’s most disadvantaged youth to address local issues using robotics and STEM
The Google.org Dublin Impact Challenge judging panel includes the following members:
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Nial Ring; Senator Lynn Ruane; CEO of Dublin Chamber, Mary Rose Burke; Dublin GAA legend, Bernard Brogan; Journalist, Roisin Ingle; Business In The Community CEO, Tomás Sercovich; and Head of Google Ireland, Fionnuala Meehan.
A well-optimized landing page can increase your website conversion by three-fold. This is because not only is it visually appealing to your target audience but it also has the right mix of elements that helps boosts the click-through-rate. A well-balanced and optimized landing page includes multiple essential factors such as catchy headline, actionable CTA, interesting content and short & simple lead generation form. Thus, if you want to know what are the best practices for creating a killer landing page, then the infographic mentioned below can guide you effectively.
Comprising of 11 simple yet essential tricks, this infographic covers the entire anatomy of a perfect landing page. It highlights all the important elements that are a must-have on all landing pages and how it can help boosts conversion. By focusing solely on this infographic checklist, you’d be able to effortlessly create a landing page for each of your marketing campaigns. Best part, this infographic can be downloaded for free, for future reference.
Lead generation is important for all businesses across all sectors as without generating sufficient qualifying leads, businesses wouldn’t be able to sell their products or services. This would stagnant their business growth and lead to huge losses. Thus, as a magnet for lead generation, a good landing page is a powerful arsenal, in marketing your business and it is for this reason, you need to ensure that it is well-optimized for conversion.
You can check out the infographic below to know what are the important landing page factors. Plus, for more information, you can go here to read the entire guide.
Kristel is a Digital & Social enthusiast. She loves to write about latest trends in Social Media, SEO & Everything Digital.
NUU Mobile, a global manufacturer and supplier of unlocked Android™ smartphones, today launches its new flagship G4 phone at Mobile World Congress 2019. Equipped with Google’s newest operating system (Android 9.0 Pie) an AI-enabled camera, a 6.2-inch screen and either 64GB or 128GB storage options, NUU Mobile’s latest smartphone will be available in late Spring from £299.
The G4 provides users with a sophisticated and powerful camera, boasting an AI-enabled, dual 16 + 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 16-megapixel front camera. The AI within the camera allows for automatic calibration based on the subject of the photo, from food to people and pets. Beyond its photographic abilities, the G4 also offers more memory (6 GB) than many laptops, as well as a wireless charging capabilities, and a stunning, stylish body that’s nearly impossible to scratch. The handset is also available in blue, black and a limited edition white ceramic version.
Danny Sit, CEO NUU Mobile – “This is a disruptive phone that takes the performance of our flagship phones to a new level and offers our customers the latest technology at a lower price point.
“By combining state-of-the-art battery power, fast charging, luxurious design, the latest operating system performance and an ‘intelligent’ camera with automatic scene detection, we have created a device that’s designed with our users in mind and is flagship in every way — except the cost.”
A powerful 3,750 mAh battery ensures the G4 can run throughout the day, and thanks to its 18-watt fast-charging and a 10-watt wireless charge capability, it’s also easier to recharge. The G4’s Android 9.0 Pie operating system allows users to take advantage of new features like Gesture Navigation and Adaptive Battery.
“The G4 is the newest member of our suite of phones and connectivity products for the whole family,” added Nolan Newman, Director NUU Mobile Europe “At NUU Mobile, we believe everyone should have access to the amount of power, style and technology they need at a price they can afford.”
The Dual SIM, unlocked G4 is compatible with carriers around the world (Europe, Asia and the Americas) on GSM, 4G LTE and WCDMA networks. To learn more about NUU Mobile products, including the G4, visit NUU Mobile’s website or nuumobile.com/presskit-europe. To meet NUU Mobile atMWC, visit Stand 1B82, Hall 1.
A global phone compatible with GSM, 4G LTE and WCDMA networks, the G4 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor and is designed with the following specifications:
–Main Display:
-Size: 6.2 inches
-Resolution: HD 2246 x 1080
-Type: IPS
–System:
-Operating System: Android™ 9.0 Pie
-Processor Speed: 2.0 GHz Octa-Core
-System Chip: MediaTek Helio P60
–Camera:
-Rear Resolution: 16MP + 8MP | AI-enabled Dual Camera
-Front Resolution: 16MP
–Storage:
-Internal System Memory: 6 GB RAM
-Built-In Storage: 64 GB / 128 GB
-Storage Expansion: Supports up to 256 GB via microSD
HMD, the home of Nokia phones, today announced a host of smartphones with three covering the affordable market and one set as a highly-advanced device for photographers. There is once again something for everyones pocket this year and the most talked about phone is the all new Nokia 9 Pureview which we have seen leaks of the last few months.
Research Director at tech advisory firm, ABI Research says…
The new Nokia 1 Plus, 3.2 and 4.2 are all destined for the market sweet-spot between US$99 and US$200 trading heavily on Nokia’s heritage as a reliable and trusted brand. With some high-end features, such as face unlock, fingerprint scanning and Google Assistant buttons, packed into these quality products for the value tier, they are sure to enhance Nokia’s presence in the segment when matched with offerings from competing Chinese vendors.
While these devices will help Nokia grow volume, the company also took a step-up in tiers and capabilities with the launch of the Nokia 9 Pureview, containing its latest advances in computational photography. In a world’s first, the company has packed an array of 5 camera sensors with Zeiss optics into the device, offering excellent dynamic range and depth of field control. However, going against current convention in multi-sensor smartphones, the 5 sensors are split into 2 color and 3 monochrome all with the same focal length. At a suggested retail price of US$699, the product doesn’t quite pit itself in the very high end but has many of the other related features such as a 5.99” 2k POLED display, 6GB RAM, under-screen fingerprint sensor and optical face unlock.
By resurrecting the Pureview brand with this device, Nokia no doubt aspires to create a camera proposition that it hopes will resonate with those looking for advanced photography features in a smartphone. However, this may be a tough ask when compared with other excellent camera set-ups in phones from the likes of Google, Huawei, and Apple, but Nokia may well be looking to democratize high-end camera features by taking the Pureview brand, with 5 sensors or otherwise, into future lower-tier models.
