What has your phone done for you, lately? The past year was a big year one for mobile technology, with advancements in facial recognition, augmented reality, and more. But what does your phone need to do for you in 2018?
Sean Aune, Editor-in-Chief of Technobuffalo tells us what the mobile industry has to do to keep business this year.
It was a big year for Apple with the iPhone X and 8, with the iPhone topping the list of the best-selling tech products of 2017. But the company has taken its knocks with shipping delays and the battery slowdown controversy. Aune says Apple needs to lower prices, and fix battery issues.
LG launched its G6 about a year ago, to mediocre reviews. The G7 is expected as early as next month, and Aune says the South Korean company needs to improve its cameras and spend money on ad campaigns, since hardly anyone knows when new phones are out.
Aune also tells us what Samsung and Google Pixel need to do to increase sales and brad recognition.
Microsoft's fall Surface event on Tuesday came with a surprise: headphones. The company's newly announced Surface Headphones represent the first audio device in the Surface lineup. Hope King got a chance to try them out firsthand.
Honda is making a big investment in autonomous cars, with $2.75 billion going to GM's self-driving car company Cruise over the next 12 years. Kyle Vogt, CEO of Cruise, said this investment propels the technology forward and makes autonomous vehicles a possibility much sooner.
Dipayan Ghosh, fellow at the Shorenstein Center and a former adviser to both Facebook and the Obama White House, said that big tech has been ignoring "the little guy" for a long time and putting tech users and their privacy at risk.
The team became the first in the NBA to introduce GIFs for the Facebook platform. Sandro Gasparro, director of social media for the Los Angeles Clippers, told Cheddar it's not just another way to promote engagement, but can also connect fans to players on a more personal level.
Cargo, a start-up that lets rideshare drivers sell convenience store items to passengers from their vehicles, recently raised $22 million after closing an exclusive partnership with Uber. Jeff Cripe, founder and CEO of Cargo, said the deal with Uber doesn't preclude drivers from using the service if they drive for Lyft, Via, or others.
On Tuesday, Amazon announced that it will be raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour. The news comes after months of criticism and even proposed legislation spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). The "Stop BEZOS" Act introduced in the Senate in September would require corporations like Amazon to contribute to the cost of social services for its employees. Khanna was sponsoring a version in the House. He said he commends Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and believes this move will propel other corporations in the same direction.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse says he's not focused on the day to day price movements of his crypto. "XRP is the most efficient digital asset to solve a payments problem," he said.
Dave Clark, senior vice president of worldwide operations at Amazon, spoke to Cheddar from the floor of one of its fulfillment centers about the company's move to institute a $15 minimum wage and lobby the federal government to raise its wage, which has stood at $7.25 since 2009.
Ralf Reichert, CEO of ESL, sat down with Cheddar at this weekend's tournament at the Barclays Center and talked about the esports world and what he believes is needed for the enterprise to grow.
Scott Belsky, who sold his company to Adobe and is now its chief product officer, described how the maker of creative software transitioned into a cloud-based business model. The stock has outpaced the broader market over the last several years. Belsky also serves on Cheddar's board of directors.
