  In late June, a group of analysts (including myself) and consultants attended the annual Sprint Business Analyst Day in New York. This event provides an update on the business group including business wireless products and services, wireline (yes they are still operating in this space!) services, and of course IoT solutions. The theme this year was focused on how Sprint Business connects people, places, and things or branded as #worksforbusiness. We kicked off the event the first evening at The Knickerbocker Hotel with a reception to meet, greet, enjoy roof-top beverages and food. Jan Geldmacher (@JanGeld), Sprint Business President, kicked off the evening with a few words on expectations the next day, and a highlight of the sessions and content. The evening was enjoyable meeting up with old colleagues, fellow analysts, good friends, and catching up with Sprint executives. The next morning was held at Sprint's NY offices with a slightly wet commute a few blocks away as the rain helped wake up our day. Mr. Geldmacher again kicked off our morning sharing again the highlights of the day and thoughts on 5G network progress, merger expectations, IoT solutions, and more. Jan stressed his high expectations of winning merger approval, along with the challenges of attorney generals suing yet sharing of the job growth that the merger will bring. Sprint Business reached 17% year over year growth in gross adds, with net adds up 34% y-o-y despite experiencing higher churn compared to competitors. Geldmacher mentioned focus areas and goals including increased contribution from Sprint Business with improved convergence of organization for selling across portfolio, stating the organization will continue the "Sprint Way of Selling" (i.e. solution selling focus, & automation/digitization of operations). Geldmacher shared they are working government and local companies including Peachtree Corners, GA and Greenville, SC on 5G and/or IoT use cases including Autonomous Vehicles.  Next up, we heard from Dr. John Saw, CTO of Sprint (@SprintCTO), who shared their mobile 5G progress. Sprint continued to roll out 5G in several cities using massive MIMO antenna systems (assets include 2.5 GHz spectrum assets) noting in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Kansas City (4 cities currently, with 5 cities coming online soon) there are over 1000 sq miles already covered with 5G. Meanwhile AT&T and Verizon are leaning on mmWave a 5G coverage approach. The primary differentiator is the ability to serve Advanced LTE and 5G customers simultaneously on a single existing antenna in split mode. Sprint essentially has an advantage on leaning towards its heavy spectrum assets to provide 5G network leadership, which will in turn be better for businesses and government. Outside of mass IoT and business use cases, 5G also brings consumer use cases noted Saw...sharing mobile gaming use case leveraging 5G and Hatch (spinoff from Rovio) edge computing centers and Sprint infrastructure. (See related article: https://www.section.io/blog/edge-computing-gaming-benefits/)  Ivo Rook, Sprint Business SVP of IoT and Product Development, provided an update on overall Sprint Business activities, IoT, and Sprint Curiosity (TM)...OS, Platform, and Core), and placing Sprint outside of being just a wireless operator but focused on software and AI. Rook shared more on bringing data to the edge, going global, a focus on talent/training, deal pipeline growth, nationwide Cat M, and #smartcities partners including AWS @awscloud, Mapbox @Mapbox, Spireon @Spireon, Nauto, Arm @Arm, and Dynamics @dynamicsinc (recently signed). Sprint closed smarty city deals with Peachtree GA, Phoenix, AZ, Detroit MI, Greenville, SC, and Sacramento, CA. Rook also noted growth in SMB customers, up 24%, transitioning clients off CDMA. 5G was also a source of discussion, especially as it relates to autonomous vehicles (AV), where 5G can increase accuracy from 9 feet to 1 inch stated Ivo. Ivo shared 4 primary focus areas along with 5G emphasis including communication, security using #AI, engagement between colleagues, and client communications to enable business. Additional 5G use cases may include mobile wireless access points, #enterprise wireless backup, and #SMB collaboration. The software and AI discussion continued as #AI application=reduce production costs stated Rook. #ArtificialIntelligence is expected to balance accuracy/speed providing relative #context to intelligence. New AI products announced include #Sprint Secure AI, Sprint Secure Mobile AI, and Sprint Smart Messaging all with a focus on reducing human intervention with #flatfee incentives and #endpointsecurity. Sprint Smart Messaging is helping #restaurants recapture lost reservations and field missed calls (great restaurant use case).
Kim Green-Kerr, SVP of Sprint Business, was also a speaker and shared live client examples of new #Sprint #AI products and solutions, with a highlight of service industry use case. She shared 60% of service industry experiences missed calls result in lost business to other companies or vendors (hair salons, restaurants) and Kim stated Sprint can help recapture #lostrevenue #lostcalls #lostbusiness using #AI #artificialintelligence (Sprint Smart Messaging). While sharing customer examples, Kim (@KimGreenKerr) introduced client Ron of @NationwideComm1 NCL Networks to share his experience working with Sprint Business. Ron mentioned NCL Networks maintains the largest base of Business Placement Outsourcing #BPO clients and nearshore and offshore customers in #singapore #philippines #manila #cebu sharing successes #3nodes. Kim wrapped up by sharing a demo on Sprint Solutions Customization Tool which supports in helping those browsing #IoT solutions to a #guidedsell approach. This easy approach to find solutions, enables a no rep sale with #IoTFactory and can run full decision and close deal online #CuriosityMarketplace. Partners include Spireon, Mapbox (Using Live mapping with @Mapbox @ericg and Curiosity(TM) platform, designed for people and things, rich data sets, near real-time intelligent data), among others...Sprint is also working with @Accenture Innovation Centers, running #Curiosity #IoT. Curiosity and Sprint's IoT Factory (launched in May 2018) continues to experience progress, noting after the launch of the #IoT Factory the focus is to (1) Engage with Developer community (2) Gather and learn from Insights in how customers think with IoT (3) Produce IoT Leads. IoT factory currently has 26 solutions added on Factory 2.0 with 368 activations in FY19, also sharing 42 new customers (added in Q1), 127% sales growth (QoQ). #SprintCuriosity is live in #SanJose and #Ashburn with data collection nodes in 10 cities now, rolling out on weekly basis. The goal is to get data to the core (#SDN) as quickly as possible (19 Intelligent production nodes (Uber and Accenture)). #closetocustomers #sensordata #mL #AI Sprint is launching #Curiosity Labs, a public-private partnership (#3Ps #PPP) with Peachtree Corners @PCCityYes working with city Manager, Brian Johnson (#connected #smartcity #V2X #autonmous #500acres #smartcityexpo) and the expected date launch is set for Sept 9th...more can be found here vimeo.com/336207235 . As for what's next, Sprint also continues to focus on international expansion. Sprint shared both casual and permanent roaming in 152 countries and has deployed EYCC centralized solution with continued work on roll-out and deals in 135 countries enabling local profiles activated OTA partnering with @ericsson and @TelnaGlobal. Final thoughts on connecting PEOPLE, PLACES, and THINGS...
#IoT #IIoT #SDN #5G #certification #massIoT #IoTactivation #missioncriticalIoT #IoTSLAs 
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IWCE and the PSTA Collaborate to Support Worldwide Open Public Safety Technology Standards
International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) (iwceexpo.com) is collaborating with the Public Safety Technology Alliance (PSTA) to support open technology public safety standards and open APIs for the critical communications industry worldwide. IWCE takes place March 4-8, 2019 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. IWCE is the premier annual event for communications technology professionals. Targeted to government, public safety, transportation, utilities and enterprises, IWCE offers a Conference Program with five-days of learning and an Exhibit Hall with 400+ exhibitors showcasing the latest products and trends in the communications technology industry. The event also offers networking opportunities to build industry relationships. PSTA’s mission as a non-profit organization is to bring public safety and industry together to support and promote the adoption of open, best-in-class technology standards and open APIs for the public safety user community. At IWCE, PSTA will be located in the Exhibit Hall in booth #MCT75 showcasing its technical subcommittees’ progress and the benefits for both industry and public safety of joining PSTA. TJ Kennedy, CEO of the PSTA, will present at the Town Hall meeting “Help is on the Way Roundtable: Public Safety Think Tank,” and Maggie Goodrich, Chair of the PSTA Board of Directors, will present at the General Session. PSTA will also host its quarterly board meeting at the conference. “By partnering with PSTA we will be able to reach a wider audience of public safety professionals to ensure that they have the vital knowledge and latest safety technologies necessary for them to succeed in the critical communications industry,” said Stacey Orlick, IWCE’s Director of Community and Conference Content. “We look forward to working closely with PSTA at IWCE.” Kennedy said, “We’re very excited to be working closely with IWCE to share our mission and progress on key technical issues with event attendees. As our industry continues its dynamic transformation, we are proud to support global open technology standards and open APIs to improve interoperability for public safety.” To register to attend IWCE, click here. Compass Intelligence is a proud media partner of #IWCE2019!  Last month, I attended the Dell Analyst Summit in Chicago held at the Marriott Marquis. Dell is hyper focused on unlocking the power of intelligent data while embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT). Historically, Dell was well known for their computing devices (laptops and computers), servers, storage, gateways, and networking hardware but so much has changed (through acquisition and organizational changes), and all the better as it embraces an overall machine learning and IoT strategy.
Dell Technologies continues to develop into one of the world's foremost technology providers for businesses and enterprise, and it is doing this through not only acquisition but creating synergies across the organization through staffing alignment and portfolio integration. And add to that, it is keeping its eye on the ball on emerging technologies by acquiring and partnering with some of the fastest growing companies, as well as startups who offer differentiated and market disruption. If you look at the overall synergies of the company including its core companies including Dell EMC (hardware, computing, IoT enablement), VMware (Device & IoT Management & Security), RSA (Network & IoT Security), Pivotal (Enterprise Application Enablement, Software, & Services), and Virtustream (Cloud), you begin to see the landscape of an overall IT company that offers various facets including services, applications, security, hardware, and platforms to address business' connected solutions needs. To be successful in IoT, you must have internal assets around all of these facets or partner with the top companies that resonate or already have deep relationships in the enterprise IT/tech world. Now to be clear, Dell Technologies communicates that they are not a one-stop shop and will continue to develop key partnerships to better its position to be the world class leader for the enterprise (small and large). The EdgeX Foundry is just an example of its commitment to developing partnerships, specifically embracing open and interoperable use cases and solutions. Even more exciting is their commitment to IoT (Big props to Sarah, Wolffie, Joyce, Jason, Neal, Mimi, Brinda, and Ethan) as this year (at VMworld) they announced their first IoT bundles made available starting back in September leveraging their portfolio of subsidiaries, and they continue to add more bundles this year. IoT bundles include solutions for retail compliance, data center infrastructure, smart building monitoring, cold chain management, outdoor security, digital oilfield tech, industrial automation, and more. Dell's IoT team is leading by focusing on outcomes, where it is supporting businesses and government organizations by focusing on producing results or solving problems as opposed to tech-centric issue solving. They also have a catalog of use cases they continue to use to further build their knowledge base. As they move down market to smaller businesses, Dell expects to further lean on partners giving even the smallest customers access to innovation. As the momentum for Dell continues with their IoT bundles (more bundles will be announced in Q4), they will continue to partner and integrate with other IoT platforms (as customers may already have preferences), and will support customers using the PULSE management system. Some early sectors to benefit from the IoT bundles include energy, retail, manufacturing, and transportation. I will leave you with a few key notes gathered across the sessions and presented by Michael Dell and other execs:
Lastly, I must thank the Dell IoT team for a wonderful dinner at the RPM Italian restaurant, wonderful discussion, food and vino! Written by Stephanie Atkinson, CEO of Compass Intelligence and Chair of IoT6
In case you didn't know, BlackBerry is not only ramping up its portfolio around IoT security services and solutions, but they are also in the asset/fleet/cargo tracking market. Based on telematics research available on compassintel.com, total global asset tracking market will reach $27.1B by 2023, growing at 14.8% compound annual growth rate, with North America holding a strong 37% of the market share. When you add fleet tracking and cold chain tracking to this, it become an even larger market opportunity.
"The BlackBerry® Radar family of products is an all-encompassing asset tracking solution that gives fleet assets such as trailers, vans, containers, flatbeds, chassis and equipment the intelligence to securely communicate in near real-time."
Blackberry introduced BlackBerry® Radar (two versions including Radar-M and Radar-L) in 2016, and has really struggled to get to the market growth it needs to compete with the likes of Verizon Connect, Omnitracs (Qualcomm subsidiary), and others. This is a highly saturated market with 100s of companies competing just in the U.S. alone. The devices offer both an AT&T SIM and Orange SIM for connectivity, and customers can choose to pay all up front through a capital investment or pay a smaller up-front fee for the equipment and monthly recurring fee (MRC) for the services. There is also a lease option available for customers who prefer not to "own" the equipment. The primary telematics focus for BlackBerry is non-powered assets including cargo, low and high value shipping assets, and even cold chain assets. In an article in FleetOwner magazine BlackBerry SVP and General Manager Phillip Poulidis stated, "Radar customers are improving fleet efficiency on average between 7% and 10%." BlackBerry also stated a goal of reaching $100 million in revenue over the next three years from the telematics product.
A few additional notes...
All in all, BlackBerry will need to continue to push branding awareness in a very competitive marketplace, which may be challenging as it is not very well-known compared to the larger market players. The real opportunity would be for BlackBerry to set up a reseller/partnership ecosystem to push BlackBerry Radar (branded or white-labeled) to the masses, and this would mean partnering with other IoT telematics companies and wireless carriers, as well as non-traditional technology companies. Get this research! Asset Tracking Market by Technology, Connection Type, Mobility, Location Determination, and Industry Verticals 2018 – 2023  By Stephanie Atkinson, CEO CompassIntel/Chair IoT6 www.5gamericas.org | @5GAmericas Last week was the annual 5G Americas annual Analyst Forum held in Dallas, Texas. The event was kicked off by the Chairman and CTO of T-Mobile US, Neville Ray (@NevilleRay). Just a few highlights to start off with regarding Neville's keynote, which clearly showcased the global and nationwide competitive angle 5G is being championed for and towards (also heard at MWCA in LA).
 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND 5G
One of the first sessions I sat in on was focused around the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to 5G and future growth in IoT. Ericsson is utilizing AI tools and software to improve their radio access network (RAN) specific to configuration and optimization, while Samsung mentioned heavily investing (see Softbank news on AI investments) in AI at the cloud level to support in new customer experiences (cX) and improve video content services (noted example of having video content follow users). Cisco's perspective was a bit different as they are looking at AI to support in new learning algorithms (inference and information theory) around operations, as well as using AI tools and software for social impact initiatives. Lastly, Sprint mentioned leveraging AI to improve data quality, enhance machine learning tools, generating automatic code, and simplifying for categorization (think automated text categorization, read more here). Sprint also mentioned there may be a challenge with the human input and training is an issue. 5G AND ENTERPRISE IoT On the low band, 5G is expected to support in scaling massive IoT, specific to low latency connected and sensor solutions, specific to industrial, infrastructure, operations, and even smart cities. The use cases revolve around asset tracking and monitoring, fleet tracking and monitoring, some transportation and container tracking, and applications specific to agriculture, factory automation/manufacturing (mass production), and others. DEVICE ECOSYSTEM Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) has been a focus for companies like AT&T, as they made announcements this year. As shown earlier, the carriers all have different approaches to device roll-out, yet 5G smartphones is not expected until mid-2019. On another note, there are some upcoming changes to 5G devices and antenna placement. Devices may have 3 to 4 mmWave antennas as part of 5G enhancements, and this will help to manage hand cover up issues from a user experience perspective. Qualcomm mentioned that some devices still have 2G, and that the OEMs they work with are choosing what bands to include in the devices. The 3G to 4G shift was more concentrated around power management, while that will not be as much of an issue for the shift from 4G to 5G. New RF modules will be an area of focus for 5G devices. This session had participants from Qualcomm, Samsung, and Sprint. 5G, MORE USE CASES Focusing beyond MBB, the industry participants mentioned we need to look above and beyond broadband and smartphone devices. Sprint is focused around the mid-band, so 5G smartphones is key to their 5G strategy. Sprint is currently looking at the partnership model for 5G use cases. The foundational use cases are centered around mobility and fixed wireless. Many are in the exploratory stage from an ecosystem perspective and are seeking support from partners, research analysts, advisors, and customers. Carriers will be seeking use cases to better monetize traffic, as current smartphone revenues and the growth trajectory remains fairly stable or flat. Consumer is behind overall, and Enterprise is leading in 5G use cases at this time. Smart cities is an area to explore as well, and CityBrain (by Alibaba) was mentioned as a good use case to explore in terms of true ROI. MY TWO CENTS
Related 5G Research and Reports: 5G Optimization: Mobile Edge Computing and Network Slicing 2018 – 2023 Voice over 5G (Vo5G) Market 5G Security Market: Technologies, Solutions, and Market Outlook 2018 - 2023  Written by Blog Contributor: Lucy Reed of gigmine.co
Chances are that you know someone who struggles with mental health disorders. It’s possible that someone is you. Your workplace can play a major role in your well-being, so if your wellness is challenged by your working conditions, there is good news. The gig economy offers opportunities for improving your quality of life while still earning a living. Stresses and struggles. Even if you don’t start out with a mental health disorder, the stress and anxiety of some workplaces can bring one on. According to The Conversation, many workers must deal with excessive workloads, requirements to be more productive with fewer resources, poor managerial practices, conflicts with coworkers, and little choice in what they do and when. Issues such as these can be detrimental to your mental health. Mental health issues are costing employers as well, with some estimates as high as $100 billion annually in mental health-related expenses. Improve your situation. If those stressors sound all too familiar, engaging in the gig economy can be a boon to your well-being. Flexibility can be the biggest determining factor in improving mental health for workers, with some research showing productivity just as high for those embracing flexible employment options as for traditional workers. However, thanks to flex options such as telecommuting, workers report better health and happiness. The gig economy offers opportunities galore. Being able to adjust your schedule and workload to meet your other commitments in life can mean better satisfaction. Some studies show flexible employment options reduce stress and even make for better sleep habits. What’s more, you have the freedom and flexibility to match your schedule and workload with your energy levels. If you’re a morning person, you can get up and knock out duties at the crack of dawn. If you do best when you’re alone through certain days of the week, take on the bulk of your work during those times. So, what is the gig economy? The gig economy refers to what is essentially an internet-based employment platform through which people offering goods or services connect with people needing those goods or services. It’s the chance to be your own boss, set your own schedule, and plan your own future. You can elect to do short-term work, engage a variety of clients, or freelance individual, one-time sessions or products. And as Wired explains, it’s a rapidly-growing arena with a plethora of employment types and venues. You could drive people around, provide bookkeeping services, or sell your handmade crafts. Do you love animals? Some people become dog walkers or offer dog-boarding services. Can you sell ice to an eskimo? Some of the best business ideas right now for master salespeople include selling wireless earphones, HIIT workout equipment, and phone cases. No matter your skills, there’s a gig that can make you money! Downsides. Of course, it’s not all roses for gig workers. It’s important to understand that with the flexibility and freedom of leaving the traditional workplace, you also lose the benefits of a traditional workplace. There are no sick days or paid days off, and you don’t have an employer setting aside funds to pay your taxes or for your retirement. Those burdens fall to you. Even if bookkeeping isn’t your strength, as Forbes explains, this is all very doable. Track your expenses for a few months and establish a budget showing where your money is going. Aim to live on half of your income, set aside 30 percent toward flexible expenses, and then save the other 20 percent for things like your kids’ college tuition and your own IRA. Monitor your spending carefully to ensure you stay on track, and make sure you’re saving enough to pay your taxes on time. Stay healthy and happy. Mental health disorders can be challenged by poor working conditions. Thanks to the gig economy, you can embrace a more flexible worklife. If it’s time to raise your quality of life through a healthier work environment, the gig economy offers opportunities for change.
As published on csuitepodcast.com
"Produced in partnership with the European PR agency Tyto, in this episode, we Tyto’s Hype Report on the Internet of Things (IoT), hearing from a number of experts who contributed to it. For the main part of the show, Russell Goldsmith spoke to Practical Futurist, Andrew Grill and Abraham Joseph, Founder of IOT insights, plus Stephanie Atkinson, CEO of Compass Intelligence also joined the discussion in the studio via Skype from her offices in San Antonio in Texas. We also hear from two more IoT experts from the US, Dan Yarmoluk, Director of Business Development for IoT and Data Science at ATEK Access Technologies and Rich Rogers, who at the time of recording, was Senior Vice President for IoT Product & Engineering at Hitachi Vantara. Finally, Tyto’s Managing Partner Brendon Craigie explains why he put this report together. To download the full report, go to www.tytopr.com/iot To begin with, Brendon explained that this was the first in a series of reports that Tyto intend to publish, looking at the hottest technology, science and innovation trends. He said that they picked IoT first because it’s one of the top five technology discussions that’s been going on over the past five years. It’s at the top of the Gartner Hype Cycle, with around a quarter of a million articles in 2017 focused on IoT, which is more than double the 100,000 there were in 2015. Brendon added that IoT is very much a rising trend and the objective of Tyto’s reports is to cut beneath the hype to understand what’s really going on to understand the positive success stories as well as some of the barriers and challenges. 
Data Collection
Given that making sense of data is a key part of Stephanie’s business, we went to her with the first question on whether we are set up to cope with all of the data that’s about to be thrown at us? Stephanie had written in the report that “connected devices and assets alone are not what is revolutionary but what we can do with the information data and analysis of things that are connected is where we expect progress” and in fact, a lot of the comments made in the report naturally talked about the amount of data that’s being generated, which course is the bedrock of which IoT is built. Also, according to IHS Markit, a global business research analytics provider, there will be more than 31 billion IoT connected devices in 2018 and just looking at the Automotive Industry as one example, Intel had previously put out a stat that said just one autonomous car will create 4000 gigabytes of data a day. Stephanie said that one of the big things that we have to think about is that we can’t be in a position just to collect all of this data and it really not do anything, so that definitely is an issue from a carrier perspective as we have too much data being collected. She added that we have to really think about this systematically – we have to look through each and every component. First of all, how often are we collecting the data, is it monthly, is it weekly, is it hourly, is it ongoing? We also have to think about the priority, is this something that could take down our network? Is this something that could take down our supply chain, our business operations? Will this affect our customers? So those are other things that Stephanie said you have to think about. And the last piece, she said, is, as we start to look through the data, some data might need to be combined with other pieces of information to really bring that level of intelligence to the business and really make it actionable. So, all these things are what’s really driving the data collection piece. But right now there’s a concern in the industry because we can’t be in a position where we’re collecting everything, we have to think about this in a systematic approach." READ MORE Listen to the podcast: http://www.csuitepodcast.com/podcasts/show-71-internet-of-things-2018/ or https://soundcloud.com/thecsuitepodcasts/show-71-internet-of-things-2018  Today, Sprint and Ericsson announce a very big move in connecting and scaling IoT. Sprint announces a, "Fully dedicated, distributed and virtualized IoT core network works in tandem with the operating system to turn sensor data into immediate intelligence at the network edge; 5G-ready and primed for AI, robotics and more." This is a distributed and virtualized core IoT network and brings with it many benefits to the enterprise based on an overall Compass Intelligence view:
Full release: http://newsroom.sprint.com/sprint-and-ericsson-reveal-ground-breaking-iot-dedicated-core-and-operating-system.htm Samsung held their annual #SamsungUnpacked event today in Brooklyn, New York in front of three-thousand media, analysts, partners, and Galaxy Note users. In this blog, I will share the highlights and my take or opinion on the impact to consumers and businesses. DJ Koh took to the stage with a focus around doing more, providing creators with more power, discussing the building blocks of AR, AI, and IoT, and mentioned a focus on disrupting customer experiences. The theme centered around seamless experiences with Koh stating Samsung is committed to meaningful innovation putting the consumer first, amplifying creativity and creating seamless experiences that span across devices, locations, platforms, and brands. 5 Announcements Made at Samsung Unpacked
Below I highlight Number 1-3 just a bit further... 1. Samsung #GalaxyNote9 unveiled (emphasis on power, storage, S pen)With the emphasis on intelligent experiences, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 9 available for pre-order Aug 10th, and available August 24th in stores and online. Carrier deals include...AT&T (buy one get one free with new line), T-Mobile (50% off with approved trade-in), Sprint (50% off with lease)Here are the key notes of importance:
 2. Samsung #GalaxyHome Unveiled (smart speaker with Bixby)A little late in the game, but very relevant to consumers today, Samsung also unveiled its smart speaker called the Galaxy Home. It has a stemless wine-shaped top with a tripod looking stand. This smart speaker incorporates Bixby voice-recognition and intelligence features all in an AKG (Harman) branded speaker. The form factor is a bit off, but the noted features are pretty cool:
 3. Samsung #GalaxyWatch Unveiled (rebranded, stand-along LTE enabled)It looks like the "Galaxy Gear" brand is now "Galaxy Watch." Samsung unveiled its latest smartwatch called the Galaxy Watch and they look like traditional watches (nice). There are 3 primary focus areas for the new watch including: 1-stress mgmt-monitor heart rate, 2-Stay fit-39 exercises, detects six exercises automatically, 3-getting good rest-tracks sleep patterns - syncs with calendar.
 Written by: Stephanie Atkinson
@stephatkins  With approximately 55 million Americans working as freelancers, the gig economy is at a record high. Not only are more people craving freedom and flexibility, but employers are also relying on this system to save money while running a more efficient operation. According to industry experts, the gig economy is the new version of entrepreneurialism, as the hustle is a lot like building a business from the ground up and comes with no guarantees for success. However, if you have passion, are self-motivated, disciplined, aren’t afraid to take risks, know how to network, and can manage your money, then you just may want to shake up your career by becoming an independent worker. Here’s how to get started.
Choose a Path Obviously, you’re going to want to get involved with something you’re both interested in and good at; otherwise, you won’t be able to make it for the long term. For example, perhaps you worked for a big accounting firm and now want to handle clients on your own. Or, maybe you simply love animals and want to work for a pet-sitting or dog-walking company. Whether you choose to work for one company or several is up to you, but there are many online platforms and apps to help you explore work opportunities. In an effort to market yourself and stand out from the competition, put some effort into jazzing up your social profiles and use a free website service to build a simple site that showcases your talent and work history. Get a Hold of Your Financial Situation Don’t quit your day job until you have a few months worth of bills covered and a substantial emergency fund started. It can take a while to start generating regular income, and you’ll undoubtedly have good months and challenging ones in terms of workflow. In order to determine how much money you need to make each month, tally up all of your expenses, including financial obligations (from gas to groceries to household expenses), an entertainment budget, and money to cover any vacation you wish to take (remember, you no longer get a paid vacation). Set aside at least 15 percent each month for your retirement so you don’t lose sight of the future. Remember that you’ll also have to regularly stash money away to cover taxes so you aren’t in a pickle when it comes time to pay the piper. It’s critical that you establish and maintain an organized system for any expenses you incur. There are several you can write off as a freelancer, including a home office, providing you follow the proper regulations. Once you have a grasp on monthly expenses, it will likely make sense to open a business credit card to keep business expenses separate from personal, which you’ll be especially grateful for come tax time. Stay Organized Staying organized is key when running your own gig economy business, and this includes your home office. To maximize your productivity, you’ll want to locate this space away from busy areas in your home where there are likely to be distractions. Also make sure you have a comfortable chair and desk. And you’ll want your workspace to be clutter-free so you can manage your finances and keep track of invoices and projects. If you really become comfortable with being independent and want to expand your business, there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to be successful. Make it easier for freelancers to work with you and always pay on time — you know how important both of these things are already. Also, let anyone you hire work remotely. Not only will this make for a happier contractor, but it also enables you to open up your network globally. Lastly, even though everyone is working from different places, they are working for you, so try to create a sense of virtual camaraderie. |
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