VoIPWatch

The Comunicano Communique Sunday Edition for December 27th 2015

The Comunicano Communique

The Sunday Edition of The Comunicano Communique is here. The idea behind the "Sunday Edition" is to curate more feature focused articles that can help you grow, think about how your business is run and identify trends in the world of business and technology. While the weekday editions tend to include more "hard news" the Sunday Edition will offer a greater mix of insight, perspective and opinion. I hope you enjoy it and, like the Sunday paper of days gone by, you read leisurely, without the pressures of the workday. Have a view on the news today? Please let me know what you think....Andy Abramson     How To Focus: 5 Research-Backed Secrets To Concentration A question a lot of us are struggling with these days is "how to focus." Concentration seems hard. Why does everyone joke about having ADD? There's a reason... Ed Hallowell, former professor at Harvard Medical School and bestselling author of Driven to Distraction, says we have "culturally generated ADD."     [continue...]     6 Reasons Why Bigger Is Not Better In Your Startup Many passionate entrepreneurs fight to add more features into their new products and services, assuming that more function will make the solution more appealing to more customers. In reality, more features will more likely make the product confusing and less usable to all.     [continue...]     The Freelancer Generation: Why Startups And Enterprises Need To Pay Attention Gone are the days of the 40-hour work week that kept us at work eight hours a day (I find that most startup founders or business owners in Silicon Valley work 50-60 hours a week). Freelancing is becoming the accepted norm of the startup world.     [continue...]     Drone jammers to guard top events The system can detect, track and disrupt the controls of any rogue drones (Christopher Furlong) SOPHISTICATED drone-jamming technology is to be deployed at major public and sporting events in the UK following a successful trial at last month's Remembrance Sunday parade, The Sunday Times can reveal.     [continue...]     Verizon Rumoured to Launch Premium Go90 with Zero-Rated Streaming Video Service Verizon will introduce a paid version of its Go90 video streaming service in the first quarter next year, according to Barclays in its report to its trading clients about Verizon. The new service will be similar to what T-Mobile is offering via its 'Binge On', allowing subscribers to enjoy unlimited video streaming without eating into their monthly data allocation.     [continue...]     2016: The year the freight industry goes online Uber was founded just six years ago. It's come a long way since. In its latest funding round, Uber was valued at $68 billion, more than Netflix and Twitter combined. But industries change slowly. With all the hype, Uber still just has 13% market penetration in New York, with traditional taxi companies responding by also going online.     [continue...]     The WiFi Scam That Could Steal Your Credit Card Info Hotel WiFi is one of the most important amenities these days. But it can also create serious headaches for travelers. Josh Roberts of SmarterTravel.com weighs in on the newest WiFi scam and how you can protect yourself.     [continue...]     Charities target social media influencers Charities are turning to online stars with large YouTube audiences, following an approach increasingly used by big brands to reach new donors and volunteers. The Make-a-Wish Foundation, for children with life-threatening illnesses, DigDeep, the non-p     [continue...]     11 Bitcoin Startups That Went Bust in 2015 This year was a time of further consolidation for the bitcoin industry. After what you might call a 'Wild West' period (when it seemed everyone with the urge was setting up their own bitcoin-based service), the space is now rapidly becoming more dominated by bigger, more professional outfits, often with serious funding to get them off to a solid start.     [continue...]     Top 10 industry highlights of 2015     As we step into 2016, ClickZ presents the most important news in digital marketing over the past year, such as Periscope's debut and Google's "Mobilegeddon." Looking back, 2015 was an exciting time to be in the digital marketing industry, with so many technology advances and product updates, as well as mergers and acquisitions.     [continue...]     The 25 Must-Download Apps of 2015 It's easy to get stuck in a rut using the same ol' apps day in and day out -- or maybe you're hoarding so many random Bejeweled Blitzes and fancy weather widgets you can't see the forest for the trees anymore. Either way, which new apps are actually worth a trip to the iTunes store?     [continue...]     A Holiday Perspective On Technology And Consumerism Holiday shopping, long a staple in American life, has undergone significant change over the past half century. The "Miracle on 34th Street" post-war tradition of heading downtown to Macy's or Bloomingdale's has evolved from quaintly old-fashioned to downright anachronistic.     [continue...]     Columbia House Counting On Vinyl Resurgence For Its Revival Millennials can be forgiven for not knowing about Columbia House because by the time they grew up this company had practically lost all of its importance that it held on to for decades. This mail-order service actually went bankrupt over the summer primarily because nobody wants to buy discs anymore when digital downloads and streaming have made life so much easier.     [continue...]     5 ways developers can exploit geospatial tech in 2016 Since the rise of geospatial technology, applications like Facebook, Uber, and Grindr, have enabled users to engage with their surroundings to connect with friends, book a room, or set up a date. But the application of geospatial technologies is really in its infancy.     [continue...]     Mark Cuban: I Don't Take Risks But I Sure Can Dance I've considered Mark Cuban a friend since September 1997, when I flew from New York to New Orleans to attend a broadcast news industry conference. At the event - the Radio Television News Directors Association convention - I came across a exhibitor then known as AudioNet.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Communique for Friday December 25th 2015

The Comunicano Communique

Merry Christmas....While today is a holiday, the start of a three day weekend or the start of a ten day break for many, I'm still reading and curating news articles.  Today's Comunicano Communique features of course a story on Google's Santa Tracker, as well as a few hard news items about Kickstarter, IBM's Watson and Amazon, plus a bunch of lists to keep you well informed over the coming days of some of the best ofs...so have a happy, safe, sane and sincere holiday, wherever you may be. Have a view on the news today? Please let me know what you think....Andy Abramson     The engineering elves building Google's Santa Tracker  SAN FRANCISCO---Google launched the start of its annual summertime I/O developer summit by championing Android's active user base of one billion and counting. It appears Santa Claus might be one of them. One of the internet giant's more charming projects, the Santa Tracker has become somewhat of a digital yuletide tradition over the last decade.     [continue...]     Kickstarter hires journalist to investigate campaign that failed to deliver to backers Failure is a part of crowdfunding. And Kickstarter is making a push to be more transparent about what that failure looks like and why it happens. Science and technology journalist Mark Harris announced this week that he has been hired by the Brooklyn-based crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to investigate and write an expose about why a crowdfunding campaign on its platform failed.     [continue...]     IBM Watson: AI For The Real World IBM Watson, the company's AI cognitive computing platform, has attracted an ecosystem of developers and users who are layering the technology on top of their own to make it even smarter. Here's an update on Watson's evolution and why IBM can confidently assure us it won't ever become HAL.     [continue...]     Amazon Seeks to Ease Ties With UPS As the clock counts down to Christmas, workers at United Parcel Service Inc. are busy hustling packages along loading docks and conveyor belts at its Louisville, Ky., hub-part of a costly, intricate system built in part to cater to Amazon.com Inc., its biggest customer.     [continue...]     35 Cool Social Media Facts Social media seems to have been with us forever. In fact Facebook has turned ten!...that is an eternity in tech. Social media is so old that the fun police have turned up and are threatening to ruin the party. The no rules and the dope smoking, beer swilling social media parties have started moving into the board room.     [continue...]     13 Asian Startups To Watch In 2016 2015 was an eventful year for the tech industry in Asia. Funding started to flow in India, which is expected to become the world's second-largest Internet market soon, while many tech companies in China, South Korea, and Southeast Asia also hit key milestones.     [continue...]     The European Startup Revolution has arrived The following is my (slightly edited version) foreword of a new book that is being released today. Written by one of our co-founders, Croatian entrepreneur / writer Ivo Špigel, and co-published by Tech.eu, we're extremely proud to present you with 'The European Startup Revolution'.     [continue...]     The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2015 A year's worth of highlights from an increasingly vibrant genre Please consider disabling it for our site, or supporting our work in one of these ways Subscribe Now > More than 300,000 podcasts exist in the world as of the close of 2015.     [continue...]     12 Travel Apps Worth Keeping in 2016 Recently I deleted dozens of travel apps from my iPhone. Many are great. They allowed me to research unfamiliar places, listen to audio tours and turn my photos into postcards. But travel is about tapping the world, not a screen, so I'm ending the year with an app purge.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Communique for Wednesday December 23rd 2015

The Comunicano Communique

It's Wednesday before Christmas. In looking for the news I found a few tidbits for travelers, an acquisition by former client Truphone in the IoT space, moves being made by Google, a spat between T-Mobile and YouTube, the fact that the Beatles are giving us all a long lasting holiday present, insights about the changing face of in store retail marketing, how Uber manages to win and more. Have a view on the news today? Please let me know what you think....Andy Abramson     Google Accuses T-Mobile of Throttling YouTube Traffic Google Accuses T-Mobile of Throttling YouTube Traffic Google has accused T-Mobile of throttling YouTube traffic, even when customers are opted out of the company's Binge On service. As we noted last month, T-Mobile's new Binge On service exempts video services from the company's data caps, but throttles that content back to 480p.     [continue...]     Google Plans New, Smarter Messaging App News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Users will be able to text friends or a chatbot that will scour the Web and other sources to answer a question Google is building a new mobile-messaging service that taps its artificial intelligence know-how and so-called chatbot technology to try to catch rivals including Facebook Inc.     [continue...]     Genius for Android Detects the Song You're Playing, Provides Lyrics If you ever needed an Android app that could not only recognise the song playing on your phone, but also display its lyrics, you will want to check Genius. The app added the latter feature in a recent update. The feature is not available on Genius' iOS app.     [continue...]     The Beatles Are Coming to Apple Music, Spotify and Everywhere Else on Christmas Eve You can spend Christmas streaming the Beatles. The world's most famous band will finally be available on streaming music services, starting this Thursday, Christmas Eve. And they'll be available very, very widely: Industry sources say that the Fab Four's music will be on all of the obvious music services, including Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play and Tidal, as well as some you might not expect, including Amazon's Prime Music.     [continue...]     New NBA Store Has an 'Endless Aisle' Thanks to E-Commerce Partner E-commerce is increasingly invading physical retail, and the National Basketball Association is jumping on board. The league's new capabilities were on display on Monday - the grand opening day for the new NBA flagship store at 5th Avenue and 45th Street in New York City.     [continue...]     Five Trends Ready to Disrupt In-Store Retail in 2016 | Xconomy With 2015 coming to a close, retailers are looking ahead for the next wave of technology that will impact in-store innovation. While we're still waiting for some popular 2015 predictions to take off, including the merging of online recommendation engines with in-store visits, other trends such as e-commerce sites opening more brick and mortar locations and the increased focus on mobile continue to flourish.     [continue...]     Data guru who changed baseball to help scientists Economist Paul DePodesta, whose pioneering methods for evaluating baseball players were lionized in the movie "Moneyball," has been hired by the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla to find new ways to analyze medical data.     [continue...]     Comcast installs DOCSIS 3.1 Gigabit class modem on live network in Philadelphia Comcast, the largest broadband provider by subscribers in the United States, has announced what it claims is the installation of the world's first live DOCSIS 3.1 modem on a customer-facing network. Having deployed the equipment in a property in Philadelphia late last month, the cableco said this represented 'the next important step forward in delivering Gigabit speed broadband over [its] hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) network'.     [continue...]     UK Start-up Truphone Acquires IoT Connectivity Management Platform From CoSwitched UK based global mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Truphone announced the acquisition of the Internet of Things)(IoT) Connectivity Management Platform from CoSwitched, an IoT start-up providing management platform for connected machines, such as connected cars, asset trackers or smart meters.     [continue...]     Uber backed by competition watchdog in TfL regulation battle Uber has been given a boost in its attempts to stave off proposed changes to regulating the taxi trade in London, after the competition authority said the reforms would not serve the public interest.     [continue...]     12 Best Long-Haul Airline Seats in the Sky to Fly in 2016 Long-haul flight can be excruciating, but it doesn't need to be. Aeronautics engineers, aircraft manufacturers, designers, and airlines have collaborated to improve the choices available, introducing cabins which could make flying long distances bearable again.     [continue...]     The Best Restaurant in America's 40 Biggest Airports Because no one likes having to settle for the Spear O Mint Life Savers in the baggage-claim vending machines, we've painstakingly sought out the best restaurant and its precise location in each of the 40 largest American airports. Please adjust your travel plans accordingly.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Comnunique for Tuesday December 22nd 2015

The Comunicano Communique

It's Tuesday and the news is S L O W !!!! But yesterday Skype Microsoft made an acquisition of sorts, snapping up Talko. I played around with the HyperVoice based Talko when it first was released and understand the premise. For Skype think of this as an acquihire that includes some forward looking technology that they need to keep up with Cisco. Have a view on the news today? Please let me know what you think....Andy Abramson     Talko comes to Skype I am pleased to announce today that Microsoft has acquired technology from Talko, maker of an innovative mobile app for on-the-go business communications. As part of the agreement, Talko employees will join the Skype team. Together, the new technology and talent will help us deliver great new features and capabilities in both Skype and Skype for Business.     [continue...]     If you like Stephen Colbert's sense of humor or are a StarWars fan you have to watch his "Plot Summary" riff. It's too funny to miss.     Stephen Explains "Star Wars" To China When the first "Star Wars" came out in 1977, western media was suppressed in China. So to get his Chinese viewers excited about the new film, Stephen sums up what they missed.     [continue...]     How APIs are Disrupting Business Changing the world, one API Enterprise at a time. In today's installment of #BigIdeas2016, I'd like to take a quick minute to talk about how APIs are disrupting not just the tech industry, but all of business. Application programming interfaces or APIs, are one of the driving forces behind a lot of digital disruption out there.     [continue...]     Zapier soothes BYOA woes, connecting APIs from enterprise apps The story of how Zapier got its start is not dissimilar to that of many other startups. The company, which offers app integration and automation services, began when its founders started noticing a distinct trend in their previous work.     [continue...]     The 10 Biggest Tech Trends for 2016 If you already feel like you are living in a sci-fi futuristic fantasy, just wait. Technology is getting exponentially faster, more immersive and intuitive. And as technology changes, so does the way we live.     [continue...]     Hospitality Net - Are Virtual Reality Concierges Coming? In the next several years, virtual reality is expected to see massive adoption. According to Digi-Capital, VR is predicted to grow into a $30 billion industry by 2020. Already, a number of large and small hospitality brands are utilizing this new technology to reach and engage guests. But what does this look like?     [continue...]     Fact-Checking the Debate on Encryption As politicians and counter-terrorism officials search for lessons from the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, senior officials have called for limits on technology that sends encrypted messages. It's a debate that has repeatedly recurred for more than a decade.In the 1990s, the Clinton Administration directed technology companies to store copies of their encryption keys with the government.     [continue...]     CES 2016: What Not to Miss for Marketing and Media Professionals An informed look into the must-see brands, startups and events from PSFK's conference guide Virtual media environments, connected home ecosystems and emotion-controlled entertainment have shaped the media and marketing landscapes of today. The integration of such future-focused technologies into brand experience has presented ever more opportunities to reach an audience, allowing brands to design for more immersive and hyper-targeted conversations.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Daily for July 30th, 2015

The Comunicano Daily       Today's a run and gun day. Already had morning meetings, errands, walked the hills of Lisbon, had an amazing burger and am now into the "second" day. That's what's great about the concept of a WorkCation. That's where you can blend the idea of working someplace that some would want to be vacationing. I'll be writing more on that concept soon. Now into the news. T-Mobile is defying everyone, adding more customers and growing handset subscribers. The defections are coming from all other carriers, but the big war is at the bottom with Sprint and the pre-paid customers who realize the "uncarrier model" is for them. If this is sustainable is the big question....       T-Mobile blows away profit expectations as customer growth surges - CNET T-Mobile has shown it can win over customers at an impressive rate. Now it needs to prove that it can consistently make money doing so. If the second quarter's results are any indication, T-Mobile is off to a good start.     [continue...]       Amazon is going Top Gear crazy, and will be rivaling Netflix and Hulu in the original net content business. Where did you go "DEN-Digital Entertainment Network..."       Clarkson and 'Top Gear' presenters sign with Amazon for new car show Clarkson was fired from the BBC for physically attacking a member of Top Gear's production staff in March. Amazon said the new show, to be overseen by the trio's long time executive producer Andy Wilman, will be available on its subscription streaming service Amazon Prime next year and run for three seasons.     [continue...]       Up, up and away goes the Net if Google has it's loony way...       Sri Lanka to get blanket Web access via Google's Project Loon Sri Lanka is all set to receive blanket Internet coverage throughout the country after it penned a deal with Google to deploy its Project Loon across its territory. On Wednesday, Sri Lanka said it would become the first country in the world to provide a universal Internet service for its citizens through the deal with Google, which will do so using Loom air balloons.     [continue...]       Amazon keeps it's drone idea flying.       Amazon proposes drones-only airspace to facilitate high-speed delivery Amazon is proposing that a pristine slice of airspace above the world's cities and suburbs should be set aside for the deployment of high-speed aerial drones capable of flying robotically with virtually no human interference.     [continue...]       StubHub and Uber hook up..       StubHub lets eventgoers call an Uber from its app People love it when companies make things easier for them, and that's exactly what StubHub is doing today. If you use the service to buy tickets to events, like a live concert or sports game, you'll now be able to book an Uber directly from its iOS and Android apps.     [continue...]       Hotel guru Bob Rauch, who is partners with pal Joe Simone in a few San Diego hotels has a really good article today on the Art and Science of hotels.       The transformation of the hotel industry from art to science - eHotelier The hospitality industry has been evolving into a much more scientific industry for several years. The combined impact of shifting demographics and new technologies are the primary catalysts for this metamorphosis. The Internet provides consumers an opportunity to think of the hotels as commodities.     [continue...]       Changes at Citrix. Big changes. And Go To Meeting is on the block.       Citrix Will Replace Chief, Bending to Elliott Management The activist hedge fund Elliott Management has scored another victory in its battle with a technology company. Citrix Systems said on Tuesday that it had agreed to make several changes, including replacing its longtime chief executive and giving Elliott a seat on the board.     [continue...]       Survey says...there's still many not online in the USA.       A Steady Percentage of Americans Still Do Not Go Online, Study Says For the first 13 years of the decade, Americans embraced the Internet at a whirlwind pace. The percentage of Americans who use the Internet grew to 84 percent in 2013 from 52 percent at the turn of the century, according to data from the Pew Research Center.     [continue...]   We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Daily for July 28th, 2015

The Comunicano Daily

My co-founder, along with Josh Baylin, in VelocityGrowth, Jeff Belk was one of the key executives who put Qualcomm on the map. There Jeff, who rose to CMO and CSO, instilled a marketing culture amongst a group of inventors, IP attorneys and engineers. Jeff retired from Qualcomm eight years or so ago, but he remains close to many there. His perspective, as someone close to everyone from Paul Jacobs on down provides him the unique insight to author this piece on the recent news and explain why it may be the best thing to happen to San Diego in years. Now, only if the Chargers get a new football stadium....       Are Qualcomm Layoffs a Disaster for San Diego---or an Opportunity? | Xconomy After years of strong corporate and financial growth, the pace of change in the wireless industry has forced a massive global layoff at San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM. If the wireless giant had only 1,000 employees, a layoff of 150 folks would not be big news.     [continue...]       As the owner and user of a OnePlus One Android smartphone I can't wait for the Two to be offered. Not only is the OnePlus One the best Android I ever owned, it may be the best value smartphone around. Give a read of the next three stories and see if you would pay more for less.       How the OnePlus 2 Plans to Be More Than a One-Hit Wonder Imagine being Dexy's Midnight Runners, circa 1982. "Come On Eileen" just came out of nowhere and is blowing up. It's on every radio station, and playing at every party. Nobody had ever heard of you; now you're everywhere.     [continue...]     The OnePlus 2 pushes the boundaries of how cheap a flagship smartphone can be The bang for your buck ratio here is pretty great There are more options than ever for getting a good, cheap smartphone, and last year's OnePlus One was a standout. For $300, you got a well-made, nice-looking phone with cutting-edge hardware and few compromises to be found (assuming its 5.5-inch size didn't put you off).     [continue...]     OnePlus 2: everything you need to know The OnePlus One was released last year Under the hood Potential buyers were required to obtain an invitation through OnePlus' website before they were able to buy it, with the first 100 handsets offered as part of a "Smash" promotion where people were invited to destroy their existing phone for a chance to buy a One for just $1.     [continue...]       The Terminator movies were legendary and help put "the Arnold" on the map once and for all. Never shy about his love of the WWF, largely due to a friendship forged with Jesse "The Body" Ventura years ago, Arnold is going to be featured in a new video game, bringing back his "Terminator" character....Watch the two videos and see how the computer generated graphics look, and how good some of the WWF heels are at acting.....       Arnold Schwarzenegger WWE Commercial: T2 Bar Scene Reenactment Okay so Arnold Schwarzenegger has been revisiting a lot of his old Terminator scenes lately, not just in Terminator Genisys which resets and revisits some moments from the first film in different ways, but also in a new commercial for the WWE 2k16 video game.     [continue...]       Everyone is looking to one up Uber....and here's a new spin on it.  In London to be a taxi driver you have to pass "The Knowledge." Well now aspiring drivers can learn London streets and make money doing it...       Taxi app Gett to deliver champagne as Uber battle intensifies The champagne will be delivered on motorbike by people learning The Knowledge "For the last five years, we've been moving customers around safely and now Gett Clicquot will use the same business model to bring this revolutionary new service to Londoners," said Remo Gerber, Gett's UK CEO.     [continue...]       It's not taking long for changes to happen at Cisco follow John Chambers retirement. New people in key positions. Some execs leaving. A flatter, more nimble organization. Sounds like what is also taking shape at Microsoft is happening at Cisco as well.       Cisco Recruits Two Outsiders as Executives Cisco Systems Inc.'s new chief executive marked his first day in the job by naming two outsiders to high-profile management posts. Chuck Robbins, who assumed the CEO role at the networking equipment maker Monday after John Chambers' ended his tenure after 20 years, said in a blog post that Zorawar Biri Singh will serve as senior vice president and chief technology officer.     [continue...]       If you're a Comcast customer you may be wondering who else is on your WiFi network. Basically Comcast has taken a page out of the European operator's mode of operation, and enabled their subscribers to latch on to other subscribers networks.       Comcast Hits 10M WiFi Hotspots Comcast said Monday that it surpassed the milestone of 10 million WiFi hotspots nationwide, including wireless access points installed in public areas and neighborhood hotspots powered by second antennas contained in WiFi gateways deployed in subscriber homes.     [continue...]       Verizon has video on the brain. Their new G90 service is starting trials across the USA and is looking like it's closer to becoming a reality.       Verizon Mobile Video Service Details Uncovered: To Be Called Go90 (Exclusive) Verizon is getting ready to launch a new mobile video service called Go90 this summer, Variety has learned. Go90 promises users full episodes of TV shows from select networks as well as music videos and other shortform content, and the company will at least initially offer the service entirely free...     [continue...]       Last week PayPal went public. This week Visa retorts with an investment in Stripe.       Visa Invests in Stripe at $5 Billion Valuation and Strikes Commercial Deal, Too Credit card companies think they have a found an ally in the increasingly competitive world of online payments. Its name is Stripe. Visa has inked a commercial agreement with the payments startup, and has separately made an investment in the San Francisco-based company that values it at $5 billion.     [continue...]       The medical world has lagged for years in the area of IT for the physician. Now it seems to be catching up.       Efficient doctors need IT prescription Whether using products such as Telehealth, which uses apps and texting to treat patients without the need to visit hospital, Sleepio, an online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme aiming to reduce insomnia, or Simman 3G, a robot that makes sure doctors are prepared to treat patients with allergic reactions, medicine is constantly changing - and GPs, running practices as small businesses, must adapt, cut costs and find innovative treatments.     [continue...]     Software Turns Smartphones Into Tools for Medical Research SAN FRANCISCO - Jody Kearns doesn't like to spend time obsessing about her Parkinson's disease. The 56-year-old dietitian from Syracuse, New York, had to give up bicycling because the disorder affected her balance. But she still works, drives and tries to live a normal life.     [continue...]       I love lists of tips. Here are three to help you through your day..       20 Great Podcasts for Entrepreneurs - Listen up, makers. :) by Product Hunt A collection curated by Product Hunt, featuring products like The Pitch, StartUp Podcast Season 2, How To Start A Startup , The Twenty Minute VC (podcast), and This is PM Podcast     [continue...]     15 Essential Content Creation Apps You Need Right Now Writing is your drawcard. It's the number one tool you have at your fingertips for marketing an online business. So it needs to be good. You need to write compelling copy that engages readers, gets them to listen up and encourages them to buy.     [continue...]     27 travel hacks that even frequent fliers don't know Even the most seasoned jetsetter will learn a thing or two from these travel hacks.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Daily for Wednesday July 23rd 2015

The Comunicano Daily

Personal note Today I honor my late father, USMC Master Sergeant Bernard Abramson, retired. Dad served in WWII and the Korean Conflict. During World War Two he was based in Guam and staged the Marines who captured Iwo Jima and planted the US flag there. As he once said to me, I sent a lot of people away who never came home. He would have been 102 as he was born in 1913 and was a pre-recession baby. The first in his family and the first to pass away now 24 years ago in 1991. Dad taught me many things, but one saying from his days in the Corp will always stay with me. "The impossible we do right away. Miracles take a little longer." It's something I still live by. Semper Fi Dad...         The market looks at guidance and sales and when you miss, they slap you down. Apple and Microsoft are seeing value in their companies dropping this morning because old school economics are being applied, and the analysts are missing the value of apps, content and the cloud. Both Microsoft and Apple are rapidly moving into a cloud enabled customer model, much like where Google and Facebook already are. The problem is the two giants love to play hide and seek with what they are doing, where Google just goes out and does it. Lots of coverage on Apple and Microsoft, and opinions abound.       Apple Reports Record Third Quarter Results CUPERTINO, California - July 21, 2015 - Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 third quarter ended June 27, 2015. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $49.6 billion and quarterly net profit of $10.7 billion, or $1.85 per diluted share.     [continue...]     FY15 Q4 - Press Releases - Investor Relations - Microsoft Press releases relating to Microsoft Investor Relations for FY15 Q4     [continue...]       Ken Rutkowski and I have been on the air since 1998, first with the World Technology Roundup, and now with Business Rockstars.  Once a week I join Ken on his massively seen and heard show, now on CBS and on over 185 radio stations, plus on the web. Here's our show from Monday July 13th where I talk about new apps from Microsoft and more.       3 Services that make Startup life easier Andy Abramson, the Founder and CEO of Comunicano, Inc. Andy discusses new apps and services he loves that are coming out of the Microsoft Garage! 1. Tossup - lets you make plans with your friends and is aggregated in one place 2.     [continue...]       If you can't beat them, join them. The old approach of Windows first at Microsoft is going away, and now you're seeing Office not only on iOS and Androids but the ability to use Google Drive. This will help slow down the defection to Google Apps as it will allow for more cross platform use by either set of tools. Is Apple iCloud next?       Google Drive plugin for Microsoft Office lets you 'use the apps you're already comfortable with' Are you a growth marketer? Do you want to know what it takes to be one? Join us at GrowthBeat, on August 17-18 in San Francisco. Thought-leaders from the biggest brands and most disruptive companies will share winning growth strategies on the most pressing challenges marketing leaders face today.]     [continue...]       Retracing your steps, or breadcrumbs sure help recall where you were. Google is adding that feature to Google Maps so you can recall where you were, and when.       Your Timeline: Revisiting the world that you've explored Have you ever wanted a way to easily remember all the places you've been -- whether it's a museum you visited during your last vacation or that fun bar you stumbled upon a few months ago? Well, starting today, Google Maps can help.     [continue...]       The Microsoft Surface 3 is a sexy lightweight hybrid computer. You can use it as a tablet with a touchscreen or with a keyboard. Now it's adding LTE/4G with AT&T in the USA, with other operators around the world coming next.         AT&T Will Be First Carrier to Office Surface 3 with 4G LTE in the US AT&T Wireless announced today that it will be the first wireless carrier in the United States to offer Microsoft's Surface 3 tablet with 4G LTE capabilities. The device goes on sale Friday, July 24. Pricing is ... complicated. Which is why we love the carriers so much.     [continue...]       The long expected and awaited approval of the DirectTV-AT&T merger is coming. But it comes with lots of strings attached that are good for a more neutral net and greater choice. It also comes with AT&T having to move more rapidly on expansion efforts for their fiber based business.       FCC Nears Approval of AT&T-DirecTV Merger FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said that he is recommending approval of the AT&T merger with DirecTV with conditions, including provisions to prevent the combined company from discriminating against online video competition. "The proposed order outlines a number of conditions that will directly benefit consumers by bringing more competition to the broadband marketplace," Wheeler said in a statement.     [continue...]       The days of the connected car is here and self driving cars are not too far away. The US Senate is looking to see standards set to prevent hacking of cars and trucks that can cause serious harm.       Senate Bill Seeks Standards For Cars' Defenses From Hackers     A few years ago, the notion of hacking a car or truck over the Internet to control steering and brakes seemed like a bad plot point from CSI: Cyber. Today, the security research community has proven it to be a real possibility, and it's one that at least two U.S.     [continue...]       The University of Michigan has built a test town for driverless cars.       Inside the Fake Town Built Just for Self-Driving Cars Motown is trying to take back some swagger from Silicon Valley. The dominance of software in automobiles these days in everything from infotainment systems to safety and the coming autonomous revolution has made the San Francisco Bay Area a hub for the auto industry.     [continue...]       As a business traveler, AirBnB presents an amazing option. Now they are going to put serious effort behind that customer segment.       Airbnb Overhauls Service for Business Travelers Marc McCabe has become a familiar name among people working in human resources departments around Silicon Valley. When it's time to compile travel expenses for the month, McCabe, who runs the business travel group at Airbnb, would manually send out invoices and Excel spreadsheets breaking down how much a company's employees spent on room rentals.     [continue...]       In an attempt to keep the future release features under wraps, Apple is restricting the publishing of app reviews in the iOS store of future apps and versions.       Users can no longer post app reviews in prerelease iOS versions It appears that Apple is disallowing iOS 9 beta users to submit app reviews with the latest build released on Tuesday, solving what many developers see as a , a feature that became an issue once the company released beta versions for public consumption.     [continue...]       The life cycle of a CMO is rising to almost 50 months. Many aspire to be a CEO. Here's what it takes to become one, in one authors view.       What Does It Take for CMOs to Become CEOs? Overall, things are looking good for chief marketing officers. Among the trends they're enjoying: longer tenures than ever. Years in office have grown steadily over the last decade, executive recruiting firm Spencer Stuart has found: Combine that with fast growing budgets and an unprecedented ability to place messaging in front of customers, and it's hard to miss the opportunity that lies ahead for heads of marketing departments.     [continue...]       There are lots of tools to help startups. This 150 page report from Bowery Capital is a great reference toolkit to refer to.       The 2015 Ultimate Guide To Startup Sales Tools Here at Bowery Capital, startup sales tools are top-of-mind on a daily basis. They're core to our portfolio support efforts: we work closely with every one of our founders to build an optimal sales infrastructure from the ground up.     [continue...]       We love when our clients get recognized. In this case it's our Seattle FinTech client, Finsphere. They're in the running to win the Seattle Business Magazine Tech Impact Award that gets awarded later this year. Unlike some awards, this isn't a popularity contest. Only the reporters and editors decide.  Congrats to the team at Finsphere.       Finsphere is named a finalist in Seattle Business Magazine's Tech Impact Awards I am pleased to announce that Finsphere has been named one of Washington's top 3 security companies of the year in the 2015 Tech Impact Awards. Finsphere is a small company and I recognize this accomplishment as a team effort from all of our employees, our partners, and our investors.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Daily for Tuesday July 21st, 2015

The Comunicano Daily

The rain and humidity in San Diego wasn't the only thing causing the locals to be irritable. Employment giant, sponsor of the football stadium and pretty much the heart of the county's economy, Qualcomm announced there are going to be changes. I am not surprised as the writing has been on the wall since Paul Jacobs moved out, or was moved out of the CEO role about two years ago. The company has been in transition, laying off people in San Diego, offering exit packages to some senior folks, and then hiring on people elsewhere, where costs are lower. This is going to be an ongoing story so I suggest reading the writing locally of Bruce Bigelow of Xconomy once San Diego's media wakes up to the story.       Qualcomm to Conduct Strategic Review, May Consider Breakup Qualcomm Inc. is expected to conduct a sweeping strategic review that will look at the possibility of a breakup, among other options, after an activist investor pushed for change at the chip maker. Qualcomm, the world's largest maker of chips used in mobile phones, may announce it is considering that and other options-including returning more cash to shareholders-when it reports fiscal third-quarter results Wednesday, according to...     [continue...]       When big brands make moves you have to watch the impact. Chase Bank is making a whole series of moves. First, they are going mobile first. Second they are adopting a very user experience focus. Third they are becoming masters of their own content. This is all happening as the upgrade their services and become more customer friendly online.       Chase Reboots Online Banking to Resemble Mobile Experience JPMorgan Chase refreshed its online banking homepage for the first time in three years yesterday. The result looks a lot like the bank's recently revamped mobile site. All the buzz is around mobile banking these days, but online banking still serves more people. Chase has nearly 40 million online users, vs.     [continue...]       I read the proposed telco to VoIP story and not much has changed in 12 years since I started VoIPWatch when it comes to the issues. The only difference is now we actually have an FCC Chairman who will see things through.       FCC Chairman proposes rules for telco transition to VoIP FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler proposed a set of guidelines that start the process to regulate telephone companies as they transition from a legacy TDM voice infrastructure to IP-based real time communications. Wheeler's rules will be up for consideration at the Commission Open Meeting on August 6.     [continue...]       There is no question text is replacing many things. One of the keys is customer relationships and service. But text is more than just a "message" these days. And, with IoT (Internet of Things), sensors, beacons, big data analytics, faster networks and smarter apps, we're going to see things that are all about what pals Robert Scoble and Shel Israel wrote in the "The Age of Context" and which client FollowAnalyticsunderstands with their mobile first approach. In app communications with alerts, notifications and messages is why text is replacing many things.       Brands Are Using Text to Strengthen Customer Relationships Chat offers a direct line of communication for timely and personalized interactions A customer walks into a store in search of a black jacket and a new pair of jeans. With so many brands, sizes and styles available, they seek out the nearest sales associate for some help with recommendations.     [continue...]       As an AirBnB dweller off and on the last year in various cities (Miami, Seattle, San Jose and now Lisbon) I tend to do one of three things when it comes to meals-shop and cook, go out to dinner, order in. And, when it the past the idea of ordering in was usually pizza, except in New York City where everything was available by phone, online ordering was a rarity. In the AirBnB era it has exploded. Now you can order food of all kinds, and either the restaurant or a third party service like Doorstep Delivery or GrubHub will get it to your door. This though is just the start. Watch as pharmacies resume home delivery, see how house calls from doctors return and watch as Amazon with their same day delivery becomes even more finely tuned. But there's going to be one more sector that feels the winds of change. Hotel room service. Why order from a limited menu when you can order from anywhere in town and have better food.       Online food delivery ordering is about to overtake phone ordering in the US Getting your dinner to your door is now easier than ever, and thanks to the internet, almost no human interaction is required. While phone orders dominated delivery only five years ago, the balance between meal orders placed over the phone versus those placed online have nearly switched, with internet orders on track to surpass phone orders any minute...     [continue...]       There's a reason why cable is losing, and YouTub is just the start. The cable industry knows it which is why they are going mobile. But there's a whole group of "never corders" as YipTV founder Mike Tribolet calls them, and they are causing the shift, and YouTube, which has been around and mobile ready longer, is the early winner.       YouTube Is Crushing Cable TV, According To Google Credit: Lionel Bonaventure via Getty Images YouTube is giving cable TV a run for its money. The popular video-sharing platform -- which was acquired by Google in 2006 -- reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds in America than any U.S. cable network, said Google's chief business officer, Omid Kordestani, during an earnings conference call on July 16.     [continue...]       If you are part of the world of startups, the next few stories are so, so, so focused on you. First is where the growth is. Second is all about how to hire a marketer. Third is some real pearls of wisdom from Brad Feld about being a "founder" and last is the difference between your lawyer and the company's lawyer.       The Fastest Growing Areas of Startup Investment in 2015 Earlier this week, we examined the trends in the major categories of startup investment including eCommerce, Software, Social Networking and Education. But which lesser known startup sectors are starting to raise venture dollars? Where are founders finding unique opportunities to innovate?     [continue...]     Marketing Shouldn't Be a Dirty Word in Silicon Valley You could say that I got into marketing (or "growth", if you prefer that euphemism) mostly by accident. It was a right time, right place kind of thing: Upstart had an awesome product and killer team, but they needed a growth strategy.     [continue...]     Do We Need A New Word For Entrepreneur? - Feld Thoughts     Has the word entrepreneur become too trendy as to have lost its meaning? I'm hearing it and the word entrepreneurship being used in so many conversations incorrectly. Here's a simple example. On a daily basis, I have an email exchange with someone who says they are an entrepreneur.     [continue...]     A Startup Lawyer is Not a Founder's Lawyer - Silicon Hills Lawyer     TL;DR Nutshell: It's extremely important to hire independent counsel who isn't incentivized to favor, because of existing relationships, the interests of your investors above those of the company. But it's also important to understand that company counsel represents the best interests of the company, including all stockholders, and that can often conflict with the personal interests of individual founders.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Daily for Monday July 20th, 2015

View in web browser       The Comunicano Daily

Hello from Lisbon where the temperature is 84 degrees/29 degrees Celsius and sunny. The weekend was one of those "catch up" weekends flying back from London Gatwick to here, finding the apartment A/C was off but getting it to work as the breaker had blown, and having to contact the owner vs. calling the front desk is an example of the difference between AirBnB and a hotel. The net result was the same. It was fixed, but that's why planning where you stay when using AirBnB is so important, and establishing up front, a dialogue with the property owner and their on the ground contacts are so essential. In my case, it's the owner's mother, a very together, poised woman, who cares. Also being in a security/concierge building, where the staff are super friendly and attentive, proving doing your homework matters as the desire was to be able to have all the comforts of home, while being a stranger in a strange land. Sunday was lots of catching up on my reading and writing for work. One of my new way's of staying current on news related to our client base is to incorporate RSS feeds into Slack. I pipe in the sites feeds as appropriate to each agency client, and then can decide what needs to be shared outside of the team working on that piece of business.  Once that was done, I explored more of Lisbon by wandering through some of the more colorful neighborhoods of the city, in this case a walk through the Chiado on my way to dinner..           The summer news slowdown is in full force and you cant tell by the amount of feature content that's in today's news. One story that I felt compelled to share was about compensation and the questions today's graduates are asking about it. If you're an HR person, your life is going to change as stock options are starting to be looked at as employee benefits with questions being asked that were previously more recruiter level, then HR level oriented.       Employees Wise Up This week, a Bay Area founder was taken aback when an engineer being recruited by his startup asked for both its cap table and information regarding the liquidation preferences of its venture backers. The candidate presumably "worked somewhere where he discovered that these things matter," says the founder, who asked not to be named in this story.     [continue...]       Balance is something we all want in our life. Working from a different country, in a different time zone over a sustained period versus a few short weeks has taught me a lot more about my own work habits, traits and efforts. In reading the post from Upfront Ventures Mark Suster, I realized just how much I can relate to his life, and how apropos it really was. His blog is a great read and one worth keeping on your short list.       How the Hell do I Prioritize Work, Blog & Find Balance? | Bothsides of the Table I noticed this post today from Ezra Galston titled " Dear Brad, Fred & Mark: How The Hell Do You Do It? " The premise is that either I have some magical solutions that allow me to produce a lot of content or I'm super human.     [continue...]       The succession planning at Cisco is now almost through the top level changes,  and John Chambers is now the Chairman on a farewell tour, but he's clearly leaving a mark on the company and setting things up for the next ten years.       Cisco's John Chambers on two decades as chief: 'You have to let go' Speaking to The Telegraph in his last interview before relinquishing his role to long-time protégé Chuck Robbins and becoming chairman, Chambers was steadfast in his assertion that ever-increasing connectivity, between both humans and machines, will be a catalyst for growth and employment over the next decade.     [continue...]       Our mobile phone is more than just a phone. This article paints a very good picture of what they mean to us, and more what we do with them.         My mobile: so much more than a phone My mum came back from a party when I was little and told me about a conversation she'd had with somebody who worked for BT. "In the future, we won't phone a family," he'd said to her, to our general 1980s bafflement, all Rubik's Cubes and CND badges. "We'll call a person."     [continue...]       Drones are going to be big business. First in the NBC news story we can see how they will benefit society, especially with health care related activities. The second story shows how they will benefit the "amusement" economy, with Drone racing.       First FAA-Approved Drone Delivery Drops Medicine in Virginia The first government-approved drone delivery took flight on Friday, in which an unmanned aerial vehicle successfully dropped medical supplies to a health clinic in rural southwest Virginia. Several hundred people including Gov. Terry McAuliffe came to the fairgrounds in the coal-mining region of Wise County, Virginia, to see the delivery, county officials told NBC News.     [continue...]     Drone racing: Teenagers are being lured away from screens and outside to fly their aircraft against each other It seems certain that he will achieve his goal. Ask anyone in the tight-knit drone racing community and they will tell you that the teenager from Somerset is already an accomplished - some would say prodigiously gifted - aviator. Luke flies a type of aircraft known as an FPV racing drone.     [continue...]       Machine learning is one of those topics that are en vogue right now. And for good reason. Give a read over a cup of coffee or tea of today's item from the Financial Times.         We are data: the future of machine intelligence I look at apps like Grindr and Tinder and see how they've rewritten sex culture - by creating a sexual landscape filled with vast amounts of incredibly graphic site-specific data - and I can't help but wonder why there isn't an app out there that rewrites political culture in the same manner.     [continue...]       Our next item deals with address book management, and an eerie side of it.         My Digital Cemetery MY digital address book lists 2,743 contacts. This is not because I'm popular or extroverted; I'm neither. It's because this collection of names stretches back two decades, the oldest contacts tracing to a 1996 Palm Pilot and preserved through transfers involving more devices than I care to remember.     [continue...]       A phone without a SIM is where Apple and Samsung want to take you. This would mean more unlocked devices, and likely more freedom for the global worker and the global workforce. The phone and an app would be your key to more options as you travel or even while you're at home.       Apple and Samsung working on a standardized e-SIM card If it all goes according to plan, you could soon be able to switch mobile carriers by going to the settings page on your smartphone. On Thursday The Financial Times (paywall) reported that Apple and Samsung are in "advanced talks" with telecom operators from all over the world to launch new electronic SIM cards.     [continue...]       Back in San Diego, I use Amazon Fresh and have since it opened up that market. Now I saw it's coming to the UK, which means it takes on the established players there who long have offered home delivery.        Amazon Preps Fresh Grocery Delivery Launch in U.K. Amazon's grocery delivery service is still only available in a few markets in the U.S., but the e-commerce company is already planning to launch the service outside of the country. Multiple sources tell Re/code that Amazon is prepping to launch the Amazon Fresh service in the U.K.     [continue...]       If you didn't know it by now, I love wine. With the help of master winemaker and friend Doug Margerum, I'm now producing wines ever other year-really when there's enough grapes to go around-and enjoy having a wine to call my own. Our favorite designer, Bobby Buchanan of San Diego's Buchanan Design, designed the Comunicano Wine Company labels, which are very non traditional in the wine world so when I saw this story, I had to share it, not only with Bobby but with everyone who likes a good bottle of wine, but hates the label.             A Winery With a Young Visual Indentity Djurdjic Winery is a Serbian wine producer set-up in 2004. Peter Gregson's task was to create a new and memorable visual identity. Djurdjic Winery is a relatively young winery so in that context they don't have a strong heritage background which allowed the designer to create a simple design that represent the winery as new [...]     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD

The Comunicano Daily for Thursday July 16th

The Comunicano Daily

Yesterday was a day in motion. Meeting with clients as early as 830 AM in Paris. Getting packed, and out of my hotel, over to lunch to catch up with uber Wine Bar and Restauranteur Mark Williamson of Willi's and Maceo fame, then literally a mad dash to Gare du Nord to catch the 1423 (243 PM) Eurostar to London so I could be back on west coast calls starting at 9 AM there and 5 PM here in London for what I call my second day of the day, a fast Indian dinner in London at 830 PM (what else do you eat here as it's the best food around) followed by more work, calls and conference calls with colleagues and friends and finally some 20 hours later than when I started - SLEEP. A few observations about staying connected. First is mobile coverage in France LTE/4G and 3G on the Eurostar has dramatically improved. I was able to stay connected on either of my two iPhones and iPad most of the way to and more importantly THROUGH the Chunnel. Coverage on the UK side was patchy but survivable.  Second is retail merchant supplied Wi-Fi.  After all the time in France, UK, Belgium and Portugal this summer the percentage of retailers offering free Wi-Fi access with very good, fast and responsive throughput is outpacing the USA. And, I can see how it's affecting my consumption, where I'm using less "mobile operator data" when I'm out and about.  Third is hotel broadband.  In Paris, and in London, this trip and last, my hotels have clearly upgraded to 802.11ac and N, boosted broadband capacity and increased speeds in the rooms. I have had perfect conference and Skype calls all trip. The fourth and last observation is the iPad Air 2. This is rapidly becoming my main device for comms and work on the go. The Skype, GoToMeeting and WebEx experience is better than on a MacBook, Sunrise and Google Calendar, Gmail and apps are far better than a web browser to access and manage my daily interactions and avoid distraction, but most of all is the Brydge Air keyboard that I added which gives me an almost Mac Book experience for typing and audio. Now..on to the news.....         Today's news lead ins will be brief. Obama wants the low income housing crowd to have the Internet.       Obama unveils ConnectHome to get low-income households online - CNET The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a broad-based initiative designed to get low-income households online. Dubbed ConnectHome, the new initiative will bring high-speed broadband access to over 275,000 low-income households across the US. According to the White House, the pilot program will launch in 27 cities across the US, including New York, Boston, and Seattle, as well as the Choctaw Tribal Nation.     [continue...]       Further proof traditional media is on the way out comes from the Pew Foundation.       New Pew data: More Americans are getting news on Facebook and Twitter Facebook and Twitter users across all demographics are increasingly using the social networks as news sources, though they are seeking out different types of news content on each platform, according to a study out Tuesday from the Pew Research Center and the Knight Foundation.     [continue...]     Facebook and Twitter Really Are Where People Get Their News More People are getting news from Facebook and Twitter than ever. In a new report out today, the Pew Research Center found that more than half of all Facebook and Twitter users get news from the sites, a significant increase for both services since 2013.     [continue...]       Amazon turned 20 yesterday, had a sale, ran into some snags and has invaded Los Angeles to develop more original content.       20 years of Amazon: 20 years of major disruptions In July 1995, Amazon.com sold its first book online, Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies by Douglas Hofstadter. Now you can hop online from your phone, download the e-book version, bid on a vintage couch on which to read it, and hire someone to explain the concepts to you - all with one click.     [continue...]     Despite Complaints, Consumer Demand For Amazon Prime Day Was Huge Consumer demand was there for Amazon Prime Day, but the deals did not deliver. At least, that's the sentiment being shared online about Amazon's first-ever attempt at creating its own sales holiday - one which the company had promised would feature "more deals than Black Friday."     [continue...]     Amazon's Jeff Bezos on Hollywood Strategy: "When People Join Prime ... They Buy More Shoes" When Jeff Bezos launched Amazon.com from his garage in 1995, creating television shows was far from his mind. But in January, the wiry billionaire (his estimated net worth is about $40 billion) could be seen mingling at the Golden Globe awards as his Amazon Studios won two statuettes for Transparent.     [continue...]       Netflix may have missed their financial mark, but they are growing.       Netflix earnings miss Wall Street forecasts     Netflix Inc. on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $26.3 million. On a per-share basis, the Los Gatos, Calif.a-based company said it had profit of 6 cents. The results missed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of 19 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 32 cents per share.     [continue...]       Verizon is going over the top and adding more new and different content.       Verizon Adds Vice to Internet TV Lineup Verizon today revealed the next partner for its Internet TV service: Vice. Vice content-including original programming-will be available on Verizon's upcoming mobile service. In March, Verizon said it will also air 200 hours of original content from AwesomenessTV each year.     [continue...]       Get ready for beacons to enable apps to know more of what you want, where you are and why you should be offered things that are more relevant to you.       Why Google Eddystone Looms as an Apple iBeacon Killer Google Eddystone provides open source Bluetooth LE beacon technology that greatly expands on what Apple's iBeacon system can do for location-based applications. Google rolled out this week a new Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) beacon technology that competes directly with Apple's industry-leading iBeacon offering and also does a lot more than iBeacon.     [continue...]       GigaOm Research is back. Pal Stowe Boyd is in the middle of it, and tells us more about new features for Google Apps that gives you more security and peace of mind.       Google takes first steps toward finer-grained access in Google Drive Google Drive has provided a simple but powerful model for file sharing. The creator of a file can invite others to share it, as readers (read-only access), commenters (read and comment access) or editors (read, comment, and edit access). But this opens the door to all sorts of issues, like being able to make a copy...     [continue...]     You can now disable downloading, printing, and copying for any file stored in Google Drive If you're not reaching, engaging, and monetizing customers on mobile, you're likely losing them to someone else. Register now for the 8th annual MobileBeat, July 13-14, where the best and brightest will be exploring the latest strategies and tactics in the mobile space. Google today rolled out a small but significant change to Google Drive.     [continue...]       Founder Institute founder Adeo Ressi tells us what makes for a successful entrepreneur.       What Makes a Successful Entrepreneur? Circumstance, Genetics, and Perseverance Recently Adeo Ressi, founder of the Founder Institute, was asked, "what does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?". In Adeo's opinion, his answer was successful entrepreneurship is a combination of three things: genetics, circumstance and perseverance. Let's go through all three. 1.     [continue...]       NASA proves that somethings don't happen overnight, but you have to have faith in what you started.       NASA Breathes Sigh of Relief After New Horizons Passes Pluto It was a moment nearly 10 years in the making. But for more than 13 hours, NASA scientists didn't know for sure whether the Pluto flyby had actually occurred. The suspense ended just after 8:50 p.m.     [continue...]

We hope you are enjoying The Comunicano Daily. If you want to share it with friends, colleagues and co-workers, or even your wife, child or even someone you don't like, please do. They can join by visiting The Comunicano Daily signup page: http://eepurl.com/BFXkD