Month: October 2012

After reading Joanna Huang’s blog post on the article, “Well on our way to merging with machines,” not only did I learn that Israel is home to some of the most important research and development labs for big multinational companies but also hosts the operation of the titans—Microsoft, Google, IBM and soon Apple.

This article outlined the importance of technology in our lives and came up with some technology trends that are likely going to be popular in the future. According to Intel, perceptual computing, also known as motion gaming is expected to “play a much bigger role in the world at large”.  However, what really caught my attention was the concept of merging humans and machines. According to Oded Agam, head of vertical solutions strategic planning, he envision that the future nano-machines will be able to “enhance our capabilities, and they’ll be able to repair us, like a repair shop that will happen inside our blood cells and increase our lifespan…humans and machines will start to have the same capabilities.”

It seems like with the development of technology anything could be possible in the future, but it really makes me wonder, are we becoming too dependent on technology?

Addition to Andrea Banzon’s Blog post 

For several years there has always been a popularity contest between the black berry and iPhone, however, recent months it almost seems like that Black Berry is slowly losing it’s customers. As Andrea puts it “consumers have moved on to the next big thing”. The tech industry is an ever changing one, newer and better phones have moved into the market, posing as threats to even the newly released iPhone 5. Yes! It is the Samsung Galaxy SIII, from the picture shown in Andrea’s blog shown below, it is evident that the Galaxy has twice as many features as the iPhone 5, could the iPhone be in danger?

 

With the new and innovative technology, and rapid consumer taste changes is Black Berry really losing the game? Recently, RIM the company which produced the Black Berry is introducing a new line of Black Berry 10 devices which will be the framework for growth over the next decade.

Will this all-in, last-ditch effort be enough to revive the company?  To read more about the Blackberry 10 click here!

Know the difference between iPhone and Blackberry?? Want to see a video ??

 

 

Some of us might still remember the mini-car Nano made by the Indian company Tata; recently, Nano is taping into the American market. The Nano was designed to be a step up from a motor scooter, along with cheap pricing, developers hope to lure Indian families off their motorbikes. Could the risky venture into the US market benefit the company? One of the selling points for the Nano was it’s price tag of about $2,500, however, due to safety regulations of the government and the taste preference of consumers, a few more features were added bringing the price up to $10,000. These additional features include addition of airbags, air conditioning, and a 60hp engine (35-hp in the Indian version), but some argue even with these updated features the Nano is still considered too basic for Americans.  With the increased price, Nano has now lost its main advantage of being the cheapest car.

Another factor that may have consumers second-guess purchasing these cars is the size of a Nano. Being nearly two feet shorter than a BMW Mini, it might be hard for a driver or passengers of a larger built to sit comfortably in the seats. Despite the negative feedback, the CEO of India’s Tata group, Ratan Tata, seems to have confidence. “The US is a very enticing market”, he said, “We hope that the sub-$10,000 car has appeal.”

What do you think about the Tata, will it be successful breaking into the US market, and would you buy one?

To see a video of the Nano crash test click HERE !

Sources

http://nvonews.com/2012/10/16/tata-nano-usa-release-is-a-reality-price-begins-at-around-3000/

http://autos.aol.com/article/tata-nano-coming-to-usa/

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/tata-bringing-world-s-cheapest-car-to-the-u-s-.html

 

Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry have been around for a long time and were very successful and gained a lot of loyal customers, however, recently it has been shown that theses luxury brands could be in trouble! In the past years, luxury companies are complacently selling their products to their already established customer base, ignoring the next generation, according to Pam Danziger at Unity Marketing, this could prove to hurt these luxury brands.

 

The rising new generations are very different from the older ones, as technology become a huge part of their life and as they grow with a global perspective in mind, their values, trends and personalities will be drastically different from the previous generation. This calls for a change in the marketing strategies of these luxury brands, and for their placements in the market. Another important factor to consider is the pricing of these brand names, with research showing that young people think that luxury brands are overpriced and aren’t worth the expense, it is really time for them to consider their pricing range to slowly satisfy and lure more young people to buy their products. In all, the point of difference between luxury brands and normal brands is the high quality and design they bring us, but as the definition of luxury brands are changing and so is our taste, thus it is important for companies to find their place in the market.

Reference:

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/luxury-brands-dangerously-close-losing-191800427.html

 

The House Intelligence Committee has sent a warning report stating the threat that Huawei Technologies Ltd. and ZTE Corp, could pose on the American government and society as a whole.  In this report, the House Intelligence Committee warns American companies to avoid doing business with China’s two leading technology firms because they pose a national security threat to the United States. The report also claims that “China has the means, opportunity, and motive to use telecommunications companies for malicious purposes.”

Huawei Technologies Ltd. is currently the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world, its products and services have been deployed in more than 140 countries and it currently serves 45 of the

 

world’s 50 largest telecoms operators. Recently, they are looking to expand into the American market, however, the panel’s recommendations will likely hamper Huawei’s ambitions to expand their business. With the booming economy of China and the debt that the U.S. owes, it’s hard to know whether this is real, or yet another U.S. story designed to protect the U.S. from competition in which they cannot favourably compete.

 

References :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huawei

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/10/08/china-tech-firms-security-risk.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Huawei.svg&page=1

To watch a video:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/china-huawei-zte-threaten-u-national-security-interests-155302377.html

 

 

Recently, the Japanese car productions have either dropped by a significant amount or production sites were forced to close earlier than expected for the holidays; this reduction of output is a result of the protests, as a wave of anti-Japanese feelings sweep across the nation. The root to these anti-Japanese protests is the escalatingtension of the dispute over the ownership of an island

called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. This island, located in the East China Sea between Japan and China, is close to key shipping lanes, rich fishing grounds, and there may be oil reserves in the area.  Due to ownership disputes of this island between China, Taiwan and Japan, large-scale protests have been staged in China.

It is interesting how a political event can have its effects on the economy; the dispute lead to drops in the shares of Japanese car companies, with Honda motor dropping almost 5%.  As I anticipate and observe the progress of the tension that builds between theses, what seems like estranged countries, I can’t help but wonder what the future economic relationship China and Japan will hold.

For more information about the Diaoyu Island dispute click here

References:

“Toyota and Nissan Scale Back Production in China.” BBC News. BBC, 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19725269>.

“Senkaku Islands Dispute.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senkaku_Islands_dispute>.