Stop Losing Your Wallet Thanks To SALT

What if there was a product that could prevent you from losing your wallet? How about a product that unlocks your phone automatically? Soon, there will be. SALT is a new credit-card-sized gadget that fits right in your wallet. When you're near your phone, your phone is unlocked. When you leave, it locks itself. Automatically.

Smartphone users know all too well that a security PIN is necessary, but it also can be a bit annoying if you are entering it hundreds of times each day. According to SALT, the action of entering a PIN consumes nearly 52 hours of your time per year.

The SALT card is made of ultra-durable plastic, and contains a custom battery that lasts for over one year.

Setup is super easy. Simply pair the card with your phone through the SALT app. Moving forward, SALT will unlock your phone automatically as long as the card is within 10 feet of your device. No more entering your pin. All you do is turn your screen on and you're ready to go. If you walk away from your phone or accidentally leave it on the table when you walk away, your phone will be safe. It will automatically lock until your SALT card is back in range.

That's it -- all you need is the SALT card and the iOS or Android app.

Not only will the card unlock your phone, but losing your wallet will probably be a thing of the past. Your SALT card and app work together to find your lost wallet or belongings. If you misplace your wallet, purse or backpack, the SALT app will show you the last known location on a map.

[Source]

How iPhone 6 Marketing Will Change your Brand?

The day of reckoning is upon us, the long awaited iPhone 6, iOS 8 and the iWatchwere announced today. Let’s cover the basics of what was announced, and how it could potentially fit into your marketing mix for Q4 2014 and heading into 2015.

For starters – the iPhone 6 comes in a 4.7 inch screen and a 5.5 inch screen, clearly larger than the current 4 inch version. The new wave of ‘phablets’ continue to bring quality experiences to consumers who not only love bringing their mobile devices on-the-go, but also want to use it at home for more long usage.

iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iWatch:

The new devices allow for a more connected ecosystem of devices that you will see continue to expand over the next decade. For now – at the very least, you will see larger screens drive more time spent on mobile phones, stronger engagement, richer mobile ads and a rise in video consumption. It’s something that’s been noticeable with the Galaxy S5 vs. other android devices, and you can imagine given the affluent demographic that Apple reaches, those numbers will be even stronger on the new iPhones. The iWatch becomes an interesting piece to future marketing tactics as it will be an extension to your products.

App Extensions:

Perhaps the biggest announcement in iOS 8, app extensions will allow for customization and open the iOS ecosystem to 3 parties. This includes custom interaction in the notification center, sharing extensions for other apps to share content and others including 3 party keyboards, etc... What does this mean? Imagine being able to tap into instagram’s filters while in the pinterest app or sharing content from Safrai to your Facebook app without actually opening the app. Or even imagine being able to buy something on the whim from a push notification without actually entering the app itself. These are some simple cases, but you can imagine the seamless experience apps will be able to offer now and the user experience people will get to enjoy.

Apple Pay:

ApplePay is Apple’s new payment system that will allow users to seamlessly charge payments with their current credit cards via NFC and Touch ID scanning. Apple Pay also gives the opportunity for developers to allow one-touch payment processing at checkout and using your TouchID. Apple says more than 200,000 merchants will support the platform. This feature significantly reduces the barrier to logging in, making a purchase or any other behavior that requires people to input a large amount of information. Now the same information (e.g., credit card) can be stored and authorized using a person’s fingerprint — leaving significantly less friction and less opportunity for abandonment. The key thing to note here is Apple will not share any personal information (address, credit card info, etc…) with the merchant.

So what does this all mean for marketers? It continues to be a huge push into the era of big data, harnessed by the power of an integrated ecosystem and connected devices. To understand this new age of technology and how it affects marketing, it’s important to look at a few key factors:

1) There’s a tipping point of consumer usage with the majority of time spent now on phones, phablets and tablets

2) Privacy is always Apple’s top priority, but you imagine marketers will find loopholes to get more information on how consumers are using devices for both online purchases and now in the physical world

3) These devices are becoming the most trusted piece of a person’s life – now most notably as apple tries to replace credit cards and wallets

4) App usage continues to grow as do connected devices (cars, watches, wearables, etc..) – app extensions will seemingly make things smoother, and tracking media dollars now becomes more difficult than the standard world of cookies allowed. New IDs (Fingerprinting, Device IDs, etc..) should be a key to your cross-device marketing. And ensuring your app is seamlessly integrated to the new iOS 8 will separate winners from losers in 2015.

Given these 4 important factors, why would mobile NOT be an important piece of your marketing mix? Consumers are always ahead of the curve, but the wealth of data can help discover HUGE learnings for your brand. After all, the majority of purchases are still made in physical stores, with much of that initial research and product learning being done in the digital world. Mobile data is the key to bridging all the gaps in your marketing funnel.

Products like Venmo, Uber and Seamless have already proven the intuitive nature of power buyers, but now Apple is allowing a much larger adoption. What do wesee here at Pivmo possible in 2015? We see opportunities for higher impact on bigger screens, real-time messaging to drive impulse purchases - based on triggers such as location, context, social chatter, buying habits and relevancy. We see the opportunity for mobile being the most influential data source to understanding how consumers interact with all channels. We see video consumption on the rise, ultimately powering brand dollars. And finally, we see brands continue to explode through the power of mobile innovation and marketing winning over the new wave of consumers.

[Source]

How Does Apple’s iPhone 6 Stack Up Against the Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, and Moto X?

Apple’s iPhone 6 and its new iPhone 6 Plus are officially here, and both are bigger and — if you believe Apple CEO Tim Cook — better than any smartphone in the company’s history.

As we now know, the iPhone 6 is available in two different sizes: a generous 4.7 inches and a massive 5.5 inches. That makes them both significantly larger than the 4.0-inch iPhone 5s.

MORE: Apple’s New iPhones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

And with enhancements including a high-resolution screen, an improved camera, and mobile payment capabilities, the iPhone 6 is a serious contender for best smartphone on the market.

But there’s plenty of competition from companies like Samsung, HTC, and Motorola. To see how the iPhone 6 stacks up, we’ve compared it with Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4, HTC’s One M8, andMotorola’s Moto X in a free-for-all smackdown of smartphone superpowers.

How does Apple’s latest handset compare? Let’s take a look.

ScreensThe iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have an unfair advantage in this category, in that they come in two sizes, 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches.

It’s a smart decision, though, as Apple can appeal to both consumers who couldn’t care less about owning a massive smartphone and those who are hungry for more screen real estate.

Apple’s displays also use the company’s new Retina HD technology. That means the 4.7-inch iPhone 6’s screen resolution clocks in at 1334 × 750, while the iPhone 6 Plus’s resolution tops out at 1920 × 1080.

The Galaxy S5, on the other hand, sports a 5.1-inch 1080p display, putting it smack dab in the middle of Apple’s two new iPhones in terms of size. It’s worth noting that the S5’s display is easily one of the most beautiful around, thanks to its active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display.

Samsung’s 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4, meanwhile, aims at consumers who want a phone that’s more like a tablet. (We refuse to call it a “phablet.”) The HTC One M8 and Moto X both sport 5-inch 1080p screens. If you’re judging based on display perfection, in other words, Apple or Samsung look like your best bets.

Apple’s iPhones have long been known for their impressive displays and incredible color accuracy. If the iPhone 6s’s Retina HD screens are anything like Apple’s previous iPhone displays, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus may have this category sewn up.

Advantage: Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

DesignBigger screens naturally mean bigger phones. To keep the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from overtaking your pockets, Apple has made both of its new handsets thinner than the iPhone 5s.

The iPhone 6 measures just 0.27 inches thick, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus clocks in at 0.28 inches; both are slimmer than the 0.30-inch iPhone 5s, as well as any of the Android handsets in our competition.

The Samsung Galaxy S5, for example, measures 0.32 inches, while the Note 4 measures 0.34 inches. HTC’s One M8 is 0.37 inches thick, and Motorola’s Moto X is 0.39 inches at its thickest.

The iPhone 6 comes wrapped in a rounded aluminum body that looks somewhat similar in design to the all-metal HTC One M8. Unlike the One M8, however, the iPhone 6 doesn’t have a curved hump along its back panel.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 sports a plastic chassis, while the Note 4 features a metal frame and plastic back panel. Likewise, the Moto X includes an aluminum frame and a customizable rear plate that can be had in plastic, wood, or even leather.

Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus may be unbelievably thin and sleek, but Motorola’s Moto X offers some impressive customization options. Of course, we’ll have to wait until we see the iPhone 6 up close before we give this category to the Moto.

Advantage: Motorola Moto X

CameraApple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus come with the same iSight 8-megapixel camera found on the iPhone 5s. But Apple has made some major improvements to the new cameras with its new iSight sensor with faster autofocus.

The iPhone 6 comes with digital image stabilization, while the iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilization (OIS). Digital stabilization uses software to compensate for camera movement when taking a photo, while optical stabilization physically moves the lens as you shoot to ensure a clear picture. (In other words, optical is better.) The cameras also offer slow-motion capabilities and better face detection.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 both pack 16-megapixel cameras with real-time high dynamic range (HDR), which combines two exposure levels to improve overall image brightness and quality. Both phones let you see how a photo would look when taken with HDR on before you actually capture it. The Note 4 also gets optical stabilization, though the S5 doesn’t.

The HTC One M8’s camera uses HTC’s own UltraPixel technology, which translates to about 4 megapixels. Motorola’s Moto X, on the other hand, uses an 13-megapixel camera.

Apple’s iSight camera has been the gold standard for smartphone cameras, and with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus offering enhanced versions of the iSight, Apple should take this category with ease.

Advantage: Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

SoftwareThe iPhone 6 runs Apple’s new iOS 8 operating system, which offers serious improvements over its predecessor, iOS 7. In addition to new notifications and the ability to communicate with your OS X Yosemite-compatible MacBook and Mac, iOS 8 includes Apple’s new HealthKit and HomeKit services.

HealthKit pulls together all your health information from your disparate fitness apps and presents it to you in one convenient location. HomeKit lets you control and monitor your iOS-compatible smart-home devices.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 5 both run on Google’s Android KitKat but add Samsung’s own customizable (and often overbearing) TouchWiz interface to the mix. Similarly, HTC uses Android KitKat but puts its Sense UI over it. The Moto X, on the other hand, runs a pure version of Android KitKat, ensuring that your experience is exactly what Google intended.

We’ve only seen beta versions of Apple’s iOS 8, though it certainly has some excellent offerings. But Motorola’s pure Android experience is impressive in its own right. For now, this category is up for grabs.

Advantage: Tie

Mobile walletsApple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the company’s first devices to use a near-field communication (NFC) chip. The feature allows iPhone fans to make wireless payments via Apple’s new Apple Pay service at participating stores’ checkout counters.

Nothing new here. NFC has been a major part of the Android ecosystem for a while now, allowing users to trade photos, apps, and websites by tapping their phones together. Google also has its own mobile payment system, the appropriately named Google Wallet, that’s compatible with most Android smartphones.

NFC has been available in Android smartphones for quite some time but hasn’t quite taken off. Many analysts say the only way NFC wireless payments would gain traction was with Apple’s help. And now that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have it, our smartphones could finally replace our wallets. But in terms of mobile payment capabilities, this one’s a wash.

Advantage: Tie

Fitness trackingThe iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus come loaded with Apple’s new M8 processor, which can measure how many steps you’ve taken and how far you’ve run, whereas its built-in barometer can detect how high you’ve climbed. Those sensors are tied into iOS 8’s new HealthKit features.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and Note 4 both offer the company’s S Health app and built-in pedometers and heart-rate monitors. HTC’s One M8 and the Moto X don’t offer any built-in health features, though you can download third-party apps for the handsets.

The iPhone 6’s built-in pedometer and barometer, paired with its ability to pull in all the information from your various health apps, give this category to Apple — no sweat.

Advantage: Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Battery lifeTo power the new, larger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has bumped up the size of its phones’ batteries, which should theoretically allow them to run all day without running out of juice. Both the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 offer equally powerful batteries, however, that last throughout the day and then some.

The Moto X’s battery will get you through most of the day as well. We haven’t been able to test the Note 4’s battery just yet, as the phone is still unavailable.

The Galaxy S5 offers one of the longest-lasting batteries of any smartphone on the market. Apple says the iPhone 6 will have a longer-lasting battery, and the Note 4 is also sure to have a serious power plant, but based on current numbers, the Galaxy S5 is the winner here.

Advantage: Samsung Galaxy S5

[Source]

What Bad Managers, Good Managers, and Great Managers Do

A key thing I've learned in my career and my own work experience:

Bad managers tell employees what to do, good managers explain why they need to do it, but great managers involve people in decision making and improvement."

There might be more to management to that, but I think that's a pretty good start. "Lean management," or the Toyota management system, encourages leaders to live in that "good to great" range (with apologies to Jim Collins).

Bad managers bark orders. They are directive and tell employees what to do, without any explanation or context. I saw a lot of that style of management quite often during my first two years at General Motors (read my previous post about that experience) and the workplace was incredibly dysfunctional, as a result.

There are top-down, "command and control" managers in every type of workplace, unfortunately. Managers who are controlling and have all the answers want their employees to "check their brains at the door," and often say so quite explicitly — or they spread that message in more subtle ways.

At GM, front-line employees complained that they were "hired for their backs and their arms, not their brains." In hospitals, healthcare professionals (even those with master's degrees) have complained, "They just want us to do what we're told." This is not a recipe for quality, productivity, or good customer service.

A friend of mine lives in a high-rise condo building. One example of "telling" was the general manager telling employees that the doors to the resident gym must now be kept closed at all times. For years, previously, the doors had been left open unless a resident wanted privacy and chose to close them.

My friend asked one of the employees, "Why are the doors closed all of the time now?" The employee replied, "I don't know, [the manager] just told us to."

It's disrespectful to just give directives without letting people understand the reason(s) why. There might have very well been a good reason why the doors were now to be kept closed. Had the manager taken just a few minutes to share a reason why, the employees would feel better about themselves and would more likely keep the doors closed. If employees are following directives out of a fear of being "written up," they aren't in a position to provide great service.

A good condo manager would explain why the doors now need to be closed. And, if there wasn't a good reason why, they wouldn't force the change on a whim.

A great condo manager would involve the employees in coming up with solutions to whatever problem is being solved by keeping the doors closed. The employees, when being posed with the problem, might come up with the idea of "close the doors" or they might come up with something better. Either way, they would feel a greater sense of ownership over the idea since they were involved in its creation.

During my time at GM, the better of the two plant managers I worked for taught us that Lean leaders (in the style of Toyota leaders) will always explain whysomething must be done, in those rare instances when they have to give a directive. The dynamic changes from "thou shalt wear safety gloves (because I'm the boss and I told you so)" to "you must wear safety gloves (because it's necessary for your safety and we don't want you to get hurt, even though you might think there is little risk)."

Bad managers tell. Good managers explain why.

Great managers go beyond this.

Great managers might engage the employees in figuring out how to reduce the safety risk that makes gloves necessary in the first place. Maybe an employee would suggest that a different, but equally effective, chemical be used. We don't know unless we engage our employees.

In 90% of workplace situations, I'd guess, the manager shouldn't be telling people what to do, even if they are making the effort to explain why. Great managers engage people in designing their work and they continue to engage them in ongoing improvement. As I learned from former Toyota employees and the books of Taiichi Ohno, work procedures "should not be forced down from above but rather set by the production workers themselves."

This mindset and approach requires that leaders set aside their egos and century-old habits. of top-down management. Managers won't have all of the answers. Instead of dictating how things get done (and expecting obedience and compliance), managers need to work together with employees to define how the work is done. Managers need to ask employees what ideas they have for improving the workplace, through the practice of "Kaizen."

[Source]

Apple Watch: the good, the bad, the unexpected, the question marks

After months and months of speculations, Apple Watch is out. Analysis, discussions, and speculations will go on till the product will be eventually available and reviewed in early 2015. Here are my first thoughts on the announcement.

The Good 
- design: Apple understood much more than other companies how much personalization and design variation is an intrinsic element of a watch, introducing 3 ranges (Watch, Watch Sport, Watch Edition), 2 sizes (38 and 42mm), a large amount of bands of different materials to match the models, and a set of beautifully designed virtual watch faces. Surely not enough to cover all the variety of existing watches, but way better than what done to date by competitors.

- interface: the addition of the digital dial (albeit as usual a way too fancy name) and the possibility to detect taps vs pressing against the screen make a very good combination. The UI with the "universe" of icons representing the different apps seems also pretty intuitive, and the possibility for 3rd party app developers to create new apps makes it a very versatile device. Also the attention paid to the design of the watch faces is great to see, with simple ways to personalized colors and information displayed, once again confirming that Apple understood that a watch is all about design.

- sensors: the focus on health is clear and was stressed by Time Cook. Little was revealed in terms of specs, but from the large openings on the back, and the fitness app mentioned, it seems clear Apple Watch should be able to measure accurately heart rate also during movement (one of the pain points of most other smart watches).

The bad

- GPS (lack of): no integrated GPS, so no way to keep track of distance and path traveled when running without an iPhone: Similarly, it was not clear if the barometer, introduced in the M8 processor of iPhone 6, which allows to measure altitude, is also embedded on the Apple Watch. A lack of of it would imply a person would have to always carry an iPhone 6 when going running to keep track of the altitude traveled.

The unexpected
- taptic engine: the addition of the "taptic engine" allowing to both sense pressure from the screen, and recreate the feeling of a tap is unexpected yet perfectly meaningful. It allows to notify the user in a much less noticeable and disturbing way than the more common buzz of vibration, effectively a similar feeling to someone tapping your wrist. And it also open the door for the more futuristic 1-to-1 communication in which a user can feel taps from the person he or she is communicating with. Very romantic indeed and surely opening a new space for developers to create new forms of more personal interaction.

The unknown

- battery life: no mention of the battery life was done, most likely as Apple engineers are still working hard to improve and refine the system. Consumers' feedback has been very clear on the news of a 1 day battery for the Moto 360, making it the single most criticized characteristics of the smart-watch. Obviously the same counts for Apple. Furthermore, one of the fundamental aspects of health is the quality of sleep. For a device which is clearly able to monitor sleep status, a battery lasting less than 2 to 3 days would imply the watch would spend most of the nights resting on the charging base, making sleep monitoring not possible. Battery life remains therefore the big question mark, and possibly one of the reason of the delay in the launch.

[Source]