BetterTouchTool is the best app for the MacBook Pro Touch Bar
BetterTouchTool is the best app for the MacBook Pro Touch Bar.
That’s all well and good.
But if you’re going to spend the extra money on a laptop that has one of these doohickeys, you might as well get the most you can out of it.
And, as far as I can tell, there is just one app for the Touch Bar that really makes a difference in day-to-day work.
It’s called BetterTouchTool, from independent developer Andreas Hegenberg of Germany.
The app lets you create and manage custom buttons for your Touch Bar.
If you’re not up for tinkering, you can just add canned “widgets,” including one that shows your MacBook’s estimated battery life.
There are so many possible permutations — and if all the options aren’t enough, you can associate buttons with your own scripts written in AppleScript.
Or you can kick off an Automator workflow.
Some buttons open apps.
Google brings Assistant to Android Marshmallow and Nougat
Google brings Assistant to Android Marshmallow and Nougat.
This means Assistant will suddenly be available to “hundreds of millions” of Android users with just a simple update.
Google’s Assistant is already built into the Google Pixel, Google Home, Google Allo, and Android Wear.
Today’s announcement basically means the Assistant is coming to more Android phones — Nougat and Marshmallow have a combined 31.9 percent adoption — without requiring installation of the Allo messaging app nobody uses.
But, as always, the devil is in the details.
This new rollout follows the Pixel’s supported languages: Assistant for Marshmallow and Nougat will be made available to English-language users in the U.S., followed by English in Australia, Canada, India, and the U.K., as well as German speakers in Germany.
Google continues to say it is planning to add more languages “over the coming year,” but it won’t commit to a specific schedule.
Furthermore, the Assistant will only be made available on Marshmallow and Nougat phones with Google Play Services (so phones from companies that customize Android aren’t included) with at least 1.5GB of memory and a 720p or higher screen resolution.
Some new phones, like the LG G6, will ship with Assistant out of the box.
Despite the aforementioned limitations on language and specs, it’s clear Google wants to get Assistant on as many devices as possible.
HP bets on detachables for the enterprise as employees’ work and private lives converge
HP announced a new hybrid computer that blends a laptop and table for the workplace, as the company says people’s work lives and private lives are increasingly blurring together.
The new HP Pro x2 612 G2 is aimed squarely at the workplace, but for a generation that wants a more stylish gadget that can be used at home as well.
The new device will not be sold in stores, but rather through HP partners who target industries like field services, government, healthcare, and retail verticals.
“Our personal lives and professional lives are merging.
More and more people are using detachable products for this ‘blended life’.” Hess said the trend is being driven by millennials, who have higher standards for the design of their gadgets and also want a more personal feel.
For them, the notion of an IT department choosing a one-size-fits-all laptop is unappealing.
The days when everyone got the same “brick” are over, she said.
The HP Pro x2 612 G2 comes with a longer battery life and can be charged 50 percent in 30 minutes.
It also offers an upgraded HP Active Pen, a stylus that has more precision for on-screen drawing and is connected by Bluetooth to serve as remote control for some apps.
And the kickstand can be adjusted 165°.
‘Minority Report’ science advisor John Underkoffler to speak at GamesBeat Summit 2017
Our next speaker for our upcoming GamesBeat event is John Underkoffler, the CEO of Oblong Industries and science advisor for the landmark sci-fi film Minority Report.
Underkoffler will talk about science fiction as a prototyping medium for real-world tech, games as the vanguard of user interface, the value of working at visual scale, and advanced user interfaces as “empathy machines.” He is one of a number of speakers at our GamesBeat Summit 2017: How games, sci-fi, and tech create real-world magic.
In 2006, Underkoffler started Oblong Industries to take the ideas from Minority Report and build the next generation of computing interfaces.
Besides Minority Report, he was also the science advisor on films including The Hulk and Iron Man.
Image Credit: Nexon Inspiring moments lead to disrupting the worlds of gaming, tech, and entertainment.
Our theme is about what inspires game developers, executives, and investors to be creative.
Part of the event will focus on the inspiration cycle that is accelerating as the walls between science fiction, video games, and real-world technology come down.
We don’t think there’s another conference that focuses on the seams between these industries.
So much of what used to be science fiction is coming true, and it is inspiring even more accelerated visions of the future in games and other entertainment.
We think this conference will offer a rare chance for cross-pollination and networking between high-level people in different industries, and we believe that insights in one place can lead to inspirations in another.
6 Ways to Market Your Franchised Business
6 Ways to Market Your Franchised Business.
Buy it now fromAmazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound If you think of marketing as a building, the pillars that give marketing structure are advertising, direct mail, sales, promotions, public relations and online marketing.
Advertising You may think of advertising as print media only.
Sales An effective sales process is a must for every franchise system.
It’s imperative for every franchisor to have a systematic, step-by-step discovery process for their prospective franchise buyers to follow.
Methods of sales in the franchise world break down into the following sub-categories: Person-to-person sales that you might experience at a tradeshow, discovery day or other discovery experience that the franchisor participates in.
It’s important as a franchisor to have a designated in-house franchise sales expert who is trained in the entire franchise process so this person can present the opportunity to the prospective franchisee effectively, answer questions and handle objections.
The important element of outgoing phone sales is to ensure that you are offering the franchise buyer information that is important to them and that provides them with an incentive to continue the discovery process with you.
Successful franchisors use a combination of traditional promotions and promotions that utilize new technologies.
Making sure the information that’s most interesting to prospective franchise owners is easily accessible and loads quickly shows your technology competence to tech-savvy buyers.
How to Create Videos that Sell without Selling
This video is part of a series brought to you by Entrepreneur’s book division, Entrepreneur Press, the publisher of Jill Schiefelbein’s book Dynamic Communication: 27 Strategies to Grow, Lead, and Manage Your Business.
In this Dynamic Communication interview, author Jill Schiefelbein chats with Alex Charfen, CEO of Charfen, who gives a tip that can help you grow your business.
How can you build trust with your audience and form relationships?
Why should you not focus on selling in videos and livestreams?
Learn the answer to these questions and more in this video with entrepreneur, business owner,and awesome guy Alex Charfen.
Charfen’s interview excerpt is featured in Dynamic Communication: Strategies to Grow, Lead, & Manage Your Business Chapter 7: Making Kick-Ass Videos That Educate and Attract.
You can access 12-plus hours of content — the full interviews for each of these 27 brilliant minds — by purchasing Dynamic Communication: 27 Strategies to Grow, Lead, & Manage Your Business and accessing the book’s bonus site.
Watch more videos from Jill on her YouTube channel and buy the book at Amazon.
Entrepreneur Network is a premium video network providing entertainment, education and inspiration from successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders.
We provide expertise and opportunities to accelerate brand growth and effectively monetize video and audio content distributed across all digital platforms for the business genre.
Why are there no unicorns in AgTech?
Seed stage deals were particularly strong in 2016, accounting for 57 percent of total deal activity — representing a 16 percent year-over-year increase and $230 million of investment, up 77 percent from 2015.
But while Millenials are starting software companies in their bedrooms and seeing $1 billion valuations within a few years, we still haven’t seen a single AgTech unicorn.
Given the need to double food production by 2050, we can expect to see AgTech continue to grow as an investment target.
Why the Silicon Valley software model doesn’t work for AgTech The comparison between the Silicon Valley unicorns and the AgTech model shows us why we’re AgTech isn’t adapting to the software model of business growth: First and foremost, it’s about speed.
A strong seed investment stage is essential.
Because AgTech innovation takes more time and deeper relationships than software innovation does, seed-stage companies in AgTech require more capital.
All players — from the entrepreneur(s) to Series A investors to potential acquirers — must understand what they need to do and see, and when.
At the AgTech seed stage, one milestone per year is standard.
Finding and creating the right network can quickly make or break an AgTech innovation.
We will see an AgTech unicorn one day, but as is always the case in this industry, it will take some time — at least another five years.
Valve’s Steam Audio will bring better sound to games and VR
Valve’s Steam Audio will bring better sound to games and VR.
Image Credit: UploadVR Valve today released a new tool called Steam Audio that represents the fruit of its purchase of Impulsonic in January.
The tech promises sound which very realistically responds to a virtual environment and would serve as an improvement over the standard 3D audio.
In particular, some of the sound is partially blocked by a wall, altering the pitch and volume more than normal.
Crouching to hide underneath a desk as an alien creeps nearby takes on new meaning when the creature’s steps sound slightly different depending how much of the desk is blocking or reflecting the sound before it hits your ears.
Steam Audio uses the actual scene geometry to simulate reverb.
Add furniture to a room, or change a wall from brick to drywall, and you can hear the difference.
It is launching with Unity integration but Unreal Engine 4 support is coming soon with other software integrations planned as well.
This story originally appeared on Uploadvr.com.
Copyright 2017
So You’re a Startup CEO? In Fact, Your Job Is More That of ‘Chief Myth-Buster.’
Your calendar, like mine, is most likely filled with meetings, product review sessions and updates on the financial status of your company.
And, as CEO, when you undertake the “same page” summary, a nuance in your effort to achieve clarity comes down to what I call myth-busting.
If that myth didn’t start because of a rumor, it’s certainly an assumption that employees have made.
Such assumptions are rampant in every organization.
Myth 1: Systems “We’re changing our systems because .
Some companies move faster than others at changing or improving their systems.
Rather, you may find the need to change your processes, meaning the steps required to complete a task within the system.
Very quickly, the team will see how and why the department is losing money — and as difficult as it may be, will be more understanding of tough decisions ahead.
Further, avoid acronyms which try to summarize three words into one but end up developing their own unwanted meaning.
Busting myths is your job.
4 Tips for Expanding Your Business Globally
4 Tips for Expanding Your Business Globally.
If you’re thinking of expansion, ask yourself if your company has a solid local foundation first.
Expand your vision.
Take Singapore, for example, which has been ranked world’s second best business hub in PWC Cities of Opportunities report.
According to the report, Singapore was ranked highly because of its economic and social indicators such as technological readiness, ease of doing business, demographics and livability.
As such, Singapore has become a hotspot for many companies looking to expand, raising the country’s importance as a gateway to Southeast Asia.
As an example, Pura Vida Concepts, a Singapore-based consultancy focuses on helping small businesses around the world expand into all parts of Asia.
Not only are we able to provide companies with localized solutions for logistics, marketing and local representation, we also understand the local market and culture to help you adapt your business for a smooth expansion.”
As a small company, your budget can be a big concern when expanding globally.
For starters, begin to penetrate the market with your brand by using the right technology and marketing strategy to bring about a local brand presence.
Startups Seeking Funding Should Consider Corporate Venture Capital Arms
Startups Seeking Funding Should Consider Corporate Venture Capital Arms.
Venture capital funds capitalized and run by major corporations are becoming more popular, and are commonly referred to as “venture capital arms” or “corporate venture arms.” For example, companies such as Google, Qualcomm, Comcast, Dell, Microsoft, Nokia, and Intel all have professional active venture arms.
This is an important development for entrepreneurs and startups, as these corporate venture arms can invest significant capital and provide substantial assistance to a startup.
Why Do Companies Establish Corporate Venture Arms?
Corporate venture arms vary as to the types of deals they are looking for, but here are some key elements often sought: Startups with high growth potential Startups with large addressable target markets Startups that may be synergistic with the business of the parent company of the venture arm Startups with a big financial upside Startups that may make sense for the corporate parent to acquire in the future Many corporate venture arms look for early stage to mid-stage deal investments, and will participate in seed rounds, Series A rounds, and Series B rounds.
For example, John Gardner, a General Partner with Nokia Growth Partners, states that his fund leads the financing round in almost all of their deals.
What “Value Adds” Can Corporate Venture Arms Provide to Startups?
Corporate venture arms can provide meaningful assistance and “value add” to a startup, including: Strategic and tactical advice on the startup’s industry and business Operating support Credibility and validation in the eyes of the public, by having a well-known strategic investor Access to the parent company’s information technology talent Potential sales of the startup’s products into the parent company Access to other customers and distribution Giving venture capital investors more confidence in the startup Ability for the startup to tap into the global connections and in-house expertise of the parent company Providing a potential exit path Michael Yang, Managing Director for Comcast Ventures, the 18-year old venture capital arm for Comcast Corporation, says, “There is no shortage of capital for the best startups.
Corporate venture arms source potential investments in ways very similar to institutional venture capital funds, including: Networking with entrepreneurs Networking with venture capital funds Using internal investment professionals to research companies and make cold calls Connecting with companies pitching the corporate parent for partnerships or product sales Networking with incubators and accelerator programs Networking with angel investors Networking with startup lawyers Microsoft Ventures, the venture arm of Microsoft, sources its deals from contacts with companies wanting a relationship with Microsoft, from other venture capital funds, and from Microsoft accelerator programs—all through its experienced, San Francisco-based investment team.
Investment decisions for corporate venture arms are typically made by the managers of the venture arm.
Build Habits That Change With You And Your Goals
You’ve completed The Goal Standard Challenge!
This week was all about fine-tuning your habits and developing a focused routine.
You’ve developed great habits but these habits might need to evolve.
Making it stick.
Read more: Tony Robbins: 3 Steps to a Breakthrough What You’re Saying Thousands of you have joined The Goal Standard Challenge, and we’re so proud to be part of your journey.
Head over to The Goal Standard Challenge hub where we have provided all the worksheets, Facebook Lives and articles for each week.
We’ll check in with you soon with more great tips and lessons.
Keep visiting our Facebook group for support from Entrepreneur editors and people just like you.
It’s not too late to join our Facebook Group.
Also, by joining, you will be alerted when the next challenge will begin.
Alteryx Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering
Alteryx Files Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering.
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Alteryx, Inc., a leading provider of self-service data analytics software, today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to a proposed initial public offering of its Class A common stock.
The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined.
Alteryx intends to list its Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “AYX.” Goldman, Sachs & Co. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering.
Pacific Crest Securities, a division of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., William Blair & Company, L.L.C., JMP Securities LLC, Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Cowen and Company, LLC are acting as co-managers.
The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus.
A copy of the preliminary prospectus, when available, may be obtained from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, or by telephone at (866) 471-2526, or by facsimile at (212) 902-9316, or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; or from J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (866) 803-9204, or by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com.
A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective.
These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
Will China Fast-Track Its Initial Public Offerings?
Will China Fast-Track Its Initial Public Offerings?.
And if they get sped to market, so to speak, they’d leap ahead of what the newswire termed “a long list of applicants” already in the offing for listing via exchanges, a heady number that tops 700.
That insight comes from a number of sources (actually, a half-dozen) unnamed by Reuters.
The average wait as defined to come to market can be as long as 18 months.
That lags other countries, such as the United States, and so the listings naturally gravitate toward where times are relatively shorter.
The relaxation of some listing rules might help tip the balance of firms of scale and size listing in China, as among the 400 tech firms listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, most are valued at about $1.9 billion, which is leagues below the Ant Financial implied threshold.
(Indeed, the highest tech market caps in China belong to Hikvision Digital Technology and display maker BOE Technology Group [000725.SZ] with respective $25.7 billion and $16.9 billion market caps.)
One marquee name that can stoke the fires of any “list in China” movement comes with the $25 billion debut of Alibaba in New York three years ago.
And, as Reuters noted, another firm, Qihoo, went private for $9 billion but now may come public in China.
That would help diversify away from the conglomerates and state-owned enterprises that have typically held sway in the Chinese markets.
4 New Ways to Self-Fund Your Startup
Self-funding, or bootstrapping a startup company, means different things to different people.
To the newer entrepreneur who is lucky enough to have some personal assets, it may mean tapping into savings or a retirement account to come up with $50,000 to $100,000 to get things rolling.
To others still – those who represent the vast majority of entrepreneurs – it means living on Ramen noodles and peanut butter sandwiches, calling in favors from friends who will work for free, and squirreling away a few hundred dollars at a time to keep the lights on.
You may be creating the next Google, but if you don’t have collateral and a high FICO, the bank doesn’t care – and it’s just not profitable for banks to make loans to small businesses any more.
According to Lackland, “Traditionally, tech startups had to sell equity to get growth capital as a result of having no hard assets (like equipment or inventory) for a bank to lend against.
RBF fits the needs of tech entrepreneurs because it is a flexible instrument, doesn’t require hard assets, and combines many of the best aspects of debt and equity, since it’s non-dilutive yet aligns the interests of the entrepreneur and investor toward growth.” Targeted loans: What makes you different?
Kaleigh Wiese, co-founder of Garment Exchange, a peer-to-peer rental marketplace for women’s clothing, launched in March of this year.
“To fund Garment Exchange, we have of course decreased our personal spending, but have looked for innovative side projects that would bring in residual income as we put our day-job income into the business.
Moving quickly and thinking innovatively about bringing in side income has been such a success for us.” More startups, less money During the dotcom boom of the 1990s, startups were well known for landing multi-million dollar venture capital deals on the strength of a business plan written on a cocktail napkin, burning through those millions in the first few months, then going back for more – and getting it.
The self-funded or lightly-funded startup is the foundation of the next wave of startup innovation – and lack of funds is no longer a reason not to launch.
Why Mindset Mastery Is Vital to Your Success
And, if you are serious about achieving success in any area of your life, you must learn to master yours.
Developing healthy self-esteem To successfully accomplish any worthwhile feat, a person must first feel capable of achieving it.
Having an optimistic mindset increases the likelihood of formulating a winning perspective and achieving long-term success.
It includes the process of developing a vision for success and engaging in sustained effort over time.
Without drive, achieving most goals would be difficult at best.
Mindset is critical to drive.
Facing adversity No matter what goal you seek to achieve, the path to your success is bound to include some degree of adversity.
After facing an extreme hardship, a person may feel justified in succombing to defeat.
For them, it can feel like an easy road.
Achieving the underlying goal Goal-setting is a multi-faceted process, with achievement being the most obvious indicator of success.
Mattermark Daily – Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017
Mattermark Daily – Wednesday, February 22nd, 2017.
The Benefits of Building a Repeatable Sales Process The best free-thrower in the world isn’t Shaq.
It isn’t Steph Curry.
It isn’t even Steve Nash.
It’s Ted St. Martin, the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive successful free throws in a row: 5,221.
His secret?
Process.
The advantages of developing this directed, systematic series of actions are twofold: consistency and efficiency.
Here’s why a sales process is important.
From the Investors Jonathan Friedman of LionBird shares leading indicators to look out for when assessing near-term exit potential of startups in “Exit Strategy” is Not an Oxymoron” Srikar Kalvakolanu of High Alpha dives into how to measure your conviction for an idea when deliberating whether to start a business or not in “Billion Dollar Ideas: How to Know When You See One — The Conviction Score (Part V)” Stephanie Stehman of Osage University Partners discusses the gender gap epidemic among academic entrepreneurs in “The Mother of Invention?
How One CEO Turned His Passion for Cars into a Paycheck
How One CEO Turned His Passion for Cars into a Paycheck.
The millennial says his company is different from other online portals because eAutoLease does not sell its leads to a third party.
While technology has disrupted the way people buy cars, Birenboym says sometimes being a car salesman still comes with a negative connotation for some consumers.
That’s why this CEO says his direct-to-consumer marketplace is dedicated to being honest.
In just one year, the company has generated more than 500 five-star reviews, as well as accreditation from the New York Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau.
Watch more videos from Jessica Abo on her YouTube channel here.
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