Among the countless number of cancellations and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is Amazon Prime Day, which, you may have noticed, didn’t happen in July as usual this year. But it’s not being forgotten. Despite multiple delays, Prime Day 2020 is indeed happening, and it’s all going down this week starting Tuesday, October 13.
Despite happening later than usual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Day is sure to bring steep discounts on some of the best games for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Prime Day is also an excellent opportunity to snag consoles and PC hardware at a discount, and you’ll also find sweet deals on gaming accessories, merch, Blu-rays, collectibles, and practically anything on your wishlist. Prime Day is known for having deals on par with Black Friday–and this year, the two events will be happening nearly back to back–so for gamers on
Among the countless number of cancellations and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is Amazon Prime Day, which, you may have noticed, didn’t happen in July as usual this year. Despite multiple delays, Prime Day 2020 is indeed happening, and it’s all going down this week starting Tuesday, October 13.
Despite happening later than usual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Day is sure to bring steep discounts on some of the best games for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Prime Day is also an excellent opportunity to snag consoles and PC hardware at a discount, and you’ll also find sweet deals on gaming accessories, merch, Blu-rays, collectibles, and practically anything on your wishlist. Prime Day is known for having deals on par with Black Friday–and this year, the two events will be happening nearly back to back–so for gamers on a budget, October is sure
Chromebooks, web-based devices that run on software from Google and are made by an array of companies, are in particular demand because they cost less than regular laptops. That has put huge pressure on a supply chain that cobbles laptop parts from all over the world, usually assembling them in Asian factories, Mr. Boreham said.
While that supply chain has slowly geared up, the spike in demand is “so far over and above what has historically been the case,” said Stephen Baker, a consumer electronics analyst at the NPD Group. “The fact that we’ve been able to do that and there’s still more demand out there, it’s something you can’t plan for.”
Adding to the problem, many manufacturers are putting a priority on producing expensive electronics that net greater profits, like gaming hardware and higher-end computers for at-home employees, said Erez Pikar, the chief executive of Trox, a company that
Shoppers stand in line to enter the Apple store at the Queens Center shopping mall in Queens, New York.
Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Apple Inc. is starting to use its network of retail stores as distribution centers for shipping products to consumers, joining a trend popularized by other retailers.
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant has typically shipped devices like iPhones, Macs, iPads, and accessories from warehouses located across a customer’s region or directly from China. Now items that are in stock can be shipped directly to consumers from a network of almost 300 retail stores spread across the U.S. and Canada, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple told staff the shift will mean faster delivery times for customers who live further from distribution centers than from stores, according to the people who asked not to be identified discussing internal policies. The products will be shipped through
(Bloomberg) — Ken Kutaragi, the legendary inventor of the PlayStation gaming console, is taking on one of the hardest jobs in robotics. And he’s getting paid nothing to do it.
The founder of Sony Corp.’s gaming business is the new chief executive officer of Ascent Robotics Inc., a Tokyo-based artificial intelligence startup. Kutaragi, 70, wants to make affordable robots that can safely move around and do physical work alongside humans in factories and logistics centers, and aims to have a working prototype in about a year. He said he receives no salary to save precious capital.
“The Covid-19 outbreak has turned the old argument about robots taking our jobs on its head,” Kutaragi said in his first interview since taking the helm in August. “It’s pretty clear
Google is giving G Suite a new look and new brand as it emerges as Google Workspace in a bid to capture the work-from-anywhere vibe.
The crux of the rebranding effort is that “this is the end of the ‘office’ as we know it,” according to Javier Soltero, vice president and general manager of Google Workspace. Soltero launched Workspace at Google Cloud’s Next OnAir EMEA keynote.
One problem with the umbrella brand is that its productivity and collaboration apps may rhyme too much with Workplace by Facebook.
G Suite has been widely successful and Google Workspace hits the ground with more than 6 million business customers. But Google Workspace is battling a crowded field. For instance, applications like Slack are stealing some of the thunder from email. Microsoft Teams is combined with Microsoft Office 365 to be a powerhouse. And companies like Zoom can leverage video conferencing into more collaboration
This year hasn’t gone as anyone expected (biggest understatement right there). COVID-19 threw a wrench in the year 2020, and every industry has felt its effects. Customer Experience is no exception. In fact, the CX industry has changed rapidly this year. Digital consumerism went through the roof and remote work became the norm.
The companies that have slid through 2020 with the fewest bruises are the ones that already had strong omnichannel systems in place. They built goals with the future of omnichannel in mind, and now they’re ahead of the curve. Consumers have gone completely digital-first–buying everything from groceries to furniture online–and a lot of companies are swimming hard to keep up. Though we don’t know what next year holds, it’s clear that omnichannel solutions are here to stay.
Here are four strategies to follow to keep up with the future of omnichannel.
Earlier this week, Amazon unveiled Amazon One: new technology for its Amazon Go stores that lets shoppers pay for their groceries by scanning the palm of their hand. By analyzing the shape of your hand and the unique configuration of veins under your skin, Amazon says its technology can verify your identity the same way facial recognition does.
Although Amazon One will initially be used for payments only, it’s clear the tech giant has much bigger ambitions for this hardware. In the future, it says, Amazon One could not only be used for shopping but as a replacement for tickets at music and sporting events, and as an alternative to your office keycard, letting you scan in with a swipe of your hand. In other words, Amazon One isn’t a payment technology. It’s an identity technology, and one that could give Amazon more reach into your life than ever before.
BT, the UK’s largest provider of fixed-line, broadband and mobile services, has picked Nokia to build more of its 5G networks across the country, as the telco starts to move away from a long-established partnership with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei.
It’s 15 years since BT signed its first contract with Huawei to modernise the UK’s broadband service, but now there is little space left for the Chinese company to participate in the development of next-generation networks in the country. Instead, Nokia is set to become BT’s largest equipment provider, supplying 5G RAN infrastructure and services at BT radio sites across the UK.
The Finnish company already powers parts of BT’s network in Greater London, the Midlands and certain rural locations, and the partnership will be extended to also cover multiple other towns and cities. As part of the deal, the Finnish company will also optimise BT’s 2G, 3G and 4G
A collaboration platform that puts Google’s research on how to build successful teams into daily practice now works with Microsoft Teams.
Image: SARINYAPINNGAM, Getty Images/iStockphoto
“Sleep when you’re dead” has always been a popular mantra in the tech world, but the business risk of this way of working is becoming clearer all the time. The extra pressures from the coronavirus pandemic have made burnout even worse in the IT industry this year.
Range CEO and co-founder Dan Pupius experienced burnout firsthand during his time as a staff engineer at Google. Ever since then, he has been interested in helping other people avoid that particular problem.
“If you let it get too far, people can end up in a place that is unrecoverable,” he said.
This year is unique because the stress factors outside work are even higher than usual, from wildfires and hurricanes to the pandemic to the social justice