Interesting Uses and designs of USB flash drives that you did not know existed!!

My USB flash drive is boring..its a metallic hp 8 GB 2.0 drive. Making my rounds around the internet, i have come across some of the most interesting designs that blew my mind away. Maybe i am shopping in the wrong places because mine is extremely mainstream. If you have a clue of where i should get lovely flash disks as these, do share :-)

Antique USB flash drives

Card Shaped USBs

Camera and Film roll inspired USBs

Ninja / Warfare USBs

Nature inspired USBs

Jewelry flash drives

Fantasy film/ Sci-fi / Cartoon flash disks

Make up inspired flash disks

Product inspired flash drives

The Vibrator that doubles up as a USB flash Drive. 
This was particularly interesting :-) The Crave Duet vibrator and flash drive ; though i find entwining both uses in one device a bit far fetched. Which lady would be comfortable using a gadget for storing information at the same time doing you know what.....

i took the liberty of uploading the video that shows how well it functions and the reasons the designer had for making such a gadget .

Other Interesting ones:

Apart from the normal uses of USB flash disks such as storing important information, there are different ways  that they can be used to better both your business and computer usage.

• to keep your computer secure, there are several flash disks that can be used to lock or unlock your computer when you tun it on and off and therefore does not warrant you to key in a password. you can have the flash disk plugged in while you use it and have it removed when not using the computer.
• In an office setting, custom flash disks can be given as corporate gifts. It is an incredible marketing strategy for the company since it allows them to take branding advantage accordingly as well as acquire both the disks and branding done at good prices because of the bulk advantage. For corporate clients and employees, it offers them a chance to get practical and functional gifts. 
• For employees in the office environment, these devices offer ease and convenience when it comes to data and applications portability, securing back ups and ensuring virus free computers.
• Instead of using a lot of money for printing and publications for event giveaways or trade shows, you can invest in affordable flash drives which will not only contain all the necessary information in documents and PDFs loaded prior but will make the attendees impressed by the lightweight and compact method of storing information. 

I still insist, if anyone knows a place where i can get really cool designs, do let me know. 

HOW TO INCLUDE TECHNOLOGY IN BETTERING CUSTOMER RELATIONS.

Not enough emphasis can be put on the importance of having open, fast and reliable customer communication channels with each and every individual who purchases your products or services. Any company that makes their customers feel special will always reap impressive returns. It all lies in going above and beyond for the consumers and implementing less complex channels of communication and interaction. Consumers are like ladies, it’s the little things that count; for instance, being able to thank them for their longevity, personalizing interactions and using innovative and fast customer service surveys so as to better their experience. Some companies I know have taken time to send their esteemed customers hand written letters, not really caring that we are in a digital era where growth of online presence and integrating social media as a communication tool is highly stressed on.

Before implementing technology in improvement process of customer care services, a corporation should have a visionary and inspiring leader who is a change enthusiast open to new and radical ideas. Having missions and visions that border on values such as integrity will ensure customer satisfaction levels are optimized. They should also have target scores and have the urgency to reach and exceed customer relations. All this should be done with an empowered synergy of employees who are well aware of the power in good customer relations and the trickling effect that it provides through compensation.

A crucial area that may be overlooked by many companies is the process of recruiting and training customer service staff. Not only should they be trained in responding to different consumer queries, they should also have a very rich background knowledge about the products and services so as to provide sufficient guidance to inquirers. Apart from being able to have the right kind of attitude and patience to deal with different kinds of customers, mechanisms should be put in place in regards to delegation of responsibilities so that it will be their duty to follow up and look into customer relations.

The main reason for the emphasis on human relations and participation in consumer relations is because consumers are not just simple statistics and figures a company aims to make work in line with targeted profit margins but rather major boosters of the business. Even though at times numbers may add up, it is crucial to have a competitive advantage against the rest by winning consumers loyalty.  

In the same spirit of technology having solutions for practically every situation, the power of technology can be harnessed to ensure that the customers’ needs are met urgently and with the gravity they deserve.  The edge that technology offers compared to human personnel revolves around data management and statistical analysis in cost effective methods especially in decision making and market automation. 

Some of the ways a company can boost interaction include:

•         Being present in all major social network sites so that consumers can easily contact them when need be. They should have personnel that are responsive in a fast and assuring manner.
•     Offering a valid email address whereby consumers can be able to contact them in case of any inquiries  Many companies offer email addresses but when contacted barely respond back. It is important to change this. 
•     On the company website, it is important to ensure that there is a forum for all customers to actively interact and post questions about the products and services they are using when they have a problem. Other consumers who can help out should be able to contribute to such discussions and so should the administrator of the company’s website.
•     Using up to date and sophisticated gathering software for carrying short and fast surveys from customers on the website and through other channels such as email and phone calls.
•     It is necessary to ensure all communication avenues are connected so as to keep track of all complaints from consistent consumers who may use different methods of communication. This kind of unification is crucial in deciphering client needs.

·        Ensure that the client can access help at any time they need it by having self-service optimized and ensuring that each of the processes related to the business is automated as a means of cutting down on costs and improving efficiency.

P.S: I was particularly inspired to write this because of the really bad customer care services that Safaricom have. Apart from twitter, it’s so hard to get any kind of direct contact with any of the agents. I did not want to rant so hopefully this put the message in a calm and professional tone. If the problem is persistent, I will have to rant.

OPEN DATA SYSTEMS: HAD A LOOK AT YOUR COUNTRY’S YET?

 

Many countries have adopted the transparency and accountability policies that come with Open data systems. The open data policies ensure that data and information is efficiently managed and shared to the public for easier access, better disaster management and decision sharing, better project development and use of effective financing mechanisms. The whole idea behind it is to ensure that data is available to the public in machine readable formats and can easily be cross combined and re-used by academia, researchers, media and other major sectors in every institution; the major premise being opening up publicly owned data from institutions and ensuring its accessibility.

Ensuring the open data is linked is essential since it fuels greater transparency and accountability which additionally spurs greater economic activities. With the immense information out there, users are able to fully manipulate the information by creating and combining different kinds of data sets which they can make their own interpretations in digestible and much friendlier applications and formats.

Am proud of Kenya! We are the first African country to have our own Open data portal which has published a lot of government data and has invited everybody to come, look, take and play! If you haven’t had a look at it, I would advise you to because it gives so much insight and new knowledge about our country with well leveled up and deeply researched and analyzed statistics. Other major organizations that have adopted this kind of paradigm include World Bank, New York Times, The Guardian, United Nations and several other governments throughout Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

All the data from Open Data systems is license free and is not subject to patents, copyrights, trade secret regulations or trademarks. Through interlinked data, the open system facilitates knowledge creation and new knowledge essential in making assessments and research. Any researcher should definitely bookmark open data sites.   

Pinterest :Why you should be pinning right this instant!!

Many business entities have taken to social media as a great tool for advertising. It is a smart move because advertisement costs are downsized tremendously. Successful stories of entrepreneurs who did not have any physical outlets for their products or spend a dime in advertising are common. Every tech-forward entrepreneur is delving into frugal innovation, a concept that allows them to generate more income with less resources while creating a greater social value and presence; sounds like something i learned in economics called economies of scale. The cost conscious, tech savvy, Eco-aware consumer is the main drive when it comes to social marketing.

Facebook and twitter are on the forefront of advertising, Instagram as well, which mainly favors celebrities who may propel product sales through endorsements. The target audience is immense, that is why it is important for any business person to make an impression and have a huge audience in the internet sphere.

Enter Pinterest.Heard of it? It's a social image bookmarking system that allows users to share photos from the internet sites and share, like and repin photos on pin boards. It quite popular with bloggers. It allows the users to share their interests, likes and events and for businesses, acts as both a marketing and educational tool. There are free iPhone, android and i Pad apps that allow you to pin on multiple devices. Personally, I adore it. To get a feel of what i mean, log into pinterest, create an account and search for something you have a liking for. The interface design gets an A+ for its visually pleasing and engaging nature.

We are what we wear, we are what we eat.. consistent slogans that place fashion and food as popular sectors of discussion in social media; same case applies to technology. However, of late, real estate is gradually cropping up in the maximization of social and commercial collaborations. Pinterest essentially offers the critical visual element that many home buyers and sellers crave for - the eye candy dipped in large resolution and intelligent and smart content. Many potential home buyers have been known to use Internet resources as their initial search option when looking for houses. For better search engine optimization for websites, pinterest gives your audience a chance to follow links to your website after you have pinned photos of the properties available. This in turn drives traffic to your website aligning you to top spots when real estate firms are looked up. A recent study showed that it drove more traffic to sites threatening to unseat Google+, YouTube and Reddit!

If your firm has a verified website, you can use the Data Analytic tool which offers relevant statistics and business updates such as the number of people who have pinned from your site, what they pinned and whats most popular! To get your website verified, you need to download a HTML code that tags your site with the Pinterest tracking code.

Real estate companies can create pin boards in line with the niches they encompass such as having boards of beach houses, condos, homes with swimming pools, apartments and holiday destinations . Its important for companies to be aggressive when it comes to embracing technology. It will be unfruitful to adopt a Luddite attitude since aggressive internet strategies have increased returns for different business entities tremendously. Kenya's e-commerce is still growing but in the meantime, why not tap into the free advertisement and branding? Furthermore, capturing a worldwide audience is good for real estate since in most cases, most searches are generated by tourists, or people abroad who have the need to settle here. From brand studies, it is estimated that pinterest users spend an average of $180 while Facebook users average at $85. It is also the most effective when it comes to driving sales. Its all about knowing your target market and reaching out to them.

The diagram below offers a summarized insight on more ways of maximizing marketing a business through pinterest. Happy pinning!!

Lenovo Yoga 13 Ideapad: flexibility and Compactability

The Lenovo Yoga 13 idea pad has an excellent ultra book design concept. Lenovo has positioned itself in the forefront of innovative technology and design manufacturing providing strong, reliable and powerful machines over the years. (See review of the Lenovo S400 here)
So why exactly makes this laptop stand out? It has extremely flexible hinges that allow the screen to flip 360 degrees making it one of the best and simplest hybrid tablet-computers available in the market. Its convertible status is spectacular since it provides 4 modes that capitalize on consumer content for easy creation and sharing. This is because it perfectly incorporates the windows 8 usability that goes perfectly well with the many applications and eases use of the windows 8 O.S due to its tablet status. ( Have you read about the Dell Inspiron Duo Hybrid tablet? )

The specs :

• 8 hours battery life, 4 cell lithium polymer with 54Wh capacity.

• 3rd generation Intel core i7 processor, dual core, 64 bit computing with Max turbo speed 2.6 GHz

• Windows 8 64 or windows pro 64

• Intel HD graphics 4000 integrated

• 13.3'' 1600*900 resolution HD+IPS display that is capacitative multitouch.

• Memory of 4GB, 8GB DDR3, 128GB SSD

• Weight of 1.54 kg

• 1.0 MP HD integrated webcam

• USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, combo jack, 2-in-1 card reader (SD and Micromedia card) and HDMI

• Bluetooth 4.0 and Lenovo 802.11 wireless b/g/n

• 10*7 cm track pad that allows pinch-to-zoom, two finger scrolling and clicking 

Some of the preloaded applications include Skype, one key recovery, McAfee antivirus and eBay. It retails for $1000. On my part, too much an amount for the specs, but then again, you pay for the architecture and creativity does not come cheap.You can order one to be shipped since am not aware of a retailer in Nairobi currently stocking it.

The Much Anticipated SAMSUNG S4

The much anticipated Samsung S4 is being released later on today (3 pm P.T and 6 pm E.T) in New York. The eye speculation software is rumored to be a major feature after Samsung filed for an Eye Scroll patent in January. With this software, screen movements will result from eye movement that the user does. The phone will be able to respond to any intentional eye movement that will allow clicking by blinking and automatic scrolling up, down and to the next page, a concept that has been previously researched on desktop computing. 

Much as it is a commendable application of artificial Intelligence, there may be certain cons that come with it. For instance, the behavior of the tracking software could be easily disrupted by public distractions and could bring some awkwardness in public for the user if they have to move their eyes in certain ways. 

Another speculation revolves around the floating touch technology that allows for screen movements with as much as the hovering of the finger on the screen without actually touching it. Wireless charging is another feature anticipated for and may even allow for the communication of the phone with charging mats and stands that may allow data transfer which will help with syncing data to the phone.

Other budding rumors include the impressive Exynos 5 processor (8 processors!!). To cater to the problem of battery life that most smart phones face, the LITTE architecture ensures 4 powerful Cortex-A15 cores for power hungry functions and additional 4 Cortex-A7 for simple functions. This way, in most instances the powerful cores will shut down unless warranted to work depending on the gravity of the functionality. 

In conclusion, key features include

·         System: Android 4.1 O.S

·         Screen : 5-inch screen

·         Resolution : 1920*1080

·         Camera 13mp rear and 1.9 mp front, LED flash, Video 1080p

·          Memory :2GB SD RAM, 32GB expandable

·         Network : GSM/ WCDMA/LTE

·         Transmission : GPS, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.0

Samsung prides themselves in being at the forefront of dynamic technology and constant innovations .From the past gadget releases, they hardly disappoint. Looking forward to the Samsung S4.