Tag Archives: neato

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I believe the change in attitude came from truly connecting and tuning in at home. This required disconnecting from work (e.g. turning off the computer and phone), and completely focusing all of my attention on the details of the home. Cooking a great meal. Helping with a science project. Discussing the future with my partner.

Scott Weiss, “Success at Work, Failure at Home”.

Great article by Scott on the challenges of balancing work/life when you’re the CEO of a growing startup. I think the insights are broadly applicable outside of just the CEO role; for me, joining a startup after working at big company for 10 years has forced me to rethink several key parts of my own personal work/life balance.

I can be a workaholic, so a while back Amy and I worked on a few simple “strategies” for ensuring we stay connected regardless of how intensely I through myself into my job. My favorite, Friday Date Night, is something we loved doing in Seattle and have picked up with gusto here in NYC. We need to work on “leaving our phones in our pockets”, but making sure we have one or two dedicated nights per week of just cooking dinner, binge-watching Netflix, and drinking good wine are what keeps me sane.

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As the App Store Top Charts seem to prove, people don’t seem to be looking for “an inbox for everything,” but instead for sharply focused apps delivering solid value at a moment’s notice.

“Facebook plans suite of standalone mobile apps for 2014” via The Verge

“Calendar could be another opportunity for Facebook to embed itself into its users’ lives. Facebook Events are perhaps the most popular way to send out birthday party invites — yet Facebook has largely ignored its potential. All the while, free apps like Sunrise tastefully bundle Facebook events into your Google or iCloud calendar. A Facebook Calendar app, like the new Messenger, would have to be the best calendar app — not the best Facebook Calendar app — which means no spammy “Sponsored Events” or suggested parties. The app could plug into Google Calendar, like Fantastical or Sunrise, but provide the best Facebook Events experience, since that’s what people are using to track of events they’re attending. It’s also worth noting that Facebook is still the place most people check to keep up on birthdays — a sorely undervalued and essential functionality that Sunrise duly steals.”

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Upgrading your plan may be a good way to avoid overage charges, but Sprint might have another option: WiFi calling. 

Another carrier (potentially) allowing their users to make calls over WiFi. The value prop makes sense (“This will allow you to make calls when your cellular reception is poor”), but it is also a big defensive move to offer their own alternatives to 3rd-party OTT apps like Line.

Sprint might launch free WiFi calling for select Android devices

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The Contactive team would like to wish everyone a very Happy (if not belated) New Year! 2013 was a great year for us here at Contactive and we’re sure 2014 will be even better.

We’ve been working hard over the last few months to improve your Contactive experience from the ground up. We…

Woot! Let’s rock 2014!!

TWENTY FOURTEEN

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2020 could see the end of online versus offline. “The membrane between the online world and the offline will effectively disappear, as continuously connected devices fully disappear into our pockets, clothing, our jewelry, our selves,”

Glen Hiemstra, of Futurist.com, in “8 Unexpected Ways Technology Will Change The World By 2020”

“We will not think of two different worlds … but instead see simply a fully integrated life.”

I sometimes feel like I have a duality problem. I love being hyper-connected, I love the “quantified self”, and I love sharing. At the same time my wife and I try to remember to “put down the phones and just talk”, often by leaving them in another room when we’re reading, eating dinner, etc. Convergence of offline and online will bring about amazing things (IMHO), but the downside is that you will have to actually actively do work (unplug, silence notifications, etc.) to just relax and read a book.

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In the US alone there are 30 billion inbound sales calls every year. Just. Sales. Calls. Inbound. That number is projected to GROW to 70 billion by 2016.

“Why Most of Your Assumptions About Phone Calls are Wrong” – BIA Kelsey via Mark Suster at Both Sides of the Table

As an individual, I rarely use my phone for actual calls and try to actively push people not to call me. I check my personal voicemail once a week and rely on my outgoing message, “Text or email me if it’s urgent”, to help get folks to my favorite channels. 

That’s me personally. This article is a really stark reminder of the fact that although lots of individuals feel the same way, for businesses it is absolutely crucial to be readily reachable (and to have a great presence) on the phone.

Another favorite quote from the article:

“Simply, customers trust businesses that are available by phone. Even if they don’t want to always call you.”

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The partnership will include promotional signage for Porch in Lowe’s stores. Porch, a Seattle-based startup attempting to upend the home-improvement industry.

Absolutely keep an eye on these guys; they’re raising $28mil and are attempting to improve a very needed part of the home improvement experience for individual consumers & contractors.

Porch lands big Lowe’s partnership, laying foundation for growth – GeekWire

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However, it’s a sign of just how powerful a combination Google’s software and Nest’s hardware represents when even casual observers can imagine such scenarios that, in reality, would not be that difficult to execute on Google’s part.

“Why Google Bought Nest and What It Could Mean for Your Home” via Mashable

I love the tweet from @marksuman about Waze + Nest being able to turn up the heat in your house as it notices you getting closer to home.