Category: Mobile

Slack Actions adds integrations with third party developers

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Chat App Slack has announced the introduction of a new Actions feature that makes it easier for users to create and finish tasks without leaving by having access to more 3rd party tools.

slack, actions

What Is Slack?

Slack, launched way back in 2013, is a Silicon Valley-produced, cloud-based set of proprietary team collaboration tools and services. It provides mobile apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and is available for the Apple Watch, enabling users to send direct messages, see mentions, and send replies.

Slack teams enable users (communities, groups, or teams) to join through a URL or invitation sent by a team admin or owner. It was intended as an organisational communication tool, but it has gradually been morphing into a community platform i.e. it is a business technology that has crossed-over into personal use.

In March 2018, Slack and financial and human capital management firm Workday formed a partnership that allowed Workday customers to access features from directly within the Slack interface. Slack is believed to have 8 million daily active users.

What Is ‘Actions’ and How Does It Help?

The new tool / feature – dubbed Actions – will bring enterprise developers deeper into Slack, because it allows for better / more integration with enterprise software from third-party software providers, such as Jira, HubSpot, and Asana.

Slack knows that many users now like to choose what software they use to get their job done, and the Actions feature will, therefore, be of extra value to 90% of Slack’s 3 million paid users who regularly use apps and integrations.

Actions can be accessed using a click or tap of any Slack message, require no slash commands, and are being made available to all developers using the platform to deploy bots and integrations. To begin with, Actions will be displayed based on what individuals use most frequently.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If you or your business uses Slack, the interoperability of these systems resulting from integration between software from third-parties with the Actions tool means that you have greater choice in what software you use to complete your tasks without having to leave Slack. This offers time and cost saving benefits, as well as a considerable boost in convenience.

Slack knows that there are open source and other alternatives out there, and the addition of Actions will help Slack to provide more valuable tools to users, thereby helping it to retain loyalty and compete in a rapidly evolving market.

AI Drones: Smaller and Smarter

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Researchers from ETH Zurich, Switzerland and the University of Bologna have built the smallest completely autonomous quadrotor nano-drone that uses AI to fly itself, and doesn’t need human guidance, unlike other drones.

Neural Network Feeds the AI

The technology at the heart of the Crazyflie 2.0 Nano Quadcopter is the DroNet neural network. This is able to processes incoming images from a camera at 20 frames per second. From this, the nano-drone is able to work out how to steer, and calculate the probability of a collision, thereby giving it the ability to know when to stop.

AI Drone, Drones
The Crazyflie 2.0 Nano Quadcopter AI Drone
Fully On-Board Computation

The fact that these new AI drones need no external sensing and computing because all computation is fully on-board thanks to the PULP (Parallel Ultra Low Power) platform, means that it is truly autonomous, and is, therefore, a real first in terms of how a small drone can be controlled.

The new autonomous drone is an improvement on the first test version of the drones, which involved putting the DroNet neural network system in a larger commercial-off-the-shelf, Parrot Bebop 2.0 drone, and using radio contact with a laptop to control it.

AI Trained Using Images

Since AI requires training so that it can learn to become better at a task, the drones’ neural network was trained using thousands of images taken from bicycles and cars driving along different roads.

Only Horizontal Movement

One major drawback at the current time is that, because it was trained using images from a single plane, the drone can only move horizontally and cannot yet fly up or down.

Even Smaller Drones

Technologies involved in making drones have evolved to such a degree that even robot ‘fly’ drones haves now been built.

As the successor to RoboBee, the so-called RoboFly it is so small (the size of a fly) that it can’t support the weight of a battery to power it. The power for flight is currently delivered by a laser being trained on an attached photovoltaic cell.

The tiny device has wings that are flapped by sending a series of pulses of power in rapid succession and then slowing the pulsing down as it gets near the top of the wave (with the whole process in reverse for the downward flap).

The RoboFly drones, developed by a team of researchers based in Australia, can only just take off and travel a very short distance at present. Future plans for RoboFly reportedly include improving the onboard telemetry so it can control itself, and making a steered laser that can follow the bug’s movements and continuously beam power in its direction.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Up until now, the main uses for drones have been specialist applications such as within the military, in construction (viewing and mapping sites), film and TV, leisure use, and even for delivery of parcels (Amazon tests). All of these involve the use of larger drones that are remotely controlled.

The ideas that a drone can be made in a miniature size, and / or can control itself using AI could open up many more new areas of opportunity for businesses and other organisations. Such drones could be used in confined spaces or in very specialised situations.

The idea of an AI drone has, however, led to some alarm being expressed by some commentators. Even though AI autonomy could help drones to monitor environments, be used in spying, and develop swarm intelligence for military use, some have expressed worries that they could become better at delivering lethal payloads, and could pose other unforeseen security risks.

 

Globalnet IT Innovations offer a range of managed IT services and on-demand IT services. Call us on 0203 005 9650 to speak to one of our IT consultants and discover how we can help you reach your business goals.

Facebook Loyalty Intact Says Survey

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Even after all the publicity surrounding Facebook’s selling of the personal data of 87 million users to Cambridge Analytica, a Reuters/Ipsos survey has found that most users are still loyal to the social media giant.

Just A Public Relations Problem

The survey conducted April 26-30 was based in the US, the home country of Facebook and the place where the vast majority of those whose data was sold live. Far from indicating that any users have been outraged by the selling of their personal data property without their permission, the survey appears to show that Facebook has so far suffered no ill effects from the scandal, other than a public relations headache.

A Quarter Using Facebook More!

The survey showed that half of US Facebook users said they had not recently changed the amount that they used the site, and, incredibly, a quarter of those surveyed said they were using it more!

The remaining 25% said that they were using it less recently, had stopped using it, or deleted their account.

64% of those surveyed said they still used Facebook at least once a day, down only slightly from the 68% recorded in a similar poll in late March.

The results appear to show, therefore, that the numbers of those using Facebook more has balanced out the numbers of any respondents who said they used the platform less, meaning that, according to the survey, Facebook appears to have suffered no real damage other than a PR hit from the scandal.

Wait Until 2nd Quarter

Facebook actually showed a near 50% increase its sales in the first quarter of this year, with profits up to $4.9bn from $3bn last year. Some commentators have stressed, however, that any of the financial effects of the scandal are likely to be evident in the second quarter.

Cambridge Analytica Closed

While Facebook, a social media giant, appears to have suffered no real damage other than a PR hit, Cambridge Analytica has been forced to go into liquidation blaming negative media attention. Some commentators have pointed out that Cambridge Analytica portrayed themselves as victims of unwarranted press activity, thereby deflecting blame from their activities involving the use of the personal data of millions to influence election and referendum outcomes.

Trusted With Dating Information?

It may appear that customer loyalty is still intact to a large extent now, but the next test for Facebook could be whether customers will trust them with their privacy when Facebook rolls out its dating service app later this year.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This story shows what many tech commentators had predicted – that the fact that Facebook was so much a part of peoples’ daily routine with no real alternative among the other social media platforms, that it could weather the storm and come out the other end with little real impact on its user numbers. It seems strange that, even though customers personal details were harvested and sold to a third party, without the permission of users, and then used to potentially influence how they voted in the US election (and in the Brexit referendum in the UK) that very few people appear to be prepared to see that as grounds to reject Facebook and the service and value that it offers in their lives.

People actively use Facebook as an integral part of their friendship networks and as a source of news, thereby allowing it unprecedented access to their personal lives and interests, as well as allowing it to help shape their view of the world, and it may be this investment and yes, loyalty, that has allowed them to apparently forgive Facebook for its part in the scandal, and to allow the value that Facebook offers in their lives to outweigh Facebook’s indiscretions.

From a business point of view, this shows how powerful loyalty can be, especially if a service can offer value that links strongly to ‘self’ and things that have emotional and personal connections and importance, and allow and enable real engagement.

Google Driverless Car Involved In Smash

Posted on by Rob Burdett

A self-driving vehicle owned by Google’s Waymo has been involved in a smash in Arizona when it was hit by a car that swerved across multiple lanes.

Driverless Mode – But With Person On Board

The Google car was in autonomous / driverless mode at the time of the crash, but had a test driver in the driver’s seat. The lady occupant is reported to be recovering from the incident.

A discussion is now underway as to whether the driverless car system or the test driver on board could have done anything more to avoid being hit by the other vehicle.

Waymo and Jaguar

Waymo is the self-driving car company that is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, and has been testing driverless vehicles since 2009. It has been reported that Waymo wants to purchase 20,000 Jaguar electric vehicles as part of its plans to launch a robotic ride-hailing service in the US.

It is understood that Waymo’s link-up with Jaguar will mean that from 2020 to 2022, UK-based (owned by India’s Tata Motors ) Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) I-PACE electric cars will be providing up to one million rides per day in the service. It is thought that Jaguar cars will appeal to more upmarket customers, thereby already showing the possibilities for segmentation in driverless ride-hailing services.

The ride-hailing service will be launched on a small scale in Phoenix, Arizona, first in the coming months.

Not The First Autonomous Vehicle Accident

Although the Google car did not cause the crash, this is not the first time an autonomous vehicle has been involved in a serious incident. Back in March, Uber suspended all self-driving car tests in all North American cities after a fatal accident a 49-year-old woman was hit and killed by one of its autonomous vehicles as she crossed the street in Tempe, Arizona.

This was the second time that Uber has pulled its self-driving cars from the roads after an accident. A year earlier, also on Arizona, an Uber Volvo SUV in self-driving mode ended up on its side after another vehicle “failed to yield” to the Uber car at a left turn.

Autonomous Lorry Convoys on UK Roads This Year

Last year, the UK government announced that ‘platoons’ (mini-convoys) of self-driving, partially autonomous lorries are to be tested on British roads before the end of 2018. The so-called ‘platoons’ will take the form of several lorries driving closely together in a line in the inside lane, with the lead lorry wirelessly controlling the acceleration and braking for all the lorries, and with the following lorries responding to the changes in speed.

It is understood that for the tests which have been promised since 2014 and will be carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), a human driver will be in the cab of the lead lorry, and will be able to take control if things don’t go entirely to plan.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Autonomous vehicles and vehicles with autonomous elements are already being tested and used in commercial environments and as part of the transport system in the US and the UK. The combination of driverless vehicles powered by electricity and using AI technology could provide a more environmentally-friendly solution to a variety of different transportation and delivery challenges, and to hopefully reduce traffic accidents.

The accidents involving driverless vehicles to date have, however, prompted some commentators to warn that the technology is being deployed before it is ready. Clearly, it is still early days for autonomous vehicles which means that there are still many untapped opportunities to use autonomous vehicles commercially, and there are of course many challenges and issues to consider around safety, insurance, regulations and reliability.

Autonomous vehicles are likely to be adopted more quickly on closed sites first, but operators who decide to adapt such sites to work for autonomy could expect significant improvements in productivity and safety.

Despite any bad press from the unfortunate crashes involving test autonomous cars in the US, having an emerging industry such as autonomous vehicles, with all its talent, technology and development centres here in the UK represents a huge opportunity for UK businesses as potential suppliers, beneficiaries of the technologies and products, and spin-off market opportunities. It also represents an opportunity for UK insurers.

Whereas the UK has a skills gap in many areas of the technology market, with the right amount of support and backing from the government and other investors, the testing, developing, and production of autonomous vehicles and the necessary technologies could be one area where home-grown talent is tempted to stay in what could become a world-centre of excellence for autonomous vehicle / AI technology.

Online Dating Via Facebook

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced that Facebook, the world’s largest online social network, will soon be providing an online dating service, thereby putting it in competition with the likes of Match Group Inc.

On The Cards

Bearing in mind Facebook’s origin as a college dating website and Mark Zuckerberg’s early ‘Facemash’ program, and the fact that Facebook is known to have been wanting to move into online dating for at least 10 years, this move has been on the cards.

Why Now?

There are several key reasons why Facebook has chosen to actually make the move into the online dating world. These include:

  • The need to make people spend longer on the Facebook platform (and not on other platforms). For example, time spent by Facebook users on the platform fell by 50 million hours a day in 2017.
  • The need to attract more young people to the platform.
  • The commercial attractiveness of the booming and growing dating market.
  • The fact that there are 200 million people on Facebook that list themselves as single.
  • The fact that Facebook already holds many facets of information about users that could be used for matching and dating purposes e.g. interests, local events they could attend.

How Will It Work?

The proposed platform is an optional feature that users will be able to use by clicking on a heart shape at the top-right corner of the Facebook app, and setting up a dating profile. The profile will be based on a first name, won’t be visible to friends and users who aren’t on the dating feature, and won’t show up in the News Feed.

Once set up, users can browse events in their local and groups that match their interests, select ‘unlock’ for dating, and then be able to see the profiles of other potential dates who have unlocked that surface. These profiles will show a few photos plus some basic information about potential dates.

The system will not work using the “swipe” left or right on potential matches like Tinder, but there will be two buttons for “pass” and “interested.”

Users will be able to start a conversation with a potential match by commenting on one of their photos, but the conversations will be text-only, thereby eliminating the risk of unsolicited nude photos being sent. Conversations will take place in a special inbox that’s separate from Messenger and WhatsApp.

Security

In the wake of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook has been quick to stress that the service has been built and will operate with an emphasis on privacy.

Not Just Hook-Ups

Facebook has also said that the new dating service is intended to be a standalone feature that will focus on legitimate long-term relationships, rather than just hook-ups. There are already many stories of couples who have met via the normal Facebook platform.

Dating Service Competitors – Stock Value Falls

Shortly after Mark Zuckerberg announced the move into the dating arena, and even though Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg said that she was flattered by Facebook’s entrance into its space, Match’s stock traded down about 22%. Match is the owner of mobile dating apps Tinder and OkCupid and describes itself (on its website) as the “global leader” in online dating.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

If it wasn’t for the recent scandal about data sharing with Cambridge Analytica and the lack of trust that it has created, Facebook would be almost perfectly position to seriously and quickly take on the current online dating giants such as Match. It remains to be seen, therefore, how quickly Facebook users forget or are willing to throw caution to the wind with the promise of powerful motivators and positive reinforcement in the form of dates and possibly, a love match.

Some competitors, such as Bumble, have seen Facebook’s move as an opportunity rather than just a threat, and Bumble has reportedly reached out to Facebook to explore ways to collaborate.

TSB Computer Meltdown – Problems Nearly 2 Weeks On

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Customers of TSB are reportedly still experiencing difficulties with internet and mobile banking services nearly 2 weeks after problems first began.

What Happened?

TSB, which was acquired by Spanish bank Sabadell in 2015, tried to fully migrate its computer systems from its old Lloyds Bank systems to its new core banking system, known as Proteo4UK. Proteo4UK is basically a version of Sabadell’s in-house core banking platform Proteo which has been designed for TSB.

The system had already been rolled out to staff in November 2017, and the full rollout to customers was also supposed to have happened in November but was put back until April to avoid potential confusion of the expected interest rate rise.

Why Migrate?

The expected benefits behind TSB’s decision to migrate were cost savings through not having to pay £160 million per year to Lloyds Bank for hosting, and the opportunity to be able to implement its own customer-facing systems offering digital banking services.

TSB had already launched a mobile app for Android and iOS devices to enable customers to use banking services via the new system in a convenient way, and was in the process of offering iPhone X users the opportunity to use their faces as identification.

Meltdown

Unfortunately for 1.9 million TSB customers, the bank staff, and TSB’s reputation, the migration did not go to plan and resulted in what some commentators have described as a ‘meltdown’ of its banking systems.

Some of the problems experienced by customers have included not being able to access their own money, no access to any mobile and online services, problems with direct debits, and amounts of money appearing and disappearing. It was even reported that one customer was mistakenly credited with £13,000. TSB has also been deluged, understandably, with complaints, with TSB staff facing hostility, and the reputation of the bank taking a battering in the media.

Response

Several apologies later, and even though TSB’s CEO Paul Pester announced in BBC Radio 4 interview that he would take direct control from the banks’ platform, and that he’d drafted in a team of global experts from IBM, and although the mobile app is now reportedly fixed, some customers are still reported to be experiencing problems. Some have appeared in tv news reports telling of their experiences and of their fears that important bills may not have been paid as a result of the system’s problems.

Treasury Committee Wants Answers

Executives from TSB and parent company Sabadell have been asked to appear before MPs to respond to questions and give evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday 2nd May over the ongoing IT system outage.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

It is well known that many banks run on old systems which have led to glitches in the past i.e. customers not being able to access their money, and have been the cause of worries about security. The case of TSB illustrates how the company had good commercial intentions as a challenger bank in migrating its systems to reduce costs and meet the modern customer’s digital expectations, but ended up creating a PR disaster for itself. It is thought that the problems could cost the bank millions in lost customers, compensation, and damage to the brand.

Some commentators have criticised the bank for mismanaging the migration and for focusing too much on creating fancy apps rather than focusing on just getting the migration to happen as smoothly as possible.

It has also been suggested that, if joining or switching to a new bank, customers could do worse than to ask their proposed new bank what their plans are in terms of core banking platforms, whether they have any major IT projects planned, and how up to date is the core banking system is.

The problems with TSB’s banking systems will undoubtedly have impacted many businesses as customers were unable to access funds or to spend as they normally would, or to pay existing agreements, and this all adds up to extra costs, reduced profits, and stress for business owners.

This story is also a reminder to businesses that unforeseen and potentially costly IT problems can happen, particularly with cyber-crime activity, and that having a good Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan is important.

Tech Tip – Checking Your Facebook Connected Apps

Posted on by Rob Burdett

In the light of the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal where a quiz app was used to share personal details without the consent of users, you can take action boost your own security by checking what connected Facebook Apps you have. Here’s how:

– Log into Facebook.
– Pull down the toggle/arrow at the right top of the Facebook screen to reach the account details.
– Choose ‘Settings’ from the list.
– On the General Account Settings page, scroll down and select ‘Apps and Websites’ in the left-hand menu.
– The next page shows the Facebook applications that have been given account access, e.g. fun apps, and productivity apps (e.g. Hootsuite)
– If you’re not happy about a particular connected app having access, you can remove the app entirely by checking the box to the right and selecting ‘Remove’.
– If you select one or more apps and click remove, another dialog box will be shown with an additional checkbox option referring to previous activity e.g. prior posts made using the app.
– Once removed, an app or website will no longer have access to your information, yet they may still retain previously shared information.

New Google ‘Chat’ SMS Message Replacement Rollout Begins

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Google has begun the rollout of ‘Chat’, the messaging service that, it is hoped, will replace SMS text messages on Android phones, and bring it into the same ballpark as WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage.

What’s The Problem?

The SMS messaging system for Android phones has suffered over many years from being simply a succession of poorly supported, different apps all using the same basic the short message service (SMS) from the1990s to send text messages over a mobile network. The result has been that none have been particularly popular among android users, who have been envious of the simplicity and ease other messaging services e.g. iPhone that have better features and send messages over the internet instead of using SMS.

New System, New Features

The solution to the problem for Google has been to take many years to develop a whole new messaging system that is based on a standard called the “Universal Profile for Rich Communication Services” (instead of simply making another app), which allows Android users to send messages and image files over a data network.

The new ‘Chat’ service offers many more features such as group texts, videos, typing indicators and read receipts. Since RCS is a communications standard, it will be up to mobile operators to enable the service, but Android will still have SMS to fall back on anyway.

Carrier-Based Service

Chat is a carrier/network-based service (i.e. not a Google-based service), so one of the key ways that Google has gone about making sure that Chat will work is to try to convince as many carriers as possible to take the new standard, and make the Chat services interoperable between carriers.

If you text someone who doesn’t have Chat enabled, or who is not an Android user, your messages will revert back to SMS, in the same way that an iMessage does.

It is thought that Google has done enough work with 50+ carriers to ensure that most of them will enable the use of the Chat service this year, which is handy since the global rollout by Google is already underway.

Au Revoir ‘Allo’

Another indicator of Google’s commitment to getting Chat ‘out there’ is the pausing of its work on its ‘Allo’ messaging service.

Data Plan Instead of SMS

Since Chat messages will be sent over the data network i.e. sent with your data plan instead of your SMS plan, it is expected that charges for messages could be less, although this will be up to the networks.

Security Flaw

One flaw in the Chat service could be the fact that messages are not encrypted, and could, therefore, be a security risk if intercepted.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Business and individual users of Android will be pleased to hear that at last there may be a messaging service that is built-in, allows plenty of modern functionality, and is up there with competing services e.g. WhatsApp and iMessage.

Hopefully, the main networks will support the service as soon as possible, and with messages being sent over the data network the hope is also that costs for the service could be kept at a very reasonable level (depending on the network).

The one question mark for many users may, however, be the lack of encryption of the messages, especially at a time when data security is at the forefront of their mind with the introduction of GDPR next month.

Tech Tip – Send Different File Types With WhatsApp

Posted on by Rob Burdett

These days, many of us use the WhatsApp messaging service as part of our business communications. Thanks to functionality introduced last year, you can now send multiple file types e.g. APK’s, Zip and RAR files using WhatsApp. Here’s how:

– Open your WhatsApp chat thread and tap the Attachment icon.
– Tap on Document from the list of the options.
– Select your file and send it.
– This sends the file in its original size, thereby keeping the quality.
– If you select Gallery in the WhatsApp attachment option, it compresses the size of media (but this can adversely affect its quality).

Tech Tip – Prevent Travel Bag Laptop Battery Wake-Up

Posted on by Rob Burdett

Sometimes your laptop can spring into life while still in your travel bag. This can drain the battery. Here’s how to prevent it from happening.

On a PC running Windows 10, change the behaviour of the system so that closing the lid causes the system to hibernate instead of sleeping. This means that the system won’t start-up until you instruct it to.

  1. Open Control Panel (or use the search box on the taskbar).
  2. Search for Power Options – this will open the dialog box.
  3. From the list of links on the left, click ‘Choose what closing the lid does’. Every modern laptop should have the option to define settings for ‘When I close the lid’.
  4. Change the behaviour under ‘On Battery to Hibernate’ and then save your changes.