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Tag: August 29

  • HoloLens Creator Alex Kipman Says Smartphones are Dead

    HoloLens Creator Alex Kipman Says Smartphones are Dead

    “The phone is already dead. People just haven’t realized,” said Alex Kipman, the creator of Microsoft’s augmented reality headset HoloLens, in an interview with Bloomberg. Kipman added that their augmented reality headset will soon take the place of smartphones everywhere. This was backed by a statement made by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella that said they may be releasing phones “that don’t look like phones.”

    While these claims may sound a bit radical now, it’s not unlikely to happen in the near future. Aside from Microsoft, companies like Apple are also known to be performing studies on how to make better use of mixed reality in some of their projects. Details of the study and progress of their studies, however, have yet to be shared with the public.

    Microsoft is one of the tech brands who are more open about their standpoint on mixed reality and how it can be fully incorporated into some consumer devices. Currently, Microsoft is preparing to launch their latest operating system, the Windows 10 Creators Update, that is equipped with tools that are designed to “spark and unleash creativity” through the use of mixed reality and 3D content. These recent innovations will definitely highlight the need for mixed reality in some of our tasks like video editing, 3D painting, virtual learning, and more.

    In an interview with MarketPlace, Nadella revealed that while Microsoft is far from abandoning their mobile phone efforts, they are working on incorporating augmented reality into their newer mobile devices and software.

    While Microsoft’s Windows Phone global market share is down by 0.5%, statements both from Kipman and Nadella proves that the company is far from withdrawing from the race. With their Windows and hardware team now working together under one roof, Microsoft is certainly finding ways to improve the way they develop their devices in one seamless process.

    Microsoft is clearly hard at work as they continuously find ways to make mixed reality technology more accessible to the public. Alongside the release of their latest operating system, the company will also begin shipping mixed reality headsets for only $299. At that price, the company is offering one of the most affordable MR devices out there today.

    We can definitely see an increase in usage of mixed reality in the way we play, learn, and create. Only time will tell when we can start using this technology to make calls and send messages right from the palm of our hands.

  • Fast Food Workers Strike Largest Yet

    Fast food workers across 60 US cities staged their planned walkout Thursday and while the day amassed the largest strike yet, actual turnout is yet to be determined. Protest goals involved the right to unionize without employer interference and $15/hr pay (the federal minimum wage is currently $7.25/hr). Organizers set the common date about a week ago.

    Fast Food Forward Ad

    Though worker turnout was large, it varied. Some restaurants faced shortages in employees that affected business, though temporarily, and customers experienced longer wait times. Customers generally understood the reasons for the strikes, if they’d heard about them at all, but not all were necessarily supportive of the $15/hr goal. And customers did not appear to be deterred from their burgers and fries.

    Higher prices for customers and fewer openings for job seekers are among the arguments the restaurant industry makes against raising wages. The chains offer examples of employees who have climbed the ladder to successful (higher paying) jobs and cite the training opportunities that are available.

    Some elected and government officials came out in support of the protesters. In a statement to the Associated Press, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez called out the strikes as a sign that the minimum wage is too low: “For all too many people working minimum wage jobs, the rungs on the ladder of opportunity are feeling further and further apart.” Other politicians, such as New York City mayoral candidate Christine Quinn, were seen walking side-by-side with the protesters (and potential voters).

    Several community and union organizations are pulling the strings behind the movement, which will undoubtedly continue beyond the Labor Day weekend. The Service Employees International Union, which claims “the cutting edge of progressive activism,” trains local organizers for such events. Getting most of the credit is the organization Low Pay Is Not Ok, which sponsors a petition, an open letter to fast food chains, a checklist for the strike for $15 and other resources on their web and social media sites. They also support offspring organizations and events such as Fight for 15. Regionally-focused groups such as Fast Food Forward in New York round out the backers. Protests started in New York last November.

    Social media is exploding in support of the #829strike and organizers used it to rally the troops. No mention yet of next steps for the movement.

    [Video and Images via KTTV Los Angeles, Facebook.]

  • Minimum Wage Debate Strikes a Date

    Minimum Wage Debate Strikes a Date

    August 29 is the day you may want to pack a lunch.  Fast food workers are joining the social media stampede calling for a nationwide strike on August 29, four days before Labor Day.  Demands are for an hourly wage of $15 and, “the right to form a union without retaliation,” posts organizer Low Pay Is Not Ok.  The group also sponsors a petition on their site along with a robust Facebook and Twitter campaign.

    Employee walkouts over the last few months were spurred by these demands for a living wage—proposed to be $15 an hour—over the standard fast food salary based on the US minimum wage—$7.25 an hour.  This activity in turn, is cooking up a spectrum of responses across the political sphere.

    CEO’s are balancing on either side of the minimum wage solution. Along with select other CEO’s, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has landed in favor of minimum wage hikes, though not necessarily to $15/hour. Denny’s CEO John Miller explains an industry problem reporting higher salaries among employees when industry turnover rates are so high. “The benefit of this industry is we’re one of the largest employers of those who don’t have a good start otherwise,” Miller says during a Breakout interview last month.

    President Barack Obama has made increasing the minimum wage a long-standing administration goal that has failed to gain traction in Congress.

    A 9 August Bureau of Labor Statistics Study adds the cost of benefits into the combo meal. The study compares compensation costs across 33 countries, placing the United States 12th behind Sweden, Brazil, and Estonia in total compensation (wages and employer expenditures such as health insurance).

    The debate promises to remain as heated as fast food wars.