During the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, was revealed a new device called Rabbit 1 that aims to change the way we use apps and at the same time, make smartphones obsolete.

The device is a mix between a Tamagotchi and a phone and doubles up as a 'multi-gadget' that promises to be able to do all functions a current smartphone does, without the need for a keyword, and powered by AI.

The Rabbit 1 revolution  

This device is expected to bring forth a revolution in 2024, as it incorporates artificial intelligence to perform many tasks that simplify people's daily lives. The startup behind this device is Rabbit, has also developed its operating system (Rabbit OS). But what exactly is the Rabbit 1?

Rabbit 1, is a small device that fits in the palm of the hand, and is designed to be an alternative to conventional smartphones. Its main differentiator lies in eliminating applications, which no longer need to be downloaded, installed, or executed to use them. Simply ask it to act, and Rabbit 1 will take care of it, without the need to type text.

This device operates using a concept called the Large Action Model (LAM), or "long action model". The inclusion of LAM is crucial to Rabbit 1's operation, as the company explains "thanks to recent advances in neuro symbolic programming, LAM enables direct modeling of the structure of various applications and the user actions performed in them without a transient representation, such as text." This means that there is no need to download apps, Rabbit 1's operating system is trained to learn how to use mobile apps.

A really small Rabbit

On the hardware side, we find a compact device that fits comfortably in your pocket, with a 2.88-inch screen, a button to press to give commands to the device, and a small wheel. Its performance is backed up by 4 GB of memory, ample 128 GB storage, and a powerful 2.3 GHz MediaTek processor. It also incorporates a camera that, in addition to taking a photo, can perform a 360º rotation, which extends its functions to offer suggestions, as I know in the founder's demonstration, which focuses on the refrigerator and asks what can be done to eat.

A crucial element to note is the battery. The company has claimed that this battery "lasts all day" and emphasizes its ongoing efforts to improve battery durability. This focus on power autonomy reflects the company's commitment to optimizing the user experience, ensuring that Rabbit 1 efficiently adapts to day-to-day demands.

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Desktop computers, laptops, work terminals... The global computer market declined by 30% in the first quarter of this year, and with each passing month, it continues to fall further and further with no apparent hope of recovery.

According to the technology consulting firm IDC, the computer sales figures are below the results from 2019. The top 5 computer firms have been experiencing year-on-year ranging from 24% to 40% for quite some time now.

Lenovo is leading the market with 12.7 million devices, although it has experienced a 30.3% decrease in sales compared to the previous year. Following Lenovo is HP with 12 million units, a 24.2% decrease in sales, and Dell Technologies with 9.5 million units and a 31% decrease. Apple ranks fourth with 4.1 million sales and a 40.5% decrease; finally, Asus ranks fifth with 3.9 million sales but a 30.3% decrease compared to the previous year.

IDC predictions are: even more loses in the short term

IDC predicts that short-term sales problems will continue in the global computer market, but it is expected to improve by the end of the year if the global economy also improves.

It is believed that macroeconomic consequences are behind this unfavorable event, and demand has weakened both in the commercial and consumer sectors. This decrease in order has resulted in inventory levels remaining higher than average for longer than anticipated.

Furthermore, users seem to favor smartphones, as Ryan Reith, Vice President of Client Device Trackers Group, commented: "As for consumers, we are seeing a return to pre-pandemic habits where computing needs are shared among multiple devices. The consumer's pocket will favor smartphones over PCs from now on," Reith adds.

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The case has been resolved, and the process of becoming part of this massive company in the industry can finally be completed. According to the judge presiding over the case, "Microsoft's acquisition of Activision has been described as the largest in the history of technology."

The consequences of this acquisition will bring about some changes, but Microsoft has everything well secured. For example, they have committed to keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation for another 10 years, alongside Xbox. Additionally, they have agreed with Nintendo to bring the successful game to the Switch.

Those were not the only agreements made; they have also made arrangements to bring Activision Blizzard's content to various cloud gaming services for the first time.

The court decided that the evidence presented by the FTC did not prove their allegation that the merger could reduce competition. Instead, the evidence in the records indicates increased consumer access to Call of Duty and other Activision content.

Activision Blizzard entanglement with PlayStation

The acquisition of Activision Blizzard primarily affects PlayStation but will also impact the gaming world in general.

Since Microsoft will start bringing Call of Duty games to the Switch and other future consoles, they are expected to take advantage of this through cloud-based services or specific and special ports that the company may be working on.

There is still no specific information on what will happen regarding the other franchises owned by Activision Blizzard, including Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. Nevertheless, due to the new and significant relationship, the titles are expected to continue to be available on the platform.

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Taclia announced its successful investment round of over €6 million from Cusp Capital and Stage 2 Capital. The startup in Barcelona offers small and medium-sized businesses a free management platform to simplify their daily processes. 

What makes Taclia unique is that the platform combines functionalities that cover essential business operations, such as service and appointment scheduling, customer tracking, budget and invoice creation, real-time employee location, and time and attendance tracking. The tool helps its ever-growing customer base to digitize their businesses by simplifying tasks, improving productivity, and increasing efficiency.

Winning over an average of 500 new customers per week, Taclia has quickly become one of the fastest-growing management software programs. Product-led growth drives customer engagement and value without needing a salesperson. 

Taclia aims to become a global service

Alex Casals, founder and CEO of Taclia, is grateful to have obtained the backing of the renowned investors: "Cusp Capital and Stage 2 Capital have identified Taclia's strong potential, which encourages us to keep working to make our platform the perfect ally for businesses, easy to use and fully customizable." Taclia plans to use the newly obtained financial means to improve the product further, grow its team, and scale worldwide. 

Backed by Cusp Capital and Stage 2 Capital: both funds see great potential for Taclia. Cusp Capital, is a German investment fund known for investing in companies such as Zalando, Delivery Hero, and Klarna, has turned its attention to Taclia. 

Maximilian Rowoldt, Cusp Capital investor, is excited to accompany Taclia on its journey to become the ultimate global technology solution for business: "At Cusp Capital, we are convinced that software solutions covering all essential business functions will revolutionize business. By using Taclia, companies can operate at new levels of speed and cost and address challenges such as labor shortages through greater efficiency."

Barcelona, a start-up heaven 

There are currently around 1,900 'startups' in Catalonia, with most of them concentrated in Barcelona and following a growth of almost 75% since 2016, according to the Barcelona and Catalonia Startup Hub. The autonomous capital has a deep-rooted tradition in these companies, within the health technology sector, and is boosted by grants from the Catalan government and its universities.

Barcelona's startup network has been diversifying into other sectors, such as mobility and sustainability, thanks to the support and capital provided by numerous investors. At the same time, the city has experienced the arrival of several fintech (financial technology) companies from London, tempted by the better post-Brexit banking conditions, the good weather, or the lower cost of living.

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Disney will layoff 7,000 employees, which translates into 3.6% of its total workforce worldwide. This decision is part of its cost-cutting plan that will also affect its content divisions.

This was announced by Bob Iger, the company's chief executive, in a call with analysts to comment on the results of the first quarter of its fiscal year, in which it earned 1,279 million dollars (1,196.2 million euros), a 16% year-on-year increase. 

According to Bloomberg, the company's chief executive also said the restructuring would save $5.5 billion (5.1 billion euros) in costs.

Bob Iger's plan is to reorganize the company into three segments dealing with broader areas of products and services. 

The media and  entertainment giant would now be made up of three divisions:

• Disney Entertainment, which includes most of its streaming and media operations

• An ESPN division that includes the TV network and the ESPN+ streaming service

• A Parks, Experiences, and Products unit, which will include cruise ships and merchandise shops

The move marks the most significant action Bob Iger has taken since returning to the company as CEO in November. Disney announced the changes minutes after it posted its most recent quarterly earnings. The announcements also come as Disney engages in a proxy fight with activist investor Nelson Peltz and his firm Trian Management.

“We are pleased that Disney is listening,” a Trian spokesperson said Wednesday.

Iger said the changes are aimed at improving profit margins and are part of the transformation the company has embraced in recent years, including a strengthening of its franchises and the development of its online content platform.

Disney+ in red numbers 

In the presentation of its quarterly results, the company reported a loss of 2.4 million subscribers to its Disney+ streaming service. It indicated it was making a loss, although it did not quantify it. Thus, within this sector, streaming content earned 5.3 billion dollars (4.94 billion euros) but had operating losses of 1.1 billion dollars (1.025 billion euros) due, above all, to the losses of Disney+.

The technology sector is in the midst of a wave of layoffs, and more and more companies are announcing job cuts. 

Amazon alone (18,000 redundancies), Microsoft (10,000), and Alphabet, Google's parent company (12,000), have made 40,000 employees redundant so far this year. Facebook's parent company Meta also announced 11,000 redundancies in November last year, affecting 13% of its workforce.

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Spotify layoff was announced Monday and would impact over 6% of its global workforce to reduce costs, joining technology companies such as Amazon and Microsoft in cutting staff in the face of a slowing global economy.

In a letter to employees posted on the company's website, the company's CEO, Daniel Ek, took full responsibility for the job cuts, which he called "difficult but necessary."

"Like many other leaders, I expected to hold off the strong tailwinds of the pandemic and believed that our broad global business and the lower risk of the impact of a slowdown in announcements would insulate us. In hindsight, I was overly ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth," he said.

The Stockholm-based music streaming company had about 9,800 employees worldwide as of September 30.

More than 46,000 workers in U.S.-based tech companies have been laid off in mass job cuts so far in 2023, according to a Crunchbase News tally, and the year is just getting started. That number includes Microsoft's 10,000-person cut and Google parent Alphabet's 12,000-person layoff announcements this week.

Spotify layoff is part of the Big Tech crisis

As explained by Business Insider, only a year ago, at this time, the Big Tech sector was euphoric. Technology stocks were soaring. The number of employees at many large companies nearly doubled during the pandemic crisis. 

Workers were enjoying rising wages and a glut of job opportunities, leading to the phenomenon known as the 'great resignation' and a resurgence of employee empowerment. 

However, with persistent inflation and the hawkish attitude of the Federal Reserve, the economic outlook has been worsening severely. Many economists and business leaders are now predicting that a downturn is coming; the big question is how deep it will be.

Executives at the largest technology companies are in an anxious waiting game, bracing for the storm's arrival. 

"We seem to be facing a new stage: the 'big doubt,'" says Keith Hwang, a director at technology investment fund Selcouth Capital Management. "No one is entirely clear how bad the crisis will be. No one can predict the actual impact. Based on that, we see many companies trying, first and foremost, to cut costs significantly in the face of doubt," he explains.

Overall, the crisis is due to a combination of over-expending and miscalculations on how much will contract the digital economy once the Covid artificial boost of e-commerce is over. So far, no one knows how much - or how bad - things will continue to go in the Big Tech and e-commerce world. But one thing seems sure: 2023 won’t be a good year.  

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Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are web applications that aim to provide a native app-like experience to users. Among their many benefits, PWAs have become the go-to solution for many global brands wishing to have a successful e-commerce experience. 

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But why? What makes PWAs so efficient for e-commerce? Today we want to look at the Progressive Web Apps and what this technology can offer to our brands and business online! 

What are the Progressive Web Apps? 

The Progressive Web Apps are web applications built to provide native app-like capabilities while remaining capable of further improvement. 

They are built using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and can be accessed through a web browser like any other website. 

In fact, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) do not need to be installed in the traditional sense precisely because they are accessed through a web browser like any other website. 

However, they can be "installed" on the home screen of a device, which creates an icon that allows the user to launch the app like a native app.

Installing a PWA is usually done through the browser's "Add to Homescreen" feature, which the user can access through the browser menu or by prompting the user to install the app. Once the app is installed, it will appear on the home screen alongside native apps and can be launched by tapping the icon.

It's worth noting that installing a PWA on the home screen does not install the app on the device in the same way that a native app is installed. Instead, it creates a shortcut that opens the app in the browser when launched. However, the app will still function like a native app, with features such as offline support and push notifications.

However, PWAs have several features that make them more like native apps, such as the ability to work offline, receive push notifications, and be installed on the home screen of a device.

Why are PWAs a game-changer for e-commerce? 

In the e-commerce industry, PWAs can be particularly useful because they offer several benefits over traditional native apps and mobile websites. Here are some reasons why PWAs may be a good choice for e-commerce businesses:

1. Improved performance: PWAs are designed to be fast and responsive, which is important for providing a good user experience. They use caching and other techniques to minimize the need for network requests and reduce loading times. This can be particularly beneficial for users with slow internet connections or limited data plans.

2. Enhanced user experience: PWAs offer many of the same features as native apps, such as the ability to work offline and receive push notifications. This can improve the overall user experience and make it more convenient for users to interact with the app.

3. Increased conversion rates: PWAs have been shown to increase conversion rates for e-commerce businesses. This is likely due to their improved performance and enhanced user experience, which makes it easier for users to browse and purchase products.

4. Better search engine visibility: PWAs are treated as regular websites by search engines, meaning they can be indexed and appear in search results. This can be a significant advantage for e-commerce businesses, as it allows them to reach a wider audience and increase traffic to their site.

5. Lower development and maintenance costs: A native app can be costly and time-consuming. PWAs, on the other hand, can be developed and maintained more efficiently, as they use the same technologies as regular websites. This can result in significant cost savings for businesses.

6. Greater reach: PWAs can be accessed on any device with a web browser, which means that they have the potential to reach a much wider audience than native apps. This is especially important for e-commerce businesses, as it allows them to reach customers on various platforms and devices.

7. Easy to update: PWAs can be updated simply by updating the website. Businesses can make changes and improvements to the app without going through the lengthy app store review process. This allows for faster iteration and the ability to respond more quickly to user feedback.

In summary, PWAs can be a valuable tool for e-commerce businesses because they offer improved performance, enhanced user experience, increased conversion rates, better search engine visibility, lower development and maintenance costs, greater reach, and easy updates. 

If you are considering building an e-commerce app, it may be worth considering a PWA as an alternative to a native app.

The post Progressive Web Apps: the future of e-commerce? appeared first on Cross-Border Magazine.

Google Chrome aims at becoming smarter and more efficient in its results, by using advanced Machine Learning. With the main objective of making its Chrome browser more useful - and providing users with secure and adapted browsing - Google is incorporating new features that the company claims, will make the search engine much more intelligent. 

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Google Chrome Machine Learning 

To this end, Google will continue to make progress in the implementation of machine learning. Some of the new features that have been announced in this regard are:

Reducing annoying ads

Through Chrome's Safe Browsing feature, Google has reported that it is now able to identify 2.5 times more sites that are potentially malicious. This is thanks to a machine learning model that protects users more. 

Adaptive button 

On the other hand, after a year of testing, Google Chrome's adaptive button has finally been made official. It is a button that will use machine learning to adjust the navigation toolbar in real time. This will allow users to be shown the action that is most useful at each moment of their search.

Whether the user wants to do a voice search, open a new tab or share a link, Chrome will be able to learn which option each user uses most at each moment of the day, adapting to their habits and then offering customized adjustments. 

The button will be available to users soon. However, in a short time, each user will be capable of activating it manually using Chrome's experimental functions.

Less interrupted browsing

Finally, Google has also announced that in the next version of Chrome, notification permission requests will be much less annoying, to make browsing more convenient for users. 

Through machine learning, Chrome will be able to predict when it might be interesting for a person to be prompted by an app to receive notifications. This takes into account how the user has previously acted in response to such requests.

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