Technology

Washing machine technology of the future

Here at Smart Cow, we do love a bit of technology and when we saw this latest innovation from Panasonic we felt it needed to be shared.

At this year’s IFA in Berlin, the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, Panasonic unveiled a prototype concept for a washing machine that not only washes clothes, but dries and folds them. Its technology is so intuitive that you don’t have to spend time sorting through the washing as a robotic arm scans the label on each item and decides how it needs to be washed.

So, while the ‘Sustainable Maintainer’ might take some time yet before we see it in shops, it is a great example of how companies are working to create products that encompass artificial intelligence, robotics and the internet of things (IoT). It also gives us a little glimpse into the future.

Source: Dezeen.com

Coffee shop, bar and restaurant operators find opportunities with freelancers, SMEs and start ups by offering free & fast Wi-Fi

Often known as the ‘Third Space’, the local coffee shop offers a place away from the office or from home. It provides the opportunity for collaboration and brainstorming or simply a chance for to think. But, most importantly for freelancers, start ups and SMEs alike it’s somewhere to run a business from.

Research has revealed that more than a quarter (27%) of UK small business owners work from coffee shops rather than their usual office space*. Shared or co-working workspaces have cottoned on to the fact that a buzzing, cool and trendy coffee shop fronting the paid for members only workspace areas can entice new customers through the door, not only for coffee but it acts as a way to attract sign ups for permanent membership.

Whether simple café or co-working space coffee shop, what these spaces have in common is a Wi-Fi hotspot. You can have the best small batch coffee on the high street, perfectly smashed Avo on toast and vegan friendly protein balls but if you don’t have Wi-Fi, that’s either public or easy to register with, then you may as well say goodbye to enticing new customers through the door during the pre- or post-lunch period.

But, it’s not just the local coffee shop that can benefit, small business owners also work from restaurants (14%) and bars (11%)*.

If you’re a small business or start up in the local area, then Croydon has some new co-working spaces to explore such as Tomorrow (which includes Byte Café) and The Exchange Workspace at Matthews Yard. Plus, check out independent coffee shops such as Crushed Bean and Smoothbean. Even the Cronx bar, based in the new BoxPark, has tapped into this opportunity and has mobile and laptop plug points dotted all around the shipping container interior.

So, what are you waiting for. If you’re a freelancer or start up go and explore the spaces to work in Croydon. And, if you’re a café, bar or restaurant in the area, think about tapping into these potential new customers to boost pre- or post-lunch sales.

An introduction to Prezi

This is an introduction to Prezi an alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

What is Prezi

Prezi can give a dynamic looking format to your presentations it allows you to zoom in and out around a presentation. The creation process is really very simple and this can all be done for free at Prezi.Com.

There is a premium version that allows you to have a desktop version of the software and this removes the logo from the presentations. However, we found the presentations to work just as good on the free version.

Give it a go

Prezi differs from PowerPoint in that you are able to zoom around the presentation on one screen, essentially there is only really one slide. You can embed text images video PDF you can also spin the page around which can give you quite a sea sick feeling if you do it too often.

However even though viewing around the page is quite dynamic you are not able to fly images in as you can collect how point presentation.  But we think it is an excellent alternative and something quite different to grab the imagination.

Digital marketing agency Surrey

If you need a helping hand with your digital marketing strategy, get in touch with us at Smart Cow Digital Marketing for expert advice on how to conduct an effective digital marketing campaign!

Services we offer include web design and development, SEO, Pay Per Click (PPC), social media management through to CRM and marketing automation.