Dallas-Fort Worth Airlines leading the charge towards Inflight WiFi

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Soon, “Airplane Mode” on your laptops and mobile devices may become a thing of the past. More and more airlines are introducing inflight WiFi, according to the 2018 WiFi Report by Routehappy, a flight shopping platform. The Report found that 82 airlines worldwide now offer inflight WiFi. That’s 12 more airlines compared to last year. “Two years ago, there was only a one in three chance you would board a flight with Wi-Fi,” said Jonathan Savitch, Routehappy’s chief commercial officer. Now, it’s almost a 50% chance.

Not only is inflight WiFi becoming more common, it is also getting faster and more advanced. WiFi systems are categorized into three types: basic, better, and best.  Airlines are increasingly moving away from basic connectivity – with no streaming media capability – to the “better” category which allows for web browsing and limited media streaming.  57 percent of WiFi systems are using “better” connectivity. The “best” WiFi system consists of satellite-based broadband service that allows for video streaming and is comparable to your WiFi connection at home. While only 16 percent of inflight WiFi systems currently have “best” connectivity, it’s already a 129 percent increase from last year and the shift from “better” to “best” connectivity isn’t slowing down. Jason Rabinowitz, director of airline research at Routehappy, said, “It is now likely that Wi-Fi at 32,000 feet may be cheaper and faster than the WiFi at many airports.”

86% of carriers in the United States offer full or partial inflight WiFi, with Dallas-Fort Worth airlines leading the charge. Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, is  one of only three carriers in the world that guarantees inflight WiFI on all of its flights. The other two are Icelandair and Virgin Atlantic. Routehappy also measured inflight WiFi availability by Available Seat Miles (ASM) which determines airline capacity. The Report found that Fort Worth-based American Airlines ranked second only to Delta in terms of most ASMs with inflight WiFi. Both American and Southwest have committed to upgrading its WiFi systems to become faster and more reliable.

The United States’ leadership in the inflight WiFi market isn’t guaranteed, however. Savitch said, “When we look at this from a long-haul perspective, we see where the next battleground is. Emirates has the lion’s share.” Last year, Emirates had included WiFi connectivity on its fleet rollout of Boeing 777s. Lufthansa is also catching up with its introduction of a hybrid satellite and LTE connectivity for its narrow-body fleet.

Inflight WiFi in the United States has come a long way but there is still room for improvement. Are you working on innovative ways to improve WiFi connectivity on American flight carriers and helping the United States maintain its position as a leader in aerospace travel? Your efforts could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you could receive up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Real Estate and Virtual Reality Makes the Phrase “Well this doesn’t look anything like the pictures” Obsolete

dining kitchen safety

As Americans are increasingly transient and moving across states and cities, many just don’t have the time to trek out and scope potential properties. Virtual reality can change that, with a growing number of real estate agents adopting the technology and offering potential buyers a chance to view their future home without even stepping foot on the property.

Martha Johnson, a real estate agent in Dunkirk, MD with EXIT 1 Stop Realty, uses VR regularly with her clients. She records properties, with the listing agent’s permission of course, on a 360-degree camera and stores those videos on a secure online portal for her clients. She also provides them with VR goggles which are connected to a smartphone app so that her clients can take a tour of the property from wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling.

Johnson first learned about the technology during a seminar in North Carolina, where another real estate agent had used virtual reality to assist members of the military relocate and find a new home. She said, “They get their orders and they know ’OK, well in so much time, a few months, I’ve got to be here.’ But, if they’re halfway across the country, or in Germany for that matter, it’s very hard to go look at houses.” Connie Stommel, broker and owner of EXIT 1 Stop Realty, asserted the technology is helpful for those who do not live in the area: “Especially for people that are overseas or long distance, they’re coming in from a different state, so it’s definitely a wonderful tool to be able to offer.” Robert Brown of Cornerstone Real Estate Professionals is also a proponent of virtual reality. “It’s a huge plus, having out-of-state buyers being so familiar with the property before they even get here,” he said. Some buyers have even made an offer before stepping onto the physical property.

For those within a local radius, virtual reality is helpful for busy families and professionals who don’t have lot of time to spare to commute to different properties. The virtual tour is often more efficient than a physical walkthrough. Johnson said, “[Virtual reality] takes me maybe seven minutes in a house. If you’re out with the client, you’re in the house probably for 30 [minutes].” Before virtual reality “a lot of times, in my experience, they walk in and they go ‘Well this doesn’t look anything like the pictures, ’” she explained. Now, clients can’t say that anymore.

Experimenting with virtual reality for real estate and other industries? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% on your research expenses.  To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

ProUnitas: Using Data to Help Students Succeed

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How can technology help mitigate the ongoing challenges that schools and students face both in and outside of the classroom? With poverty, hunger, homelessness, and other non-academic issues creating barriers to success in low-income neighborhoods, experts are acutely aware that schools are not always equipped to deal with these forces. Andrew Cunningham, Global Education Advisor at Aga Khan Foundation, said, “In many communities, Coca-Cola knows their supply chain better than the local education officials [know their] kids.” To provide schools with more knowledge and better forecasting tools, ProUnitas was founded by Adeeb Barqawi in Houston.

Barqawi was working with Teach for America at Kashmere High School in 2014 when he witnessed firsthand the impact of these issues on student success. During his experience there, he noted, “I was ready to teach, but my kids walked in hungry, or had mental health issues, but our school counselors were overwhelmed.” Located in a low-income neighborhood in Houston, Kashmere High School was designated as an “Improvement Required” school at the time. Counselors and teachers would often go above and beyond to help their students but the result was typically staff burnout or a lack of institutional memory when a teacher or counselor left the school. Barqawi explained that the problem wasn’t individual teachers or counselors; the problem was systematic: “We cannot build schools on superheroes.”

Part of the problem is lack of accessibility to resources. Kashmere High School’s former principal Reginald Bush said, “When you make a comparison, a school with the services versus the school without, one is going to be a higher-performing school, one is going to be a lower-performing school.” To help students get access to these services, ProUnitas gathers data to help the school identify the needs of their students sooner. It measures key metrics on a weekly basis: attendance, in-school behavior, and satisfactory homework performance. If the system finds a student deviates from any of the categories, a ProUnitas counselor visits the student and uncovers the cause of the behavior change, such as death in the family, homelessness, lack of clothing, and so on. From there, the counselor could connect the student with the necessary resources, whether it is mentorship, food services, health services, counselling, and others.

Because of its data approach, ProUnitas’ platform allows the school to keep track of a student’s progress instead of relying on an individual teacher’s memory. Its rationalized strategy to delivering services to at-risk students helps allot resources more efficiently. Albert Wei, Director of Partnerships and Special Projects at ProUnitas, acknowledged, “We couldn’t rely on a haphazard collection of programs to serve students’ needs. There needed to be coordination and someone analyzing feedback to see if and how students were impacted.” Because of its approach, ProUnitas is having a major impact on Kashmere High School, with the school only two students’ test scores away from no longer having the “Improvement Required” designation. Barqawi hopes to one day apply the scalable technology nationwide.

Are you building and innovating software to improve at-risk schools and help students overcome barriers to success? Your experiments could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes.  

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

 

 

Coco – The Pixar movie that blends art and technical advancement

Disney

From Toy Story to Inside Out, Pixar Studios has become a universally acclaimed, visually-stunning storyteller of animation. But less known is the sheer amount of innovation, problem-solving, and laborious commitment needed to achieve Pixar’s ground-breaking heights. The company’s upcoming film Coco was a testament to this, where Pixar encountered quite a few new technical challenges that had to be overcome with new solutions.

Coco follows the story of Miguel, a young Mexican boy with aspirations to become a musician. However, after his great-great-grandfather left the family to pursue a career as a musician, the family forbade music and discouraged Miguel’s dreams. All this changes when Miguel is thrust into the Land of the Dead on Dia de los Muertos (the Mexican holiday known as Day of the Dead). He embarks on a journey back to the land of the living, searching for his great-great-grandfather in the process.

Because the story takes place in the Land of the Dead, animators faced a number of setbacks. For one, skeletons comprised a major component of the story and Pixar had to come up with a way for the skeletons to move in a convincing yet distinct manner from humans made up of muscles and flesh. Gini Santos, one of the supervising animators on Coco, said, “Over the years we’ve spent so much time and research figuring out our human characters and how their skin squashes and stretches, so this totally broke the rules for us. We knew with skeletons that all of a sudden, those boundaries of something organic are gone — the skin, the muscles, the tendons. And if there’s nothing holding it together, what can you do with bones?” To render each skeleton unique, the animators had to design distinctive movements for each skeleton to reflect their individual personalities. Animators, moreover, diverged from conventional skeleton designs by giving each a set of eyes and clothing.

According to International Business Times, each skeleton was composed of about 127 bones, 80 of which were visible while the remaining bones were covered by clothing. Manual painting of the bones was out of the question due to the large number of bones involved and consequently, a special software was needed. Initially, the company tested using Presto, the same software used for its film Brave (2012), but this couldn’t handle the requirements of Coco. Clothes would get tangled in-between bones and did not achieve the animators’ desired look. Instead, the developers tested a new program where negative spaces could be filled in more efficiently and the bones on the characters’ arms and legs were better infused. This helped orient the clothes on the bones in a more natural way.

Pixar also had to tackle lighting challenges. The Land of the Dead was elaborately designed with a multitude of nooks, crevices, and cracks that needed to be filled with lights of varying gradients. At least seven million individual lights had to be incorporated on the film, ranging from pin lights, plaza lights, street lights, and so forth. A computer could not process all these individual lights without a boost from special coding. Pixar programmers, adopting a practice from The Good Dinosaur (2015),  developed a code whereby the different lights could be grouped into fifteen types, making it more manageable for the computer to process than seven million individual lights.

Are you a software company experimenting with different codes to improve animation like Pixar’s efforts? Did you know your trials could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your research expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

Malibu Poké in Dallas: the seafood restaurant where they’ll never forget your face (thanks to their facial recognition technology)

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Seafood lovers mark November 28, 2017 off your calendars because Malibu Poké is opening up in Dallas’ Turtle Creek Village! Fans and new converts to poké, a raw fish salad originating from the beaches of Hawaii (and not the physical act of poking someone), are expected to flock to the new location. While the Lone Star State is known more for steak and red meats, the seafood trend is exploding throughout North Texas, with the region already boasting nearly 6,284 poké restaurants. But what makes Malibu Poké different? The answer, according to TJ’s Seafood Market & Grill owner Jon Alexis: a tasty product and state-of-the-art tech, including facial recognition technology.

Malibu Poké is a quick-serve concept, committed to delivering high quality food quickly and efficiently. To do this, the new Dallas location has installed self-serve kiosks which are embedded with facial recognition technology so that the machines can “remember” a guest’s order history. With these kiosks, Alexis hopes that long lines and wait times would be reduced so that orders bring the freshest foods. The self-serve kiosks would also help guests build customized poke bowls and get more nutritional information about ingredients. For those who prefer human interaction, there will always be a Malibu “Poké-Pro” to assist guests.

Aside from its state-of-the-art technology, the restaurant’s menu crafted by FT33’s Chef Matt McCallister is set to be taste-bud pleaser. Alexis said, “Quite simply, it’s a better bowl of poké—the ‘fishmonger’s poké.’ Our emphasis is on freshness, nutrition, and sustainability. Matt’s menu clearly differentiates us from Dallas’ other poké.” In addition to “classic” poke, the menu will offer “even bolder flavors such as smoked bonito aioli, yellow curry, Japanese sancho pepper, Asian pear, daikon, marinated shiitake mushrooms and more.” Malibu Poké is committed to using high quality ingredients, sourcing them from local farms where possible, as well as ensuring healthy eating with its 100% gluten free policy and vegan options.

“Malibu Poke has become so much more than we originally envisioned. With creative input from Matt and my super passionate partners, we have created something truly unique,” said Alexis.

Are you experimenting with developing a delicious seafood menu or combining technology in your restaurant business? You could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and can receive up to 14% back on your expenses.  To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or try our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes.  

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative

 

A Safety Heads-Up – Texas Instruments aims to make HUDs technology even better with DLP chip

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Fighter pilots don’t need to take their eyes off the sky in a dogfight just to check speed or fuel levels displayed on the plane’s instrument panel, thanks to a technology that displays the information on the pilot’s visor. Now, automakers are applying a similar technology to luxury cars with the new Head-Up Display (HUD). Pertinent information like car speed is projected on the windshield so drivers can keep their eyes on the road.

Texas Instruments has partnered with Lincoln to improve and implement this new technology. While other automakers use LCD to build their HUDs, Texas Instruments developed a Digital Light Processing (DLP) chip for Lincoln’s HUDs.  LCDs are big and take up the size of the windshield. In contrast, DLP chip-based HUDs are easier to install since they are smaller. These HUDs also use less power and are more durable, withstanding temperatures as cold as -40 to as hot as 221 degrees. It is also faster at projecting images, making it useful for real-time applications. For instance, the HUDs technology could detect a pedestrian walking in the dark and highlight that person to the driver. Lincoln spokeswoman Amanda Park said the HUDs are “visible in more ambient lighting conditions than its competitors, even while the driver is wearing polarized sunglasses, which makes it unique in this segment.” HUDs don’t obstruct driving since images are displayed in a translucent format. Texas Instruments is constantly investigating ways to boost the clarity, brightness, and visibility of the HUDs’ graphics.

Experimenting with HUDs and DLP chips? Did you know that your prototypes even if unsuccessful are eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

 

Trackums: The Pet Tracker so you’ll never lose your furry friend again

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Ever worry that a beloved lost dog or cat will never be found? That’s what happened to David Wareikis, CEO of Bluejay Wireless. Shortly after his marriage to his wife Rockelle, her dog went missing. To the family’s dismay, they were unable to find the lost pet. With the conviction that pets aren’t just animals but family, Wareikis started Trackums, the smart GPS tracker for pets.

The Carrollton-based Trackums launched this year. It offers a unique, modern solution to an old problem of missing pets. Attached to a pet’s collar, Trackums is cellular-based and comes with nationwide GPS tracking so a WiFi or a Bluetooth connection isn’t needed to track the whereabouts of the missing pet. Owners can set up “safe areas” using the Geofencing and Location Alerts feature for when their pets venture off from these safe areas. The device also consists of a virtual ID tag, a safety light, and even a 2 Megapixel camera for pet owners to stalk the secret lives of their pets.  If that’s not secure enough, the device comes with a two-way calling feature so owners can communicate with their pets and if a pet becomes lost, someone can contact the owner directly using Trackums.

Trackums works for all animals, from dogs, cats, bunnies, and even pet rooster. Not only does it provide the state-of-the-art telecommunications technology, it is also built with the pet-proof toughness needed to endure all of your pets’ adventures. Are you experimenting with building new tracking technologies to protect your pets and loved ones? Did you know that your prototypes even if unsuccessful are eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

Vision Loss Assistance in Your Pocket: Dallas Locals are Testing

Image Source: OrCam Media

“I haven’t been able to see even very large print for 20 years” says Neva Fairchild.

Neva Fairchild, a worker from the American Foundation for the Blind’s Center on Vision Loss, suffers with vision loss herself. Also, she manages Esther’s Place, a full designed apartment assisting and making lives easier for people with vision loss. This Dallas location has given comfort to many lives and now calling home to a new product.  The OrCam MyEye is a mounting device for a pair of glasses to assist on daily tasks. In addition, this incredible technology consists of a tiny camera, earpiece, and a clip to the base.

This trending gadget only reads text, but not script, and looks to integrate it the future.

Uniquely, it is as easy as pointing to the text, and the camera will scan and voice respond the words. Having said, The OrCam MyEye allows up to 150 products into its storage and even includes facial recognition.

” Now I know who just entered the room…usually they are required to say something” states Fairchild.  With 100 memorable facial recognitions, users feel at ease identifying  individuals out in public or even at work.

Finally, the product  detects money and different amounts, making shopping and bank trips a breeze.  Therefore, the MyEye wants vision loss patients get back to their daily habits lifting stress off their shoulders.

Currently, the MyEye costs $3500, and Medicare seeks to potentially aid with costs. Unfortunately, at the moment, private insurance does not cover this product.

Currently, research and development for vision loss, is growing with companies investing millions to support.  Also, if you are involved advancing products like this  or simply have a start up, you might be eligible to qualify for R&D Credit.

Therefore, you may receive up to 14% on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

 

Wakening After the Texas Shooting: Apple’s Security

Source: Business Insider

Is Apple’s Security on Its Devices Really Effective?

Unexpectedly, this past Sunday, America lost 26 innocent lives to the shooting in  Sutherland Springs’s church in Texas. After the chaos, the shooter, Devin P. Kelley’ iPhone is found. Hence, brought attention to security and technological issues. After the shooting, the FBI finds difficulty in retrieving any information. Finally, Apple steps in to give a helping hand.

Apple said that it was “shocked and saddened” by the shooting and that it works with law enforcement every day.

Having said, Apple also provides daily support to users for customization in personal security. Over the years Apple innovates new and improved ways to protect user’s information.

However, after the FBI’s news conference on Tuesday, Apple immediately reached a hand out to unlock the phone.  There is still no word on any information from this act.

After retrieving the gunman’s phone, the FBI passed the 48 hour Touch ID function time frame to unlock the phone. From this, they needed Apple’s expertise. In situations like this, law enforcement’s tools and resources need to be ready to retrieve any information.

Recently, Apple’s iPhone X with a new security feature ” Face ID” where invisible facial recognition will protect users. Apple is also charging hundreds more because of the difficulties of individually manufacturing its advanced features. Also, because of its recent launch and delivery on November 3, 2017, there is not enough feedback on consumers’ experience. Apple’s research and development over the years in security has had a mix of reviews, and hopefully, the advancements will be an advantage to law enforcement and consumers.

If you are conducting similar experiments on improving technology such as Apple,  you could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and receive up to 14% on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/technology/texas-gunman-iphone.html

WayBlazer Makes Travel Planning “Smarter” with Artificial Intelligence

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Planning a romantic trip for your partner this upcoming holiday? Maybe a family vacation to a kid-friendly resort? Or perhaps you want to take a solo trip for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure? Whatever your desired destination, we all know travel planning can be a headache. Looking online for the best deals isn’t a walk in the park either. “The average traveler searches over 30 sites before booking,” Terry Jones told Digital Journal. Founder of Travelocity.com and Kayak.com, Jones is keenly aware of the difficulties behind travel planning logistics. To improve the long-winded process, Jones together with Manoj Saxena, former General Manager of IBM Watson Solutions, merged travel planning with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and started WayBlazer.

Founded in 2014, the Austin-based software startup developed an interactive platform for travel companies to help travelers plan their next trip, whether it’s booking the flight, accommodation, tours, and so forth. However, more than just a way to find the cheapest plane tickets or hotel rooms, the AI-driven tool provides contextually relevant recommendations for the user. Unlike traditional computing, AI is able to recognize and communicate in natural languages and can therefore vet out irrelevant keywords to better grasp the kind of experience a traveler is looking for. It can sift through travel reviews, location descriptions, and blogs. Better yet, AI can also comprehend images and videos to gather even more information about a desired location.  Jones explained, “By communicating in natural language, suppliers can derive the consumer’s actual intent in trip planning (i.e. ‘I want to vacation on an island in January for my anniversary’).” WayBlazer’s technology also gets smarter with every use because of AI’s capacity to learn and acquire new knowledge.

The company offers its AI platform to existing travel companies. Most recently, Fareportal, the company behind CheapOair and OneTravel, partnered with WayBlazer and after a trial, the company was pleased with the AI technology. Fareportal founder and CEO Sam S. Jain said, “Using their artificial intelligence product to optimize our hotel offerings, we’ve seen significant improvements in engagement on our website and an average conversion lift of 10% for hotel bookings.” Notably, WayBlazer isn’t out to replace human travel agents just yet. Jones asserted that it can be used by humans. For one, the AI can help human travel agents better answer their clients’ requests, especially the more difficult ones.

Because of its ingenuity, WayBlazer received the “Top Innovator” and “People’s Choice” Awards at the Lion’s Den’s “Digital Meets Travel” competition in 2017.

Are you a software company seeking to incorporate Artificial Intelligence to improve existing software? Did you know that your experiments with AI, even if unsuccessful, are eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today.

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE credits as well as CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.