Category: Products

Which Microsoft Azure Services Should You Pick for Your Next Application?

Miley on March 7, 2019

Microsoft Azure, which started its journey as Windows Azure in 2008, is now a digital force to reckon in the cloud computing space. It is one among the enterprise-grade cloud computing platforms that offer the trinity of cloud services – Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) under one roof. Each service has several offerings within it making Azure a vast sea of cloud-based services.

Image Credit: Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure also supports a number of third-party systems, programming languages, and frameworks under its ambit of offerings. Additionally, there are 600+ Azure services covering mobile, storage, data management, messaging, CDN, media services, computing and much more. Even the Internet of Things and Machine Learning are available under the Microsoft Azure platform.

In other words, it is a one-stop-shop for digital enterprises that want agility, flexibility, and quick scalability. But, the sheer range of services offered by Microsoft Azure makes it difficult to pick the right service for a business. Also, Microsoft being a continuous innovator keeps changing and updating its Azure offerings on a regular basis. So, a choice made based on last month’s study may not prove to be the right one today.

Although it is challenging, it is not impossible to pick the right Microsoft Azure service. Like any decision-making related to IT, the right Azure service can also be selected for your business by seeking answers to a few specific questions.

How much control do you need?

Each Azure service offers a slightly different degree of control over infrastructure, application calling, load balances and so on.

Image Credit: Microsoft Azure

IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service) offers Azure Container Services and Azure Virtual Machines. They provide maximum control but also require you to take care of the updates and infrastructure maintenance. Even ensuring security for the applications would fall on your shoulders. IaaS would prove to be a good choice if you want to run development and test modules, need high-power computing or run isolated applications.

PaaS (platform-as-a-service) gives you control over the applications, all the data and how it will run. But, you will have no control over the operating system nor do you have the responsibility of controlling it.

The last one, software as a service offers very little control over the infrastructure. But, you will be able to derive maximum business value out of the system using applications built and maintained by someone else.

Where do you want to run your application?

Azure offers an elaborate cloud setup that can accommodate all your application requirements. But, there could be instances when you have to strike a balance of utilizing Azure Cloud as well as public cloud facilities.

If you want the application to run purely on Azure, then you have to opt for services like Azure Stack, Azure Public Cloud, or on-premises.

The extent of application usage

The extent of your application usage is another decisive factor in your choice of Azure service. Your application could be running round the clock (like a website) or could be a serverless application that runs on request. The infrastructure requirements for both scenarios are different.

In the always-on mode, you need to pick the classic model which has to be maintained and paid on a monthly basis. It will prove to be a good fit for applications that need to be up and running round the clock, like an online store or a customer service portal, etc. where customers are expected to check in at any time.

But, if your application is used rarely or during specific times which can be predicted, as a background application, then the serverless model is recommended. It is also charged on a monthly basis, so you won’t have to pay much to use the resources on a random basis.

Match your service functionalities to the app requirements

Apart from the control and usage, you also have to consider the functionalities each service offers to make the right choice. For instance, IaaS offers functionalities like VM ScaleSet, Virtual Machines, and Container Service. Platform as a Service offers App Service, Cloud Service, and Service Fabric. App Service will fit better for CMS like WordPress, Umbraco, Joomla, Drupal, and the likes. If running microservices is your requirement, Service Fabric which offers round the clock availability, containers, multi-cloud support, and scalability should be your choice.

The Final Choice

Making the right choice from the vast spectrum of Azure services is not an easy task. You will have to figure out all your requirements elaborately and in fine detail to find the right fit. In fact, there are several other types of requirement categories that you can explore like, analytics using Azure, securing applications using Azure, running applications using Azure and so on.

What we have explained above should help you get around making a fine choice of Azure services.

Author Bio

Digital Marketing Manager with 7 years of experience. Passionate about the latest trends in Digital Marketing, Technology, Cloud Computing, Healthcare Development, and App Development.

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Applying Automation Testing on Real Devices Vs. Emulators

Miley on March 5, 2019

There are a few differences between automated testing on real devices versus emulators. Majority of the companies consult automation testing companies for this purpose. Let’s do a comparison to evaluate the best way for your company to take with respect to your test automation practices.

Keeping this scenario in mind, we are presenting you the list of pro and cons of automated testing on real devices and emulators.

Benefits of Real Devices

Testing actual world situations (network, location and weather etc.) are very simple and offer a deeper understanding of app functioning in various situations.
Picture brightness in various lighting scenarios, screen resolution etc. can be very easily tested.
Interoperability testing is much simpler with a real device.
Device performance is quicker than conforming virtual frameworks. This means that assessing app performance will produce more accurate outcomes.

Drawbacks of Real Devices

Conducting automated tests on actual devices is a relatively expensive affair, which would hinder projects that are restricted by time and budget
Because of the wide range of platforms and devices, it is difficult to efficiently carry out testing in a limited time period
In the app development phase for unit testing, actual devices are very difficult to link to the Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in comparison with emulators, which would stifle the project.

Benefits of Emulators

In the circumstances with extreme deadline pressure, attaining access to actual devices might be difficult. Therefore, emulators serve as a realistic alternative for testing in such scenarios.
Budget constraints can influence the team’s decision to capitalize on actual devices. Virtual environments help to save time and money by permitting testers to continue with their tasks without spending on devices that may not be completely suitable for the specific tests they want to implement.
Emulators are easily downloadable and open source.
Web app testing can be done conveniently with the emulators.

Drawbacks of Emulators

For protracted periods of evaluation, emulators are not suitable because protracted usage can be evaluated best on an actual device.
The costs perhaps increase when your team notices that their emulator may be unsuited with certain app elements or apps. In such scenarios, they might require to invest in software patches to enable testing to continue.
Perhaps the emulators support just a restricted number of mobile operating systems. This could render them useless in many scenarios.

After summarizing the pros and cons of everything, let us have a quick overview of some testing tools for the Android platform. This is the most famous mobile operating system these days and has an obvious option to consider.

MonkeyRunner: A famous tool where tests are developed in Python, MonkeyRunner can perform tests on both emulators and real devices. However, an important constraint in this tool is that you are required to write scripts for every device. Moreover, the test requires to be changed every time there’s a modification to the UI of the program being tested.

Ranorex: Can offer wide-ranging reports and pictures. However, the element search facility is a little inactive.

Robotium: Robotium is known as “Selenium for Android” which is a free UI testing tool. Nevertheless, you are required to allocate time with program source code to run your test automation suite. This is not completely suitable for interacting with system software.

Appium Automation framework: Utilizes the WebDriver interface to perform tests, and supports numerous programming languages and mobile web browser testing. Nevertheless, its reporting facility is not appropriately implemented.

In the light of the above discussion, QA teams are required to measure their own project necessities and decide what amalgamation of real devices and emulators would best suit their requirements for a given app, and what sacrifices they would be willing to make when selecting a test automation tool.

Author Bio

Ray Parker is a senior marketing consultant with a knack for writing about the latest news in tech, quality assurance, software development, and travel. With a decade of experience working in the tech industry, ray now dabbles out of his New York office.

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The Secret Ingredient In The Online Dating Market With A Tinder Clone App

Miley on March 5, 2019

Modern technology is bringing a record change in the relationship between man and machine which is also impacting our interpersonal relationships. Sending hand-written letters to friends or loved ones has almost gained vintage status. The main reason behind this is the abundance of electronic tools redefining our communication modes.

A similar change can also be seen in our dating life as people are seeking out partners in the virtual space. This is leading to rhetoric popularity of dating apps. If you are thinking of devising a dating app, then you can walk in the footsteps of Tinder – the pioneer of such services.

Tinder gained an edge over its competitor apps with the revolutionary left swipe for dislike and right swipe for like. People previously felt shy while venturing into the world of online dating. The gaming spirit of Tinder is gaining an edge over this stigma. Keeping such a thing in mind, we have come up with a dossier containing the main causes of its success and things you need to keep in mind while building a similar app.

Stand Out Features of Tinder

You can log onto Tinder either through your phone number or Facebook ID. The basic information gathered from Facebook buffers its users from having to undergo a time-taking form-filling process while creating a profile.
Users can add a display picture and some brief information after their profile gets auto-filled. Usually, the Tinder profiles contain information pertaining to age, location, mutual interest, and mutual Facebook friends.
Proximity has an important role to play in applications like Tinder. People have an affinity of connecting with others living in nearby localities. This makes geolocation an extremely critical functionality in a tinder clone script.
Swipe is a unique value proposition of Tinder making the date fixation process an extremely entertaining affair.
Users of Tinder can adjust their discovery settings in accordance with gender, age, and distance. However, the search radius of a user stays limited to 10 miles while using the free version.
App developers cannot coerce users to interact with fellow users unless they share mutual likes. Thus, users can begin chatting with each other only after the match is made. Once the private chat window is opened, users can share messages, GIFs and even emoji to vouch for their feeling.
Tinder keeps on notifying its users about new app updates and matches which might suit their preference. This helps in maintaining user engagement and ensuring frequent returns.
The Snapchat and Instagram profiles of Tinder users can be integrated with their Snapchat and Instagram account for generating more interactions and conversations.

You can stand out in the online dating market by adding in a few more special features in your open source tinder clone like the following:

Implementation of advanced artificial intelligence algorithms which help in understanding the individual preferences of users for better results.

Spam messages can bring down the reputation of an application. Your dating app clone can have a spam detector in place for sending notifications to users whenever the same message is forwarded to multiple users simultaneously.
You can add to the credibility of your app by generating a risk score while signing up. Artificial intelligence helps in delivering a risk score by conducting ID verification. This feature brings down all chances of catfishing to create a safe online dating environment.

Apparently, most of these tinder clone script apps are available for free. In spite of that, there is a big opportunity for monetizing the same:

Freemium – This provides limited access to app users. They have to shell out an extra amount for availing the premium options like sensing GIFs or custom emoji’s in messages. OkCupid is an open source tinder clone which offers its users with paid boosts. This leads to more matches and higher profile matches.

Paid Subscriptions – This highly popular monetization method comes with a time ceiling which could be monthly, quarterly and even yearly. However, it is advisable to adopt a subscription strategy once the app has gained sufficient recognition. Tinder, for example, has launched two highly popular Tinder Gold and Tinder Plus schemes. These plans allow its users to rewind their actions for changing accidental swipes. Some other paid Tinder features are Super likes, unlimited swipes, smart photos, location change, boost, and others.

Advertisements – If your app has a large number of non-paying users, then in-app advertising can serve as a lucrative money-making option. Native advertising can be of great help in such scenarios as it adheres to the app functionality. Such apps shouldn’t meddle with the seamless experience of users as doing otherwise can lead to mass uninstallations.

Gifts – Users can even buy chocolate, teddies and greeting cards as a token of affection for their beloved. This can boost up the revenue meter during special occasions like Valentine’s Day and Women’s Day.

Conclusion

Clone scripts of Tinder have ushered in a revolution in the field of online dating. Users are notified instantly on creating an account in the application. They can even alter the visibility of their profiles from the clone app in accordance with their personal preference. Locational parameter helps in conducting efficient matchmaking. Just a swipe is enough for scanning through the profile of potential dates. There is also a rewind option helping users to alter their last swipe changes. Users can either reject a chat request or engage in a conversation with potential dates.

One of the biggest roadblocks faced by an app owner while marketing his dating app is the lack of adequate trust. Women especially doubt the online dating portal which leads to a problem with user acquisition. But once you get over the same, you can easily climb up the ladder of popularity.

About the author

Hemendra Singh

My name is Hemendra Singh. I am Managing Director and co-founder of The NineHertz, a Mobile App Development Company. I am having a keen interest in the latest trends and technologies that are emerging in different domains. Being an entrepreneur in the field of IT sector, it becomes my responsibility to aid my audience with the knowledge of latest trends in the market.

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Benefits of Using IoT In The Fleet Management System

Miley on March 5, 2019

Fleet management as the term says, adequate management of the company’s vehicle fleet. It helps the fleet owners to properly manage weight monitoring, fleet location tracking, etc. Every transportation business must have an appropriate fleet management system. Proper management of fleet is a daunting task but IoT in transportation helps business owners to easily manage the truck/fleets without any hassle. Here in this post, I will tell you the important advantages of using IoT in the fleet management system.

Let’s check the advantages of using IoT in the fleet management system

#1 Provides real-time road climate data to fleet managers A large number of injuries to fleet drivers take place because of hazardous road climatic conditions that arise time and again. At some cases, the worst road climatic condition also leads to the death of fleet drivers. Irrespective of the fact that fleet managers evaluate climatic predictions to regulate when and how extreme climate will have an effect on operations of the fleet, but wrong climatic forecasts and wrong road climate data are highly injurious to operations. Here, the Internet of things technology comes into the picture. Sensors embedded devices are attached to the axle of the truck or fleet. Real-time road climate data is given to fleet managers with the help of these sensors. In case of bad climatic conditions of the road, fleet managers can immediately contact the drivers to go at slow speed or divert trucks to another route that does not have the worst climate conditions. #2 Helps to know traffic conditions on the road IoT Smart transportation is also useful for fleet managers to contact their drivers whenever there is traffic in a particular area. This helps drivers in saving much of their time for reaching a client’s place faster because fleet managers will help drivers to select the route with less traffic. Internet of things in fleet management can also easily control the movement of traffic as to how fast or slowly traffic is moving. Sensors attached to truck’s axle continuously provides real-time data about road traffic and accordingly fleet owners can help keep their drivers safe by helping them move through clear roads without traffic. This also decreases much of the accidents happening because of traffic conditions. Fleet owners also receive the current traffic data of roads for decreasing unwanted accidents of fleet drivers well in advance. #3 Tracking the real-time location of the fleet Another important advantage of using IoT in fleet management system is to track the exact real-time location of the truck quickly. This feature is best because sometimes the truck driver takes the truck for his personal use to another area and as a result, the truck does not reach on time at client’s place and fleet managers pay for the mistakes of fleet drivers. In such cases, IoT plays a vital role. Fleet owners can easily trace the location of the fleet in the blink of an eye through geo-fencing the area in which your fleet business is operating. #4 Fuel management is carried out effectively One of the best advantages of using IoT fleet management is adequate management of fuel. Therefore, IoT helps fleet managers by keeping a track of fuel utilization in their fleets. Irregularity in fuel consumption of trucks can be easily monitored by fleet owners and accordingly they can take necessary measures to decrease unnecessary fuel consumption to a lot of extents. Moreover, during fuel theft cases, the fleet manager immediately gets alert. As fuel theft is on the rise, it’s going to be a must-have feature for all small, medium, and large fleet operators. Fuel monitoring doesn’t always come cheap so it’s best to run a comparison before committing to a single provider. Such comparison sites, much like iCompario, https://www.icompario.com/, can compare fuel cards and telematics systems to help tackle fuel theft. #5 Smart reporting of fleets IoT in fleet management system has an important role to play regarding fleet reports efficiently. Reports are received in real-time to fleet owners about operating of fleets and clearing all deliveries on regular basis. Efficient reporting enables fleet owners to make the right business decisions to enhance revenue from their fleets. #6 Improving fleet maintenance IoT in fleet management system also enhances the overall condition of fleets to improve their functioning. IoT fleet management system has the potential to gather data from different fleets and later on, this particular data can be put to use for precise and complete maintenance plans of fleets. Also, IoT enabled sensors can effectively monitor wear out of truck parts (example: tires) and fleet owners get a notification on the web or mobile app. For instance, when the tire pressure goes below the dangerous point, fleet managers immediately receive an alert about the problem on the web or mobile app of IoT fleet management. Moreover, fleet owners can also contact their drivers quickly to fix the problem before it worsens.

Smart fleet management into action

Introducing problem To know the true potential of the smart fleet management system, let’s take an example of weight monitoring of truck. What happens in the traditional fleet management system? In this case, fleet managers are not able to get a real-time weight of the truck and it further leads to fines being charged from truck drivers for over-weight of the truck. What happens in a smart fleet management system? In case of a smart fleet management system, IoT devices in transportation enable fleet managers to receive a real-time weight of the truck so that whenever truck has over-weight then fleet owners can immediately contact the truck drivers to unload some goods. In this way, unwanted fine charging can be reduced to a lot of extents. Closing Thoughts In a nutshell, it can be concluded that fleet management has wide-array of advantages for the transportation industry and it further leads to increased profitability of the business. If you are looking forward to getting IoT end-to-end solution for transportation business, then feel free to contact us and we will assist you further.

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Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Audio Manager

Miley on February 28, 2019

Let’s look in the device manager to look at the status of our Realtek audio driver. Generally, a business development manager will carry out tasks like product development, promotion, and distribution. Android Assistant was made to be compatible with different Android brands from various manufacturers. Your property manager should offer you a summary of how he is going to be handling your properties. Only the very best property managers ought to be hired!

Audio Manager has an excellent little profile feature built into the application. Easy Audio Manager is also an extremely fundamental app. Business management is just one of the main areas in every organization. The automated frequency management employs a new algorithm which also evaluates the reliability of available frequencies.

DSP Manager is a great application that may be employed to achieve vibrating bass in spite of your stock headphones. Being a real manager is never simple. Realtek HD audio manager is quite vital for your PC. To make sure that one’s music playlist does not become lost or distorted, it is necessary to employ music file administration.

The majority of the moment, you merely will need to update your audio driver. Before downloading the new Realtek drivers, it is going to be required to uninstall all present drivers.

The Downside Risk of Audio Manager

Audio is among the essential features of any computer. Windows Audio will then be enabled. It’s essential for practically any sound to be made when a program is operating in Windows. In the event the sound is working then the issue is solved and you need read no more. In addition, in addition, it provides a high-quality sound to your system during the audio card.

What is Actually Happening with Audio Manager

There are a lot of audio manager apps, so it’s essential for you to choose from an audio manager for your Android. Whichever it was, click the suitable link for your audio device so you are taken to the right page.

The 30-Second Trick for Audio Manager

Once an item of hardware is not functioning, it’s highlighted for attention. Although the true audio hardware is HD Audio, it is going to allow utilizing the AC’97 front panel like that. In case the computer doesn’t have sound, proceed to the next process to fix the error. You may then register the software to go for automatic Driver Updates. Free software is a good example. Instead, you may use a tool designed particularly for the purpose of managing and searching for samples.

Ok, I Think I Understand Audio Manager, Now Tell Me About Audio Manager!

If there are simple ways on how best to hide your apps in your Android, in addition, there are quick steps on how best to unhide the apps that were hidden in your menu. In the majority of cases, you should install an audio device to acquire your sound working. The very first thing you ought to do is determine which two audio devices you need to change between. Utilizing a system without sound will help it become incomplete.

About the author

Usman Raza is a marketing specialist at PSDtoWPService.com and co-founder of Christian Marketing Experts. He has been writing for magazines and newspapers since 2001, and editing and managing websites since 2006. A generalist, his most covered topics are business and technology. Follow him on Twitter @usmanintrotech.

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The Significance of A Defect Management Tool in The IoT Industry

Miley on February 13, 2019

Detection of bugs is simple and easy. However, organizing, managing and tracking them in one place is extremely difficult. Therefore, the defect management tool has a significant role to play. An effective tool has a rich-information format that clears your line of sight and consolidates and configures your activities at one place. It helps to record, manage and track all your testing efforts in a very productive user interface and provide access to all your projects at your fingertips.

Whereas, internet of things (IoT) is the network of devices such as home appliances and vehicles that encompass connectivity, actuators, sensors, software and electronics which enable these things to connect, exchange data and interact. IoT is of immense significance these days.

Therefore, we are presenting to you with some reasons why defect management tools are important in the IoT Industry.

1. It Provides Information Rich Format

Vector flat concept of process social media business and marketing. Startup, business planning and results – vector illustration

An effective defect tracking tool enables you to report and track defects using its rich information format and the interactive dashboard. The defects are spotted back and forth within the cycles and are also connected to the referenced test cases.

2. It Helps to Create Customized Defect Reports

While creating customized defect reports you can take advantage of the two-way integration with the defect management software such as JIRA. You can also utilize customized fields to make this integration more appropriate within your business context.

3. It Offers Jira Integration

A defect management tool enables you to sync your defects with the simple set up selection in JIRA. It is ideal for the team working in an agile environment. This is where business analysts and testers can coordinate with two different tracking tools. The issues or defects created on one platform can be logged on to another.

4. It Provides Flexible Reporting

It enables you to log your defects independent of test cycles and modules and use them again and again. This can only be done with its decoupled architecture. In this way, the defect is not required to be created again and again in one case or module.

In the End…

A test management tool like Kualitee can offer an in-depth picture of the sort of defects. After being recorded, these bugs can be traced in various ways. It simplifies the process in many ways through different viewing formats. It enables you to monitor the bug history at any time with various information pointers. A test management tool provides more features than any defect management software. Therefore, many companies allocating a huge chunk of invest in purchasing a test management tool.

Author Bio:

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 9 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writer and Digital Marketing Consultant.

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How Robotics Is Improving Businesses

Miley on January 24, 2019

The impact of robotics on modern manufacturing is immeasurable. Though industrial robots have seen use in factories for decades, their capacity for complex tasks have grown by a considerable margin, and they’ve continued to develop at a steady pace. Manufacturing aside, other industries have enjoyed the benefits as well.

In the hospitality, food and customer service industries, robots have proven indispensable in the day-to-day responsibilities of employees and business owners. Additionally, many executives in management positions use today’s technology to delegate their smaller duties, allowing them to focus on more pressing matters.

So how do these changes manifest? What do modern robots look like, and how are they improving businesses across the country? In this article, we’ll explore the subject in greater detail, touching on three different industries and how they’ve implemented robotics in their current practices.

Robotics in Hospitality

Customer service has always been the keystone of the hospitality industry. After all, the definition of “hospitality” is the warm, friendly reception and entertainment of guests. With this in mind, it seems strange and somewhat counterintuitive to replace a hotel’s staff with cold, unfeeling robots.

Yotel has shown this isn’t the case, and their use of robotics doesn’t substitute staff but supplements them. When a guest walks into the lobby at their Times Square location, a team member helps them with a touch-screen kiosk. After checking in, a robot takes and safely stores their luggage.

Robotics in Manufacturing

When most people envision a production line — such as those in automotive factories — they often picture pneumatic robot arms. While these robots have applications in the auto industry, they see use in many different factory settings, making a broad spectrum of everyday items.

While their functionality is impressive, how they function is just as extraordinary. Check out the following infographic.

Infographic source: https://www.quincycompressor.com/how-a-pneumatic-robot-arm-works

Robotics in Food Service

Automation has streamlined the food service industry for business owners and customers alike. Beyond self-serve kiosks, new machines have replaced outdated dishwashers, saving almost 10 hours of labor per week which employees would have to spend cleaning spatulas, bowls, and other food prep utensils.

Fast food chains have also found a use for robot arms, similar to those employed in manufacturing, but repurposed prepare meals. Little Caesar’s recently patently a robotic arm which can spread the dough, add toppings and place a pizza in the oven. It’s safe to speculate even greater changes are on their way.

The Future of Robotics

It’s challenging to grasp the influence of modern robotics on the enterprise. In hospitality, manufacturing, food service, healthcare, agriculture, and even law enforcement, technology has simplified and reshaped the responsibilities of the American workforce. Moving forward, one thing is clear.

The current trajectory of robotics has placed us on a path toward even greater and more inflexible reliance on technology. While it represents an incredible opportunity for growth, small businesses and large corporations should consider the implications of automation. It might have unintended consequences.

That said, it’s important to approach the future with optimism. Technology is evolving in new and exciting ways, and it’ll be exciting to watch what happens.

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3 Reasons Car Fans Are Turning Away From Dealerships And Shopping Online

Miley on December 21, 2018

Technology and business experts have long been predicting that the automotive industry is the major segment of the economy ripe for fruitful tech disruption.

Car companies have been clinging to a stagnant sales model for decades, and with new web tools making it easier than ever before for customers to purchase directly with manufacturers, with more and more car-shopping moving online, it is possible that dealerships will soon be a thing of the past.

While this new frontier of innovation is the result of a combination of forces and developments, on the consumer side it is being driven by a belief that e-commerce is simply better at meeting customer needs in this area. Here are three of the most significant reasons why:

Expanded Options

Most shoppers who are looking for a new car want to be able to start with a wide range of options and then narrow them down through research and comparison. Typically, this has involved finding out what offerings are available at local dealerships, and then ranking them based on preference.

With the rise of e-commerce, however, consumers have become used to ordering the exact product they are looking for, regardless of whether or not it is available on the shelves of their local outlet store. This has created a certain degree of frustration for shoppers whose regional Ford dealership might only have a limited number of the dozens of variations of F-150 truck that make up the annual line-up.

Shopping for vehicles online has made it easier for consumers to purchase exactly what they want without needing to search far afield for the precise combination of features they are looking for.

Easy-to-Use Search Tools

Every year, manufacturers issue hundreds of new vehicles under dozens of nameplates with an uncountable combination of features and add-ons. And while manufacturers tend to market their products based on brand name—the new Toyota Corolla, for example, for the Mazda CX-5—shoppers are becoming increasingly less brand loyal, and are much more focused on fulfilling needs (e.g., a new compact crossover with adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, and Apple Play).

Because websites like Kijiji Autos allow shoppers to find vehicles using a sophisticated array of search tools, they make it much easier for ordinary consumers to cut through the branding noise to quickly find the vehicle that fits their needs best.

A More Pleasant Shopping Experience

Possibly the biggest reason why people are turning away from dealerships, however, is that they don’t like buying cars from them: according to a 2016 study into consumer satisfaction in the dealership industry, 87% of people who purchased a car from a dealership found some part of the experience to be irritating or off-putting.

One of the most common complaints was that dealership staff tended to push hard for a sale no matter what. Many shoppers who had recently purchased new cars felt that dealership staff had taken advantage of them in some way.

These are not problems shoppers face when buying automobiles online. Because the customer is in the driver’s seat when using e-commerce services, salespeople have fewer opportunities to pressure them into making a purchase they haven’t fully decided on.

Disruption is often imagined in hostile terms, as an assault on an established part of the economy by new business interests. But as can be seen in the case of the automotive sector, the reality is that disruptors are more often simply tapping into an existing frustration on the part of consumers.

By putting purchasing power back in the hands of shoppers and cutting out expensive, restrictive middlemen, companies like Kijiji Autos are simply finding a better way to meet customer needs.

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Why Your Startup Needs A Test Management Tool?

Miley on December 20, 2018

Testing plays an imperative role in creating a positive or negative brand image. Since a startup is in its very early phases, a startup cannot risk its brand image at any cost. Therefore, a tool is required to check the quality of the startup product.

Keeping this scenario in mind, we are presenting you the list of reasons why your startup needs a test management tool.

1. A Good Test Management Tool Has A Powerful Dashboard

This automatically finishes the requirement to message the individual team member regarding an update on the project’s status. A good test management tool’s interactive dashboard enables you to get a 360-degree view about the projects ongoing status. This will free you from the hassle of running after everyone to gather updates. It enables you to simply log in and see upgraded bug reports, test cases, test scenarios, and status reports.

2. It Offers Stress-Free Project Management

The dream of the tester is to have stress-free project management. An efficient testing tool enables you to manage your activities without getting disturbed by various documents. You develop your own testing project and synchronizing it with your testing requirements. In addition to this, you can define your testing team by making an addition of more users who can also see the outcomes and make status updates after fixing the bugs.

3. It Has Requirement Planning

Another benefit for startups from the test management tool is that it permits you to associate your test cases and test scenarios with your project’s requirements in just some clicks. You attain updates for each minuscule bit of information showing up because of traceability. You can also see which requirements have passed and failed.

4. It Covers Test Management Requirements Effectively

It enables you to create a detailed test plan, write test scenarios, create test cases and execute those test cases. You can also use the test cases in your regression cycles rather than allocating the majority of the time on a new one. It permits you to save work on word and PDF and utilize whenever you require it.

5. It Offers Defect Management

Bug identification is easy, however, organizing, tracking and managing them in one place is very difficult. If a test management tool that you use has a rich-information format, it can clear your line of sight by combining your configurations and activities in one place. Just record, manage and track your entire testing efforts in a very productive user-interface and gain access to your projects at your fingertips.

6. It Has Automation Testing

Flat design style modern vector illustration concept of teamwork consulting on briefing small business project presentation group of people planning and brainstorming ideas of company financial strategy.

A test management tool gives to freedom to automate your testing activities. You can only incorporate input-driven scripts into your tool and run them across selenium supported test environment with minimum human intervention.

7. It Provides Seamless Integration with Other Powerful Apps

A good test management tool provides flawless integration with numerous powerful apps to sync data and streamline workflow, providing you an improved experience which is powerful, adjustable and fast. It enables you to manage your releases and work together with your teams without missing out on any mission-related tasks without any disruption.

8. A Good Test Management Tool Also has Mobile Version Available

Mobile test management tool has been on the wish-list of every tester for very long. This is because it provides you with the convenience of working on-the-go. Whether it is rejecting or approving test cases, assigning and logging defects, it would assist you to create real-time test management with only some taps.

9. Its Interactive APIs Can Assist You Gain Competitive Advantage

You can integrate your current work-flows with test tool’s APIs. It will enable you to decrease disruptions and also adds value to the end-product. The interactive APIS will transform your business and attain competitive advantage.

10. It Has User-Friendly Interface

A good test management tool always has a user-friendly interface and provides intuitive performance and functioning that makes management more fun and engaging.

Author Bio

Ray Parker is an entrepreneur and internet marketer with over 9 years of experience in Search Engine Optimization, Creative Writer and Digital Marketing Consultant.

Development Martech Products

Hi-Tech is Making its Way into High-End Rentals

Miley on November 29, 2018

The concept of IoT is no longer foreign to the most of us. While homeowners have had the liberty to experiment with house automation, latest gadgets, and voice-activated devices, renters have been more restricted when it came to their living space. But leave it to investors and developers to come up with intelligent ideas that cater to the increasingly bold housing needs of a new generation of smart renters. While some smart home technologies were in development even before Bill Gates published The Road Ahead in 1995, The Internet of Things has enabled many aspects of the smart home to become reality.

Shifting focus to automation and a new generation of renters

Hi-tech rentals from Bloomington, Indiana to New York City have now become reality due to increasing demand in home automation from a fresh demographic entering the real estate market. With 20-somethings looking for apartments for rent, the spotlight is no longer on classic amenities like indoor swimming pools and gyms. The housing industry is rapidly catching up with the new wave of smart amenities that any tech-savvy young renter finds appealing when looking for their first home.

It comes as no surprise that developers now focus on innovations designed to rethink residential amenities that match the lifestyle of potential renters in the current market.

Mobile apps at the front and center of the IoT landscape

IoT has come a long way from long tangled wires and hard code. The increasing use of mobile apps has drastically changed the entire connectivity experience in a relatively short time span. Millennial-geared apartment technology is slowly becoming the norm when incorporating smart home systems to rentals. Cities like New York, San Francisco or Portland are already offering smart alternatives to those looking for a rental in an app-controlled apartment building.

A good example is Portland’s IOTAS, which is based on an adaptive system that allows the app to better understand your habits and create patterns based on your personal preferences. Through the app, renters have the possibility of controlling lights, outlets, switches and motion sensors around the house. Other app-based technologies like Dwelo allow renters to adjust their thermostat, close or open doors, turn lights on or off and operate appliances throughout the house. It’s a matter of selecting the right mobile app that suits each renter’s daily needs.

Voice-activated devices experience surge in user popularity

Voice-activated features are becoming the standard for the rentals of tomorrow, especially in urban hubs. This trend can be attributed to the popularity of devices like Amazon’s Alexa, particularly among the younger demographic. Virtual assistant-type devices are in high demand and are already featured in recently-built luxury apartments. For example, 120 luxury units in Jackson Park come with voice automation for lights and switches, a smart thermostat that can be adjusted through voice command, and smart appliances and entertainment systems controlled through Amazon’s Echo Show. All this smart comfort comes at a price – the monthly rent for one of the 1,871 apartments that showcase such features goes up to $10,000.

At the core of all this drive for innovation lies a new type of renter for whom convenience goes hand in hand with aesthetics and efficiency. Technological developments are moving at such a rapid pace that it’s essential for the real estate industry to keep up. As they evolve, smart apartments incorporate everything new and dynamic that the housing sector has to offer, while also proving to be cost-efficient. And we are here to witness it.