Hi there,

Welcome back!

Friends in the United States held a ‘New Year’s’ party yesterday. They wouldn’t believe the bizarre year that was 2020 was behind them until Donald Trump had actually vacated the White House.

Indeed, the sigh of relief has been global as Trump did finally exit – albeit via his own stage right – and fortunately without the major civil unrest or tantrums some had predicted.

There’s a hope that his departure signals a return to stability so we can focus headlines instead on Covid-19 biotech, social media platform beat-ups and FUD on cybersecurity.

So here’s to 2021, may it be a good year for all of us, and one filled with plenty of interesting stories and a return to more ‘normal’ business.

In this week’s news:

Aussies conclude Kiwi Bluetooth tracing trials
Twitter’s last stand against Trump
Google and Fitbit tie the knot – without permission
Who’s winning the mobile app race?
The latest in consumer electronics from CES 2021

Also a mention for tech-centric vendors and service providers to complete NZTech's survey on the positioning of the NZ tech sector.

And, because productivity and job satisfaction are never going to fall out of favour, we take a look at how financial services company Lifetime Group has upped both in their business through use of RPA.

Lastly, please complete our readership survey to help us serve you better.

Enjoy the read,

Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz

CONTACT TRACING

Bluetooth contact tracing card report headed to Minister

Is an Aussie card on its way for Kiwis?…

A report detailing the results of local Bluetooth contact tracing card trials will be put in front of NZ Minister’s early next month, with the card provider saying it can roll out ‘large numbers’ of the cards within two weeks of getting the go ahead.

“We are just working with the government on interoperability and making sure key requirements are met.”

[Read more]

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter deplatforms Trump

Twitter has finally dropped Trump, but the ugliness is likely only beginning…

After the violent invasion of the US Capitol earlier this month, the great enabling of Donald Trump by social media giant Twitter may have finally come to an end.

Whether by design or accident, the model encourages human pathos, and then feeds off it.

[Read more]

READERSHIP SURVEY

ACQUISITION

Google, Fitbit say ‘done deal’

Is it time to delete your Fitbit account?…

It’s been dubbed ‘sinister’ by some privacy and antitrust experts, but according to Google its US$2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit is a done deal.

“We will consider whether to take legal action on this matter.”

[Read more]

MOBILE APPS

m-Com, TikTok big movers as mobile surges

It’s app-y days as consumers spend up on mobile…

Australians spent more than US$1.9 billion on mobile apps last year, with Kiwis topping US$270 million, in a year which also saw in-app commerce boom.

Retail mobile spend was up 20 percent to US$143 billion.

[Read more]

FUTURETECH

CES 2021: From sanitisers to GM’s flying car

Rollable phones, handy robots and UV-C keyboard disinfection…

From rollable phones to 'handy' robots and flying cars – CES 2021 might have been virtual, but it still served up plenty of offerings, from the practical to the futuristic.

CES showcased plenty of Covid-related offerings – and a number targeting stress reduction.

[Read more]

ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION

Lifetime powers productivity with software robotics

Fuji Xerox delivered a Robotic Centre of Excellence, giving the company the ability to deploy software robots for data processing…

With senior staff spending inordinate amounts of time extracting and checking reams of data, financial services company Lifetime Group turned to Fuji Xerox New Zealand for a RPA solution.

“The time saving is staggering. And remember, the work the robots are doing is unpleasant. None of our team enjoyed it.”

[Read more]

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