BlueStar Nation

TEC Bytes 7 - The TEC Awakens

We’re back with more deep dives, debates, and quirky commentary on some interesting news stories, business topics, and just some fun stuff we’ve come across.

• Should you discuss pay with colleagues?
• What are the top dance songs of all time (and why is Dean offended by the list)?
• 2022 social media stats
• What are the best (& worst) places to start a career?
• What does “Wi-Fi” actually mean?
• What’s the status of work-from-home?
• Millennials are staying close to their hometowns
• Intel bolstering chip production in the US

 

TEConnecting with us:

Dean - Y Combinator

John - Nest thermostat & Coredy smart vacuum

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your TEC Bytes! - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Elo E-Series 2 

Zebra Print Engines

Cloud-Based Solution Selling w/Star Micronics’ Christophe Naasz

We all know that cloud computing is where it’s at, but not all businesses, especially retail & hospitality, are on board just yet. This week, Star Micronics’ Christophe Naasz is here to help VARs explain the benefits of cloud-based solutions. How do they improve customer experience? What are the best talking points and questions to ask your customers? How do cloud solutions benefit management and back-of-the-house insights? Finally, what’s Star’s philosophy on the cloud? It’s the episode that’s laying in the grass saying, “Hey, that cloud looks like recurring revenue!”

 

#VARValue – What type of customers should VARs be looking at to sell cloud solutions?

 

TEConnecting with us:

Christophe - Peripheral connectivity

Dean - Amazon sues Facebook for fake reviews

John - Arlo video doorbell

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your topic suggestions (and get a t-shirt!) - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Star POS Scanners

Touchscreen Tech for Healthcare Workers w/Elo’s Katharine Cummings

We talk a lot about touchscreen technology in healthcare as it relates to patient experience, but the staff, clinicians, and caregivers like modern touch technology, too! Elo’s Director of Healthcare (and former clinician herself) Katharine Cummings joins the pod to explain how touchscreens create efficiencies. How does the customer-facing stuff (check-in, wayfinding, etc…) benefit staff? Why would healthcare workers prefer touch technology over traditional computers or devices? Where else are touchscreens used in medical facilities outside of clinical work?

 

#VARValue – What kind of questions should VARs be asking their healthcare customers to uncover touchscreen opportunities? Who should they be talking to?

 

Healthcare Kiosks Webinar feat. Katharine:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3673671081680770312

 

TEConnecting with us:

Katharine - Software partners that consider clinicians

Dean - NASA launches CAPSTONE to scout for lunar station and Space sports

John - Agrivoltaics

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your topic ideas or interests: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Elo Healthcare Solutions

Marketing Design Resources w/Barcoding’s Krystal Cotriss

Having smart content, a strong message, and an understanding of your audience is a great place to start marketing, but without great design, it’s just so many words. We turned to an expert, Krystal Cotriss, Lead Designer & Content Strategist with Barcoding, Inc., who stresses the importance of design to attracting customers, making a good impression, and driving engagement. She’ll help us explore free or low-cost tools anyone with little to no experience could use, from photos to fonts and beyond. We’re also talking website design (one of John’s pet peeves) and some design aesthetics and clichés that Krystal is “over.” Check out her post and bookmark all of the handy links!

 

#VARValue – Let’s say someone is looking to hire a designer or employ some freelancers. What should they be looking for, asking about, or expecting?

 

Krystal's blog with a plethora of free resources: https://krystalcarpintieri.medium.com/free-design-resources-for-designers-marketers-more-e6b8bb3dbf0e

Kel Lauren's Best Free Design Resources: https://youtu.be/myYwUoXfxt4 

 

TEConnecting with us:

Krystal - Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

Dean - Cancer Genome Scanner & Companies Making the Most Money Per Second

John - Alexa speaking as the voice of a deceased loved one 

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your podcast topics: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Elo M50 Mobile Computer

Zebra WS50 Wearable Computer

Retail Consumer Behavior w/Honeywell’s Tony Boncore

Retail obviously isn’t the same as it was pre-pandemic, but much of what’s changed is for the better and was already beginning to happen anyway. This week, Tony Boncore, Honeywell’s Global Retail Marketing Manager, is on the show to help us talk specifically about how consumer behavior and demand have moved the needle. What is he seeing now and expects over the next year or so? Are retailers essentially becoming distribution centers? What about the challenge of returns? How should retailers change their mindset to accommodate online shoppers? What new technologies are facilitating these changes? It’s the episode that is ready to get “phygital.”

 

#VARValue – Addressing consumer experiences with tech is important, but how can VARs also position their solutions as beneficial for store owners and their employees, too?

 

Referenced Articles:

• 7 Trends Reshaping Smart Retail - CTA
• The Future is Now: 3 Retail Trends to Watch - RetailCustomerExperience.com
• NRF 2022: 4 Key Trends from This Year's Big Show - Forbes

 

TEConnecting with us:

Tony - Biometric sneakers

Dean - Micrometeor strikes James Webb telescope

John - Google translation glasses

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your ideas for the show and get a free T-shirt! - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html 

 

Sponsored by:

Honeywell CT30 XP

Spatial Intelligence w/Pathr’s George Shaw

Spatial intelligence is a way of understanding the movement of people and objects through physical spaces, but the AI and analytics necessary to gather and use that data require an expert. That expert is George Shaw, Founder & CEO of Pathr.ai, who joins us to explain Pathr’s methodology and tech. How does this data benefit retail? What other industries benefit from spatial intelligence? How do they address privacy concerns?

 

#VARValue - For VARs interested in fitting Pathr solutions into their tech stack, how do they work with them and help them generate recurring revenue and sell more hardware?

 

Watch Supermicro's Edge Computing Webinar

 

TEConnecting with us:

George (and John) - Did Google create a sentient AI?

Dean - Microsoft eliminating facial recognition tools

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your episode ideas: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Intel AI for Retail & Hospitality

The Supply Chain Crisis w/Code’s Dave Frick

Tired of hearing/talking about our broken supply chain? So are we! However, not talking about it doesn’t solve any problems or help us understand what to expect next, so we’re diving in and consulting an industry veteran, Code Corp’s Director of Operations, Dave Frick. He fills us in on what he’s been hearing and seeing. What’s next? What’s working and what isn’t? Are other challenges looming? What’s changed about planning & forecasting inventory? How can VARs help supply chain partners that are too busy for sales conversations or new solutions right now?

 

#VARValue - What’s your advice for VARs with customers that simply don’t have the time for “sales” conversations or adopting new technology? What can they do to truly help?

 

TEConnecting with us:

Dave - Drones for warehouse management

Dean - Robotic finger w/human skin

John - 3D printed ear

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your episode ideas: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Code CortexDecoder

TEC Beefs

We’re pretty tech positive on this show. We love technology and science and its potential to assist and improve our lives, jobs, and the world’s various problems. But sometimes innovation can be very frustrating, which leads us to a few of our “TEC Beefs”—things that annoy us, frustrate us, or completely confuse us. This week, we’re getting some of that stuff off our chests.

• Are some scientific studies unnecessary? (i.e. How we see faces in everyday objects)
• Subscription services that (intentionally?) make it hard to cancel
• Netflix cracking down on password sharing
• Apple tooling around with the Podcasts app
• Too many charging cable interfaces!
• Streaming series eps are getting very long
• Social media algorithms with little to no control

 

TEConnecting with us:

Dean - Mastercard biometric checkout

John - Severance on Apple TV+

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com 

Submit your topic ideas (or TEC Beefs!) - https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html 

 

Sponsored by:

Elo M60 Mobile Pay Computer

Zebra Co-Marketing Tool

Retail POS Survey Deep Dive

Selling point-of-sale technology is probably one of the hardest asks in the reseller channel. While there are thousands of businesses that need it, there are also a LOT of options on the market. So what moves the needle? What do retailers like or dislike about their current system? What would they change? What would make them switch? In connection with our recently published findings on BlueStar Nation, we’re doing a deep dive into the survey results from over 80 retail owners about the technology their business uses every day. The answers were often surprising, but they tell an important story about what VARs can actually do to win more business and conquer POS inertia.

 

#VARValue - What would you do as a VAR with this information?

 

Subscribe to BlueStar Nation: https://nation.bluestarinc.com/

 

TEConnecting with us:

Dean - Uber Eats Autonomous Delivery

John - But really, what are the odds a malicious alien race could attack Earth?

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your ideas for topics, surveys, or guests: https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html

 

Sponsored by:

Zebra Intelligent Cabinets

Elo 3203L Interactive Display

Remote Engagement for Senior Health w/Independa’s Kian Saneii

There are more people in the world over the age of 65 than under 5. That means a huge amount of money and resources are devoted to health care for an aging population with increasingly fewer people to attend to their daily needs. That’s where technology comes into play, but with much of that population still uncomfortable with modern devices, how do you engage seniors to stay on top of their health, maintain connections to friends and family, and manage chronic conditions. Independa’s Founder & CEO, Kian Saneii, joins us to explain a simple solution…incorporate modern tech into a device most older people use every single day—their TV! How do you pitch this kind of solution to LTC and other healthcare facilities? How does such a remote management platform work? It’s the episode that acknowledges we’re not getting any younger.

 

#VARValue - What should VARs be looking for or asking about with their customers and how does Independa help?

 

Independa's Telehealth Study

 

TEConnecting with us:

Kian - Voyager 1 sending interesting data

Dean - Tastee Tape

John - BeReal app

 

Talk to us!

Twitter - @TEConnectPod

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

Submit your topic ideas (and get a free t-shirt!): https://www.bluestarinc.com/us-en/landing-pages/podcast-topics.html 

 

Sponsored by:

Elo Healthcare Solutions

Zebra TC52x-HC Mobile Computers