In every office job security is important. Nobody ever wants to worry about where their next bank deposit will come from. One of the most direct ways you might seek to ensure your job security is through making your boss happy. But no matter how this decision is viewed, the underlying logic is fundamentally flawed. If you treat making your boss happy as an end goal in itself, you are jeopardizing your career.
Showing posts with label SOFTWARE ENGINEERS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SOFTWARE ENGINEERS. Show all posts
Monday, April 3, 2017
Top 6 Secrets to Success of the IT Companies
The IT industry thrives as one overall organism, but it is no secret that a few companies stand far above the others in terms of size and notoriety. In an article for Business 2 Community, Barbara McKinney examines what behaviors distinguish businesses like Google, Microsoft, and Oracle from the others. Putting aside obvious factors like great management, she shares six actions these top businesses take:
Change Your Forgotten Windows Password
Mobile App Ecosystem
Said my friend as he described why his company stopped building native apps. It’s easier to build a business on the web. How could that be? The browser-based web app ecosystem has existed for more than 20 years while the app ecosystem has existed for only 6. One thing is for sure, it’s not because there are fewer websites than apps.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
How Network Congestion Management Affects Your Internet
Comcast is committed to providing the best online experience possible for all our customers, using reasonable network management practices that are consistent with industry standards. The following is intended to help clarify what we mean by network management.
This way you can optimize Your Internet Speed
General Speed Tips
Your XFINITY Internet equipment (wireless gateway, modem or router) and connected devices (computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc.) can all affect the Internet speed you experience.
Interesting Computer Facts
Best Free Data Recovery Software
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Information technology
New Zealand's tech sector is diverse and advanced. It’s a breeding ground for innovation and competes successfully on the world stage.
World’s Email Encryption Software
After this article appeared, Werner Koch informed us that last week he was awarded a one-time grant of $60,000 from Linux Foundation's Core Infrastructure Initiative.
Now you can also edit your photo at your home !!
Once upon a time, if you asked anyone which was the best photo editing software, they'd always say Photoshop. OK, so Photoshop is still the most powerful program there is at what it does, but what we want to do as photographers has changed.
software engineer with online degree
Choosing an Online Program
When it comes to earning a software engineering online degree, students have several choices:
- An online program that delivers all software engineering courses online
- A traditional university that provides an all-online curriculum
- A college program that presents a combination of online and classroom software engineering course work
Schools like Colorado Technical University (CTU) focus on distance learning and have built a strong reputation for their wide range of degree programs available exclusively in online formats. At CTU, students can choose from a number of software engineering online degrees, including bachelor's and master's degree programs in information technology specialties and computer science.
In comparison, more traditional institutions like Texas Tech University (TTU) have created software engineering online degree programs out of their standard curriculum, including an online master's program, to meet the growing demand among today's students. Traditional universities and all online schools may require some face-to-face time now and then, such as for an introductory meeting or weekend class at the beginning of the initial term.
Online Certification Programs
By default, software engineering jobs demand that you keep your knowledge of technology up to date. A good way to show employers that you have kept your skills current is to get certified in a technical specialty. Like software engineering online degrees, many online colleges offer professional certifications in specific areas of software engineering. Some examples include database development, network security, web design, Microsoft operating systems and Oracle database administration.
Professional certification not only demonstrates your expertise in software engineering, but it can increase your job opportunities and salary potential. In the end, if you see yourself playing a leadership role in your company in the future, software engineering online certification programs can help you get a firm footing on that path.
Online Programs Make Sense for Today's Students
If you have the personality and self-discipline to thrive in an online learning environment, then best way for you to get a software engineering degree may be through an online program. Learn more about software engineering degrees and colleges. Then search our comprehensive directory of schools, and request more information from the software engineering online degree programs that interest you most.
Easy & Creative Ideas For Your Next Photo Shoot
Dina Belenko is a creative still-life photographer from Russia. Her artistic images capture magical stories behind everyday inanimate objects. In this tutorial, Dina shares 5 easy and cool ideas to help you come up with subjects for photo shoots. Get on and get inspired to try these out!
Looking for an idea for your next photo? Or maybe you want to try something new, but don’t know where to begin exactly. Here are five ideas for photography subjects which have a lot of potential. They are simple, but multi-faceted. They don’t require extra cost, but when done right, they can look pretty impressive. Perhaps one of them is exactly what you are looking for. Read on!
Smoke:
By itself, smoke is a malleable and interesting subject for shooting. It works best to create a mysterious and enigmatic atmosphere. Try to make smoke the hero of your photo’s story—cryptic, mystical, creepy—and it will serve you well.
To achieve the smoke effect, I usually use aroma sticks. They are cheaper than getting a fog machine, more accessible than dry ice, and safer than working with open flames. You just have to be careful with ashes, and shoot in a well-ventilated room.
Sparklers:
It’s not just a New Year’s Eve trinket—it’s a small fireball. Or it can be a miniature comet. To achieve a comet effect out of sparklers, light the sparkler, set the slow shutter speed, and change the direction of sparks with a stream of air to create a comet’s tail. To change the direction of sparks, you can use a fan, or a sheet of cardboard.
Make the sparks bounce from objects in your still-life photo set up, or even from the body of the model. It does not hurt, but you have to be very careful around your model’s eyes. These little fiery trails—invisible to the human eye in reality—can really make a dull photo fascinating.
Chalk Drawing:
You can create a new reality for ordinary objects by simply transformating them with a couple of chalk lines. The combination of flat drawing and volumetric photos is always a good solution. You can easily turn one thing or the other, or even create a whole new space. All you need is some chalk, a drawing surface, and you’ll to do some sketching.
Text Inscriptions:
I like texts made out of various objects, like flowers, toys, ink stains, tools, pens, anything. It’s very interesting to watch how a cup of coffee turns into the letter “A”. And even more interesting is when the material for letters is related to the content of the inscription. For example, you can make the words “Happy Birthday” from cakes and candles. There are two ways to do an inscription: The first way is to use objects to create letters directly. The second way is to place objects around the empty space in the form of letters. The results will be different, but you can have fun with both.
Optical Illusions:
This is my most favorite. It’s honestly much easier than you think. The whole secret is to put the camera at the right angle or position, and then the illusion will work. Try to recreate Penrose Steps, or an M.C. Escher-inspired scene out of something ordinary. For example, take a chocolate cake and turn it into an infinite cake—what could be better than that?
Looking for an idea for your next photo? Or maybe you want to try something new, but don’t know where to begin exactly. Here are five ideas for photography subjects which have a lot of potential. They are simple, but multi-faceted. They don’t require extra cost, but when done right, they can look pretty impressive. Perhaps one of them is exactly what you are looking for. Read on!
Smoke:
By itself, smoke is a malleable and interesting subject for shooting. It works best to create a mysterious and enigmatic atmosphere. Try to make smoke the hero of your photo’s story—cryptic, mystical, creepy—and it will serve you well.
To achieve the smoke effect, I usually use aroma sticks. They are cheaper than getting a fog machine, more accessible than dry ice, and safer than working with open flames. You just have to be careful with ashes, and shoot in a well-ventilated room.
Sparklers:
It’s not just a New Year’s Eve trinket—it’s a small fireball. Or it can be a miniature comet. To achieve a comet effect out of sparklers, light the sparkler, set the slow shutter speed, and change the direction of sparks with a stream of air to create a comet’s tail. To change the direction of sparks, you can use a fan, or a sheet of cardboard.
Make the sparks bounce from objects in your still-life photo set up, or even from the body of the model. It does not hurt, but you have to be very careful around your model’s eyes. These little fiery trails—invisible to the human eye in reality—can really make a dull photo fascinating.
Chalk Drawing:
You can create a new reality for ordinary objects by simply transformating them with a couple of chalk lines. The combination of flat drawing and volumetric photos is always a good solution. You can easily turn one thing or the other, or even create a whole new space. All you need is some chalk, a drawing surface, and you’ll to do some sketching.
Text Inscriptions:
I like texts made out of various objects, like flowers, toys, ink stains, tools, pens, anything. It’s very interesting to watch how a cup of coffee turns into the letter “A”. And even more interesting is when the material for letters is related to the content of the inscription. For example, you can make the words “Happy Birthday” from cakes and candles. There are two ways to do an inscription: The first way is to use objects to create letters directly. The second way is to place objects around the empty space in the form of letters. The results will be different, but you can have fun with both.
Optical Illusions:
This is my most favorite. It’s honestly much easier than you think. The whole secret is to put the camera at the right angle or position, and then the illusion will work. Try to recreate Penrose Steps, or an M.C. Escher-inspired scene out of something ordinary. For example, take a chocolate cake and turn it into an infinite cake—what could be better than that?
Useful IT Information for New Students
At this time, IT information is most need things for everyone. For new students it is compulasary to know about IT.
Computer Accounts
Each student is given automatically two computer accounts, namely EdUHK network & Google email account. He/She can use the same login name and password for all the EdUHK network services and Google Webmail System.
All EdUHK computer accounts will be terminated when one ceases to be a student, and all associated data will be deleted. However, students could continue to use the Google account after graduation.
Student Card
The student card (EdU Card) is issued to all students for the purpose of identification and physical access to University's facilities such as the Library, sports facilities, swimming pools, hostels, and etc. The Registry (REG) is responsible for student card issuance, return and replacement while OCIO is responsible for card printing service.
Connecting Your Computer to the Campus Network
On Campus:
Users can connect to the campus network through wireless connection. The EdUHK wireless network is now available almost everywhere in the Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre.
At Home:
If users have subscribed service from an Internet Service Provider (ISP), they can connect their mobile or home computers to the campus network through VPN. It enables users to use some IT services outside campus as secure as in the office. These services include using Microsoft Outlook, using SPSS outside campus, making connecting to some central network servers using FTP/SFTP client software, etc.
eLearning
To support blended and distance learning, the University has been using Learning Management System (LMS) for eLearning since 2000. Currently we are using Moodle as our LMS. The Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology (LTTC) is responsible for the front-line support and training of Moodle while OCIO is responsible for the support of the eLearning infrastructure.
Central Computing Facilities
OCIO manages a number of computer rooms in Tai Po Campus and the Tseung Kwan O Study Centre to support teaching and learning. The computer room C-LP-21 at Tai Po Campus is a 24-hour open access computer room for students to do their homework after class.
Besides, a number of network printers are installed in the central computer rooms and some Print-N-Go stations are setup in the Learning Commons and the Library to facilitate printing. To facilitate students to get started at the beginning of the school year, each student is given a free print quota of HK$120 per annum. If needed, they can purchase additional print quota using the Octopus Payment Machines on the campus. We recommend students to print only when necessary to protect the environment.
Computing Policies & Regulations
Students should use the computing, network infrastructure and voice communications services of the University in a responsible, ethical and legal manner. They are to observe all relevant regulations, guidelines and legislations on the use of such services. Please visit Policies and Guidelines for more information.
Computer Accounts
Each student is given automatically two computer accounts, namely EdUHK network & Google email account. He/She can use the same login name and password for all the EdUHK network services and Google Webmail System.
All EdUHK computer accounts will be terminated when one ceases to be a student, and all associated data will be deleted. However, students could continue to use the Google account after graduation.
Student Card
The student card (EdU Card) is issued to all students for the purpose of identification and physical access to University's facilities such as the Library, sports facilities, swimming pools, hostels, and etc. The Registry (REG) is responsible for student card issuance, return and replacement while OCIO is responsible for card printing service.
Connecting Your Computer to the Campus Network
On Campus:
Users can connect to the campus network through wireless connection. The EdUHK wireless network is now available almost everywhere in the Tai Po Campus and Tseung Kwan O Study Centre.
At Home:
If users have subscribed service from an Internet Service Provider (ISP), they can connect their mobile or home computers to the campus network through VPN. It enables users to use some IT services outside campus as secure as in the office. These services include using Microsoft Outlook, using SPSS outside campus, making connecting to some central network servers using FTP/SFTP client software, etc.
eLearning
To support blended and distance learning, the University has been using Learning Management System (LMS) for eLearning since 2000. Currently we are using Moodle as our LMS. The Centre for Learning, Teaching and Technology (LTTC) is responsible for the front-line support and training of Moodle while OCIO is responsible for the support of the eLearning infrastructure.
Central Computing Facilities
OCIO manages a number of computer rooms in Tai Po Campus and the Tseung Kwan O Study Centre to support teaching and learning. The computer room C-LP-21 at Tai Po Campus is a 24-hour open access computer room for students to do their homework after class.
Besides, a number of network printers are installed in the central computer rooms and some Print-N-Go stations are setup in the Learning Commons and the Library to facilitate printing. To facilitate students to get started at the beginning of the school year, each student is given a free print quota of HK$120 per annum. If needed, they can purchase additional print quota using the Octopus Payment Machines on the campus. We recommend students to print only when necessary to protect the environment.
Computing Policies & Regulations
Students should use the computing, network infrastructure and voice communications services of the University in a responsible, ethical and legal manner. They are to observe all relevant regulations, guidelines and legislations on the use of such services. Please visit Policies and Guidelines for more information.
5 Top Most Important Things to Learn About Computer Science
At the start of discuss about most important things to learn about computer science, i shared one story. Leslie Stevens-Huffman is a business and careers writer based in Southern California. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the staffing industry and has been writing blog posts, sample resumes and providing sage career advice to the IT professionals in our Dice Community since 2006. Leslie has a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism from the University of Southern California.
Computer science degrees come with a common misconception, which often discourages students from pursuing a degree: They’ll turn you into an isolated code cruncher. That’s not really the case.
Graduating Computer science graduates qualify for a wide range of positions and careers. However, to ensure you have the right mix of skills and hands-on experience to get one, do your homework and decide on a career path before selecting a technical specialty or program.
What tips for success can you give to those seeking a degree in computer science? Let us know in the comments below.
“The gap between the classroom and the workplace has been a problem,” acknowledges Dr. H.E. Dunsmore, associate professor of Computer Science and chair of the College of Science Undergraduate Education Policy and Curriculum Committee at Purdue University.
Purdue’s Computer Science department has taken steps to make more students aware of the versatility of CS degrees. His undergraduates have the opportunity to explore various careers and select an educational track that suits their preferences.
“Computer science majors take a course during their freshman year that explains the various career options and what they’ll actually do all day,” explains Dunsmore. “They also have the opportunity to mix with our corporate partners, hear about different job opportunities and then select from a broad array of educational tracks in everything from graphics to security, which may require less math or programming.”
If you’re interested in CS, consider these five things:
a) Know Yourself:
Do you like working solo or on a team? Do you want to work with cutting-edge technology or support a business unit in a private sector company? The reality is you can be a DBA, business analyst, software engineer, researcher or computer systems analyst. However, you need to choose a career and curriculum that leverages your academic strengths. Currently, less than 40 percent of U.S. undergradscomplete science, technology, engineering and math programs and graduate with a degree.“If you want to pursue a career in software engineering, then you’ll have to complete rigorous coursework in math and programming,” says Dr. Larry Davis, professor at the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland.
b) Select a Sustainable Career:
Employment in all computer occupations is expected to increase by 22 percent through 2020, but some IT fields will fare better than others, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics biennial update of employment projections. Tech support and programming are still being sent offshore, so select carefully. “Don’t wait until you’re a junior or senior to attend campus job fairs,” suggests Davis. “Go when you’re a freshman so you can meet employers and hear about their future openings.
c) Acquire Marketable Skills:
It might be better to major in Business Administration and minor in Computer Science if you want to work in the private sector because the cloud is transforming IT and creating hybrid roles across the enterprise, according to Gartner. Most computer science students spend time building their own applications and systems but businesses don’t necessarily need that type of expertise. Hot skills include systems integration, business intelligence, cloud computing SQL, .Net, C, mobile languages and Java.
d) Get Hands-On Experience:
You can’t learn teamwork or business fundamentals by reading a text book. Participate in student projects, volunteer work, campus committees and internships so you can acquire hands-on technical experience, business acumen, leadership and communication skills.
e) Persevere: It takes most CS students six years to earn a degree since many initially drop out of math and programming classes, yet manage to succeed the second time around.
Computer science degrees come with a common misconception, which often discourages students from pursuing a degree: They’ll turn you into an isolated code cruncher. That’s not really the case.
Graduating Computer science graduates qualify for a wide range of positions and careers. However, to ensure you have the right mix of skills and hands-on experience to get one, do your homework and decide on a career path before selecting a technical specialty or program.
What tips for success can you give to those seeking a degree in computer science? Let us know in the comments below.
“The gap between the classroom and the workplace has been a problem,” acknowledges Dr. H.E. Dunsmore, associate professor of Computer Science and chair of the College of Science Undergraduate Education Policy and Curriculum Committee at Purdue University.
Purdue’s Computer Science department has taken steps to make more students aware of the versatility of CS degrees. His undergraduates have the opportunity to explore various careers and select an educational track that suits their preferences.
“Computer science majors take a course during their freshman year that explains the various career options and what they’ll actually do all day,” explains Dunsmore. “They also have the opportunity to mix with our corporate partners, hear about different job opportunities and then select from a broad array of educational tracks in everything from graphics to security, which may require less math or programming.”
If you’re interested in CS, consider these five things:
a) Know Yourself:
Do you like working solo or on a team? Do you want to work with cutting-edge technology or support a business unit in a private sector company? The reality is you can be a DBA, business analyst, software engineer, researcher or computer systems analyst. However, you need to choose a career and curriculum that leverages your academic strengths. Currently, less than 40 percent of U.S. undergradscomplete science, technology, engineering and math programs and graduate with a degree.“If you want to pursue a career in software engineering, then you’ll have to complete rigorous coursework in math and programming,” says Dr. Larry Davis, professor at the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies and chair of the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland.
b) Select a Sustainable Career:
Employment in all computer occupations is expected to increase by 22 percent through 2020, but some IT fields will fare better than others, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics biennial update of employment projections. Tech support and programming are still being sent offshore, so select carefully. “Don’t wait until you’re a junior or senior to attend campus job fairs,” suggests Davis. “Go when you’re a freshman so you can meet employers and hear about their future openings.
c) Acquire Marketable Skills:
It might be better to major in Business Administration and minor in Computer Science if you want to work in the private sector because the cloud is transforming IT and creating hybrid roles across the enterprise, according to Gartner. Most computer science students spend time building their own applications and systems but businesses don’t necessarily need that type of expertise. Hot skills include systems integration, business intelligence, cloud computing SQL, .Net, C, mobile languages and Java.
d) Get Hands-On Experience:
You can’t learn teamwork or business fundamentals by reading a text book. Participate in student projects, volunteer work, campus committees and internships so you can acquire hands-on technical experience, business acumen, leadership and communication skills.
e) Persevere: It takes most CS students six years to earn a degree since many initially drop out of math and programming classes, yet manage to succeed the second time around.
List of Commonly Used Business Software
Types of Information Systems in an Organization
Although technology keeps advancing, businesses still have the same basic needs from their software. While the software's functionality has evolved, the delivery platform has gone through a quantum change. Applications that used to be delivered as standard applications run on on desktop and notebook computers are now frequently delivered through the web browser or run on non-traditional computing devices such as tablets and smartphones.
Try Zendesk For Free
Build Customer Relationships That Are More Meaningful & Productive.www.zendesk.com/
Web Browsers
In a business setting, Web browsers do more than just allow you to surf the Internet. More and more business applications are being delivered from cloud servers through the web browser. While these can include business-specific information and tools such as intranets, browsers can also serve as a gateway to software applications like spreadsheets and word processors.
Office Suites
Office suites like Microsoft Office, Apple iWork, WordPerfect Office, Google Docs or Apache OpenOffice combine multiple business software programs into a single package. At a minimum, most include a word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation program. Some suites add additional programs such as drawing software, email clients and databases. They cover the basic productivity needs of most office workers.
Communication Software
Software to facilitate communication is also crucial. Many communication applications, such as many online meeting services and web-based email services, run through the browser. Other programs, like Qualcomm's Eudora or Microsoft's Outlook, are traditional applications that run on the computer and provide an interface allowing their users to connect to email servers.
Business Intelligence and Enterprise Software
Many businesses also use special software packages to help manage their accounting and operations. Some use entry-level programs such as Quickbooks or Sage Peachtree that perform basic accounting functions. More powerful enterprise resource planning and business intelligence packages offer a comprehensive view of your business. While buying a license can be expensive, cloud-based versions of these programs are affordable for many small businesses.
Free UML Diagram Tool
Extensive shape & connector library
to create efficient UML diagrams.
www.lucidchart.com
Edraw Diagram Software
Cross-Platform Diagram Software,
Visio Alternative, Free Download
www.edrawsoft.com
Inventory and Billing POS
Easy to use Inventory + Billing
Software. Download HDPOS trial now
www.hdpos.in/Stock.aspx
PL/SQL Developer
Download PL/SQL Developer
lots of features, plug-ins & more
www.allroundautomations.com
Although technology keeps advancing, businesses still have the same basic needs from their software. While the software's functionality has evolved, the delivery platform has gone through a quantum change. Applications that used to be delivered as standard applications run on on desktop and notebook computers are now frequently delivered through the web browser or run on non-traditional computing devices such as tablets and smartphones.
Try Zendesk For Free
Build Customer Relationships That Are More Meaningful & Productive.www.zendesk.com/
Web Browsers
In a business setting, Web browsers do more than just allow you to surf the Internet. More and more business applications are being delivered from cloud servers through the web browser. While these can include business-specific information and tools such as intranets, browsers can also serve as a gateway to software applications like spreadsheets and word processors.
Office Suites
Office suites like Microsoft Office, Apple iWork, WordPerfect Office, Google Docs or Apache OpenOffice combine multiple business software programs into a single package. At a minimum, most include a word processor, a spreadsheet and a presentation program. Some suites add additional programs such as drawing software, email clients and databases. They cover the basic productivity needs of most office workers.
Communication Software
Software to facilitate communication is also crucial. Many communication applications, such as many online meeting services and web-based email services, run through the browser. Other programs, like Qualcomm's Eudora or Microsoft's Outlook, are traditional applications that run on the computer and provide an interface allowing their users to connect to email servers.
Business Intelligence and Enterprise Software
Many businesses also use special software packages to help manage their accounting and operations. Some use entry-level programs such as Quickbooks or Sage Peachtree that perform basic accounting functions. More powerful enterprise resource planning and business intelligence packages offer a comprehensive view of your business. While buying a license can be expensive, cloud-based versions of these programs are affordable for many small businesses.
Free UML Diagram Tool
Extensive shape & connector library
to create efficient UML diagrams.
www.lucidchart.com
Edraw Diagram Software
Cross-Platform Diagram Software,
Visio Alternative, Free Download
www.edrawsoft.com
Inventory and Billing POS
Easy to use Inventory + Billing
Software. Download HDPOS trial now
www.hdpos.in/Stock.aspx
PL/SQL Developer
Download PL/SQL Developer
lots of features, plug-ins & more
www.allroundautomations.com
Monday, March 27, 2017
The Best Web Design Company in the World
What does the title "best web design company" entail? How does a company become known as the "best web design company in the world"? And what criteria is used to determine the title?
WebpageFX has the trophy case to prove that were one of the best in the business.
But before we figure out how we (or anyone else) can be considered as the best web design company, or even just one of the best web design companies out there, we had to first figure out how the "best web design company" was actually defined. Read on to learn more! First, we'll show you some companies that we believe are some of the best in the business.
10 of the Best Web Design Agencies
Here is our list of the top design companies:
1. RAZORFISH
header of Razorfish website
URL: https://www.razorfish.com/
Country: USA
Reason: With a mezmerizing homepage, Razorfish offers to "crack the creative code" with its work from 34 offices on five continenets. With clients like Mercedes-Benz, Walmart, Southwest Airlines, and Audi, this company is one of our favorites.
2. PUBLICIS. SAPIENT
header of Publicis. Sapient website
URL: http://publicis.sapient.com/en-us.html
Country: USA
Reason: A company that works with every industry from healthcare and travel, to automotive and retail banking, Sapient has you covered. They promise to reinvent key business activities and offer unmatched expertise, which is why we love them.
3. NORTH KINGDOM
header of North Kingdom website
URL: http://www.northkingdom.com
Country: Sweden
Reason: North Kingdom found a place on our best web design company list mainly due to their work on Vodafone's website and the “Got Milk” promotional website. In terms of their overall quality, we believe they have some of the top web designers in the world. North Kingdom clients have a more international flair, including Coke, Toyota, and Victoria's Secret.
4. 22SQUARED
header of 22 Squared website
URL: http://www.22squared.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Noted as the fourth largest independent advertising agency in the US, 22squared has some impressive clients, including Baskin-Robbins, GNC, HanesBrands and The Home Depot. Offering everything from creative content development to ROI analysis, this company offers it all.
5. 360I
header of 360i website
URL: https://360i.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Working with companies like Ben & Jerry's, Canon and Coca-Cola, 360i has certainly made a name for itself. It offers planning, strategy, social, technology and more--making it easy to understand why it landed a spot on the list. They've also landed a spot on other lists, boasting over ten awards.
6. GREY GLOBAL GROUP
header of Grey Global website
URL: http://grey.com/global
Country: USA
Reason: Located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Grey Global Group serves the NFL, Soundcloud and Volvo--providing it with an impressive portfolio. Grey serves one-fifth of the Fortune 500 list which makes it one of the most successful companies on the list. They offer everything from digital technology, to media and advertising.
7. CRAMER-KRASSELT
header of Cramer-Krasselt website
URL: http://c-k.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Cramer-Krasselt believes that "the brand with the most friends wins," and insists that creativity, media, and strategy work as one. They offer digital services, analytics, public relations, and more, and works for companies like Nikon, Corona and Panera Bread.
8. TOMBRAS GROUP
header of Tombras Group website
URL: http://tombras.com
Country: USA
Reason: Tombras is a family-owned agency that was founded back in 1946. They were named the National Small Agency of the Year by Ad Age, and that doesn't even cover their extensive list of impressive clients. Serving businesses like Michelin, MoonPie, and McDonalds, this company gets a definite spot on our list.
9. AKQA
header of AKQA website
URL: https://www.akqa.com/
Country: England
Reason: Offering social media, data science, and design, AKQA has done work for Nike Football, Google, and Warner Brothers Entertainment. They have also collaboarated with Usher and won four awards at The Clios. With a resume like that, AKQA was sure to make our list.
10. CONVERSANT
header of Conversant website
URL: http://www.conversantmedia.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Conversant allows its customers to reach millions of mobile users with targeted advertising, video, and CRM. They also offer everything from engineering to marketing and human resources. Their partners are pretty impressive too--they serve companies like Green Plum, AdChoices and Double Verify.
WebpageFX has the trophy case to prove that were one of the best in the business.
But before we figure out how we (or anyone else) can be considered as the best web design company, or even just one of the best web design companies out there, we had to first figure out how the "best web design company" was actually defined. Read on to learn more! First, we'll show you some companies that we believe are some of the best in the business.
10 of the Best Web Design Agencies
Here is our list of the top design companies:
1. RAZORFISH
header of Razorfish website
URL: https://www.razorfish.com/
Country: USA
Reason: With a mezmerizing homepage, Razorfish offers to "crack the creative code" with its work from 34 offices on five continenets. With clients like Mercedes-Benz, Walmart, Southwest Airlines, and Audi, this company is one of our favorites.
2. PUBLICIS. SAPIENT
header of Publicis. Sapient website
URL: http://publicis.sapient.com/en-us.html
Country: USA
Reason: A company that works with every industry from healthcare and travel, to automotive and retail banking, Sapient has you covered. They promise to reinvent key business activities and offer unmatched expertise, which is why we love them.
3. NORTH KINGDOM
header of North Kingdom website
URL: http://www.northkingdom.com
Country: Sweden
Reason: North Kingdom found a place on our best web design company list mainly due to their work on Vodafone's website and the “Got Milk” promotional website. In terms of their overall quality, we believe they have some of the top web designers in the world. North Kingdom clients have a more international flair, including Coke, Toyota, and Victoria's Secret.
4. 22SQUARED
header of 22 Squared website
URL: http://www.22squared.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Noted as the fourth largest independent advertising agency in the US, 22squared has some impressive clients, including Baskin-Robbins, GNC, HanesBrands and The Home Depot. Offering everything from creative content development to ROI analysis, this company offers it all.
5. 360I
header of 360i website
URL: https://360i.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Working with companies like Ben & Jerry's, Canon and Coca-Cola, 360i has certainly made a name for itself. It offers planning, strategy, social, technology and more--making it easy to understand why it landed a spot on the list. They've also landed a spot on other lists, boasting over ten awards.
6. GREY GLOBAL GROUP
header of Grey Global website
URL: http://grey.com/global
Country: USA
Reason: Located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, Grey Global Group serves the NFL, Soundcloud and Volvo--providing it with an impressive portfolio. Grey serves one-fifth of the Fortune 500 list which makes it one of the most successful companies on the list. They offer everything from digital technology, to media and advertising.
7. CRAMER-KRASSELT
header of Cramer-Krasselt website
URL: http://c-k.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Cramer-Krasselt believes that "the brand with the most friends wins," and insists that creativity, media, and strategy work as one. They offer digital services, analytics, public relations, and more, and works for companies like Nikon, Corona and Panera Bread.
8. TOMBRAS GROUP
header of Tombras Group website
URL: http://tombras.com
Country: USA
Reason: Tombras is a family-owned agency that was founded back in 1946. They were named the National Small Agency of the Year by Ad Age, and that doesn't even cover their extensive list of impressive clients. Serving businesses like Michelin, MoonPie, and McDonalds, this company gets a definite spot on our list.
9. AKQA
header of AKQA website
URL: https://www.akqa.com/
Country: England
Reason: Offering social media, data science, and design, AKQA has done work for Nike Football, Google, and Warner Brothers Entertainment. They have also collaboarated with Usher and won four awards at The Clios. With a resume like that, AKQA was sure to make our list.
10. CONVERSANT
header of Conversant website
URL: http://www.conversantmedia.com/
Country: USA
Reason: Conversant allows its customers to reach millions of mobile users with targeted advertising, video, and CRM. They also offer everything from engineering to marketing and human resources. Their partners are pretty impressive too--they serve companies like Green Plum, AdChoices and Double Verify.
If Software Is Eating The World, Why Don't Coders Get Any Respect?
Software, as Marc Andreesen said in his famous editorial, is becoming a larger and larger part of our daily lives. Given how important software is, then, you'd expect computer programmer - the task of developing and maintaining software - to be one of the highest-paid, most-wanted jobs. It isn't. Why not?
"Hold on", you say, "isn't programming a high-paying job"? Sure, next to the average American worker. But the average American worker is a college dropout. What if you compare programming to jobs for other highly skilled professionals?
Consider a 35-year-old, senior Google engineer. He probably makes about $150,000, which is enough to buy a good house and raise a family. But Google wouldn't hire a random guy to fill that job - this engineer probably has an Ivy League or other elite degree, fifteen years of work experience, a very high IQ, strong drive, and numerous other skills (anyone who's been through the Google hiring process can tell you how hard it is to get in).
As a doctor, however, someone like this - a top professional at the peak of their career - would probably make about $400,000. Partners at big law firms commonly net a million a year. Investment bankers are making several million (post-crash!). Top management consultants easily clear $500,000. Even a top accountant - probably a partner at a big 4 firm - would make two, three, or four times as much.
Of course, life isn't all about money. Is programming a top job from a social perspective? Again, no. Congress includes not a single programmer, and to my knowledge, it never has. Almost all big companies are run by MBAs. Even Microsoft, arguably the canonical software company, is run by a non-programmer from Stanford Business School.
Are programmers top government advisors? Are they national heroes? Do doctors and lawyers and policemen tell their children that, if they work hard and practice, one day they can grow up to be a programmer? No. Obviously not.
When the government wants to bring in more workers from overseas - which obviously lowers salaries, and reduces job security - who do they bring in? Computer programmers. Every single one of the top ten H1-B visa users is a technology company. Politicians justify this by talking about a "shortage" of programmers, but would there really be a "shortage" if programmers were paid $500K, as much as doctors or management consultants? Of course not. Saying there's a "shortage" is economically the same as saying that "we don't want to pay you guys enough to meet the demand for labor".
Now, to wrap off, since this is a startup site, doubtless someone is saying "but programmers can make millions in startups!". This, on the face of it, is true. However, as I'm sure any founder here can tell you, you can't make a successful startup just by being a good programmer. You have to, to quote Paul Graham, also "answer support calls, administer the servers, design the web site, cold-call customers, find the company office space, and go out and get everyone lunch."
Now, if you're willing to do all that, and work the eighty-hour weeks a business requires, why do you need to be a programmer to make it rich? You don't. There are millions of ordinary small businesses - ditch diggers, electrical companies, contractors, roofers, construction firms, and on and on - that, if run well, will make you millions without a single line of code. (For more on these sorts of business, check out, eg., the book The Millionaire Next Door.) What "programmers can get rich in startups" really means is "entrepreneurs can get rich in startups", whether they're programmers or bricklayers.
So, why is this the case, given how important software is to the world? I think the answer is hidden in the rest of my post. Notice how I've been arguing for more pay, job security, etc. for programmers. A majority of the people here are probably programmers. Yet, my tone is pretty argumentative; I expect people to disagree with me, and am trying to answer their objections.
Why is that? On the face of it, it's very strange. If you went to a welder's union, and argued that welding wasn't respected enough and should be better paid, you'd expect to see loud cries of agreement. If you talked about better wages for teachers or policemen or nurses - all of whom make more than the American average - who would dispute it?
But for some reason, unlike just about every other profession, programmers seem to have an aversion to asking for more pay and more respectability. It would seem selfish, somehow - a programmer making $80,000 feels he shouldn't ask for more, since he's already making double the US average of $40,000. (Even though, when a teacher making $80,000 (as many of them do) asks for more, no one disagrees.) And you could argue that this is selfish, even though it's the sort of selfishness America usually endorses. After all, when the miner's union strikes for better working conditions, aren't they being selfish? They're acting in their own self-interest, trying to benefit themselves.
So, if you don't like being selfish, is there a reason to make programming one of America's top jobs? I think there is. For the last ten years, the people running the US have been other, non-technical top professionals - lawyers, management consultants, investment bankers, MBAs. And it hasn't worked. The economy is in the toilet, the budget isn't balanced, the government can't get anything done, we're in two wars we can't get out of, and some days it feels like the country is falling apart at the seams.
By contrast, when you look at Silicon Valley, where a lot of the top programmers live and run the local industry, everyone is doing great. Profits are up, unemployment is down, companies are getting started, and user growth is through the roof. Might this be a coincidence? I think it isn't. And for proof, look no further than China. All of China's top leaders are engineers, not lawyers or financiers or consultants. And China's been doing great. They've had steady, 10% annual economic growth - triple the US's, even in good times - for the last thirty years. Sure, they have problems with pollution and corruption, but so did the US when we were industrializing. Overall, though, they're on the right track, and the US is not (according to 85% of Americans anyway).
Of course, that isn't to say that most non-programmers are stupid or immoral, or that we shouldn't have any lawyers in government. Any well-run society has a mix of people at the top, because of specialization of labor. But is the optimal number of programmers in Congress really zero? Is it good for the country that Silicon Valley, arguably the best-performing sector of the economy, has next to no influence in politics, so that laws like the DMCA get passed even when the whole hacker community is violently opposed? I think it isn't. I think the country would be better off if MIT computer science students, like their neighbors at Harvard Law School, could dream of growing up to be President. And I think we'd all be better of if computer science wasn't just seen as a major for socially awkward nerds.
(Original WSJ editorial I'm referencing at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903480904576512250915629460.html.
"Hold on", you say, "isn't programming a high-paying job"? Sure, next to the average American worker. But the average American worker is a college dropout. What if you compare programming to jobs for other highly skilled professionals?
Consider a 35-year-old, senior Google engineer. He probably makes about $150,000, which is enough to buy a good house and raise a family. But Google wouldn't hire a random guy to fill that job - this engineer probably has an Ivy League or other elite degree, fifteen years of work experience, a very high IQ, strong drive, and numerous other skills (anyone who's been through the Google hiring process can tell you how hard it is to get in).
As a doctor, however, someone like this - a top professional at the peak of their career - would probably make about $400,000. Partners at big law firms commonly net a million a year. Investment bankers are making several million (post-crash!). Top management consultants easily clear $500,000. Even a top accountant - probably a partner at a big 4 firm - would make two, three, or four times as much.
Of course, life isn't all about money. Is programming a top job from a social perspective? Again, no. Congress includes not a single programmer, and to my knowledge, it never has. Almost all big companies are run by MBAs. Even Microsoft, arguably the canonical software company, is run by a non-programmer from Stanford Business School.
Are programmers top government advisors? Are they national heroes? Do doctors and lawyers and policemen tell their children that, if they work hard and practice, one day they can grow up to be a programmer? No. Obviously not.
When the government wants to bring in more workers from overseas - which obviously lowers salaries, and reduces job security - who do they bring in? Computer programmers. Every single one of the top ten H1-B visa users is a technology company. Politicians justify this by talking about a "shortage" of programmers, but would there really be a "shortage" if programmers were paid $500K, as much as doctors or management consultants? Of course not. Saying there's a "shortage" is economically the same as saying that "we don't want to pay you guys enough to meet the demand for labor".
Now, to wrap off, since this is a startup site, doubtless someone is saying "but programmers can make millions in startups!". This, on the face of it, is true. However, as I'm sure any founder here can tell you, you can't make a successful startup just by being a good programmer. You have to, to quote Paul Graham, also "answer support calls, administer the servers, design the web site, cold-call customers, find the company office space, and go out and get everyone lunch."
Now, if you're willing to do all that, and work the eighty-hour weeks a business requires, why do you need to be a programmer to make it rich? You don't. There are millions of ordinary small businesses - ditch diggers, electrical companies, contractors, roofers, construction firms, and on and on - that, if run well, will make you millions without a single line of code. (For more on these sorts of business, check out, eg., the book The Millionaire Next Door.) What "programmers can get rich in startups" really means is "entrepreneurs can get rich in startups", whether they're programmers or bricklayers.
So, why is this the case, given how important software is to the world? I think the answer is hidden in the rest of my post. Notice how I've been arguing for more pay, job security, etc. for programmers. A majority of the people here are probably programmers. Yet, my tone is pretty argumentative; I expect people to disagree with me, and am trying to answer their objections.
Why is that? On the face of it, it's very strange. If you went to a welder's union, and argued that welding wasn't respected enough and should be better paid, you'd expect to see loud cries of agreement. If you talked about better wages for teachers or policemen or nurses - all of whom make more than the American average - who would dispute it?
But for some reason, unlike just about every other profession, programmers seem to have an aversion to asking for more pay and more respectability. It would seem selfish, somehow - a programmer making $80,000 feels he shouldn't ask for more, since he's already making double the US average of $40,000. (Even though, when a teacher making $80,000 (as many of them do) asks for more, no one disagrees.) And you could argue that this is selfish, even though it's the sort of selfishness America usually endorses. After all, when the miner's union strikes for better working conditions, aren't they being selfish? They're acting in their own self-interest, trying to benefit themselves.
So, if you don't like being selfish, is there a reason to make programming one of America's top jobs? I think there is. For the last ten years, the people running the US have been other, non-technical top professionals - lawyers, management consultants, investment bankers, MBAs. And it hasn't worked. The economy is in the toilet, the budget isn't balanced, the government can't get anything done, we're in two wars we can't get out of, and some days it feels like the country is falling apart at the seams.
By contrast, when you look at Silicon Valley, where a lot of the top programmers live and run the local industry, everyone is doing great. Profits are up, unemployment is down, companies are getting started, and user growth is through the roof. Might this be a coincidence? I think it isn't. And for proof, look no further than China. All of China's top leaders are engineers, not lawyers or financiers or consultants. And China's been doing great. They've had steady, 10% annual economic growth - triple the US's, even in good times - for the last thirty years. Sure, they have problems with pollution and corruption, but so did the US when we were industrializing. Overall, though, they're on the right track, and the US is not (according to 85% of Americans anyway).
Of course, that isn't to say that most non-programmers are stupid or immoral, or that we shouldn't have any lawyers in government. Any well-run society has a mix of people at the top, because of specialization of labor. But is the optimal number of programmers in Congress really zero? Is it good for the country that Silicon Valley, arguably the best-performing sector of the economy, has next to no influence in politics, so that laws like the DMCA get passed even when the whole hacker community is violently opposed? I think it isn't. I think the country would be better off if MIT computer science students, like their neighbors at Harvard Law School, could dream of growing up to be President. And I think we'd all be better of if computer science wasn't just seen as a major for socially awkward nerds.
(Original WSJ editorial I'm referencing at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903480904576512250915629460.html.
WORLD’S TOP FINTECH COMPANIES IN 2016
Financial software development
We have prepared for you a comprehensive list of over 200 world’s top fintech companies and startups in 2016. We are extending and updating the list regulary. If your company is not yet here, please let us know!
We divided FinTech space into following categories:
Lending & Leasing
Personal Finance
Payments
Retail Investments
Institutional Investments
Crypto Currencies and Blockchain
Money Transfers
Business Tools
Crowdfunding
Retail Banking
Financial Research
Banking Infrastrucutre
Here is how we characterise different categories in FinTech space:
Lending
Lending companies on the list includes primarily peer-to-peer lending platforms as well as underwriter and lending platforms using machine learning technologies and algorithms to assess creditworthiness.
Personal Finance
Private tech companies that help individuals manage their personal bills, accounts and/or credit as well as manage their personal assets and investments.
Payments
Payments and billing tech companies span from solutions to facilitate payments processing to payment card developers to subscription billing software tools.
Retail Investments
Tech companies that help individuals manage their personal assets and investments.
Institutional Investments
Tech companies that help financial institutions, such as banks, hedge funds, mutual funds or other institutional investors, to manage their assets and investments.
Crypto Currenciesand Blockchain
Companies here span key software or technology firms in the digital currency space ranging from bitcoin wallets to security providers to sidechains.
Money Transfers
Money transfer companies include primarily peer-to-peer platforms to transfer money between individuals across countries.
Business tools
Companies either providing tools to other businesses. These range from accounting tools, CRMs to financial modeling and analysis software.
Crowdfunding
Platforms that allow a collection of individuals to provide monetary contributions for projects or companies provisioned in the form of equity.
Retail Banking
Companies providing banking services to individual consumers, rather than to companies, corporations or other banks. Services offered include savings and transactional accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit cards, and credit cards.
Financial Research
Companies providing services that help to investigate and analyse financial situation of other companies or the overall market or economy. Financial research tools and services are used by investment banks, mutual funds, security firms and other businesses who are offering financial products or investment services.
Banking Infrastructure
Banking infrastructure category refers to comapnies providing the fundamental hardware, software and services to bank for its core business to function.
Venture Capital Firms
Venture capital firms included make venture equity investments across the stage spectrum and geographies focusing on Fin Tech companies. The VC firm category spans both micro VCs and large multi-stage firms with LP commitments ranging from $25M to well over $1B+.
Corporate Investors
Corporate investors into Fin Tech include both corporations making direct investments and separately identifiable corporate venture units such as Citi Ventures or BBVA Ventures.
Angel Investors
Fin Tech angel investors listed are individual angel investors who offer early-stage capital, advice and networks to startups in exchange for equity or convertible debt.
Accelerators/Incubators
Accelerators and startup incubators typically offer some combination of equity investment, mentorship and resources around company development. Those on the Fin Tech periodic table have either funded a number of Fin Tech portfolio companies or have a specific focus on Fin Tech i.e. Boost.vc, FinTech Innovation Lab.
Fin Tech Acquirers
Key public corporations that have acquired private FinTech companies in the last five years.
We have prepared for you a comprehensive list of over 200 world’s top fintech companies and startups in 2016. We are extending and updating the list regulary. If your company is not yet here, please let us know!
We divided FinTech space into following categories:
Lending & Leasing
Personal Finance
Payments
Retail Investments
Institutional Investments
Crypto Currencies and Blockchain
Money Transfers
Business Tools
Crowdfunding
Retail Banking
Financial Research
Banking Infrastrucutre
Here is how we characterise different categories in FinTech space:
Lending
Lending companies on the list includes primarily peer-to-peer lending platforms as well as underwriter and lending platforms using machine learning technologies and algorithms to assess creditworthiness.
Personal Finance
Private tech companies that help individuals manage their personal bills, accounts and/or credit as well as manage their personal assets and investments.
Payments
Payments and billing tech companies span from solutions to facilitate payments processing to payment card developers to subscription billing software tools.
Retail Investments
Tech companies that help individuals manage their personal assets and investments.
Institutional Investments
Tech companies that help financial institutions, such as banks, hedge funds, mutual funds or other institutional investors, to manage their assets and investments.
Crypto Currenciesand Blockchain
Companies here span key software or technology firms in the digital currency space ranging from bitcoin wallets to security providers to sidechains.
Money Transfers
Money transfer companies include primarily peer-to-peer platforms to transfer money between individuals across countries.
Business tools
Companies either providing tools to other businesses. These range from accounting tools, CRMs to financial modeling and analysis software.
Crowdfunding
Platforms that allow a collection of individuals to provide monetary contributions for projects or companies provisioned in the form of equity.
Retail Banking
Companies providing banking services to individual consumers, rather than to companies, corporations or other banks. Services offered include savings and transactional accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit cards, and credit cards.
Financial Research
Companies providing services that help to investigate and analyse financial situation of other companies or the overall market or economy. Financial research tools and services are used by investment banks, mutual funds, security firms and other businesses who are offering financial products or investment services.
Banking Infrastructure
Banking infrastructure category refers to comapnies providing the fundamental hardware, software and services to bank for its core business to function.
Venture Capital Firms
Venture capital firms included make venture equity investments across the stage spectrum and geographies focusing on Fin Tech companies. The VC firm category spans both micro VCs and large multi-stage firms with LP commitments ranging from $25M to well over $1B+.
Corporate Investors
Corporate investors into Fin Tech include both corporations making direct investments and separately identifiable corporate venture units such as Citi Ventures or BBVA Ventures.
Angel Investors
Fin Tech angel investors listed are individual angel investors who offer early-stage capital, advice and networks to startups in exchange for equity or convertible debt.
Accelerators/Incubators
Accelerators and startup incubators typically offer some combination of equity investment, mentorship and resources around company development. Those on the Fin Tech periodic table have either funded a number of Fin Tech portfolio companies or have a specific focus on Fin Tech i.e. Boost.vc, FinTech Innovation Lab.
Fin Tech Acquirers
Key public corporations that have acquired private FinTech companies in the last five years.
Do you know : which is the World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Robotics ?
1. IROBOT
For building the bots that live among us. iRobot could sit on its laurels and continue to rake in military paychecks, including a $30 million U.S. Army defense contract last year. Instead, the empire that PackBot and Roomba built is hurtling forward. From collaborating with Yale researchers on an ultradextrous robotic hand (able to grasp a pin) at a fraction of the cost of existing manipulators, to unveiling a telepresence bot that marries Cisco Systems’ videoconferencing tech with iRobot’s self-guided navigation, the Massachusetts company isn’t just meeting demand but creating it: Revenue climbed by roughly $50 million in 2013 to nearly $500 million. Read more >>
2. GOOGLE
For building and investing in robots that will truly change the world. Google’s driverless autonomous cars have logged 500,000 miles to date–without incident. Last year, it acquired Boston Dynamics, maker of the walking, running, and jumping robots, as well as Schaft, a Tokyo-based startup that uses liquid-cooled electronic motors to power five-foot-tall humanoid automatons. Add to that its recent acquisition of smart appliance maker Nest, and Google has proven it is more poised than any other company to advance the art of intelligent machines. Read more >>
3. TOUCH BIONICS
For bringing prosthetics into the mobile age. The i-limb ultra revolution isn’t the only breathtakingly complex bionic hand. It is, however, the first to be controlled with an app. Touch Bionics’ latest model can be programmed via an included iPod Touch–allowing wearers to configure their own grip patterns and activation triggers, and to recalibrate without a prosthetics expert. Advanced prosthetics are still sports-car expensive (this one runs $100,000), but they no longer require a roboticist to maintain.
4. NORTHROP GRUMMAN
For teaching drones to land–and avoid landing–on aircraft carriers. Northrop Grumman’s X-47B robot plane made history last May as the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched by catapult from a carrier. Then it upped the ante, making an arrested carrier landing in July. Subsequent aborted landings were widely criticized, missing the point: Having detected technical issues, the largely autonomous prototype for a future pilotless fighter decided to land elsewhere. Avoiding a fiery carrier crash might be the best example yet of machine intelligence.
5. RETHINK ROBOTICS
For rethinking menial labor. When Rethink Robotics first unveiled Baxter in 2012, its eerily humanoid robot, it held much promise. The two-armed, touch-screen-faced bot could learn repetitive tasks quickly and work alongside humans with no risk of injuring them–a remarkably low-cost way of automating a wide range of assembly tasks. But Rethink delivered again in 2013, significantly upgrading Baxter’s software and allowing academic customers to create their own applications, turning the hundreds of models sold so far into even better unpaid workers.
6. ACCURAY
For using bots to target more forms of cancer, in more patients. Accuray’s CyberKnife System first opened fire on tumors in 2001, using robotic accuracy to hit unhealthy tissue with narrow beams of radiation, instead of bathing whole swaths of the subject’s body. More than 100,000 patients later, the new CyberKnife M6 Series, deployed last year, is an even better shot: It utilizes shaped beams that conform to the specific contours of a tumor. That means less collateral radiation for surrounding tissue–and treatments for the previously untreatable.
7. LIQUID ROBOTICS
For using the sun and the sea to power a fleet of ocean observers. Liquid Robotics had already cornered the market it essentially invented: self-steering robots that patrol the seas, monitoring everything from vessel traffic to marine life. The Wave Glider SV3, launched last year, pushes the state of the art in self-guided sensors further. It’s the first oceangoing bot to propel itself using both solar cells and wave energy, with an onboard electric motor that can fight through currents and weather conditions, and an operational range in the tens of thousands of miles.
8. BOSCH
For bringing hands-free mowing, and motoring, one step closer to reality. Bosch delivered the smartest, most-efficient robomower to date last year. As scarce as automated mowing is in the United States, it’s a $170 million (and growing) business in Europe, and Bosch’s Indego model is the most advanced. It maps the lawn, cuts in preplanned parallel lines, and picks up where it left off after recharging. The German firm also released autonomous cars onto the Autobahn in an attempt to make Google’s robocar tests in Nevada look like quaint Sunday drives.
9. QBOTIX
For streamlining solar power with robots and monorails. Instead of fully motorizing individual solar panels to constantly face the sun, the SolBot system from QBotix mounts them on a miniature monorail track, where a robot can slide along, repositioning them throughout the day. This uses fewer motors and soaks up more sun, costing as much as a single-axis tracking system while delivering as much energy as a dual-axis one. After setting up five active installations in 2013, the California startup unveiled the larger-scale SolBot R-225, each one capable of optimizing 340 kilowatts worth of panels.
10. PROX DYNAMICS
For hurling palm-launched drones into the line of fire. Is a tiny, toylike unarmed UAV that fits in your hand worth $31 million? Britain’s Ministry of Defence certainly believed so when it ordered 160 of Prox Dynamics‘ Black Hornet nanocopters and deployed the half-ounce drones to Afghanistan in 2012. Now infantry units use the Black Hornet for close-quarters scouting and automated surveillance. The Norwegian bot-maker recently scored a $2.5 million contract to develop a new Black Hornet line for the U.S. Army.
For building the bots that live among us. iRobot could sit on its laurels and continue to rake in military paychecks, including a $30 million U.S. Army defense contract last year. Instead, the empire that PackBot and Roomba built is hurtling forward. From collaborating with Yale researchers on an ultradextrous robotic hand (able to grasp a pin) at a fraction of the cost of existing manipulators, to unveiling a telepresence bot that marries Cisco Systems’ videoconferencing tech with iRobot’s self-guided navigation, the Massachusetts company isn’t just meeting demand but creating it: Revenue climbed by roughly $50 million in 2013 to nearly $500 million. Read more >>
2. GOOGLE
For building and investing in robots that will truly change the world. Google’s driverless autonomous cars have logged 500,000 miles to date–without incident. Last year, it acquired Boston Dynamics, maker of the walking, running, and jumping robots, as well as Schaft, a Tokyo-based startup that uses liquid-cooled electronic motors to power five-foot-tall humanoid automatons. Add to that its recent acquisition of smart appliance maker Nest, and Google has proven it is more poised than any other company to advance the art of intelligent machines. Read more >>
3. TOUCH BIONICS
For bringing prosthetics into the mobile age. The i-limb ultra revolution isn’t the only breathtakingly complex bionic hand. It is, however, the first to be controlled with an app. Touch Bionics’ latest model can be programmed via an included iPod Touch–allowing wearers to configure their own grip patterns and activation triggers, and to recalibrate without a prosthetics expert. Advanced prosthetics are still sports-car expensive (this one runs $100,000), but they no longer require a roboticist to maintain.
4. NORTHROP GRUMMAN
For teaching drones to land–and avoid landing–on aircraft carriers. Northrop Grumman’s X-47B robot plane made history last May as the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched by catapult from a carrier. Then it upped the ante, making an arrested carrier landing in July. Subsequent aborted landings were widely criticized, missing the point: Having detected technical issues, the largely autonomous prototype for a future pilotless fighter decided to land elsewhere. Avoiding a fiery carrier crash might be the best example yet of machine intelligence.
5. RETHINK ROBOTICS
For rethinking menial labor. When Rethink Robotics first unveiled Baxter in 2012, its eerily humanoid robot, it held much promise. The two-armed, touch-screen-faced bot could learn repetitive tasks quickly and work alongside humans with no risk of injuring them–a remarkably low-cost way of automating a wide range of assembly tasks. But Rethink delivered again in 2013, significantly upgrading Baxter’s software and allowing academic customers to create their own applications, turning the hundreds of models sold so far into even better unpaid workers.
6. ACCURAY
For using bots to target more forms of cancer, in more patients. Accuray’s CyberKnife System first opened fire on tumors in 2001, using robotic accuracy to hit unhealthy tissue with narrow beams of radiation, instead of bathing whole swaths of the subject’s body. More than 100,000 patients later, the new CyberKnife M6 Series, deployed last year, is an even better shot: It utilizes shaped beams that conform to the specific contours of a tumor. That means less collateral radiation for surrounding tissue–and treatments for the previously untreatable.
7. LIQUID ROBOTICS
For using the sun and the sea to power a fleet of ocean observers. Liquid Robotics had already cornered the market it essentially invented: self-steering robots that patrol the seas, monitoring everything from vessel traffic to marine life. The Wave Glider SV3, launched last year, pushes the state of the art in self-guided sensors further. It’s the first oceangoing bot to propel itself using both solar cells and wave energy, with an onboard electric motor that can fight through currents and weather conditions, and an operational range in the tens of thousands of miles.
8. BOSCH
For bringing hands-free mowing, and motoring, one step closer to reality. Bosch delivered the smartest, most-efficient robomower to date last year. As scarce as automated mowing is in the United States, it’s a $170 million (and growing) business in Europe, and Bosch’s Indego model is the most advanced. It maps the lawn, cuts in preplanned parallel lines, and picks up where it left off after recharging. The German firm also released autonomous cars onto the Autobahn in an attempt to make Google’s robocar tests in Nevada look like quaint Sunday drives.
9. QBOTIX
For streamlining solar power with robots and monorails. Instead of fully motorizing individual solar panels to constantly face the sun, the SolBot system from QBotix mounts them on a miniature monorail track, where a robot can slide along, repositioning them throughout the day. This uses fewer motors and soaks up more sun, costing as much as a single-axis tracking system while delivering as much energy as a dual-axis one. After setting up five active installations in 2013, the California startup unveiled the larger-scale SolBot R-225, each one capable of optimizing 340 kilowatts worth of panels.
10. PROX DYNAMICS
For hurling palm-launched drones into the line of fire. Is a tiny, toylike unarmed UAV that fits in your hand worth $31 million? Britain’s Ministry of Defence certainly believed so when it ordered 160 of Prox Dynamics‘ Black Hornet nanocopters and deployed the half-ounce drones to Afghanistan in 2012. Now infantry units use the Black Hornet for close-quarters scouting and automated surveillance. The Norwegian bot-maker recently scored a $2.5 million contract to develop a new Black Hornet line for the U.S. Army.
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