Code Your Future is one such example; a non-profit organization that teaches refugees how to code in order to have better job opportunities. They’ve got locations in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and now Rome too, with more than 100 graduates so far.

Because of the many cultural backgrounds of the refugees, it’s vital that the tech they use at Code Your Future is simple, reliable, and easy to use. That’s why we’ve recently gifted them four Airtames in order for them to succeed and create a better, open learning environment.

Germán Bencci is the founder of Code Your Future. We asked Germán for a chat about cultural differences, the modern workspace, and why coding is a great place to start if you want to learn a new, high in demand skill fast.

How did Code Your Future come to be?

The refugee crisis in 2015 hit me pretty strongly. I’m from Venezuela myself, and over the past years, many of my countrymen have had to flee as well due to the political climate. So when I experienced it in Europe too, I immediately started thinking about solutions.

I think what really drove me to start Code Your Future was the fact that big tech companies made a lot of promises and pledged to have a positive impact on the crisis, yet nothing happened. That’s when I knew I had to step in and present something tangible, and it was natural to me to use tech as an enabler.

Code Your Future helps create better job opportunities for future tech employees. But why coding?

No matter their academic background or if they have one at all, many refugees find it almost impossible to get jobs other than cleaning, repairs or sewing, etc. Coding gives you a lot of other opportunities and skills that are highly sought after, but without having to spend many years training.

It doesn’t take a lot of time nor money to learn how to code, and it’s one of the very few skills that makes you likely to get a good job instantly. Coding ignores ethnicity, religions, and cultural background completely.

What fuels your mission of helping refugees code? What’s the reward?

The opportunities and networks we have access to aren’t distributed evenly in society and, consequently, there’s a lot of social inequality. Disrupting that is pure magic! Of course, meeting new people and connecting with different, rarely represented cultures is also a fantastic bonus.

I guess it’s really mostly about taking the small steps towards change that inspires people to take the same small steps themselves.

What does it take to become an innovative organization, like Code Your Future?

People! People that want to make this happen. And a good portion of determination, welcome attitude, risk-willingness, and continuous yearning for improvement.

I’d also have to add that your ego should stay out of it. Working with what we do requires you to be selfless and open in a way we rarely are today. We’re non-profit, so we simply can’t think of it as a traditional business venture.

In relation to that, what do you think tech companies should do to accommodate employees with all sorts of backgrounds?

First of all, I genuinely feel that there’s a lot of good will and intentions in the tech industry. Tech products are used by millions of different people with tons of different backgrounds, so in order to cater to them, tech companies have to understand them and embrace their differences.

I think tech companies should be aware that they still have biases and then try to let go of them. They’ll be pleasantly surprised if they go outside their comfort zone a bit more.

Employees are one thing. What do you think the modern workspace should look like?

The most important thing for a modern workspace is understanding where their workforce is coming from. The same thing that goes for, say, Italian culture isn’t always a given for people with other backgrounds.

With the proper training, an open attitude as well as transparency, companies can come a long way. It’s imperative that companies figure out exactly what kind of company they want to be. What does the hierarchy look like? What about daily communication? Are you only considering a certain personality type? And so on.

When companies do that bit of ‘soul searching’, they’ll understand what they have to do to get to where they want. And maybe if the structures that are already implemented should be disrupted.

What have you learned through the process of establishing Code Your Future?

The most amazing thing I’ve learned is definitely that people are more than willing to share knowledge, help out, and make a difference. On the other hand, it’s equally amazing how willing the refugees we meet are to learn something new.

People basically want the same thing. They want to feel part of a group, they want basic safety in life and a sense that what they do matters. I’ve found through Code Your Future that it’s all possible if we’re open and treat other religions and cultures respectfully. We can achieve so much if we just acknowledge how alike we are deep down.

What do you wish every workspace had in terms of gear?

I can only speak for Code Your Future, but I believe this is applicable for other businesses too. Everybody needs work equipment that’s easy to understand and simple to use. Dashboards and big screens, for example, can quickly give workers a summary of the company’s impact and metrics. Tools like that empower your employees to feel connected and are a conversation-starter cross-team.

Can you describe one particularly meaningful student success story?

We have so many, it’s hard to just pick one. I’ll tell you the story of Louis who fled from Cameroon and rose from homelessness to a full-time developer.

After fleeing Cameroon, Louis found himself alone on the streets of London, scrambling to get by. He lived on the streets for a full year, after which he found a job as a cleaner and simultaneously enrolled in college to learn English. With no prior experience, he was afraid Code Your Future wouldn’t accept him into the course, but I told him to apply anyway.

He graduated from Code Your Future after just a few months and landed his first full-time job as a developer immediately thereafter. He laughed and told me he could have never dreamt of a life like this before, yet here he was! That made me so happy.

We try to give people the skills to become independent in a foreign country, and it’s amazing every time we succeed. It’s possible because we teach not only coding, but also communication, and how to work in a professional environment. Louis tells me he has a new dream now: to become a full-stack developer and teach others, just like we do, how to code. I’m confident he will do just that and help those who are in the same situation he was.

How can technology, like Airtame, help improve the workspace?

One of the reasons why Airtame has helped us so much is that you can be in a room with 30 laptops and people sitting in front of their computers working but still share the same experience. Airtame creates a unified feeling where everyone can be part of the same storytelling experience.

For us, it becomes a classroom environment where we break down hierarchy and let everyone be part of the discussion. Airtame allows people to tell their own story smoothly, no matter their cultural background, and share their problems in a visual way, and it’s very empowering to be a part of.

We look forward to seeing Code Your Future bloom.

If you want to know how Airtame can make a difference for your workspace, please don’t hesitate to book a demo with us now.

The post Interview with Code Your Future: How coding changes lives appeared first on Airtame.

Is there a wireless alternative to what used to be wired? You might think that the answer is no; that cable management comes in the form of organizers like zippers, boxes, zip ties, and wiring covers.

Cables are so last year

We think the fundamental issue with cables is the technology itself, not how to manage it.

Hiding cables is still a big design trend in modern offices. To do it right, however, you might need to open up walls and lift up floors to install hidden cables, which is not all that sustainable and means more maintenance in the long run. That doesn’t sound like it takes the hassle away, does it? Add to that, it can cost a pretty penny and eat up a lot of time.

If you know anything about Airtame, it’s probably that we don’t like cables. We think that the easiest cable management is simply to get rid of them!

Instead of sweeping your cable problems under an expensive figurative (or literal?) rug, there are beautiful, innovative, and flexible solutions available.

To get started on your clutter diet, here are four initial ways you can truly embrace the future of office design.

1. Wireless keyboards

Wireless keyboards use either USB or Bluetooth to connect. Bluetooth-connected ones could save battery whereas connecting by USB is more reliable.

Like many other electronics, keyboards are becoming smaller and much more crammed to look at and type on. Logitech’s K800 Wireless Illuminated keyboard isn’t one of them. The K800 may not be the best portable option but definitely one of the most comfortable if you’re planning on staying desk-bound most of the time.

The keyboard has backlit keys for those long hours at night. The keys will dim as you retract your hands, and you can of course also reduce or increase brightness easily. The keyboard is connected via USB. All that at a modest price point of $99.99.

2. Wireless speakers

Sound quality and portability are the two main things to look at when you want to pick a wireless speaker. We’re focusing mainly on the portable speakers in this post, the ones you need for that impromptu team meeting or work Friday bar.

For that reason, our favorite wireless speaker is the Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST. Value-for-money is spot on in the MEGABLAST, and the sound quality is incredible. It’s Bluetooth and WiFi compatible. The Bluetooth connectivity is rated at 150 feet, about five times that of other portable speakers.

UE MEGABLAST delivers 360 degrees sound and at much higher volumes than many others on the market. Waterproof, durable, 16 hours of battery life – oh, and it’s Amazon Alexa-enabled. You can find it on Ultimate Ears’ own site for $245 but we’ve seen it significantly cheaper many other places.

For your Friday bar, we recommend investing in a SOUNDBOKS. It’s the loudest battery-powered speaker of them all, and you can use it both indoors and outdoors. It’s priced at €849 for a starter pack with both a speaker and a battery pack. We have one here at our Copenhagen HQ and can confirm that the sound is supreme!

3. Wireless headphones and earbuds

Any work environment is bound to get noisy at times, especially if you work in an open-plan office, or a co-working space. There’s also the issue of privacy; you don’t want to eavesdrop on your colleagues.

A pair of noise-canceling ear gear can be the lifesaver you need, and wireless ones can help make you and your working experience all the more seamless.

The best wireless and noise-canceling headphones out there are, in our opinion, definitely the Sony WH-1000XM3. Background noises of any kind, everything from co-worker conversations to blaring traffic, will completely disappear. The headphones are comfortable to wear even for extended periods, and they come with a strong battery life of up to 30 hours of continuous playback. Priced at $349.99.

For earbuds, we recommend Bose’s QuietControl 30 which you can buy for $299.95. The lightweight, contoured neckband is perfect for wearing around the office ensuring that you don’t have to worry about your earbuds dangling or falling down. Even though they’re in-ears, Bose has mastered the ‘plugs’ to such a high level that you won’t feel any discomfort with them – even after a long day’s work.

4. Wireless charging

Wireless charging, otherwise known as inductive charging, is a pretty recent phenomenon. It uses an electromagnetic field to transfer energy between two objects, for example, your phone and an inductive surface.

But as we have many brands of devices, so there will be systems to charge them. That’s why we’ve found a brilliant, almost futuristic solution that can help entire offices get rid of power cables.

Wi-Charge uses a beam of infrared light – that’s right, light! – to deliver wireless power to multiple devices up to 10 feet away. It works with smart speakers, smart locks, smart screens, video surveillance, and of course smartphones.

One of the biggest barriers many people have with their smart devices is their battery life and trying to find a nearby outlet. Wi-Charger eliminates all of that and even amps up the experience by making sure more than one person can take advantage of it at the same time.

Wi-Charge has won numerous innovation awards recently, but they’re still only in beta. The reason we mention them is to underline how rapidly the technology is evolving, and how far it can take you both as a consumer and company. Why get solo charger surfaces when you can get the whole office covered?

5. Wireless control

What do we even mean by that? Well, wouldn’t it be nice if you had one central button for a lot of different wireless actions?

Enter flic, the wireless device you didn’t know you needed that will make your life a lot easier.

This nifty silicone Bluetooth button can be programmed to trigger an abundance of different actions when you push it; things you’d normally have to do on the device itself. Want to take a picture with your smartphone when it’s far away? Click the flic. Play, pause or skip to the next track? Click the flic.

The several programmable actions, such as single and double click, meaning that you can set up multiple commands for the tiny button. You could have one command for your morning alarm clock, one for your smart lighting system to turn on, and so much more!

Cables, begone! It’s time to embrace buttons.

6. Wireless screens

For those that want more freedom to roam when presenting, or the ability to connect to a display from across the room, a standard HDMI cable simply won’t cut it. In this digital age with more and more wireless aids, why not try a wireless screen sharing solution like Airtame too?

Airtame lets you wirelessly connect to any projector, screen, TV or large monitor and enables you to mirror the display on your laptop, tablet or smartphone. Whereas a lot of solutions on the market work seamlessly with one type of users, for example, either Mac or Windows, Airtame is cross-platform, meaning it works with MacOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, and Chromebook.

In a mixed office or BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) environment such as a classroom or office space, Airtame eliminates the need to purchase more than one device.

It’s intuitive and easy to use for employees, visitors, teachers, and students alike, and it’s priced at a budget-friendly $/€ 499 (ex. VAT). It’s a seamless streaming experience with a friendly, modern design.

How does Airtame compare to other screen sharing solutions on the market? Get an overview of it here, and check out our What is Airtame video below:

Going wireless? Good idea!

As the examples above illustrate, cable management is soon becoming a thing of the past. We believe that the office, classroom, and your home should be a stress-free, de-cluttered place that inspires and helps you rather than hinders your movement and ideas.

That’s why we recommend going wireless – and these six different solutions are all excellent places to start. They make your life easier and can be found at a price that won’t break your bank. And what’s better than that?

The post No cable management: our favorite wireless tech appeared first on Airtame.

I had the opportunity to browse the many exhibitors that made up the show while I was there. It was a tech wonderland filled to the brim with eye-catching and beautiful content, and I was equally impressed and intrigued by the unique products and experiences on display.

Here are some of the technology trends that piqued my interest.

8k and video walls: a visual sugar rush

The first thing anyone will probably mention after visiting ISE is the visual explosion that happens when you enter any hall. The whole event was awash with engaging and untraditional displays, such as Ledeca’s giant head-shaped LED display, Sony’s CrystalLED showing stunning 8k content on a display of 9.7 x 5.4 meters (a diagonal of about 440’’, folks!) or LG’s transparent OLED signage screens and their rollable OLED TVs.

The entire LED industry is unquestionably focusing on more and better pixels, and it was an impressive show of force from some of the industry’s titans. But while big screens and more pixels really stole the show at larger exhibitors such as Sony and LG, they didn’t portray anything majorly new or innovative.

I personally thought the 8k content and video walls were more about the ‘cool factor’ than actual usability. What I did take away from these larger exhibitors was the interesting fact that screens are no longer static objects, but can morph into all shapes and sizes, making signage and immersive experiences a lot better.

Digital signage is (still) all the rage

80% of brands experienced an increase of up to 33% in sales using digital signage, just like visual aids improve classroom learning by up to a staggering 400%, and 52% of travelers are more likely to go to a hotel that offers self-check-in, while quick service restaurants report a 30% increase in order value when customers use smart vending.

These rosy figures, reported by the official newspaper of Integrated Systems Europe, The Daily, indicated that growth in the digital signage sector is still on the rise; much more than other industries could hope for.

Because there’s such a rapid evolution going on with size and pixelation in video walls, digital signage can capture the audience way better than before. 8k video walls with IPS (Insane Performance Rendering) makes it possible to drive 8k video walls or clusters of four 4k digital signage displays from a single media player, which is quite something.

Digital signage setups are now able to summarize how many people walked by the displays, looked at the signage, for how long – and then add to that personal data about the user/consumer such as personal identification traits like age, gender or habits. In response to that data, messages can be modified in real-time.

Personal data out the window

It’s quite eerie to see how the use of data has changed. Digital signage can only become this sophisticated because we’re giving away more personal data than ever before.

And why is that? It’s a changing consumer behavior born by younger generations brought up with social media. They’ve been taught to share their data and use it for their benefit, and it’s having a massive impact on what we can convince an audience to do because the message becomes so tailored and specific.

Yes, it could mean a better overall experience with tech tools, digital signage, and IoT, but at what cost? I find it a little scary that the next standard for offices, for example, could be having my face on file as an entrance key or other types of logins. But maybe I’ll change my mind when I see how seamlessly it can make things work for the better.

Standardization

What I generally heard a lot of people say at ISE was that the demand for standardization is high. Users want to enjoy a consistent experience with a simplified design, and preferably one that has a solid standard for implementation as well.

Too many solutions are overcomplicated or require skills beyond what the regular user has. It’s time for tech companies, AV solutions especially, to take a step down from their ivory tower and into the user’s shoes.

Essentially, it’s function over form: if the solution can’t carry out the function it’s supposed to because someone had aesthetic or other things top of mind instead of what’s needed, it’s bound to cause confusion and disappointment.

Unfortunately, I heard the demand for more standardization rather than saw it at the show. It’s a pity, but at least when users are being vocal about their wishes, companies will have to follow suit eventually.

The downfall of projection

LED screens are making a move to steal the limelight from traditional projection. Eventually, they could be a complete replacement in both cinemas and classrooms where they are most widely used.

The average cinema-goer in Europe only spends about five hours in a cinema each year, according to analysts IHS market, and in order to attract more people, cinemas are trying to upgrade the total experience, making it more immersive and of higher quality.

Taking projectors out from classrooms has to do with tearing down walls. A projector binds students to a specific area or classroom whereas screens can be moved around more freely, allowing teachers more freedom and a more dynamic style of teaching.

Immersive technology explosion

It’s time for the physical and digital experience to fuse, ISE 2019 seems to tell us. Virtual sommeliers in restaurants, in-store scavenger hunts, digital garment collections. It opens up to a whole new world of business opportunities when you add digital content to the real world.

We’re talking holography to guide you through the consumer/user experience, mixed reality glasses, and gamification mixed with VR. And when you add AI to all of these immersive experiences, the user will be truly engaged with the content presented.

What was missing?

ISE 2019 was basically all the tech giants flexing their muscles. The show-off of the latest cutting-edge technology from all exhibitors, large and small, was engaging and entertaining, yet there were definitely a few things missing.

The 8k content was mesmerizing, but more of an initial sugar rush than something tangible that the user could take away from the exhibition. I think Airtame was a good antidote for all the wow effect booths at ISE, giving attendees a product with actual daily usability.

I wish ISE had a bigger focus on sustainability as well. The long halls were filled to the brim with eye-catching and amazing AV wonders, but I didn’t see a ‘green mindset’ presented in all that.

I did read a small post in The Daily about unboxing, though. With bulkier roll-outs, organizations could reduce disposal significantly by buying from companies that deliver everyday products, such as cables, in bulk. It cuts down on waste and eliminates hours spent on unboxing.

I also think user-friendliness deserve to play a bigger part in the show. We tried hard to make a booth that was different and had the user in mind, and it attracted a lot of attention because other exhibitors had a more conservative approach to their product presentation.

Next year, perhaps more will follow suit. ISE 2019 taught us that we need to see eye to eye with our users in order to better understand their needs, and talking to so many of them last week emphasized the point that they should be the center of attention, not us.

The post Technology trends: What we saw at ISE 2019 appeared first on Airtame.

Show up and talk to people. That’s it, right? Actually, exhibiting is much harder than that. It requires a well-planned setup, physical stamina, and the right attitude. We were surprised at just how much of the three were needed, and luckily also surprised at how well we managed.

We were (positively) overwhelmed by the number of attendees that visited our booth, and perhaps it had something to do with the way our setup was working.

We were a 17-strong team at the event. Here’s the post-event reflections on what it felt like for a small company like us entering the big league.

Interested in the big tech reveals and what left us feeling ‘meh’? We’ve recapped the most prominent trends showcased at ISE in a post here.

An inviting experience rather than a show of force

Many of the booths we encountered at ISE were very impressive, but not very welcoming. There were huge floor spaces with several floors of merchandise and products, but it didn’t always feel relevant or valuable to the end-user. You can also get the fatigue from being bombarded by so many bright lights (and you need your painkillers at the ready).

We had a smaller booth setup than many other exhibitors at ISE and not a lot of furniture. This was purposeful: our booth was not for relaxing and sitting, but for product communication with as many people as possible.

The design was definitely a contributing factor to our many visitors because it created a nice flow in our booth that others were missing. For example, I saw many booths that had sit-down areas, but from my experience, they weren’t used by visitors interested in the product but rather as a place to rest their feet. We eliminated that completely and thus booth visitors got more direct contact time with our sales and support team, and more frequently.

We set up four walls with one or two screens on each to display the Airtame solution. It gave our sales representatives an easy way to demonstrate the product, as all they had to do was connect their laptop or smartphone to the nearest screen. It meant that we were constantly moving, giving the whole booth a dynamic feel that would guide our visitors naturally.

The whole idea with our booth was to drive traffic. As we were doing product demos on all four walls simultaneously, there was never a still moment that might catch the eye of passers-by.

Talking to people like people

I saw many fancy setups at ISE 2019, and many formal-looking exhibitors that looked the part too. While that has its advantages in more corporate settings, it isn’t for everyone. Airtame users range from school teachers to enterprise-size corporation IT managers, and we need to communicate effectively to them all, no matter what their profession or seniority.

It was very important for us especially at this show to meet and talk to our customers on their level, and that’s why we actually had sales representatives speaking German, Latvian, Russian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and of course English as well. We recognize the fact that not everyone feels comfortable with a presentation solely in English, and we’re happy to always provide support and product demonstrations in the most common European languages. Minus some of the global consumer brands, this was quite a rarity at the event.

When we go to a show like ISE, our most important task is to engage directly with the end-user community. It’s their influence we want and it’s their feedback we thrive on. We created an open, less buttoned-up and corporate atmosphere within our booth that made it easy to communicate with every visitor, regardless of their purpose, origin or interest.

This might seem controversial at a tech tradeshow, but we actually found that scaling down online forms and lead generating was quite helpful. Instead of fussing over iPads or scanners, our sales representatives powered up on human contact and down on distractions. We took notes throughout, and I think this helped create a better connection with our visitors.

How to survive as an underdog

It cannot be stressed strongly enough just how spectacular some ISE booths were. The leading names come together to show off their hard work and innovations, and many have the “wow” factor.

As first-time exhibitors – perhaps with a more modest and user-centered product to present – it was clear from the very beginning that Airtame was an underdog. With that said, we definitely made our way through the ranks as the week progressed. A lot of it had to do with our excellent and communicative Sales and Support representatives, the booth set up, which was significantly different from other booths. 

Another thing was our whole approach to the show. Here we were, bright eyed and bushy tailed, so eager to meet our users – and competitors. Several visitors told us that our booth was “refreshing”, and that makes sense. We should take this as a learning experience but still remember that fresh, eager, and non-conventional approach to exhibiting.

We also made sure to visit both competitors and other manufacturers in the industry that made us curious. While we hope to be the number one wireless screen sharing tool in the industry, we can also learn from our competition and play nice. Our door is always open to healthy dialogue.

A huge success, with lots of room for improvement

Our main goal was to drive awareness, to make sure there was enough buzz around our brand. Yes, our most important objective is to obtain leads, but if the experience we’re serving at the tradeshow isn’t showing off our good side, i.e. building a product that is user-friendly, easy-to-use and simple to comprehend, we’re not doing the job.

Overall, ISE 2019 was a huge success for us, but there’s still so much we can learn from going to events like this. Our main takeaway from the show is that it’s okay to be the underdog and that being positive, open, and curious can get you really far.

Watch this space – we’ll be at the US-equivalent tradeshow, InfoComm, in June, and back for ISE 2020; making waves and educating people how they can use screens better with Airtame. 

The post What we learned at ISE 2019 appeared first on Airtame.

We recently attended Bett 2016, the largest education technology convention in Europe where the latest innovations in education technology are displayed every year.

We noticed a few trends in technology made for the classroom, as well as learned a thing or two about maneuvering in an event of this size as a creator of technology.

Highlights

• Interactive screens are a trend, but maybe not so interactive.
• New initiatives are on the rise to get kids and teachers to learn to programme.
• Game-based learning could have great results reaching students.
• An easy-to-use interface is the way to go for education technology
• Products that prove they are unique and useful within the first few seconds will grab eyes.

Interactivity is the new black

Around every corner of the conference, it was clear that interactive screens and projectors are becoming a big part of the educational environment. In particular, interactive touch screens seemed to be the ever-present gadget at all the major booths, such as Promethean, Smart, Sony, and Samsung.

However, it became clear that giving a persuasive presentation of these devices is no easy feat. Since the presenter is usually facing the screen, instead of the crowd, connecting with your audience becomes a hard nut to crack. One could fear that this scenario will play out similarly in the classrooms as well.

Get kids coding!

Another all-encompassing trend were initiatives formed to get both primary school- and high school-aged students—and even teachers—to learn to programme. These projects came in various forms, from Pi-top, a laptop shell for the Raspberry Pi mini-computer, to robotics equipment and coding challenges.

These trends were most impressively represented by BBC and Microsoft’s cooperation to equip every student in the UK attending 7th grade with their palm-sized micro:bits computers.

Gamification

Another frequently seen trend was a range of attempts to use game-based learning. Loads of booths presented their unique way of getting kids to learn math or help them with reading disabilities through a gamified user interface. This way of using digital technology seems to be a tool that could have impressive results.

This is especially true for students who might not be suited for traditional teaching formats, because let’s face it, even adults find it boring to sit and listen to someone talk for hours on end.

Airtame’s key learnings:

From the perspective of technology creators looking to succeed at Bett, we discovered a couple key lessons everyone creating technology for the classroom should know.

Keep it simple, stupid

A general requirement for all things in education is simplicity. A long list of features is compelling on paper, but when a range of different people from very young students to mature teachers need to use the devices in the classroom, the user interface and simplicity become the driving factors.

Solving issues in a simple way seems to be the way forward if these products are to actually be used in the educational setting, whether the forum is the primary school classroom or the university lecture hall.

We’ve grown more confident that Airtame could help both students and teachers connect to screens easily and will continue to develop uncomplicated software interfaces, as well as avoid extra unnecessary features.

Stand out from the crowd

It’s easy to blend in with the vast number of impressive booths at a conference like Bett. To stand out, one must have a truly unique product and make sure to demonstrate this in an eye-catching way.

Again, simplicity is key.

You need to give the crowd a sense of how your product can empower students and teachers within the first few seconds of your demonstration. This way you can also gain the attention of by-passers looking to trawl through the conference quickly and give them the full knowledge of how your product can help them get a better learning environment.

Did you attend Bett 2016 or have an idea where technology is going within the education sector? Let us know in the comments.

The post Trends in educational technology at Bett 2016 appeared first on Airtame.

Automated offices

One big theme of this year’s ISE conference was automation and control systems.

An endless number of companies at ISE offered to automate the curtains, lighting, projector screens, audio, and much, much more.

We are especially excited about this, because of the potential it has to empower the classroom.

One company that stood out was Neets, a Danish company:

They make a simple, easy to install automation platform that can turn on everything in the room with the touch of a button. Adding a motion sensor turns everything off when nobody is using the room.

Screens everywhere

At an AV conference, we knew screens would be featured heavily.

What we did not expect was the quality and sheer size of the screens.

There were ultra-large outdoor LED screens of a quality and sharpness that we had not seen before.

Of course, the much-raved about OLED technology was shown off in full force. A notable example of OLED screens is LG’s display of their ultra thin dual-sided signage displays.

Transparent screens were another screen trend using screens and projections in unexpected ways:

An example that really impressed us was commercial fridges with a transparent screen as a door. This meant that advertisements could be running on the screen front, while it was still possible to identify the bottles behind the glass door.

Go big, go nerdy

We saw two types of AV technology that grabbed everyone’s attention:

The kind that went big and the kind that went nerdy.

Go big

Panasonic’s robotic arms mesmerized most people walking by. The arms showed off both massive robotic power and impressive digital signage processing by moving around three large displays, while content that stretched over multiple displays stayed still and in focus.

Go nerdy

Another impressive crowd-pleaser and nerd-magnet was the Drone Arena.

This place had everything from DJI Phantom’s best seller to high-end photography drones at prices over €40,000 a piece.

It didn’t matter that the Drone Arena was in the furthest corner of the whole conference. There was a constant crowd who wanted to see the latest trends with these flying robots.

This bad boy costs 40,000 euros and can carry a large photography camera

Wireless office solutions

A trend that didn’t come as a big surprise to us was the amount of booths exhibiting wireless display and collaboration tools.

Many of the major AV companies now offer some kind of wireless display tool, ranging from the market leader, Barco, showing their new Clickshare lineup to smaller companies offering inexpensive Miracast streaming sticks.

A drawback of the solutions we saw at ISE 2016 was that they offer a long list of features that the user might not actually need.

It confirmed what makes Airtame stand out:

A simple and easy wireless solution that anyone from businessmen to high school students can use.

In any case, seeing the enthusiastic crowd around wireless display pumped us up!

Don't let cable clutter your office!

Did you attend ISE 2016 or have an idea where the future of AV technology is heading? Let us know in the comments.

The post AV trends from ISE 2016 appeared first on Airtame.

As always, we’re so grateful to our community of Alpha and Beta testers in [the Airtame forum]. We really couldn’t have done it without your feedback and support!

Focus on stability

With the 1.6 update, you’ll see more stability. We’ve heard your feedback and we’re constantly working to improve performance.

Our focus for this release was to strengthen the basic user experience. As a result, we’ve smoothed out bugs and fixed some issues from the previous update.

The 1.6 release has a usability and stability theme. We included a large amount of bug fixes and improvements to the widget software and device firmware, which we hope people will notice intuitively. There aren’t a lot of new features this time around, but we do have a lot of ideas and initiatives we are excited to work on in the future.

Attila Sukosd, CTA @ Airtame

Highlights from this update are:

• Better memory management
• Dashboard feature improved
• Ethernet connection stability improved
• Bugs on Windows platform fixed
• Usability on Mac improved
• Various bugs in Manage Device fixed
• New Help & Guides tab

Update both firmware and software

Before going over the details of the update, let’s first quickly talk about firmware vs software.

For starters, software is the application running on your computer (i.e., the Airtame widget), while firmware is the code running on the Airtame device.

This means there are two places where you should check for updates:

Firmware is updated through the Manage Device panel under the Updates tab. You can either check for updates manually or receive automatic updates.

Software is updated through the widget. When a software update is available, a green alert banner will ask you to restart the application.

Our Help Center has more information on How to update your Airtame’s firmware and PC software app

Note: Your Airtame device should be connected to the Internet in order to update.

Better memory management

In general, the application will use less memory, freeing up resources for other uses. As a result, you should experience fewer crashes.

Dashboard improvements

We introduced a resources constraint for the Dashboard feature. This will make sure that the Airtame doesn’t get overloaded and crash if the dashboard is too heavy for the device to run.

Another improvement is that your dashboard will now load automatically after Airtame has been rebooted or when you switch between WiFi networks.

Ethernet connection stability improved

We were having some issues with the Ethernet connection, but this was a bug that has now been fixed. Expect better stability when using an Ethernet connection to your Airtame.

Bugs on Windows fixed

There are a couple main issues on the Windows platform that have been fixed.

We removed the opening animation on Windows that was making it difficult to click on the widget. Our team nicknamed this bug the MC Hammer bug, because the widget would jump from side to side whenever someone tried to click on it. Funny nickname aside, the MC Hammer bug is now fixed.

There was also a Windows-specific bug for displays with a higher resolution than full HD, which is resolved.

Usability on Mac improved

We made some small fixes on Mac that make a big difference.

We’ve added a copy/paste function in the Manage Device panel. This means that you can now copy/paste a URL for a website or dashboard into the Dashboard settings. Before this new function, it was necessary to type out the URL. We’re all pretty happy about this one around the office.

Another fix for Mac is a Dark mode version of the Airtame widget for OS X. If you have your Mac set to Dark mode, the Airtame icon will now appear in white in the menu bar.

Various bugs in Manage Device fixed

After the last update, the app sometimes wouldn’t register that Manual Mode was on. Now, there shouldn’t be any problems with this.

We also worked on faster loading when connected to an isolated router without internet connection. This means Manage Device will load faster when not connected to the Internet.

Another function we fixed is the Disconnect button that disconnects Airtame from your WiFi network.

New Help & Guides tab

We have a new Help & Guides tab available directly on the Widget. This is part of our growing efforts to improve user support.

In this tab, you can find a quick tutorial on how to use the CONNECT WITH IP function, plus more to come.

Fine tuning the UI

While our 1.5 update included some great new features, such as the Airtame widget and the connect with IP function, the 1.6 update finetunes our main functionality even more so.

We continue to tweak the look and feel of the Airtame widget with the overall goal to be as user-friendly and intuitive as possible.

Now that you’re caught up on the changes included in this new update, go download it!

Update the Airtame software and firmware

IMPORTANT: If you experience any problems related to this update, please go to our website and download the latest version of our software and install it. This will replace your old version and fix any issues caused from the update.

The post Product Update 1.6: Fixes and fine tuning appeared first on Airtame.