(This post originally appeared on Forbes)
Here are five things in technology that happened this past week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them?
1 – Construction workers will soon get smartglasses, Microsoft hopes.
The company is working with the University of Cambridge to test its Hololens smartglasses for construction. The Hololens has been available to developers since 2016, but its consumer release date is still unknown. My company, the Marks Group, is a Microsoft Partner. (Source: Computer Business Review)
Why this is important for your business:
If you’re a contractor or in the construction industry, expect in the future that smartglasses will help your workers perform inspections or identify structural errors and problems so your supervisors and experts can review and offer solutions remotely and in real time.
2 – Google Translate will now let users read Japanese instantly via their hovering smartphones.
Translation tools are getting better and better. Microsoft announced a few weeks ago that Skype can translate calls in real time. Now Google says that its Translate app will let users hover their smartphone in front of a piece of text written in Japanese and instantly translate it. That should make your next trip to Tokyo a little easier! (Source VentureBeat)
Why this is important for your business:
For many companies, expanding to other countries is an important way to grow. Language has always been a huge headache – new tools like this will hopefully make it easier for you to do business overseas.
3 – MailChimp has launched support for Facebook ad campaigns.
The popular email marketing service is…wait…offering services outside of email. MailChimp’s new features will let their members use their current email lists to target prospects and customers on Facebook and then create Facebook ad campaigns all within the application. (Source: TechCrunch)
Why this is important for your business:
If your business is active on Facebook, and you do a lot of emailing, here’s a chance to bring your marketing activities on both platforms together under one roof. MailChimp says that 16 percent of its more than 15 million users are ecommerce companies, so this move makes sense.
4 – Your employees can now take Lyft Line rides to get to and from work.
The popular ride-sharing app has announced that commuters in many major cities like Seattle, New York and Miami can now use pretax dollars to travel to work via Lyft Line. The new program lets employees save “up to 40 percent on rides,” said the company. (Source: GeekWire)
Why this is important for your business:
Helping to defray the high cost of commuting is a great benefit to offer to your employees. Lyft Line will work with services like WageWorks, TransitChek, Benefit Resource, Commuter Benefit Solutions, Navia and Zenefits.
5 – GoDaddy has a new website-building tool for small businesses.
The popular web hosting services has introduced a tool that will allow users to “create a complete website from a mobile device in under an hour.” According to the company, the product also features a suite of SEO and email marketing tools, Facebook page integration and a dashboard that provides recommendations on how to increase traffic and sales. (Source: ZDNet)
Why this is important for your business:
You need a website. You don’t have the time or the savvy to build one. You don’t have the money either. This seems like the perfect tool for the on-the-go Millennial entrepreneur.
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