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The lender, which crossed the $1 billion origination mark for the second consecutive quarter, is bullish on several new mortgage partnerships. View the full article

In today’s digital world, infographics play an essential role in communicating complex information clearly and efficiently. They combine visuals, data, and concise text to break down intricate topics, making them easier to understand. This visual format not merely improves audience engagement but likewise promotes information retention, which can greatly impact marketing efforts. As you explore further, consider how various types of infographics can serve specific purposes and raise your content strategy effectively. Key Takeaways Infographics simplify complex information, enhancing understanding and retention for audiences in a fast-paced digital environment. Their visual appeal increases engagement, making content 94% more likely to be viewed compared to text. Infographics are highly shareable, with 40 times more likelihood of being shared on social media than traditional text content. They boost brand visibility, leveraging visual storytelling to attract attention and enhance user interaction. Effective infographics improve SEO by attracting backlinks, driving traffic to websites and increasing online presence. Understanding Infographics: Definition and Importance Infographics serve as strong tools in today’s digital communication environment, merging visuals with data to convey complex information succinctly. An infographic definition typically refers to a visual representation that combines images, data visualizations, and minimal text. This format improves comprehension and retention by simplifying intricate topics, making information more accessible to diverse audiences. There are various types of infographics, including statistical, informational, timeline, and process infographics, each serving a specific purpose in storytelling. Their visual appeal, with engaging designs and colors, captures attention and increases engagement compared to traditional text-based content. Additionally, infographics are highly shareable on social media, boosting visibility and traffic for organizations that effectively utilize them, making them a potent asset in the digital environment. The Role of Infographics in Marketing Infographics play an essential role in marketing by enhancing visual engagement techniques that capture your audience’s attention. By simplifying complex information into easy-to-understand visuals, they help improve brand awareness and retention of your marketing messages. Moreover, their shareable nature on social media can greatly boost your brand’s visibility and drive more traffic to your website. Visual Engagement Techniques In today’s digital environment, leveraging visual engagement techniques is vital for effective marketing. Infographics serve as influential tools, improving visual appeal through engaging layouts, colors, and design elements that draw in your audience. Their infographic meaning goes beyond just visuals; they simplify complex information into digestible formats, enhancing comprehension and retention. Good infographic examples demonstrate how shareable content can markedly boost brand visibility on social media, with visual content being 94% more likely to be viewed than text. Moreover, a well-designed infographic can improve SEO by attracting backlinks, as they’re often repurposed across various platforms. Consistent branding in your infographics nurtures a stronger connection with your audience, making your content more compelling and memorable. Enhancing Brand Awareness When brands utilize infographics in their marketing strategies, they effectively improve brand awareness by presenting information in a visually appealing manner. Infographics can boost your marketing efforts through: Engaging Visuals: Bright colors and creative designs capture attention and increase audience engagement. Simplified Information: Complex data is made digestible, helping potential customers understand your products or services easily. Shareability: Infographics are perfect for social media, boosting visibility as users share them with their networks. SEO Benefits: By attracting backlinks, infographics improve your search engine ranking, further increasing brand visibility. Incorporating these infographic ideas in your campaigns can greatly contribute to boosting brand awareness and creating a lasting impression in today’s digital world. Types of Infographics and Their Uses A variety of infographic types exist, each customized to meet specific informational needs and improve clarity. Statistical infographics focus on numerical data, making complex statistics easy to digest and highlighting trends effectively. Informational infographics clarify complicated topics by breaking them down into visually appealing formats, enhancing insight. Timeline infographics are great for presenting chronological events, allowing you to grasp historical sequences or project milestones quickly. Process infographics illustrate steps in a procedure, guiding you through workflows or instructions clearly and engagingly. Steps to Create an Effective Infographic Creating an effective infographic starts with setting clear goals and identifying your target audience, as this guarantees the content resonates with those who’ll view it. Here are the crucial steps to create an effective infographic: Define Your Goals: Understand what you want to achieve and tailor your content to your audience’s needs. Outline Your Content: Streamline information to include only the fundamentals, making it easier for viewers to digest. Design with Brand Consistency: Incorporate brand colors, icons, and appealing visuals to improve your infographic’s overall look. Test Layout for Readability: Confirm a logical flow that guides the viewer’s eye naturally through the content. Following these steps will help you create an infographic that effectively communicates your message. Key Design Elements for Infographics When creating infographics, grasping visual hierarchy is vital, as it helps you direct the reader’s attention to the most important information. Moreover, the effective use of color and typography not only improves readability but also reinforces your brand identity. Visual Hierarchy Importance Visual hierarchy plays a crucial role in guiding readers through the information presented in infographics, as it utilizes size, color, and spacing to emphasize key points and create a logical flow. To effectively implement visual hierarchy in your information graphic, consider the following: Vary Font Sizes: Differentiate headings, subheadings, and body text to improve readability and comprehension. Use Contrasting Colors: Draw attention to important data and categorize information for easier navigation. Organize with Sections: Create clear divisions with visual elements like lines or borders to group related content. Maintain Clarity: A well-structured visual hierarchy not only enhances aesthetics but also helps your audience retain vital information more effectively. Color and Typography Usage Effective use of color and typography can greatly improve the impact of your infographics. Color usage is essential, as it evokes emotional responses and guides attention to key points. By using contrasting colors, you can highlight important information and improve readability. Typography additionally plays an important role in establishing visual hierarchy; employing three distinct font styles can enhance clarity and organize information for easier comprehension. Consistency in both color and font choices strengthens your brand identity, creating a cohesive visual experience. Combining appropriate color palettes with effective typography boosts viewer engagement, since visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. In the end, this thoughtful design guarantees your message is communicated clearly and memorably, aiding audience retention. Benefits of Using Infographics for Engagement Infographics serve as a strong tool for enhancing engagement since they transform complex data into an easily digestible format. By utilizing infographics, you can markedly improve how your audience interacts with content. Here are some key benefits: They present information visually, making it easier to process and retain key messages. Visual content is 94% more likely to be shared on social media, increasing brand visibility. Infographics simplify dense data, allowing insights to be grasped quickly—up to 60,000 times faster than text. Incorporating storytelling elements evokes emotional responses, leading to greater audience connection. Understanding what’s the purpose of infographics helps you create effective infographics samples that resonate with your audience. How Infographics Enhance Information Retention In relation to retaining information, the transformation of complex data into visual formats can considerably improve your comprehension and memory recall. An informational infographic simplifies dense information, making it easier for your brain to process. Studies show visuals are absorbed 60,000 times faster than text, which is essential since around 65% of you’re visual learners. When you see data visually represented, it can trigger emotional responses that boost your engagement and help you remember content longer. Research indicates that content with visuals receives 94% more views, underscoring the effectiveness of infographics. By condensing information into digestible pieces, infographics facilitate quick comprehension, allowing you to grasp key points more efficiently. To define infographic, it’s a visual representation of information designed for clarity. The Shareability of Infographics in the Digital Age Visual content has become a dominant force in the digital terrain, and infographics stand out due to their high shareability. They’re 40 times more likely to be shared on social media than text-based content, making them crucial for boosting engagement. Here are a few key reasons for their shareability: Visual Appeal: Infographics simplify complex data into engaging visuals, making them easier to digest. Platform Compatibility: Sites like Pinterest and Instagram favor visual content, improving the potential for shares. Timeliness: Infographics reflecting current trends attract more shares, increasing relevance. Viral Potential: Well-designed infographics can prompt users to share valuable information within their networks, extending their reach and impact. In today’s digital age, leveraging infographics can greatly improve your brand’s visibility. Visual Storytelling: The Power of Infographics When you want to convey complex information effectively, utilizing infographics can transform dense data into compelling visual narratives. This form of visual storytelling condenses intricate data into easily digestible formats, making it simpler for you to grasp and retain key information. Great infographic examples highlight how visuals can boost engagement by 94%, as they’re more memorable than text alone. Moreover, your brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text, emphasizing their importance in capturing attention in today’s fast-paced digital world. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Main Purpose of an Infographic? The main purpose of an infographic is to visually convey complex information in a simplified manner. You can quickly grasp key concepts through charts, graphs, and images. Infographics condense large amounts of data into digestible formats, making it easier for you to retain information. They likewise improve storytelling by guiding you through data narratives, improving engagement, and catering to visual learners. What Are Digital Infographics Used For? Digital infographics are used to simplify complex information, making it easier for you to understand and retain key ideas quickly. They serve as effective marketing tools, boosting social media engagement and brand visibility. Well-designed visuals convey data and statistics efficiently, allowing you to grasp numerical information much faster than text. Furthermore, infographics improve educational materials, catering to visual learners and driving traffic to websites through their shareable nature, which encourages backlinks. How Important Are the Infographics Nowadays? Infographics are incredibly important nowadays since they greatly improve information retention and engagement. With many people being visual learners, you’ll find that infographics simplify complex data. They’re shareable on social media, increasing brand visibility. Furthermore, well-designed infographics can boost SEO by attracting backlinks and traffic to your website. As attention spans shrink, infographics serve as effective storytelling tools, quickly conveying your message through eye-catching visuals that capture audience interest. What Is the Main Advantage of Using Infographics? The main advantage of using infographics is their ability to simplify complex information, making it easier for you to understand and retain key messages. They present data visually, catering to visual learners and increasing engagement. Infographics are shared more often on social media, enhancing brand awareness and reach. Moreover, well-designed infographics can improve SEO by attracting backlinks, driving more traffic to your website, and eventually boosting your online visibility. Conclusion In today’s digital environment, infographics serve as crucial tools for conveying complex information clearly and effectively. By utilizing visual elements, they improve engagement and make data more accessible, leading to better retention rates. Their shareable nature on social media amplifies brand visibility and drives website traffic. Comprehending how to create effective infographics and the various types available can greatly improve your marketing strategies, ultimately making your content more impactful and memorable for your audience. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is the Purpose of Infographics in Today’s Digital World?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In today’s digital world, infographics play an essential role in communicating complex information clearly and efficiently. They combine visuals, data, and concise text to break down intricate topics, making them easier to understand. This visual format not merely improves audience engagement but likewise promotes information retention, which can greatly impact marketing efforts. As you explore further, consider how various types of infographics can serve specific purposes and raise your content strategy effectively. Key Takeaways Infographics simplify complex information, enhancing understanding and retention for audiences in a fast-paced digital environment. Their visual appeal increases engagement, making content 94% more likely to be viewed compared to text. Infographics are highly shareable, with 40 times more likelihood of being shared on social media than traditional text content. They boost brand visibility, leveraging visual storytelling to attract attention and enhance user interaction. Effective infographics improve SEO by attracting backlinks, driving traffic to websites and increasing online presence. Understanding Infographics: Definition and Importance Infographics serve as strong tools in today’s digital communication environment, merging visuals with data to convey complex information succinctly. An infographic definition typically refers to a visual representation that combines images, data visualizations, and minimal text. This format improves comprehension and retention by simplifying intricate topics, making information more accessible to diverse audiences. There are various types of infographics, including statistical, informational, timeline, and process infographics, each serving a specific purpose in storytelling. Their visual appeal, with engaging designs and colors, captures attention and increases engagement compared to traditional text-based content. Additionally, infographics are highly shareable on social media, boosting visibility and traffic for organizations that effectively utilize them, making them a potent asset in the digital environment. The Role of Infographics in Marketing Infographics play an essential role in marketing by enhancing visual engagement techniques that capture your audience’s attention. By simplifying complex information into easy-to-understand visuals, they help improve brand awareness and retention of your marketing messages. Moreover, their shareable nature on social media can greatly boost your brand’s visibility and drive more traffic to your website. Visual Engagement Techniques In today’s digital environment, leveraging visual engagement techniques is vital for effective marketing. Infographics serve as influential tools, improving visual appeal through engaging layouts, colors, and design elements that draw in your audience. Their infographic meaning goes beyond just visuals; they simplify complex information into digestible formats, enhancing comprehension and retention. Good infographic examples demonstrate how shareable content can markedly boost brand visibility on social media, with visual content being 94% more likely to be viewed than text. Moreover, a well-designed infographic can improve SEO by attracting backlinks, as they’re often repurposed across various platforms. Consistent branding in your infographics nurtures a stronger connection with your audience, making your content more compelling and memorable. Enhancing Brand Awareness When brands utilize infographics in their marketing strategies, they effectively improve brand awareness by presenting information in a visually appealing manner. Infographics can boost your marketing efforts through: Engaging Visuals: Bright colors and creative designs capture attention and increase audience engagement. Simplified Information: Complex data is made digestible, helping potential customers understand your products or services easily. Shareability: Infographics are perfect for social media, boosting visibility as users share them with their networks. SEO Benefits: By attracting backlinks, infographics improve your search engine ranking, further increasing brand visibility. Incorporating these infographic ideas in your campaigns can greatly contribute to boosting brand awareness and creating a lasting impression in today’s digital world. Types of Infographics and Their Uses A variety of infographic types exist, each customized to meet specific informational needs and improve clarity. Statistical infographics focus on numerical data, making complex statistics easy to digest and highlighting trends effectively. Informational infographics clarify complicated topics by breaking them down into visually appealing formats, enhancing insight. Timeline infographics are great for presenting chronological events, allowing you to grasp historical sequences or project milestones quickly. Process infographics illustrate steps in a procedure, guiding you through workflows or instructions clearly and engagingly. Steps to Create an Effective Infographic Creating an effective infographic starts with setting clear goals and identifying your target audience, as this guarantees the content resonates with those who’ll view it. Here are the crucial steps to create an effective infographic: Define Your Goals: Understand what you want to achieve and tailor your content to your audience’s needs. Outline Your Content: Streamline information to include only the fundamentals, making it easier for viewers to digest. Design with Brand Consistency: Incorporate brand colors, icons, and appealing visuals to improve your infographic’s overall look. Test Layout for Readability: Confirm a logical flow that guides the viewer’s eye naturally through the content. Following these steps will help you create an infographic that effectively communicates your message. Key Design Elements for Infographics When creating infographics, grasping visual hierarchy is vital, as it helps you direct the reader’s attention to the most important information. Moreover, the effective use of color and typography not only improves readability but also reinforces your brand identity. Visual Hierarchy Importance Visual hierarchy plays a crucial role in guiding readers through the information presented in infographics, as it utilizes size, color, and spacing to emphasize key points and create a logical flow. To effectively implement visual hierarchy in your information graphic, consider the following: Vary Font Sizes: Differentiate headings, subheadings, and body text to improve readability and comprehension. Use Contrasting Colors: Draw attention to important data and categorize information for easier navigation. Organize with Sections: Create clear divisions with visual elements like lines or borders to group related content. Maintain Clarity: A well-structured visual hierarchy not only enhances aesthetics but also helps your audience retain vital information more effectively. Color and Typography Usage Effective use of color and typography can greatly improve the impact of your infographics. Color usage is essential, as it evokes emotional responses and guides attention to key points. By using contrasting colors, you can highlight important information and improve readability. Typography additionally plays an important role in establishing visual hierarchy; employing three distinct font styles can enhance clarity and organize information for easier comprehension. Consistency in both color and font choices strengthens your brand identity, creating a cohesive visual experience. Combining appropriate color palettes with effective typography boosts viewer engagement, since visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. In the end, this thoughtful design guarantees your message is communicated clearly and memorably, aiding audience retention. Benefits of Using Infographics for Engagement Infographics serve as a strong tool for enhancing engagement since they transform complex data into an easily digestible format. By utilizing infographics, you can markedly improve how your audience interacts with content. Here are some key benefits: They present information visually, making it easier to process and retain key messages. Visual content is 94% more likely to be shared on social media, increasing brand visibility. Infographics simplify dense data, allowing insights to be grasped quickly—up to 60,000 times faster than text. Incorporating storytelling elements evokes emotional responses, leading to greater audience connection. Understanding what’s the purpose of infographics helps you create effective infographics samples that resonate with your audience. How Infographics Enhance Information Retention In relation to retaining information, the transformation of complex data into visual formats can considerably improve your comprehension and memory recall. An informational infographic simplifies dense information, making it easier for your brain to process. Studies show visuals are absorbed 60,000 times faster than text, which is essential since around 65% of you’re visual learners. When you see data visually represented, it can trigger emotional responses that boost your engagement and help you remember content longer. Research indicates that content with visuals receives 94% more views, underscoring the effectiveness of infographics. By condensing information into digestible pieces, infographics facilitate quick comprehension, allowing you to grasp key points more efficiently. To define infographic, it’s a visual representation of information designed for clarity. The Shareability of Infographics in the Digital Age Visual content has become a dominant force in the digital terrain, and infographics stand out due to their high shareability. They’re 40 times more likely to be shared on social media than text-based content, making them crucial for boosting engagement. Here are a few key reasons for their shareability: Visual Appeal: Infographics simplify complex data into engaging visuals, making them easier to digest. Platform Compatibility: Sites like Pinterest and Instagram favor visual content, improving the potential for shares. Timeliness: Infographics reflecting current trends attract more shares, increasing relevance. Viral Potential: Well-designed infographics can prompt users to share valuable information within their networks, extending their reach and impact. In today’s digital age, leveraging infographics can greatly improve your brand’s visibility. Visual Storytelling: The Power of Infographics When you want to convey complex information effectively, utilizing infographics can transform dense data into compelling visual narratives. This form of visual storytelling condenses intricate data into easily digestible formats, making it simpler for you to grasp and retain key information. Great infographic examples highlight how visuals can boost engagement by 94%, as they’re more memorable than text alone. Moreover, your brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text, emphasizing their importance in capturing attention in today’s fast-paced digital world. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Main Purpose of an Infographic? The main purpose of an infographic is to visually convey complex information in a simplified manner. You can quickly grasp key concepts through charts, graphs, and images. Infographics condense large amounts of data into digestible formats, making it easier for you to retain information. They likewise improve storytelling by guiding you through data narratives, improving engagement, and catering to visual learners. What Are Digital Infographics Used For? Digital infographics are used to simplify complex information, making it easier for you to understand and retain key ideas quickly. They serve as effective marketing tools, boosting social media engagement and brand visibility. Well-designed visuals convey data and statistics efficiently, allowing you to grasp numerical information much faster than text. Furthermore, infographics improve educational materials, catering to visual learners and driving traffic to websites through their shareable nature, which encourages backlinks. How Important Are the Infographics Nowadays? Infographics are incredibly important nowadays since they greatly improve information retention and engagement. With many people being visual learners, you’ll find that infographics simplify complex data. They’re shareable on social media, increasing brand visibility. Furthermore, well-designed infographics can boost SEO by attracting backlinks and traffic to your website. As attention spans shrink, infographics serve as effective storytelling tools, quickly conveying your message through eye-catching visuals that capture audience interest. What Is the Main Advantage of Using Infographics? The main advantage of using infographics is their ability to simplify complex information, making it easier for you to understand and retain key messages. They present data visually, catering to visual learners and increasing engagement. Infographics are shared more often on social media, enhancing brand awareness and reach. Moreover, well-designed infographics can improve SEO by attracting backlinks, driving more traffic to your website, and eventually boosting your online visibility. Conclusion In today’s digital environment, infographics serve as crucial tools for conveying complex information clearly and effectively. By utilizing visual elements, they improve engagement and make data more accessible, leading to better retention rates. Their shareable nature on social media amplifies brand visibility and drives website traffic. Comprehending how to create effective infographics and the various types available can greatly improve your marketing strategies, ultimately making your content more impactful and memorable for your audience. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is the Purpose of Infographics in Today’s Digital World?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll discussed a deal with PIF for struggling luxury auto group View the full article

A 50-year mortgage would make borrowers susceptible to higher interest rates, significantly more payable interest and slower equity gains, LendingTree analysis showed. View the full article

For the foreseeable future, the market is facing a shortage of capacity — hardly the conditions that spell imminent disasterView the full article

AI can do a lot of things. It can write your emails. It can make your grocery list. It can even interview you for a job. But now, more and more people are depending on AI for things that require real human qualities: life coaching, therapy, even companionship. Scott Galloway, best-selling author and professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, says the real problem with synthetic relationships is what they lack: any kind of struggle or challenge that comes with maintaining real relationships. Leaning on AI In a recent social media post, Galloway calls AI “a rabbit hole” that is “sequestering us from each other”—and while it may mimic human relationships in some ways, it may actually take up space where human beings could be. Or should be. That’s driving us apart, Galloway argues. He says that people are “leaning on” their AI relationships in ways that they used to lean on human beings. That may happen because, sure, other human beings aren’t always readily available. He says AI relationships are easier to maintain . . . but that’s the whole point. In a bad way. “You need to be mindful of the fact that these things are not real humans,” he says. “They are meant to keep you on the screen,” and to “sometimes be supportive to a fault.” AI gives people exactly what they’re craving. Maybe even too much. What’s still missing Regardless of the comfort it may provide to many, Galloway says that AI is lacking in some key areas. For starters, it can’t show real compassion or empathy. On top of that, it isn’t always honest—or at least, not honest enough. The author says there is real danger in bots that tell people what they want to hear, rather than what they may need to hear. According to Galloway, it’s prime territory for getting stuck in a cycle of consuming what he calls “empty calories”: Basically, AI acts like a friend, but is a friend that tells you exactly what you want to hear a true friend? Not so much. AI cooperates, where a human being might push back. Galloway says that lack of “friction,” or any sort of real challenge, may be appealing. Who wouldn’t want a drama-free echo chamber that validates your own worldview and offers no consistent pushback . . . that is, unless you specifically engineer a prompt for an LLM to do so? That ease is a draw, but Galloway says it also takes away the true essence of a relationship. Because real human relationships are hard. But they’re kind of supposed to be. The greatest reward According to Galloway, it can be totally tempting to make friends with AI because while it’s easy to do, human relationships are exactly the opposite. It takes not just time and energy, but also really learning what other people need, how to respond, and show up for them. That’s the key to making friendships or romantic relationships last. But it’s a lot of work. “It is difficult to establish the pecking order of friends, and approach people and express friendship.” For some people, it’s easier to just avoid it altogether. And AI makes it even easier. Still, according to Galloway? Human relationships are essential not in spite of the work—but because of it. It isn’t about ease; it’s about the work, the challenge. And the payoff. In essence, it’s the struggle to maintain relationships that helps people grow, or that makes the relationship worth it. Sending text dumps to ChatGPT just doesn’t hit the same. “People are messy, complex,” Galloway says. “And that is why it is so f****** rewarding.” View the full article

Google really wants you to use its AI to help you do your holiday shopping, and to that end, it's finally letting AI Mode and Gemini directly link you to products. The new feature is powered by Google's "Shopping Graph," a list of 50 billion products that also informs Google's Shopping tab, and it's available to everyone on both desktop and mobile starting today. Here's how it works: In Google search's AI Mode or the Gemini app/website, you can ask a question or send a prompt about a physical product, like "Help me find an espresso maker that has a steam wand, is affordable, and is good for beginners." If the AI can find relevant product information in the Shopping Graph, it'll then give you a short writeup and pop up a few product suggestions along with shopping information, like pricing and user reviews. Clicking on any of these tiles will then open a sidebar with sites where you can purchase the item. Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt Essentially, it's like using Google's Shopping tab, but with a virtual shopping assistant (or, let's be real, a salesperson) you can turn to for more context about what you're seeing. Some queries will even let you click a checkbox on their product tiles so you can mark off to ask follow-up questions. For instance, you could check off two product tiles and ask the AI to compare them, or ask which is cheaper or has better reviews. According to Google representatives at a press event, the company is hoping this will make it easier for shoppers to buy gifts for friends or relatives that are traditionally hard to shop for, and that it will make shopping easier by letting people search using natural language. My hands-on experienceWhen I tested out this new tool, it generally worked out, but I did encounter a few hiccups. The biggest was that it was hard to get the AI to recognize certain products as topics it could surface tiles for. For instance, asking for "Popular Nintendo Switch games under $60" just gave me a list of games, but no links to purchase them. I assume this is because the AI thought I was simply asking for general advice about what to play instead of shopping, but no amount of rewording would prompt the tool to show me product tiles, even when I explicitly asked for them. I also ran into problems when it came to natural language searches. At the aforementioned press event, Google gave journalists example questions to ask the AI in order to try the new feature, but I found only the questions that called out specific types of products would give me tiles to click on. For instance, a question like "Give me Christmas gift ideas for my sister who loves knitting and reading" wouldn't trigger the new feature, but "show me ottomans that can be used as coffee tables" would. Even the example Google used in its blog announcing the feature wouldn't work for me—asking for Christmas gift ideas for a college student who likes to run gave me generic answers like "running shoes" and "moisture-wicking socks," but didn't show any specific examples that I could buy. That shouldn't stop you from getting gift ideas from the AI, but it does mean that when you're ready to buy, you'll want to ask a fresh question that asks for a specific type of product, rather than ideas for a specific person. It's a bit of an extra step for something that's supposed to take the guesswork out of the buying process. With those caveats in place, I still see most users still sticking to the regular shopping tab, where they can be sure they'll get product links every time. But Google's hoping that integrating shopping into AI Mode will eventually give users the best of both worlds, allowing them to make more specific searches than they could without AI, and also allowing the AI to call on training data the shopping tab doesn't have access to, like Reddit posts and website reviews. Now I just need to find a way to convince my family that all my thoughtful gift ideas didn't just come from a robot. View the full article

For the second consecutive week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased as investors were still sorting through the lack of information due to the shutdown. View the full article

Approximately every five to seven months, I am possessed by a desire to "see if I like running." I suit up in activewear and my best shoes, jury-rig my apartment keys into the hair tie holding up my ponytail, and optimistically set off down Manhattan's FDR Drive. After some time, the results of my experiment are clear: I still hate running and remain convinced anyone who says it's "euphoric" or "relaxing" is a Nike-sponsored liar. Some things do impact the enjoyability of running, however, like listening to guided runs. Peloton's guided runs have increased my likelihood to get (and stay) on the treadmill in the gym, for instance, and I have been choosing running over cycling as my cardio far more often than I did before discovering that section on the Peloton app. Baby steps—or, rather, baby strides. If you feel like I do about running, guided runs are the way to go. Peloton and other running apps can be pricy, so I found some great guided run channels for free on YouTube. The only thing better than a little help is a little free help. Get Fit Done: for straightforward motivation Get Fit Done is a small but mighty channel with 12,000 subscribers that, unlike a lot of others I used, requires almost no fiddling around to find the guided runs. GFD has compiled a bunch into a playlist. They're about 30 minutes, use popular songs, and guide you through the entire half hour clearly. A narrator tells you when to speed up and slow down, gives you a few tips here and there, but also shuts up so you can hear the music, which I appreciate. The audio quality on the narration isn't incredible, but you can hear it just fine. This is my favorite one because it's straightforward and no-nonsense while still being fun and motivational. Bonus: The channel also includes other kinds of videos, like guided cycling workouts. I love a good YouTube spin class and these are up there with my other favorites in terms of quality. müüv: for getting technical When you follow along with müüv, which has just under 4,000 subscribers, you'll notice there's no music or anything. It's just pure instruction, which is great if you want to focus only on your running or listen to your own music (though you'd need two devices for that, so this is best for when you're on a treadmill). Certified trainers take you through interval walks and runs of varying lengths, plus there are also cycling and other kinds of exercises available. With these, the goal isn't getting lost in music; rather, you're following an expert-led plan that keeps you on track with your progressive running goals. The Run Experience: for scenery and guidance Everyone responds differently to different motivators, so even though I'm not someone who enjoys virtual scenic cardio sessions, I know plenty of people do; the scenic rides on Peloton are massively popular. You can replicate that experience with running by following along with The Run Experience, where coaches take you on a jog through beautiful scenery, giving guidance, tips, and motivation along the way. With nearly 700,000 subscribers, this is one of the more popular ones I found. Generally speaking, the videos are probably better suited to be played on your iPad while you jog on a treadmill, so you can focus on the footage, but even if you're running it on your phone while you hit the pavement, you still get the benefit of being guided through your intervals by a running coach. EatMoveRest: for great production Does a video need amazing production and top audio quality to deliver useful fitness information? No, but it's nice, which is why I like EatMoveRest. The guided runs are designed for treadmill use but can be taken outside and the video and audio are crisp, so you can hear and see precisely what you need to be doing. With 174,000 subscribers, this channel is well-rounded. You get a variety of workouts, recipes and food tips, and even some family vlogs, if you're into that kind of thing. Virtual Running Videos: for pure scenery Maybe you don't want any guidance, any words, or any music. Maybe, you just want to zone out and pretend you're on a mountainside or jogging by the river when you're actually in your crowded gym. If that's you, I recommend Virtual Running Videos, the aptly named channel with a little under 100,000 subscribers. They are typically about 45 minutes to an hour long, but you can go as long as you want because there's no guidance on intervals or anything like that. You get to go at your own pace, which might be best for you if you're just starting out or having an active rest day. IBX Running: for quick hits Many of the channels above are full of 30- or 45-minute runs, but what about when you only have a few minutes or you just want a running warmup before you get to other exercises? IBX Running, with about 60,000 subscribers, can help you out. With videos for beginners, HIIT routines, endurance runs, and more, this channel has it all, but it also offers these up in varying degrees of time. Why not hop on the treadmill for a 10-minute HIIT run? If you want or need, there are longer ones, too, making this a solid one-stop shop. View the full article

Disney reported $22.46 billion in revenue for the quarter, which just missed analyst expectations and resulted in a 5% drop in premarket trading on Thursday. The entertainment division—which includes the company’s streaming, linear networks, and theatrical business—saw a 6% drop in revenue. Streaming did see some gains: Disney+ and Hulu ended the quarter with 196 million subscriptions, an increase of 12.4 million subscribers from the previous quarter. However, Disney’s linear networks dropped 16% to $107 million, compared to this time last year, while operating income fell 21%. The company’s theatrical releases also saw declines with both the drop in linear networks and theatrical business driving the mixed results. In a letter to shareholders, the company attributed the decrease in its domestic linear networks to lower advertising fueled by the continued decline in viewership as well as political advertising, which had a $40 million negative impact on results compared to this time last year. For sports, Disney reported a 2% increase in revenue to $4 billion, while operating income of $911 million, a decrease of $18 million compared to the year before with domestic ESPN operating income declining 3%. The company cited that “higher marketing and programming and production costs” were partially offset by higher advertising and subscription and affiliate revenues. Meanwhile, domestic advertising revenue in sports increased 8%. The overall decline across linear networks continues to fuel the trend of cord-cutting consumers who are migrating to streaming with ad dollars making a shift that way as well. The recent quarterly earnings also come as Disney and Google continue their ongoing carriage dispute which resulted in several of Disney’s networks going dark on YouTube TV. Some analysts estimated that a two-week blackout on YouTube could cost Disney about $60 million in revenue. Disney CEO Bob Iger addressed the feud on the earnings call saying that the company is working hard to close the deal: “We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to do so on a timely enough basis to at least give consumers the opportunity to access our content over their platform.” View the full article

After years of living on the street and crashing on friends’ couches, Quantavia Smith was given the keys to a studio apartment in Los Angeles that came with an important perk—easy access to public transit. The 38-year-old feels like she went from a life where “no one cares” to one where she has a safe place to begin rebuilding her life. And the metro station the apartment complex was literally built upon is a lifeline as she searches for work without a car. “It is more a sense of relief, a sense of independence,” said Smith, who moved in July. She receives some government assistance and pays 30% of her income for rent — just $19 a month for an efficiency with a full-market value of $2,000. “Having your own space, you feel like you can do anything.” Metro areas from Los Angeles to Boston have taken the lead in tying new housing developments to their proximity to public transit, often teaming up with developers to streamline the permitting process and passing policies that promote developments that include a greater number of units. City officials argue building housing near public transit helps energize neglected neighborhoods and provide affordable housing, while ensuring a steady stream of riders for transit systems and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of cars on the road. “Transit-oriented development should be one of, if not the biggest solution that we’re looking at for housing development,” said Yonah Freemark, research director at the Urban Institute’s Land Use Lab, who has written extensively on the topic. “It takes advantage of all of this money we’ve spent on transportation infrastructure. If you build the projects and don’t build anything around the areas near them, then it’s kind of like money thrown down the drain,” Freemark said. Transit housing projects from DC to LA The Santa Monica and Vermont Apartments where Smith lives is part of an ambitious plan by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build 10,000 housing units near transit sites by 2031—offering developers land discounts in exchange for affordable housing development and other community benefits. In Washington D.C., the transit authority has completed eight projects since 2022 that provided nearly 1,500 apartments and a million square feet of office space. About half were in partnership with Amazon, which committed $3.6 billion in low-cost loans and grants for affordable housing projects in Washington, as well as Nashville, Tennessee, and the Puget Sound area in Washington state. Almost all are within a half-mile of public transit. “Big cities face the greatest challenges when it comes to traffic congestion and high housing costs,” Freemark said. “Building new homes near transit helps address both problems by encouraging people to take transit while increasing housing supply.” Among projects Boston has built, the Pok Oi Residents in Chinatown is a 10-minute walk to the subway and a half-dozen bus stops. That’s a draw for Bernie Hernandez, who moved his family there from a Connecticut suburb after his daughter got into a Boston university. “The big difference is commuting. You don’t need a car,” said Hernandez, who said he can walk to the grocery story and pharmacy. His 17-year-old daughter takes the subway to school. Now, his car mostly sits idle, saving him money on gas and time spent in traffic. “You get to go to different places very quickly. Everything is convenient,” Hernandez said. States take aim at zoning regulations States from Massachusetts to California are passing laws targeting restrictive zoning regulations that for decades prohibited building multifamily developments and contributed to housing shortages. Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a state law allowing taller apartment buildings on land owned by transit agencies and near bus, train, and subway lines. “Building more homes in our most sustainable locations is the key to tackling the affordability crisis and locking in California’s success for many years to come,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat who authored the bill. California joins Colorado, which requires cities to allow an average of 40 housing units per acre within a quarter-mile of transit, and Utah, which mandates about 50 units per acre. In Washington, the governor signed a bill this year allowing taller housing developments in mixed-use commercial zones near transit. “We want to ensure that there are mixed-income, walkable, vibrant homes all around those transit investments and that people have the option of using cars less to improve the environmental health of our communities,” said Democratic Rep. Julia Reed, who authored the Washington bill. “It’s about giving people the opportunity to drive less and live more.” Housing takes center stage in Massachusetts Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey has made housing a priority. Among her most potent tools is a 2021 law that requires 177 towns or communities nearby to create zoning districts allowing multi-family housing. The state provided nearly $8 million to more than 150 communities to help create these zones, while threatening to cut funding for those that don’t. More than 6,000 housing units are in development as a result. “You put housing nearby public transit” Healey said. “It’s great for people. They can literally get up, leave their home, walk to a commuter rail and get to work.” Among the first to comply was Lexington, which has approved 10 projects, including a $115 million complex with 187 housing units and retail space. Walking past earth-moving equipment and dump trucks at the construction site earlier this year, project manager Quinlan Locke said: “This is a landscape yard. It’s commercial. It’s meant for trucking.” But, he added, in “two years from now, it’s going to be meant for people who live here, work here and play here. This is going to become someone’s home.” Opposition to zoning changes Some advocates argue the lofty goals of transit housing are falling short due to fierce local resistance and lack of funding and support at the federal and state levels. Higher mortgage interest rates, more government red tape, rising construction costs, and lack of investment at transit stations also have contributed to a troubling trend—nine times more housing units built far from public transit versus near it in the past two decades, according to a 2023 Urban Institute study. In Massachusetts, 19 communities still haven’t created new zones. Some unsuccessfully sued the state to halt the law, while residents rejected new zones in others. Lexington eventually shrank its zone from 227 acres to 90 acres after residents complained. “If we allow the state to come in and dictate how we zone, what else are they going to come in and dictate?” said Anthony Renzoni, a selectman from the town of Holden, which sued the state and is drawing up a new zoning map after residents rejected the first one. New housing, a new life In Los Angeles, the six-story complex where Smith lives in East Hollywood is home to 300 new residents since opening in February. It’s revitalizing the area around the metro site, with a Filipino grocery, medical clinic and farmers market opening early next year. Half the 187 units are reserved for formerly homeless residents like Smith, who had been living in a rundown motel paid for with a voucher and before that on the street. She’s been assigned a case worker and is getting help with basic life skills, budgeting, and finding work. Equally important: Smith, who can’t afford a car, doesn’t need one. “I’m very, very fortunate to be somewhere where the transit takes me where I want to go,” she said. “Where I want to go is not that far.” —Michael Casey, Associated Press View the full article

Visa and Transcard have unveiled an innovative partnership aimed at revolutionizing the freight and logistics industry through advanced embedded finance solutions. This collaboration will provide small businesses in this sector with a streamlined approach to payments and working capital management, enhancing operational agility. Visa—a global leader in digital payments—has teamed up with Transcard to create a next-generation embedded finance platform. This platform aims to empower freight forwarders and airline carriers using WebCargo by Freightos, a notable digital booking and payments system in the industry. By leveraging Visa’s vast experience in commercial solutions alongside Transcard’s payment orchestration technology, the initiative introduces flexible credit terms, seamless onboarding, and automated reconciliation for air cargo transactions. Financial agility can be a game-changer for small business owners who often face cash flow challenges. The solutions provided through this partnership are designed to address such bottlenecks, facilitating smoother transactions between freight forwarders and airlines. As Darren Parslow, Visa’s Global Head of Commercial Solutions, stated, “Our partnership with Transcard reflects our commitment to advancing the industry, leveraging our technology and expertise to help businesses streamline operations and grow with confidence in a rapidly evolving global market.” One of the standout features of this collaboration is the use of Visa’s virtual card infrastructure. Small businesses can now unlock new cash flow opportunities while enjoying a more robust digital freight booking and payment experience. This can lead to enhanced service delivery, allowing businesses to compete more effectively in a crowded marketplace. Additionally, the partnership extends beyond basic transaction capabilities. Visa and Transcard are also exploring agentic applications for the B2B segment. This encompasses the development of commercial standards and tools through Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC), which aims to provide a secure transaction environment for businesses. Greg Bloh, CEO of Transcard, noted, “This partnership strengthens our embedded B2B payment and working capital solution and delivers intelligent payment orchestration with agentic AI functionality.” For small businesses, especially those involved in freight and logistics, this development presents numerous practical applications. By adopting these embedded finance solutions, companies can enhance their cash flow management practices, automate financial processes, and glean actionable insights for better decision-making. Zvi Schreiber, CEO of Freightos, expressed how these advancements align with the mission to make international trade more frictionless, stating, “Our partnership with Visa and Transcard brings us one step closer to a future where international trade is as easy to transact as booking a flight or taxi online.” However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges. Transitioning to new payment technologies can sometimes involve complexities, including integration with existing systems and employee training. Ensuring that staff are informed and equipped to handle new processes is essential for a smooth transition. Additionally, as payment solutions evolve, smaller firms may face difficulties keeping pace with the rapid advancements in technology. Ensuring cybersecurity measures and data protection must be a priority as financial transactions become increasingly digital and automated. Despite these challenges, the overall prospect of embedding smart finance solutions in freight and logistics signifies a shift towards greater operational efficiency and enhanced growth potential for small businesses. Visa’s investment in embedded finance solutions is poised to empower this sector significantly. As companies strive to adapt to shifting market demands, the collaboration between Visa and Transcard highlights the importance of innovative payment solutions in facilitating sustainable growth. Remaining informed about such advancements will enable small business owners to leverage these technologies effectively and maintain a competitive edge in an evolving landscape. For more details, the full press release is available on Visa’s website here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Visa and Transcard Team Up to Transform Payments in Freight Industry" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Visa and Transcard have unveiled an innovative partnership aimed at revolutionizing the freight and logistics industry through advanced embedded finance solutions. This collaboration will provide small businesses in this sector with a streamlined approach to payments and working capital management, enhancing operational agility. Visa—a global leader in digital payments—has teamed up with Transcard to create a next-generation embedded finance platform. This platform aims to empower freight forwarders and airline carriers using WebCargo by Freightos, a notable digital booking and payments system in the industry. By leveraging Visa’s vast experience in commercial solutions alongside Transcard’s payment orchestration technology, the initiative introduces flexible credit terms, seamless onboarding, and automated reconciliation for air cargo transactions. Financial agility can be a game-changer for small business owners who often face cash flow challenges. The solutions provided through this partnership are designed to address such bottlenecks, facilitating smoother transactions between freight forwarders and airlines. As Darren Parslow, Visa’s Global Head of Commercial Solutions, stated, “Our partnership with Transcard reflects our commitment to advancing the industry, leveraging our technology and expertise to help businesses streamline operations and grow with confidence in a rapidly evolving global market.” One of the standout features of this collaboration is the use of Visa’s virtual card infrastructure. Small businesses can now unlock new cash flow opportunities while enjoying a more robust digital freight booking and payment experience. This can lead to enhanced service delivery, allowing businesses to compete more effectively in a crowded marketplace. Additionally, the partnership extends beyond basic transaction capabilities. Visa and Transcard are also exploring agentic applications for the B2B segment. This encompasses the development of commercial standards and tools through Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC), which aims to provide a secure transaction environment for businesses. Greg Bloh, CEO of Transcard, noted, “This partnership strengthens our embedded B2B payment and working capital solution and delivers intelligent payment orchestration with agentic AI functionality.” For small businesses, especially those involved in freight and logistics, this development presents numerous practical applications. By adopting these embedded finance solutions, companies can enhance their cash flow management practices, automate financial processes, and glean actionable insights for better decision-making. Zvi Schreiber, CEO of Freightos, expressed how these advancements align with the mission to make international trade more frictionless, stating, “Our partnership with Visa and Transcard brings us one step closer to a future where international trade is as easy to transact as booking a flight or taxi online.” However, small business owners should also consider potential challenges. Transitioning to new payment technologies can sometimes involve complexities, including integration with existing systems and employee training. Ensuring that staff are informed and equipped to handle new processes is essential for a smooth transition. Additionally, as payment solutions evolve, smaller firms may face difficulties keeping pace with the rapid advancements in technology. Ensuring cybersecurity measures and data protection must be a priority as financial transactions become increasingly digital and automated. Despite these challenges, the overall prospect of embedding smart finance solutions in freight and logistics signifies a shift towards greater operational efficiency and enhanced growth potential for small businesses. Visa’s investment in embedded finance solutions is poised to empower this sector significantly. As companies strive to adapt to shifting market demands, the collaboration between Visa and Transcard highlights the importance of innovative payment solutions in facilitating sustainable growth. Remaining informed about such advancements will enable small business owners to leverage these technologies effectively and maintain a competitive edge in an evolving landscape. For more details, the full press release is available on Visa’s website here. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Visa and Transcard Team Up to Transform Payments in Freight Industry" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. I’m Mark Sullivan, a senior writer at Fast Company, covering emerging tech, AI, and tech policy. This week, I’m focusing on what AI pioneer Yann LeCun’s new company will likely build after he departs from Meta. I also look at Marc Andreessen’s jab at the Pope on X, and at “Fei-Fei Li’s” view of the AI world since 2012. Sign up to receive this newsletter every week via email here. And if you have comments on this issue and/or ideas for future ones, drop me a line at sullivan@fastcompany.com, and follow me on X @thesullivan. Yann LeCun’s departure from Meta, and what he’ll likely do next Yann LeCun, the AI pioneer who has led Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) division since 2013, will reportedly leave that post to start his own AI research lab. LeCun plans to depart in the coming months, and has begun early fundraising discussions to support his new venture, the reports say. The new startup will focus on building “world models,” or AI systems that learn from images, video, and spatial data instead of relying solely on text and large language models. After developing open-source Llama models that fell behind other LLMs, Meta has gone on a very lavish recruiting spree to hire world-class researchers for a new effort to build state-of-the-art models. Meta’s newest models, sources say, are likely to be closed-source, and are expected to follow the same general architecture and training methods used by rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic. In other words, they will continue relying on the same transformer architecture invented at Google in 2017 (which kicked off the generative AI boom) while continually using more training data and computing power to achieve intelligence gains. LeCun has been critical of that approach, and doubts that it has produced AI that truly reasons, rather than just detects patterns and predicts the next word or pixel in a sequence. LeCun has called for more foundational research on alternate paths that could more quickly lead to AI models that can match or exceed human intelligence. His recent research has focused on “world modeling”—developing AI systems capable of quickly learning about the physical world as human babies do. So expect LeCun’s new company to build new kinds of models, or systems of models, that learn and represent aspects of the real world, including physics, in new ways. It’s likely that these models will be trained through watching thousands of hours of video, instead of relying on text or still images. They will also likely be able to capture more nuances of the real world, such as state changes and transitions (how environments shift and evolve), than current models. Success might mean the creation of AI systems or robots with a far more advanced understanding of the world and how to take action in it, and that are far better at continually learning from and remodeling the world as we humans do. Marc Andreessen goes for a cheap shot on the Pope, faces backlash Marc Andreessen, of the storied VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, is an AI accelerationist who might Twitter-block anyone even suggesting the industry should devote more time to safety and alignment. Now he’s facing backlash for taking a shot at the Pope on X last weekend when the Holy See called for morality in technology. The Pope tweeted that the builders of our AI future should “develop systems that reflect justice, solidarity, and a genuine reverence for life.” (See the whole tweet here.) That was enough to trigger Andreessen, a committed MAGA cheerleader and close adviser to President The President on tech issues. Andreessen didn’t offer an argument, but posted a meme meant to convey a derisive and dismissive response to the Pope’s message. The meme was a still photo of GQ’s Katherine Stoeffel pointing a “What the fuck are you talking about?” expression at actress Sydney Sweeney during a recent interview. Andreessen deleted the tweet, but not before many on the tech side of Twitter saw it. Some objected to a billionaire VC responding so blithely to the literal Pope. Others noted the irony of Twitter doing unto Andreessen as Andreessen has done unto others. “Pretty funny/surreal to see @pmarca dodge the woke cancellation mobs for the last decade, only to have his closest brush with cancel-death come at the hands of the very religious denomination who invented cancel culture in the 15th century,” VC Lee Edwards noted. Still others took issue with the idea Andreessen seemed to convey, which is that VCs should invest in technologies that demonstrate value and make money, without regard for whether or not the technology will make the world a better or worse place or, perhaps, a safer or more dangerous one. One of those was the widely followed tech commentator @growing_daniel on X. “If you’re going to dedicate your life to building something…what I’m saying is that you should reflect morally,” “Daniel” said on the TBPN videocast after Andreessen’s Pope tweet. “The Pope’s entire point was that you should think about that and try to do good things.” Daniel acknowledged that Andreessen and a16z have invested a lot of money in software as a service companies that have made businesses run better. But he also cites a16z’s $15 million investment in Cluely, a startup that originally billed its app as a tool to “cheat on everything” (meaning job interviews, exams, or sales calls). How Fei-Fei Li describes the history of AI since ImageNet Fei-Fei Li played a huge role in kicking off the current AI revolution when, back in 2012, she invented the ImageNet image training data set that taught AI models how to classify images. On November 12, her new company, World Labs, released its first model, Marble, a “world model” that has an understanding of the makeup of 3D environments (as humans do) and can imagine and generate them based on text, images, or video uploaded by the user. These environments could be used in anything from game development to VFX design to digital twins, she believes. From ImageNet to world models, Li has come a long way. When I spoke to her I asked her to describe her view of the AI revolution as it’s happened so far. Here’s what she said. I think the world model is a fairly natural but significant continuation of the generative AI era. The generative AI era is the latest of the . . . deep learning revolution. … In 2012 we started the deep learning revolution by squarely establishing the three forces of AI: the neural network, data, and computing chips or GPUs. Every progress we’ve made in AI so far continues to bank on the power of these three fundamental elements of modern AI. And one of the most important milestones was the transformer model. The sequence-to-sequence modeling for language really unlocked a fairly powerful scaling law that gave rise to large models that can be trained by a large amount of data [to] become very powerful and generalizable. First out of the gate were large language models. And the derivative of large language models are these multimodel large language models (which understand not just words, but audio, video, images, and code). They are still built on the backbone of large language models. But I think the large world model is really a significant step towards unlocking AI’s capability. Interestingly, Li suggests that as the AI industry pushes toward models that are generally as intelligent as humans, then generally far more intelligent, researchers may need to rely on more than just the transformer model architecture that ignited the industry in 2017 and led to things like ChatGPT. (The “GPT” stands for “generative pre-trained transformer.”) She explains: I would say this goes beyond the transformer. It’s still early. So the model architecture is still subject to research. But you know the recent progress in transformer models [and] diffusion models and beyond are part of the exploration but I wouldn’t call it solidly owing to transformers. More AI coverage from Fast Company: Anthropic and Microsoft announce new AI data center projects in Texas, New York, and Georgia Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey are getting AI voice clones with ElevenLabs Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs unveils its world-generating AI model Agentic AI isn’t always the answer Want exclusive reporting and trend analysis on technology, business innovation, future of work, and design? Sign up for Fast Company Premium. View the full article

Sharp decline for Nasdaq Composite comes as investors brace for flood of economic data after government shutdown endsView the full article

Starting a product line requires a clear strategy that begins with identifying your target audience. You’ll need to understand their specific needs and challenges. Conducting market research is critical, as it helps reveal gaps in the market and informs your unique selling proposition. By developing a solid marketing strategy and pricing plan, you’ll set the stage for a successful launch. Next, you’ll want to focus on product testing and performance evaluation to guarantee your line meets customer expectations. Key Takeaways Define your target audience by identifying demographics and pain points to tailor your product line effectively. Conduct thorough market research to identify gaps and create a unique selling proposition that differentiates your product. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, including pricing, promotional channels, and key performance indicators for tracking success. Plan your launch meticulously, creating anticipation and ensuring a smooth experience through testing and strategic messaging. Engage with customers post-launch to gather feedback, assess satisfaction, and make necessary adjustments for continuous improvement. Define Your Target Audience Defining your target audience is a fundamental step in launching a successful product line. To create a product that resonates, you need to identify specific demographics such as age, gender, income level, and geographic location. Comprehending your audience’s mindset is critical, as it helps you craft marketing messages that connect with their needs. Utilizing customer personas can visualize your target audience, streamlining product development and marketing efforts. Conducting surveys and interviews provides valuable insights into their pain points, desires, and buying behaviors. This information is imperative for product success. Finally, identifying the best channels for reaching your audience guarantees your marketing efforts maximize engagement and conversion rates, leading to a more effective strategy for how to create a product that meets their expectations. Understand the Problem You’re Solving Comprehension of the problem you’re solving is a key step in developing a product that truly meets the needs of your audience. To effectively understand the problem, consider the following: Identify the specific pain points your target audience faces. Test your assumptions with buyer personas to validate the problem’s significance. Focus your marketing efforts on addressing these identified issues to guarantee your messaging resonates. Gather ongoing feedback from early users to uncover additional challenges that may arise. Conduct Market Research To successfully conduct market research, you need to identify your audience’s preferences and analyze your competitors’ strategies. Use surveys and focus groups to gather insights on what potential customers want, as well as examining what similar products are offering. This combination will help you spot gaps in the market and create a product line that stands out. Identify Audience Preferences How can you truly understand your audience’s preferences when launching a new product line? To effectively identify what your customers want, consider the following steps: Conduct Surveys: Use online tools to ask relevant questions about needs and preferences. Engage in Interviews: Direct conversations can reveal deeper insights into consumer pain points. Utilize Focus Groups: Gather diverse opinions to assess product ideas and features. Analyze Demographics: Understand segments like age, income, and lifestyle to tailor your marketing strategies. Analyze Competitor Strategies What strategies are your competitors using to capture market share? Start by analyzing their product features, pricing strategies, and marketing approaches. This will help you identify market gaps that your product line can fill, establishing a unique selling proposition (USP). Conduct SWOT analyses on key competitors to gain insights into their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which will inform your product development strategy. Utilize online surveys and social media polls to gather customer insights about competitors’ offerings and unmet needs. Monitor customer reviews to uncover common pain points, guiding your product line’s features and improvements. Finally, track promotional strategies and seasonal trends to align your product launch timing with market demand, maximizing visibility as you learn how to create a new product. Create a Unique Selling Proposition To create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), you need to identify what sets your product line apart from competitors. Consider factors like key differentiators, such as unique features or benefits that directly address your target audience’s needs. Crafting a compelling brand narrative around these elements will help communicate your product’s distinct value effectively. Identify Key Differentiators Identifying key differentiators is crucial for establishing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that clearly articulates what makes your product line stand out in a crowded marketplace. To successfully develop your USP, consider the following: Customer Feedback: Analyze reviews and surveys to discover unmet needs or desires. Market Research: Examine competitors to identify gaps where your product can excel. Unique Features: Highlight specific attributes or benefits that only your product offers. Emotional Connection: Understand how your product can create a memorable experience for consumers. Craft Compelling Brand Narrative Crafting a compelling brand narrative is essential for establishing a unique selling proposition (USP) that resonates with your target audience. To build a product that stands out, focus on what makes your offering unique. Identify core features or benefits that directly address customer pain points. For example, if you’re launching an eco-friendly cleaning product, emphasize its natural ingredients and effectiveness. Share stories that connect with consumers, illustrating how your product fits into their lives and solves problems. This narrative not merely makes your brand relatable but also strengthens customer loyalty. A well-defined USP guides your marketing efforts, ensuring consistent messaging across all channels, eventually helping you differentiate in crowded markets and attract lasting customers. Develop a Comprehensive Marketing Strategy Developing a thorough marketing strategy is essential for successfully launching your product line, especially since grasping where your target audience finds similar products can greatly shape your outreach efforts. To create an effective strategy, consider these steps: Analyze the top five channels where your audience discovers similar products, like social media, blogs, or online marketplaces. Craft customer experience maps outlining three primary paths from awareness to purchase, identifying key touchpoints. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for each channel, focusing on metrics such as conversion rates and customer acquisition costs. Develop an editorial calendar with at least 20 social media updates, ensuring consistent communication leading up to your launch. Create and Test Your Product Ideas Creating and testing your product ideas is a crucial step in ensuring your product line meets market demands and customer expectations. Start by brainstorming diverse ideas using tools like the SCAMPER model. Validate your concepts through surveys and focus groups to gather direct feedback. Then, develop prototypes of your top ideas and perform iterative testing to refine features. Here’s a quick overview of the process: Step Action Brainstorming Utilize SCAMPER for fresh ideas Validation Conduct surveys and focus groups Prototyping Create prototypes for top ideas Testing Iteratively refine based on feedback Market Interest Create landing pages to measure engagement Continuously adapt your ideas based on testing results, ensuring they meet evolving market needs. This is how to start a product effectively. Determine Your Pricing Strategy After refining your product ideas through testing, the next step involves determining your pricing strategy, which plays a pivotal role in your product’s success. When making a new product, consider the following points to establish a solid pricing foundation: Calculate total costs, including development, production, and distribution. Research average profit margins in your industry, typically ranging from 20% to 50%. Use a profit margin calculator to guarantee you factor in both fixed and variable costs. Establish a starting price based on industry-standard markup to stay competitive. Be prepared to adjust your pricing strategy based on market response and competitive analysis, as customer behavior and industry trends can change over time. This flexibility will help guarantee your product’s long-term sustainability. Launch Your Product Line Once you’ve finalized your product design and pricing strategy, launching your product line requires a well-structured plan to guarantee maximum impact. Create a thorough marketing strategy that identifies your target audiences, promotional channels, and key messaging. Building anticipation is essential; use teasers and sneak peeks, along with early use incentives like discounts or free trials, to generate buzz. On launch day, conduct full product and website tests to resolve any potential issues, ensuring a smooth customer experience. As the launch unfolds, monitor real-time metrics to make quick adjustments based on customer engagement. Afterward, analyze your results against your pre-set key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of the making of product and pinpoint areas for future improvements. Monitor Performance and Gather Feedback Effective monitoring of performance and gathering feedback are crucial steps in refining your product line. To understand how you can make a product that truly resonates with your audience, focus on the following: Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Track metrics like sales volume and customer acquisition to gauge success. Collect Customer Feedback: Use surveys, focus groups, and online reviews to gain insights into satisfaction and effectiveness. Utilize Analytics Tools: Employ tools like Google Analytics to analyze user behavior and identify trends. Establish a Continuous Feedback Loop: Engage with customers regularly to guarantee ongoing improvements and keep your product line competitive. These steps help you make informed decisions, adjusting your strategies to better meet customer needs and improve overall performance. Frequently Asked Questions How Do You Start Your Own Product Line? To start your own product line, begin by identifying your target audience through market research. This helps you understand their needs and preferences. Next, develop a unique selling proposition that sets your products apart from competitors. Afterward, create prototypes to gather feedback before full-scale production. Finally, launch your product with a detailed marketing plan, and stay attentive to customer feedback to adapt and improve your offerings consistently. This guarantees long-term success. What Are the 7 Steps to Create a New Product? To create a new product, start with idea generation, using market research and brainstorming to identify gaps. Next, screen ideas to validate concepts based on customer demand. Then, develop prototypes and gather user feedback for refinement. Conduct market testing to gauge customer response on a limited scale. Finally, focus on continuous improvement by monitoring sales and implementing updates based on customer feedback and market trends to guarantee long-term success. How to Introduce a New Product Line? To introduce a new product line, start by conducting extensive market research to identify your target audience and their needs. Develop a unique selling proposition that sets your products apart from competitors. Create a marketing strategy that includes social media promotions and influencer partnerships to generate buzz. Finally, implement a launch plan with clear objectives and track performance, adjusting based on customer feedback to guarantee the product line meets market demands effectively. What Are the 4 Ps of Product Launch? The 4 Ps of product launch are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. You’ll need to define your product’s features and quality to meet customer needs. Next, determine your pricing strategy based on costs and market perceptions. Then, choose effective distribution channels to guarantee accessibility for your audience. Finally, implement promotional strategies like advertising and social media to create awareness. Each element plays an essential role in the successful introduction of your product. Conclusion In conclusion, launching a product line requires careful planning and execution. By defining your target audience, comprehending their needs, and conducting thorough market research, you can develop a unique product that fills a gap in the market. Implement a strong marketing strategy and set competitive pricing to attract customers. After the launch, continuously monitor performance and seek feedback to refine your offerings. Following these steps will improve your chances of achieving long-term success in your product line. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Starting a Product Line: A Step-by-Step Guide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Starting a product line requires a clear strategy that begins with identifying your target audience. You’ll need to understand their specific needs and challenges. Conducting market research is critical, as it helps reveal gaps in the market and informs your unique selling proposition. By developing a solid marketing strategy and pricing plan, you’ll set the stage for a successful launch. Next, you’ll want to focus on product testing and performance evaluation to guarantee your line meets customer expectations. Key Takeaways Define your target audience by identifying demographics and pain points to tailor your product line effectively. Conduct thorough market research to identify gaps and create a unique selling proposition that differentiates your product. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, including pricing, promotional channels, and key performance indicators for tracking success. Plan your launch meticulously, creating anticipation and ensuring a smooth experience through testing and strategic messaging. Engage with customers post-launch to gather feedback, assess satisfaction, and make necessary adjustments for continuous improvement. Define Your Target Audience Defining your target audience is a fundamental step in launching a successful product line. To create a product that resonates, you need to identify specific demographics such as age, gender, income level, and geographic location. Comprehending your audience’s mindset is critical, as it helps you craft marketing messages that connect with their needs. Utilizing customer personas can visualize your target audience, streamlining product development and marketing efforts. Conducting surveys and interviews provides valuable insights into their pain points, desires, and buying behaviors. This information is imperative for product success. Finally, identifying the best channels for reaching your audience guarantees your marketing efforts maximize engagement and conversion rates, leading to a more effective strategy for how to create a product that meets their expectations. Understand the Problem You’re Solving Comprehension of the problem you’re solving is a key step in developing a product that truly meets the needs of your audience. To effectively understand the problem, consider the following: Identify the specific pain points your target audience faces. Test your assumptions with buyer personas to validate the problem’s significance. Focus your marketing efforts on addressing these identified issues to guarantee your messaging resonates. Gather ongoing feedback from early users to uncover additional challenges that may arise. Conduct Market Research To successfully conduct market research, you need to identify your audience’s preferences and analyze your competitors’ strategies. Use surveys and focus groups to gather insights on what potential customers want, as well as examining what similar products are offering. This combination will help you spot gaps in the market and create a product line that stands out. Identify Audience Preferences How can you truly understand your audience’s preferences when launching a new product line? To effectively identify what your customers want, consider the following steps: Conduct Surveys: Use online tools to ask relevant questions about needs and preferences. Engage in Interviews: Direct conversations can reveal deeper insights into consumer pain points. Utilize Focus Groups: Gather diverse opinions to assess product ideas and features. Analyze Demographics: Understand segments like age, income, and lifestyle to tailor your marketing strategies. Analyze Competitor Strategies What strategies are your competitors using to capture market share? Start by analyzing their product features, pricing strategies, and marketing approaches. This will help you identify market gaps that your product line can fill, establishing a unique selling proposition (USP). Conduct SWOT analyses on key competitors to gain insights into their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which will inform your product development strategy. Utilize online surveys and social media polls to gather customer insights about competitors’ offerings and unmet needs. Monitor customer reviews to uncover common pain points, guiding your product line’s features and improvements. Finally, track promotional strategies and seasonal trends to align your product launch timing with market demand, maximizing visibility as you learn how to create a new product. Create a Unique Selling Proposition To create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), you need to identify what sets your product line apart from competitors. Consider factors like key differentiators, such as unique features or benefits that directly address your target audience’s needs. Crafting a compelling brand narrative around these elements will help communicate your product’s distinct value effectively. Identify Key Differentiators Identifying key differentiators is crucial for establishing a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) that clearly articulates what makes your product line stand out in a crowded marketplace. To successfully develop your USP, consider the following: Customer Feedback: Analyze reviews and surveys to discover unmet needs or desires. Market Research: Examine competitors to identify gaps where your product can excel. Unique Features: Highlight specific attributes or benefits that only your product offers. Emotional Connection: Understand how your product can create a memorable experience for consumers. Craft Compelling Brand Narrative Crafting a compelling brand narrative is essential for establishing a unique selling proposition (USP) that resonates with your target audience. To build a product that stands out, focus on what makes your offering unique. Identify core features or benefits that directly address customer pain points. For example, if you’re launching an eco-friendly cleaning product, emphasize its natural ingredients and effectiveness. Share stories that connect with consumers, illustrating how your product fits into their lives and solves problems. This narrative not merely makes your brand relatable but also strengthens customer loyalty. A well-defined USP guides your marketing efforts, ensuring consistent messaging across all channels, eventually helping you differentiate in crowded markets and attract lasting customers. Develop a Comprehensive Marketing Strategy Developing a thorough marketing strategy is essential for successfully launching your product line, especially since grasping where your target audience finds similar products can greatly shape your outreach efforts. To create an effective strategy, consider these steps: Analyze the top five channels where your audience discovers similar products, like social media, blogs, or online marketplaces. Craft customer experience maps outlining three primary paths from awareness to purchase, identifying key touchpoints. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for each channel, focusing on metrics such as conversion rates and customer acquisition costs. Develop an editorial calendar with at least 20 social media updates, ensuring consistent communication leading up to your launch. Create and Test Your Product Ideas Creating and testing your product ideas is a crucial step in ensuring your product line meets market demands and customer expectations. Start by brainstorming diverse ideas using tools like the SCAMPER model. Validate your concepts through surveys and focus groups to gather direct feedback. Then, develop prototypes of your top ideas and perform iterative testing to refine features. Here’s a quick overview of the process: Step Action Brainstorming Utilize SCAMPER for fresh ideas Validation Conduct surveys and focus groups Prototyping Create prototypes for top ideas Testing Iteratively refine based on feedback Market Interest Create landing pages to measure engagement Continuously adapt your ideas based on testing results, ensuring they meet evolving market needs. This is how to start a product effectively. Determine Your Pricing Strategy After refining your product ideas through testing, the next step involves determining your pricing strategy, which plays a pivotal role in your product’s success. When making a new product, consider the following points to establish a solid pricing foundation: Calculate total costs, including development, production, and distribution. Research average profit margins in your industry, typically ranging from 20% to 50%. Use a profit margin calculator to guarantee you factor in both fixed and variable costs. Establish a starting price based on industry-standard markup to stay competitive. Be prepared to adjust your pricing strategy based on market response and competitive analysis, as customer behavior and industry trends can change over time. This flexibility will help guarantee your product’s long-term sustainability. Launch Your Product Line Once you’ve finalized your product design and pricing strategy, launching your product line requires a well-structured plan to guarantee maximum impact. Create a thorough marketing strategy that identifies your target audiences, promotional channels, and key messaging. Building anticipation is essential; use teasers and sneak peeks, along with early use incentives like discounts or free trials, to generate buzz. On launch day, conduct full product and website tests to resolve any potential issues, ensuring a smooth customer experience. As the launch unfolds, monitor real-time metrics to make quick adjustments based on customer engagement. Afterward, analyze your results against your pre-set key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of the making of product and pinpoint areas for future improvements. Monitor Performance and Gather Feedback Effective monitoring of performance and gathering feedback are crucial steps in refining your product line. To understand how you can make a product that truly resonates with your audience, focus on the following: Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Track metrics like sales volume and customer acquisition to gauge success. Collect Customer Feedback: Use surveys, focus groups, and online reviews to gain insights into satisfaction and effectiveness. Utilize Analytics Tools: Employ tools like Google Analytics to analyze user behavior and identify trends. Establish a Continuous Feedback Loop: Engage with customers regularly to guarantee ongoing improvements and keep your product line competitive. These steps help you make informed decisions, adjusting your strategies to better meet customer needs and improve overall performance. Frequently Asked Questions How Do You Start Your Own Product Line? To start your own product line, begin by identifying your target audience through market research. This helps you understand their needs and preferences. Next, develop a unique selling proposition that sets your products apart from competitors. Afterward, create prototypes to gather feedback before full-scale production. Finally, launch your product with a detailed marketing plan, and stay attentive to customer feedback to adapt and improve your offerings consistently. This guarantees long-term success. What Are the 7 Steps to Create a New Product? To create a new product, start with idea generation, using market research and brainstorming to identify gaps. Next, screen ideas to validate concepts based on customer demand. Then, develop prototypes and gather user feedback for refinement. Conduct market testing to gauge customer response on a limited scale. Finally, focus on continuous improvement by monitoring sales and implementing updates based on customer feedback and market trends to guarantee long-term success. How to Introduce a New Product Line? To introduce a new product line, start by conducting extensive market research to identify your target audience and their needs. Develop a unique selling proposition that sets your products apart from competitors. Create a marketing strategy that includes social media promotions and influencer partnerships to generate buzz. Finally, implement a launch plan with clear objectives and track performance, adjusting based on customer feedback to guarantee the product line meets market demands effectively. What Are the 4 Ps of Product Launch? The 4 Ps of product launch are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. You’ll need to define your product’s features and quality to meet customer needs. Next, determine your pricing strategy based on costs and market perceptions. Then, choose effective distribution channels to guarantee accessibility for your audience. Finally, implement promotional strategies like advertising and social media to create awareness. Each element plays an essential role in the successful introduction of your product. Conclusion In conclusion, launching a product line requires careful planning and execution. By defining your target audience, comprehending their needs, and conducting thorough market research, you can develop a unique product that fills a gap in the market. Implement a strong marketing strategy and set competitive pricing to attract customers. After the launch, continuously monitor performance and seek feedback to refine your offerings. Following these steps will improve your chances of achieving long-term success in your product line. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Starting a Product Line: A Step-by-Step Guide" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

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The mortgage company, even though it is owned by a bank, has been profitable for the last two years, when considering its originations operations, as it does. View the full article

Last June, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky took on a second job. Microsoft, the social network for business professionals’ owner since 2016, expanded his responsibilities to include Microsoft 365—the suite still better known by its former name, Microsoft Office—and its Copilot AI assistant. The role charges him with making AI useful in a productivity context, a goal that’s still very much a work in progress. But Roslansky also remains in charge of LinkedIn, a place whose entire reason for being springs from the network effect of its billion-plus members. Their unique connections, learnings, and willingness to help other people can’t be fed into an LLM and reprocessed into the kind of generic advice a chatbot can spout. In a world of increasingly commodified information, Roslansky argues that LinkedIn’s essential humanity is more essential than ever. “Trusted, contextual, expert-driven knowledge—the type of stuff that comes from having a lived experience or doing a specific job or having a deep insight or knowing people that have actually done the job—in my view, that’s becoming much more valuable, not less,” he says. “I think the question moving forward from professionals isn’t just going to be something like, ‘What’s the answer?’, but ‘Who can I trust to guide me?’ And that’s where we come in.” Still, once you venture beyond your core LinkedIn contacts, it’s never been all that easy to tap into the power of your network. “We’ve always had, what I’ll call decent, keyword-based lexical people search that allows you to type someone’s name if you know them,” says Roslansky. “We did a decent job at name-plus-company.” But even if you were seeking a particular kind of advice or favor that a friend of a friend (or a friend of a friend of a friend) might have been happy to dispense, there was no guarantee you’d be able to track them down with keywords and filters. Now LinkedIn is taking a major step to address that. A new feature called AI-powered people search uses generative AI to break past the limitations of conventional search. It understands requests such as “investors with FDA experience for a biotech startup,” “Northwestern alumni who work in entertainment marketing,” “teachers turned industrial designers,” and “who can help me raise money for a nonprofit?” The results it returns include relevant profiles regardless of the exact words you used to phrase the search. AI-powered people search is rolling out first to members who pay for LinkedIn Premium accounts, but the company says it will eventually be available to all users. It follows the AI-powered job search feature introduced earlier this year, which Rolansky notes can understand open-ended asks such as “‘I want to help bring humanity to Mars” or ‘I want to work on AI products with my finance skills.” Using technology that’s very 2025, these features deliver on the promise of the nearly 23-year-old site’s original vision that—as an early tagline put it—relationships matter. Members who have managed to rack up hundreds of connections over the years might find new value in visiting the site more regularly and diving deeper. “The company was founded on the idea that if we were able to build a valuable community, that any professional can become more productive and successful through other people in their network,” says Roslansky. “When you can leverage AI to reason over that network of people, it opens up a whole new world.” As for how LinkedIn’s ongoing evolution fits into Roslansky’s new role at Microsoft, he points out several advantages to his twin responsibilities. For one, the ability to sit in on meetings with people like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, CTO Kevin Scott, and Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman give him “a view into where the bleeding edge of where AI and technology are going.“ But expanding his purview is also about aspects of LinkedIn’s mission that remain unfulfilled even nine years after the two companies became one. “Recruiters, we make productive and successful,” Roslansky explains. “Salespeople. Marketers. 
But general professionals are still something that we are decent at, not what we’ve thrived on. It turns out the greatest set of tools in the world to make professionals more productive is the suite of office tools that I have the amazing honor to be working on right now.” Until now, LinkedIn has felt like a most distant relative of Microsoftian stalwarts such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. As AI provides opportunities to rethink all these products—with well over a century of combined history behind them— Roslansky says he’s thinking about them holistically. That alone is a new approach. And its upshot could shape the future of some of the world’s most-used business tools. View the full article

Apple brought RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging to the iPhone with iOS 18 last year, giving green-bubble users access to more features and functions. But what exactly is possible with RCS on the iPhone, and what is still exclusive to iMessage users? Are Android RCS users now fully integrated into chats in the iOS Messages app or not? I'll lay out exactly what you can do in RCS chats between iPhones and Android phones, and explain which features are still missing—and when you might be able to get them. If you've got contacts on other mobile platforms, this should help you understand more about what the experience is like from their end. To use RCS, you must have a carrier that supports it (most now do). On an iPhone, open Settings, then choose Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging to enable it. In Google Messages on Android, tap your profile picture (top right), then choose Messages settings and RCS chats to turn on the feature. RCS on iOS and Android: what you can do Ever since iOS 18, RCS messaging has officially been supported in the iOS Messages app—specifically, via the RCS Universal Profile 2.4. This brings green bubble Android users closer to parity with iMessage users, though some features only work in one direction, and some features only work in one-to-one conversations and not group chats. One notable upgrade is support for high-resolution photos and videos, which should work seamlessly across all your RCS-enabled conversations, with no more issues around compression or transfer. Web links look better as well, because you'll get a proper preview shown on both Android and iOS, and you can share current locations too (though only as a static pin, not a live and updating one). Web links now look much better between iOS and Android. Credit: Lifehacker Typing indicators and read receipts are supported in both directions, assuming you've got them enabled on your devices. However, they don't work in group chats—RCS users on Android can now join group chats, but the experience can be buggy based on reports, and you lose the typing indicators and the read receipts. Emoji reactions are now supported, up to a point—but based on my testing, these only work from iPhone to Android. If you try and send an emoji reaction in the other direction, iPhone users will just get a separate text showing the emoji (it won't appear as a bubble on top of the original message). RCS on iOS and Android: what you can't do (yet)If you look at everything you can do in iMessage (with other iMessage users) and Google Messages (with other Android RCS users), you'll realize there's a long way to go when it comes to cross-platform support. For example, at the moment you can't unsend messages, or reply inline in a thread, either from Android to iPhone or iPhone to Android. You can edit messages, but only if you're an Android user messaging an iPhone user—and with the caveat that the iPhone user gets two texts (the original message and the edited message, which rather defeats the point). The ability to edit messages on an iPhone simply doesn't appear in an RCS conversation. Message editing is something that doesn't quite work yet. Credit: Lifehacker Another missing feature is end-to-end encryption for your chats and files shared in them. Apple has promised that support for this in RCS conversations is on the way, though it hasn't shown up yet—not even in iOS 26. This should give you pause when it comes to sharing sensitive information in these chats. Full end-to-end encryption is part of the RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which Google is testing in beta and which Apple has yet to adopt. Once this next update finally makes its way to iPhones and Android devices, interoperability will be leveled up again—it should, in theory, bring with it full support for message editing, emoji reactions, and inline replies. Until then, it's something of a half-baked implementation, especially for group chats. View the full article

Online betting is more accessible than ever, with 14% of U.S. adults saying they bet on professional or college sports online either frequently or occasionally, according to a February poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. It’s also in the news, with a growing list of sports betting scandals making headlines. Public health advocates and personal finance advisers say it’s important to know the risks if you’re going to gamble online. “Gambling and ‘responsibly’ seem to be oxymoronic, because if you’re gambling it’s all about risk,” said Caleb Silver, editor in chief of personal finance site Investopedia. “But people still do it. Online gambling and sports betting are only becoming more popular.” Since the Supreme Court struck down a ban on sports betting in 2018, 38 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized gambling, according to the American Gaming Association. For those new to online gambling, it can be helpful to set limits in advance on how much you’re willing to lose and how much time you’re willing to spend. Many of the platforms and apps that offer gambling, such as FanDuel and DraftKings, include optional safeguards to limit time or losses. Other apps can block access to the platforms for set amounts of time. Here’s what to know: Online gambling can be riskier than gambling in person The potential losses of digital betting can occur more quickly than in a physical casino, according to Heather Eshleman, director of operations at the Maryland Center for Excellence on Problem Gambling, since people can bet so much so easily and quickly on the internet or apps, with less friction. The new prevalence of prediction markets, such as PredictIt and Kalshi, has also created new opportunities to place wagers online on everything from election outcomes to celebrity news to the weather. How to tell if you have a problem with online gambling According to public health advocates, the biggest warning sign of a problem is if you’re devoting time to online betting that’s taking away from other things in your life — especially your relationships with friends, family, and work. If you’re spending money on gambling that could instead go towards unmet basic needs, that’s also a warning sign. “We encourage people to only use money they would use for fun and entertainment, not money that should be used to pay the mortgage or the rent or to pay for food,” said Eshleman. Silver echoed this. “You have to know before you do it how much you can afford to lose,” he said. “What is your ‘tap out point?’ Those rules have to be firmly established.” Ways to limit online gambling Most sports betting platforms offer “responsible gambling tools,” according to Eshleman. “You can set limits on time, money, deposits, wins, and losses,” she said. “The goal is to set those limits before you start, because if you don’t set them in advance, they’re not really going to work for you. Once you’re into the excitement of it, you’re not going to stop and use those tools.” Eshleman recommends apps such as GambBan and BetBlocker, which limit access to gambling sites externally. She also directs those who suspect they may have a problem to use the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline or contact Gamblers Anonymous. Know the risks and downsides Silver, the head of Investopedia, said he started adding definitions of online betting and gambling terms to the personal finance site when he saw an increasingly “closer connection between sports betting, day trading, options trading, and cryptocurrency trading.” He encourages those who are interested in digital betting to make sure they know what they’re getting into. “Before anyone even gets an online (gambling) account, they should be required to know the fundamental terms and rules about the way sports betting works,” he said. “What’s the ‘money line’ or ‘parlay?’ How do odds work? What is the maximum I could lose on this bet?” The other thing to do is to “play with no expectation of a return,” he said. “The likelihood is that you will lose. So, if you’re willing to lose, how much are you willing to lose?” Cory Fox, senior vice president of public policy and sustainability at FanDuel, who handles the site’s responsible gambling initiatives, compares using the safeguards to wearing a seatbelt when driving in a car and said FanDuel is committed to setting standards for being a responsible operator in the online gambling space. Lori Kalani, chief responsible gaming officer at DraftKings, said the site is committed to the same goal and compared using the limit-setting tools to taking Ubers instead of driving on a night when you know you’ll be drinking. Fox added that responsible gambling tools are important to help allow FanDuel to maintain its social license. He said that it’s in the interest of the site to make sure its users can be on the site and play for a long time to come. Make sure it’s not a coping mechanism “If you’re taking care of your mental health, you’re less likely to have a problem with gambling,” Eshleman said. Rather than turning to the thrill of placing online bets, Eshleman encourages people to find positive ways to cope with stress — listening to music, taking walks, getting more sleep and exercise, and spending more time socializing. Social gambling is safer than hidden, private gambling, she said. “If you’re doing it alone, that’s a red flag that it’s not an activity that’s healthy for you,” said Eshleman. “It all ties in to our basic wellness. I think if people focus on wellness, it will prevent a lot of gambling.” The Associated Press receives support from the Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. —Cora Lewis, Associated Press View the full article

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