PostedByDesiree Kane
on Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 1:39 PM
You've got to love Kickstarter projects. They're all the rage, and some of the hottest products in the tech sphere are launching off of this amazing platform. Coin, the bluetooth card that stores data for credit cards, membership cards, etc., launched with great success on Nov. 14 and is no exception.
What's a bluetooth card?
Set to release in summer 2014, early adopters rushed to sign up. Coin fulfilled its $50,000 fundraising goal in 47 minutes, but not without criticism and speculation from tech big boy CNN Money:
Coin is a buzzy new startup that's making a digital credit card that stores information for all the other cards in your wallet. Coin's splashy launch generated a lot of attention, but there are several big issues that need to be resolved if it's going to be a successful product.
Coin is an exciting look into what the future of money management can be. Along with progressive banking products like Simple, the future looks bright.
What do you think? Are you rushing out to get a Coin? Could you trust it? How do you think this will affect Charlotte's banking industry? Let us know in the comments!
For more commentary, follow me on Twitter @dbirdy, for more photos peep my Flickr and to see all videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel here!
PostedByDesiree Kane
on Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 10:10 AM
Do 3D printers and flying robots appeal to you? What about science? If yes, then you're going to love the CPCC's Computer Technology Institute's 10th Annual "THE Geek Fest" Technology and Innovations event at CPCC's Levine Campus beginning today. If not, then this probably ain't your kind of geeky crowd.
THE Geek Festival (TGF) is an exciting and eclectic annual celebration of the "geek" in all of us - an event designed to educate, energize and inspire the minds of our students and the community through highlighting the constant creative innovations in technology, media and industry. It not only recognizes the imaginative efforts made by individuals and companies in their respective fields but also provides a venue through which we can explore the technologies that have become so integral in our everyday lives as well as those that are new and foreign. Geek is chic; not only that, it is everywhere.
Best of all, it's FREE.99, and it's all day today!
Shameless plug: Come see me, your trusty Creative Loafing tech columnist, speak at 12:15 p.m. on a panel called The Social Network: Social Media Trends and Best Practices!
For more commentary, follow me on Twitter @dbirdy, for more photos peep my Flickr and to see all videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel here!
PostedByDesiree Kane
on Thu, Nov 7, 2013 at 10:16 AM
The World Economic Forum's Global Shapers of Charlotte's second annual event, SHAPE Charlotte, is coming up and promises to be a doozy for the startup scene. Last year, this event was fun, well-attended, well-sponsored, and well put together - this year ought to be the same. It's important that events like this exist because they gives those looking to build a startup an opportunity to be paired with mentors, something that can be an excruciating pain otherwise - not to mention the cash injection any startup can greatly use if the the idea is a winning one.
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Photo credit: Desiree Kane
From the website:
SHAPE Charlotte is an innovative business model competition created for, and by, the next generation of leaders. SHAPE Charlotte will foster an entrepreneurial spirit among those 35 years of age or younger by empowering participants to act as agents of change through innovation and ultimately job creation.
Competitors will be selected based on their ability to demonstrate the viability, innovation, and impact of their business concept.
I can't wait to see the pitches and ideas Charlotte's upcoming entrepreneurs have up their sleeves this year. One of my personal favorites of SHAPE Charlotte 2012, Detailed Block, is an example of the cool things to expect:
Here are the final details about this year's event:
Tuesday, Nov. 12
6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Bank of America Auditorium at One Bank of America Center Building
150 N College St.
See you there!
For more commentary, follow me on Twitter @dbirdy, for more photos peep my Flickr and to see all videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel here!