Table of contents
In the 7th edition of our digest, we are going to look into the recent developments and events in the world of technology, highlighting the news on the latest and most promising startups, trending AR/VR technologies, mobile app development, cloud services, UI/UX design, testing and DevOps practices. Ready? Go!
World of Trends
The promising potential of augmented reality continues to evolve: addressing the demand for solutions that would make life easier during the COVID-19 pandemic, Spital’s co-founders decided to take advantage of the technology used in the booming Pokemon Go app to ease communication between colleagues. Just like the gaming app showed its users avatars of pokemons, the planned communicative app is going to use realistic avatars of colleges in meetings held online. In an attempt to create even more realistic experience, the company also works with VR headsets like the Oculus Quest — those capable of putting users into completely immersive digital environments. Learn about the company’s plans and the future of Google Docs enriched with AR here.
Returning to the above-mentioned Oculus Quest, it’s worthy of saying a few words about the Facebook’s Connect virtual and augmented reality conference that was held online this year. The two-hour keynote was filled with news on a new VR headset, the planned Ray-Ban “smart glasses”, and a bunch of upcoming apps and games. You can learn more about the key highlights on The Verge.
Mobile Stories
Continuing the Facebook topic, we are inspired to tell you about the recently awarded social media app called LyfeLoop. Being an alternative to the well-known Facebook, the app allows connecting with friends and family, but without the censorship, politics and security problems. The app won the Best New Social Media App 2020 at the annually held Business Achievement Awards (BAA) Competition. The award was given for the LyfeLoop’s usefulness, overall quality, uniqueness in the market, and UI/UX. Find more information on the app and the received award here.
One more step into the digital future was made in UAE where ServeU — a subsidiary of Union Properties and a leading facilities management service provider — announced plans to launch the very first of its kind, fully automated mobile application in the first half of 2021. Learn more about the app and its key features here.
In the Cloud
What’s new in the cloud? The biggest news is that last week, SAP announced it acquired Emarsys — a cloud-based marketing platform focused on solutions for interaction, through channels ranging from email to social media. In this way, SAP broadens the list of the offered services with those aimed at tailoring communication with customers across all online channels.
In relation to this news, we kindly remind you that your fellow Emerline is just one of the brands that make LeverX, and the other one — LeverX — is the official SAP services provider with 17 years of experience. So if you are looking for a contractor capable of implementing SAP services into your business, you are always welcome to contact LeverX for a free consultation.
Startup Arena
After five years on the market of software for face, silhouettes, and actions recognition, NtechLab continues its global expansion with close to a $13 million investment. It’s worthy of mentioning that the startup’s revenue reached $8 million last year, and 2020 is predicted to be even more profitable. With a focus on the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, NtechLab is planning to develop new capabilities such as automatic detection of aggressive behavior and vehicle recognition. So if you are looking for some inspiring examples of how to build a great startup, you can dive deeper into the history of NtechLab's achievements.
UX/UI Vibes
When it comes to UI/UX, the first to mention news is about the third global annual event World Interaction Design Day (IxDD) where Adobe named 10 up-and-coming UX designers as innovators in UX. Take a look at their portfolios and learn about their experience and successfully completed challenges to get a clearer picture of what’s trending in the world of design.
The other booming news is related to the coming introduction of the PlayStation 5 that will take place on November 19 in Singapore. As it turned out, Asian gamers will have to use the X/Cross button instead of the Circle one for selection. While it may seem that there’s nothing extraordinary, note that such sudden change after 26 years will take some getting used to.
Software Testing and QA Updates
Testing systems are not standing still as well. At the end of the summer, Exactpro — a leading software testing provider for financial market infrastructures — deployed a new open-source microservices-based test automation platform th2. In collaboration with Quod Financial — an innovator in multi-asset trading and automation — companies created a set of automated test scenario templates that utilize the ML technology for QA testing. In this way, companies reduced the overall complexity related to modern systems and allowed more efficient testing of business workflows in Algo trading and smart order routing. Learn more about the outcomes of this collaborative work here.
DevOps Insights
The importance of well-established DevOps practices became even more evident with the second major Office 365 outage within a three-day period. Even though Microsoft does not reveal details on the issue, some believe that the company is “running into an issue where code tested out fine but there is a configuration problem when they deploy it.”
