Monday 1 December 2014

Which global tech companies could partner with skignz?

At skignz we always think of how we can assist others and how we can create new developments through skignz. Well by having a think we decided that we could work with a lot of technology partners.  

Creating a joint venture between two firms can have a lot of benefits to both sides. It can double the amount of engagement with customers and audience and create more attention to the new joint business venture created.

A few benefits of creating a joint venture are: 

- It can allow your business to grow further and faster
- It can increase productivity whilst generating greater profits for each
- It allows open access to new markets
- It allows greater access to resources such as staff, technology and finance.

There are a lot more benefits to creating joint ventures however let us now give you a few examples of companies we have been considering who skignz could create a joint venture with and show the benefits as to how it could benefit them through partnering with skignz

1. Googleskignz has had some great ideas about how we could work with Google Maps. Every pin on a Google map could be turned into a skign. It wouldn't just be something more attractive to look at it would mean that there is more for people to interact with through augmented reality. We could augment the planet overnight.



2. Apple – The past 10 – 15 years Apple under Steve Jobs have revolutionised many different markets with new ideas they have always brought about. However what could their next big idea be? We think that the next one could be ‘navigation without maps’. Brought to every Apple device people could navigate through skignz via Apple. 
Have you also read out blog post article on Apple post Steve Jobs?




3. Facebook – Think of your Facebook profile but in a skign above your head … like the sound of that? However only your friends can still see it who you allow just as your profile is online. You can interact in a different way no matter where you are. You can use it to find your friends at a concert or festival, allow you to let them know where a party is at and help them find where you are. 


4. Twitter – How great would it be to pull your tweets into a skignz above your head that only your followers can see? You can use the skign to interact with all live conversations going on around you. 


5. LinkedIn – Similar to Facebook you could pull your LinkedIn profile into a skign above your head. However this could be used using your professional/work based networking profile that only your own personal network could see – just as they see your profile online. You can use it to engage with different people at business networking events or even so companies could use it to help guests attending corporate events. 


6. Match.com – Do you find online dating a task or a bit of a long process? Well skignz could make it that little bit easier for you. Have you ever tried talking to someone but you can tell that they clearly are not a match for you? If skignz were to partner with Match.com it could allow users to pull their dating profile into a skign above their heads. Now how would this help you … well when you are close to others who are a match – say around 85% or above then skignz will provide you with an alert. This way you cannot only know there is a potential match close by to you, you can know who it is exactly and if they press accept then you can go straight over and introduce yourself. Speed up the long wait of online dating and get to know that person sooner rather than later. 


7. Microsoft – Through working on their cloud platform and Founder Bill Gates having a big passion for helping those less fortunate, skignz could team up with big data and charities to help manage and monitor all of their assets across their world countries or those that require disaster relief. As skignz is Carbon neutral and does not affect the environment, it can be used to help many good causes.

8. Military & Governments - Again as it is Microsoft, this is a secure way to track assets, reduces chances of friendly fire, monitor targets and more but all in a visual way. Take existing data and visually tag what you want to see, when and anywhere you wish on the planet.

9. Ciscoskignz creating a joint venture with Cisco would open up a lot of opportunities to themselves. skignz could help to visually tag their equipment when installed into large infrastructure projects. It would allow a platform to be created allowing technology to provide a pre hand viewing process before any agreed projects. 

10. Garmin/TOM TOMskignz would take TOM TOM into the new age through using augmented reality. What better way to update the navigation system than through skignz allowing users to view a more attractive and easier straight head on mapping system through their satellite navigation systems and mobile devices (if integrated). Through using the skignz platform satellite navigation would be overlaid on real landscape rather than a computer generated one. It would bring real life navigation to you through your satellite navigation system.  


11. Amazon – Through joining together Amazon and skignz, we could bring a whole new tracking system to amazon themselves. skignz would be able to track Amazon’s drones and keep track of their customer orders, knowing where they are and when to then being able to keep the customer updated accurately. Its beneficial for Amazon themselves to be able to track their drones through an easier augmented reality system and beneficial to the customers themselves proving improved customer service to Amazon’s loyal people! 

12. Zoopla/Rightmove – Working with Zoopla/Rightmove skignz could help them to create a new way of promoting and advertising their available properties in a more easy, fun and convenient way. Through augmented reality, people in search of a house can go onto the skignz/Zoopla/Rightmove app and scan across houses in an area to see easily through their mobile device which are available and how much for. It allows a simpler and quicker form of contact between the company and the customer and speeds up the process of house hunting.


There are a lot more technology partners that skignz could create a joint venture with however we did want to give you just a few examples of how good the technology could become for skignz and other companies to work together to help create the next generation of technology!

What do you think of our ideas? Please feel free to leave you comments below. 

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on any or all of our Social Media Channels.

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Retro Gaming - Past, Present to the Future

It is amazing just how much technology is advancing each day and what new investments we are informed of each day.

However it is even better when games that were played 20-30 years ago and even now ones we have to play in arcades, are being brought to us for free through the comfort of our own homes through our very own computers or on our mobile devices.


Do you remember playing some of these games years ago?

- Pac Man
-       Jet Set Willy

- Super Rider
-       Manic Miner

- Space Attack
-       Mario Brothers
- Survival 
- Space Cruiser
-       Daley Thompson's Decathlon
-       Outrun


That’s just a few of the many we used to have a lot of enjoyable moments and memories on. The loading screens of games, turning tapes over or inserting multiple discs just to be able to play the game! Waiting time of 20-30 mins just to play Jet Set Willy or Manic Miner.



Although the graphics are on a different plain these days, the nostalgia surrounding playing the games of your youth still make them engaging and quite addictive. That said not having to plug in your Quickshot II into your Spectrum 48k (with rubber keys) through a Kempston Interface and your old tape player so you can play Daley Thompsons Decathlon does have its advantages.

But will the Iphone/Android handsets break as quickly as your Quickshot II even on rapid fire or will you wear the screen out like you did during the hurdles by pressing  'N & M keys' with 'Symbol shift' to hurdle.

But we wonder now, when these games were out we had to buy the game to be able to play it, nothing was made free and available to us that easy. As those games drone out new ones become about.

Now with the advancement we have different gaming technology devices we use to play games on, although these don’t come free either. There is now a lot of different devices such as Xbox, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation, and Nintendo DS and so on. 

Not mentioning the thousands of games made available to purchase (usually at a costly price) to play on these devices. 



Although now we look at how these retro games have been made available to us for free to be able to play through our computer, is this now an industry within its own right? 


With the technology now available to us, to be able to play these 'old skool' games on our mobile devices and smart phones. it begs the question if these games are being made available for free, games recently launched which you have to purchase to play, will it take 20-30 years for these games to be made available for free?

Will all games be free in different formats for people to use?

It makes us think what the future of gaming will be like? It is always evolving, changing and constantly exceed what went before. 

Will all gaming platforms become as one or will it be kept separate with the advancements of gaming being developed to where they can be charged at a significantly lower price. 

Or will gaming become so popular that it will always be free to download and use, but the revenues are created through in game purchases and real time virtual advertising like in 2nd Life!

skignz hopes to introduce something fresh new to the Games industry in 2015, suffice to say we hope it will open up a whole new area for games developers to explore... We will let you know more in due course!

What do you think the future will be like for the gaming industry? 

For further information on retro gaming then please visit this website: http://bit.ly/1wVYFev 

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website: http://www.skignz.com 

and don't forget to check us out on the usual popular Social Media Channels.

skignz: In Boston MA, USA

By the time you read this our Co-Founder & CMO will be showcasing skignz to a range of esteemed audiences in Boston Massachusetts, US.



The trip organised through UKTi  and the British American Business Council of New England (BABCNE) is a great opportunity for skignz to demonstrate its technology to a range of audiences.

skignz is looking to establish a number of relationships through this trip that will ultimately help with skignz rapid growth plans. These growth plans have gone into over drive of late due to a number of key projects being finalised. More on this soon.

Back to Boston, some people refer it to as a Mini New York but after many discussions and much reading it seems like an extremely interesting and cultural city. Big enough to be a city but not to big that you can't take in a lot during a short trip.

After doing further research, we came across various ways to describe Boston,

"Boston, first incorporated as a town in 1630, and as a city in 1822, is one of America's oldest cities, with a rich economic and social history. What began as a homesteading community eventually evolved into a center for social and political change. Boston has since become the economic and cultural hub of New England.

As the region's hub, Boston is home to over 617,000 residents, many institutions of higher education, some of the world's finest inpatient hospitals, and numerous cultural and professional sports organizations. 

Boston-based jobs, primarily within the finance, health care, educational, and service areas, numbered nearly 660,000 in 2002. Millions of people visit Boston to take in its historic neighbourhoods, attend cultural or sporting events and conduct business."

We hope to take in some of the history, cultural and sport that Boston has to offer. 

But its the Business where this trip is focussed and with major US & global brands such as Microsoft, Acacia Communications, Hubspot, Wayfair, BAE Systems, Lloyds Bank, Virgin Atlantic, Astra Zenica, British Airways all supporting BABCNE and its efforts to increase and develop trade between the two nations.

skignz is looking forward increased exposure int he North/East of the US after previous successes in Nevada, in Southern America (Brazil) and in Europe & the Middle East. Our Far eastern promise increases as our Kathryn (our born Chinese team member) makes progress with interpreting skignz's activity to the Chinese people.

   
Hopefully when Simon returns he will be able to update us all on a wonderful trip, the experiences and the wonderful people he has met....with Christmas just around the corner it could be 2015 before you hear those tales.



If you want to find out more about our progress in Boston please check out our social media channels as we will be posting pictures & updates during the trip.

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Support for Myplace Middlesbrough

Myplace is a state-of-the art £4.3 million venue and activity Centre for young people in Middlesbrough. It has amazing facilities and opportunities for young people including a theatre, TV and recording studio, Internet cafe, alcohol free nightclub, multi-sensory room and amphitheatre.


Myplace is for anyone between the ages of 9-19 years (or up to 25 with special needs).


There are many activities that you can do at myplace. It caters for everyone’s needs with a range of different activities from:

- Popping down for a coffee or game of pool with some friends,

- See what’s going on, or sign up for a future event, activity or group,

- Checking for job vacancies, volunteering, training courses or get confidential advice, information or guidance from a range of services.

and many more!

You can become a member of myplace for just £2.50 a year. You can then use myplace every day for 75p (£1 on the door for non-members). You can even get involved with deciding on activities, events and more!




skignz takes corporate social responsibility seriously and with being a small start up company we believe that we have shown just how serious and how active we are about corporate social responsibility. A big part of this was through the CMO of skignz who supported the local youth centre myplace



skignz wants to create a more sustainable future for everyone, so we decided to support myplace with their marketing activity generating the attraction to their youth centre and website. 

skignz wanted more people to recognise what a good deed myplace does, so we offered to help them increase their recognition. 

If you live in the local area then do take a visit to myplace. It has everything you need and it is there to provide a good time for everyone.


You will find a range of support and something fun to always do. You can never be bored and will never be alone. There are many services available for you to use which you can find out from their website.

For further information on Myplace then please visit their website at http://www.myplacemiddlesbrough.org/ 

If you would like to know more about skignz then please visit our website at http://www.skignz.com and don't forget to check us out on a range of the popular Social Media Channels.