businessinfomag.uk magazine 04 Intelligence boost Zebra Technologies has demonstrated a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) large language model (LLM) running on its handheld mobile computers/tablets without the need for connectivity to the cloud. The ability to run GenAI on-device will enable Zebra customers in retail, warehouse & logistics, hospitality and healthcare to enhance productivity with the added benefits of improved privacy and security (as data remains on the device), faster performance and lower costs (GenAI searches on the cloud can be expensive). Potential use cases include boosting employees’ knowledge, e.g. by answering queries on products, store policies etc., and improving the customer experience by powering personalised shopping assistants that could provide product recommendations and potentially fully voice-activated shopping. As an alternative to a smaller on-device LLM, users of Wi-Fi 6/6E and 5G-enabled Zebra devices could also switch to a cloud-based app or web browser GenAI tool. www.zebra.com Sound and vision Online visual communications and collaboration platform Canva is giving users the option to include commercially released music clips in their designs at the point of creation. Agreements with Warner Music Group and Merlin will enable Canva Pro, Canva for Education, Canva for Nonprofit and Canva for Teams customers to use clips of their favourite songs from the Merlin, Warner Recorded Music and Warner Chappell Music libraries in videos for social media (including TikTok), as well as presentations and training material. Recording artists will earn royalties when clips of their songs are used in published Canva designs. Canva recently launched Beat Sync, a tool in the Canva editor that helps users match video footage to the beat of a selected soundtrack. www.canva.com AJ Products has upgraded its foldable desk treadmill to encourage greater movement in the workplace. Supporting low intensity, walking pace exercise, the desk treadmill has a maximum speed of 6 km/h and is fitted with wheels for easy sharing. When not in use, it can be folded for storage. Helen Beebe, Managing Director of AJ Products (UK) Ltd, said: “Small changes, such as incorporating low intensity exercise at your desk, can significantly impact overall health and wellbeing. Our desk treadmill provides a solution to break free from the sedentary cycle.” www.ajproducts.co.uk Walk to work WHAT’S NEW INNOVATIONS Cabinet reshuffle BT Group’s incubation hub Etc. has announced a series of pilots, starting in Northern Ireland, to assess the technical and commercial viability of converting decommissioned street cabinets (previously used to provide copper-based broadband and phone services) into electric vehicle charging points. Early projections by Etc. suggest that two thirds of BT Group’s 90,000 cabinets could be converted into EV charging points as a dedicated BT Group venture or in partnership with other organisations. Tom Guy, Managing Director of Etc. at BT Group, said: “With only around 45,000 public charge points today, the UK needs a massive upgrade to meet the needs of the EV revolution. We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to connect for good by innovating around our cabinet infrastructure. The pilots are critical to establish effective technical, commercial and operational routes to market over the next two years.” www.bt.com/about I’m working from the metaverse today Clockwise, an operator of flexible workspaces, is launching the first office space in the metaverse. The Clockwise Campus will provide a digital platform where people (or rather their avatars) can connect, collaborate and socialise. Accessed via a web browser, the Clockwise Campus will provide a variety of spaces familiar to users of the company’s physical offices including meeting rooms, desk spaces, breakout spaces, call zones and a contemplation space. There will also be an amphitheatre where people can enjoy large-scale talks and presentations, as well as more intimate panel discussions and fireside chats from industry pioneers and inspirational figures. Alexandra Livesey, COO of Clockwise, said: “Available to our members as an additional space for them to utilise, the Clockwise Campus will also be accessible by the wider public. Operationally, it will work much like our physical Clockwise offices, but on a larger scale. It will be a place where the usual restrictions around sqft and limitations of physical buildings don’t apply and where practical considerations such as weather and maintenance are unnecessary – a sort of Clockwise utopia.” https://workclockwise.co.uk/
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