Apple’s newest iPad Air features a 10.9-inch liquid retina display and five finishes including silver, space gray, rose gold, green and sky blue. The device includes 3.8 million pixels, full lamination, P3 wide color support with a resolution of 2360×1640 at 246 pixels per inch, True Tone and an anti-reflective coating. Given the fact that many users now have a mask on their face much of the time, making Face ID complicated, the new iPad Air includes the throwback Touch ID sensor. The sensor is integrated into the top button and allows you to unlock iPad Air, log in to apps or use Apple Pay. iPad Air shares the same magic keyboard as the iPad Pro, as the difference between them is very small—11 inches for the iPad Pro. Apple’s most advanced chip iPad Air includes Apple’s most advanced chip, A14 Bionic packed with 11.8 billion transistors for a better performance and power efficiency. The A15 Bionic handles even the most demanding apps such as editing 4K videos, play immersive games, create works of art and so on. Using five-nanometer process technology, the latest A-series chip includes a six-core design for 40 percent boost in CPU performance and a new four-core graphics architecture for a 30 percent improvement in graphics. Environmentally Friendly Part of Apple’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2030, the new iPad Air uses a 100 percent recycled aluminum enclosure and 100 percent recycled tin for the solder on its main logic board. Additionally, the new speakers in the device use magnets with 100 percent recycled rare earth elements so the device remains free of harmful substances, is highly energy efficient and uses wood fiber packaging that is recycled. New bits and pieces The Air moves to USB-C like the iPad...

Wireless technology is an intrinsic part of everyday life. Whether it’s for mobile work, communication, entertainment or staying informed, the ability to have wireless connectivity anywhere we go is critical. The landscape of wireless is changing. It is faster and more widely available now than it ever has been in the past. Let’s explore how the new normal in wireless is shaping the commercial real estate industry for landlords and tenants. One of the ways in which connectivity has affected consumers is the time they spend in an establishment. A shopping mall for example, will see their crowds linger if they have better service inside the building or stores. Sporting venues throughout the world are spending millions of dollars on infrastructure enhancements to be able to give fans the ability to keep up with other games in real-time, a reason many fans cite as a motive to stay home and watch multiple games simultaneously. Brian Schwartz, vice president of IT at Macerich, said on a recent Realcomm webinar that there are several ways to enhance connectivity. Improving Wi-Fi, distributed antenna systems (DAS), CBRS and newer tech like LPWAN and expanding use of sensors, will all play a role for the connected customer. LPWAN is key for transmitting significant amounts of data over long distances and was created for machine learning and IoT interconnectivity. They are able to support a large number of devices at ultra-low power. It has become an expectation that venues provide Wi-Fi connectivity. It should be readily accessible and free to use, which means it doesn’t generate revenue, but it could be a source of gathering analytics. Property managers should require users or guests to sign in using an email or phone number, opt into a newsletter or some sort of...

Back in 2015, General Motors, Google’s Waymo, Toyota and Honda made announcements that by 2020 they will have driverless cars. Elon Musk was even more optimistic and said that Tesla would do it by 2018, but when that failed, he moved up the release date to 2020. We are in 2020 and as we all see, there are no sign of driverless cars on the streets. Musk recently commented that by the end of this year, Tesla will have fully autonomous cars. While Tesla may have the technology to enable a car to finish a journey without any human input—what the industry calls level 5 autonomy—the actual development of the vehicle not only has to be safe, but also meet complex legal requirements. How do they work? In theory, self-driving cars need to be outfitted with cameras that can see all the objects around it and be able to react rather than steering into one. These cameras help the car to view objects, while there are also sensors that help them detect objects like pedestrians, other vehicles and road signs. Lidar uses lasers to measure the distance between objects and the vehicle, while tracking speed and direction. The sensors send data back to the car’s control system or computer to help it make decisions about where to steer or when to brake. There are also cases when bad weather, heavy traffic or roads signs with graffiti can negatively impact the accuracy of sensing capability to self-driving cars. We will have to wait and see if an autonomous car can drive as well as a human. Autonomous cars cannot make eye contact with others to confirm who has the right of way, react to weather conditions or make judgment decisions that are much more difficult...

Many jurisdictions are now allowing for reopening, requiring managers and landlords to balance the value of workers returning to the office with the need to keep them safe. There are tech advancements that will facilitate offices reopening, such as touchless door access, Bluetooth tracking, parking vacancy sensors, temperature readings and countless others. But the reality of this situation is that these enhancements were not created for a post-COVID world. We had the ability to leverage these tech drivers before, as Brandon Van Orden, senior vice president and CIO at Cousins Properties, explained. However, it has become a necessity for companies to use them more frequently now, some experts suggest. What about those who make a personal decision to stay remote? Some workers may have comorbidities making them especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Some may be unable to arrange childcare while schools remain virtual. Regardless of the reason, many workers may not be ready mentally or physically to re-enter the workplace, and businesses must weigh the human elements of this just as much as the tech components of reopening. In-office Value There is one big question that nobody can yet answer: how long will capacity restrictions be in place? Because this is an indefinite timeline, it is much harder to determine in-office schedules. Some offices are moving to a hybrid work environment, which many experts believe is the future of work. It could mean that workers alternate days or weeks in office or it could mean that each day has multiple shifts, but the benefits of being in a work setting are numerous. The initial wave of work from home success was tangible. Employers were generally pleased at the rapid adaptation to a WFH model and employees showed they can produce at a high rate when...

Smart glass technology allows for the control of light by switching from clear to shaded or completely opaque, depending on how strong the incoming light is and how dark you want to make the room. In other words, it alters the amount of light transmitted through typically transparent materials. The same technology found in smart glasses can be integrated into windows, partitions or other transparent surfaces and can be used in multiple sectors such as architecture, interior design, auto, offices, retail windows and consumer electronics. A smart glass, also called light control glass, switchable glass or privacy glass, can be of two types: active, when changeability requires an electrical charge, and passive, when it doesn’t require that. There are a few types of active switchable glass technologies and common applications: Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal glass (PDLC)—seen in privacy partitions in various industries Suspended Particle Device glass (SPD)—windows that tint to shade Electrochromic Device glass (ECD)—coated windows that slowly tint for shading Passive smart glass technologies include: Photochromic glass—eyeglasses with coatings that automatically tint in sunlight Thermochromic glass—coated windows that change in response to temperature How Does it Work? Smart glass managed through electricity allows users to control various forms of light by switching from opaque to transparent, allowing for dynamic light control. PDLC is most commonly used for indoor applications. The technology can be optimized to maintain its properties outdoors as well. The technology behind this type of active smart glass contains liquid crystals, a material that shares characteristics of both liquid and solid compounds, which are dispersed into a polymer. PDLC switches glass from dimmable degrees of opaque to clear in milliseconds. If you want privacy, projection and whiteboard use, PDLC is ideal when it’s opaque. The film limits visible light, but doesn’t...

The annual release of a new iPhone is a big deal for Apple tech lovers. Although the company doesn’t really release advance leaks about their new editions, there are always rumors of anticipated new features. Apple should launch its new set of phones in the month of September as usual, but the coronavirus outbreak could delay its release date. The new devices will be likely called iPhone 12, iPhone Max, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max as since the iPhone 3G up to the iPhone 8 release, the company used sequential numbers for their names. There are also a lot of discussions about whether a 5G phone will be released, but many believe that all new devices will have this connectivity. The four models that are expected to launch this fall are: 4-inch iPhone 12 1-inch iPhone 12 Max 1-inch iPhone 12 Pro 7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 12 Design and Displays The Apple iPhone 12 is supposed to be taking us back in time, before the release of iPhone 6, and have squarer edges compared to the past phones which had more rounded edges. Oher sources have shown that the devices will be slightly larger, due to its larger displays, but thinner overall than last year’s models—7.4mm for the 6.7-inch device, compared to the 8.1mm iPhone 11 Pro Max. Many iPhone 11 users are hoping for a free-notch phone, or a reduced notch, but without it how would a face recognition be possible? In terms of displays, all devices should have OLED displays, compared to the current version of iPhone 11 which has LCD display, with only the Pro models having OLED. Regarding the hardware of the new device, a A14 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128 GB or 256GB of storage...

What do we know about 5G connectivity at this stage in its development? First, we know it’s nowhere near the capacity it will have in the coming years. Second, we know that it will provide an incredible speed increase over 4G (potentially 100x faster downloads). Third, we can safely presume it will have a significant impact on commercial real estate. In a recent session at the 2020 Virtual BOMA Conference, Yardi solutions consultant David Franklin explained how 5G is already beginning to transform the industry and reshape communication standards. A world of new possibilities “The change to 5G will be as significant as the change from analog to digital,” Franklin said. While timing is still unpredictable, 5G will become ubiquitous. Existing cell towers may not have to be replaced and, while there will be millions of new towers that pop up, 5G connectivity will be available everywhere. This is due to the fact connection points will become easily installed anywhere from light poles to bus stops. The world of 5G connectivity will enable new apps and facilitate robotics and other AI and IoT enhancements. While 4G brought the capacity to video conference and download and upload at new speeds, 5G is going to top that by “connecting massive amounts of devices with very low latency,” Franklin explained. The progress made by 5G will empower a huge number of low-cost devices with low energy consumption related to IoT. The Internet of Things is already comprised of an extensive list of interconnected devices, but with 5G becoming more prevalent, this will enable more data collection, deeper data analysis, faster communication and, of course, new devices and tasks. Real estate operation already relies on IoT-related components such as thermostats, security cameras, lighting controls and energy conservation systems....

So, you’ve decided to invest in more robust property management software to navigate the challenges of remote work and social distancing. One look around the proptech marketplace reveals that there are dozens of options available, many of which seem to offer similar services. With so many options on the market, what should you look for? Discover five key features to look for when choosing property management software. Truly seamless integration There are plenty of property management systems that are compatible with ancillary services by a different brand. There are, however, a few problems with integration between different brands and different platforms: Primarily, there is no guarantee of long-term integration. When you’re dealing with two separate companies, there are opportunities for acquisitions and other changes that may affect long-term compatibility and availability of either product. Secondly, there are two software systems that need regular updates. That means more maintenance and headaches for your staff. When those systems are updated, you can only hope that they will update in unison. If not, you may experience delays, lose functionality or accuracy. That’s wasted time for your staff and potentially costly errors for you. Seamless integration occurs when both the property management software and ancillary products function on a single platform by a single company. With seamless integration, you can ensure optimal efficiency in the long-term with less work for your staff to keep products in sync. Mobile ready and browser agnostic A web-based property management solution is essential as organizations honor social distancing protocols. Web-based and mobile-ready software allows you and your team to work without being tethered to the leasing office. When working from home, out in the field or travelling, you can securely access the information you need. Your office staff will be empowered to...

For the loved ones of residents in senior living, concerns about the coronavirus have not yet abated, even as states reopen and life gradually returns to “normal.” Residents in communities are at a higher risk for COVID, and restrictions on visits remain in place to protect them. So it’s not hard to see why family members would want transparency from senior living providers. Has anyone there caught it? What protocols are in place to help? How is everyone holding up? Since the start of the outbreak, dozens of states have instituted reporting guidelines that require assisted living and skilled nursing facilities to report their COVID numbers to public health authorities. But some states have gone even further by asking providers to share those same numbers with the family members directly on a daily basis. Of course, many providers have already taken great steps to expand their communications. They’ve added FAQs to their website, posted notices to their online resident portal, and have sent plenty of emails to loved ones, residents, staff and vendors. At Yardi, we’ve had clients reach out for help setting up email campaigns like these, so we’ve put together a quick tutorial video that covers how you can create emails that can be sent in bulk to a customized list of contacts. Senior living email correspondence in Yardi Both Yardi Voyager Senior Housing and RENTCafé Senior CRM offer email correspondence. Whichever you choose to use, you can leverage templates to pull in information like the recipient’s first name, today’s date and facility name from your database. That way, you can easily customize your emails in bulk. The video will walk you through how you can choose your information categories, format your text and then filter your contact list. It also explains...

This is an exciting time for the team behind Yardi’s learning management software platform. Formerly known as Yardi eLearning, the product is now called Yardi Aspire, a name which showcases the software’s potentially exceptional benefits for users. At the same time, the features of Yardi Aspire have increased in demand as clients find creative uses for the software to solve 2020’s unique challenges At the helm of the Yardi Aspire team is Patty Evans, director of Yardi Aspire content and support and Yardi corporate training, as well as Yves Hajjar, director of Yardi Aspire product development. Read on to learn more about Evans’ outlook on the recent product changes. Q: Tell us about the change to Yardi Aspire? Evans: Yardi Aspire has evolved over the past several years. It was time for the product’s name to truly reflect the scope of the solution, including all the forward-thinking features designed specifically for the property management industry’s leading learning and content management system. Q: Describe the recent developments that led to the rebrand? Evans: The Yardi Aspire catalog inspires a higher level of engagement than simple “training” videos. We feel that videos can be helpful in quickly transferring information to a student who is already familiar with a concept or for basic topics. I think many would agree when I say that video-based training is a learning style that may not work for everyone. Additionally, the Yardi Aspire catalog contains much more than Yardi software product training content. Approximately 25% of the 1,200+ course library is not about Yardi software at all. We offer nearly 400 courses on compliance, human resources, professional development, safety, leadership, leasing, personal development topics and more. Q: What other features may be important for new users? Evans: We’ve spent time carefully...

For senior living communities, rolling out a new system interface is no simple feat, especially for a service as crucial as electronic medication management. And when you consider that pharmacy partners must be involved too, it’s not hard to see why implementations are often tricky. But that doesn’t mean they can’t go smoothly. Our Yardi eMAR team has years of hands-on experience in software implementation and building close relationships with both community and pharmacy staff. Where other software vendors may cut the pharmacy out of the process, we prefer to show caregivers how things work with a representative from the pharmacy right there with us. Implementation collaboration We’ve found that bringing everyone on site for the initial implementation helps the communities and pharmacies understand the workflow better. Since they can walk through the processes together, they get a clearer view of how the other side handles a medication order. Of course, if issues crop up down the road, we’re always happy to help out. “Yardi is always extremely responsive. I get answers very quickly and action very quickly,” said Taylor Smalling, manager of account support and enterprise projects at Guardian Pharmacy Services. “That enhances the quality of the relationship and helps build trust.” Guardian, the nation’s third-largest long-term care pharmacy, is part of the Yardi Pharmacy Network. We’ve integrated their pharmacy software with Yardi eMAR for real-time medication information sharing and automated prescription fulfillment. So when it comes time to implement the interface at a new community, the setup is much simpler. “With Yardi, we are usually in touch with one or two people. We can work with them directly to get all of the interface components set up,” said Taylor. “It’s a really efficient process, and I think it pulls in the right...

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold was first introduced in London last year during the company’s Unpacked event as being one of Samsung’s most innovative designs in years. Since then, the company has released a newer folding phone called Galaxy Z Flip and reviews say that it tops the previews Fold version. The $1,380 device has a plus compared to the Galaxy Fold: it can fit into your pocket when closed, which wasn’t the case with last year’s released. The Z Flip opens vertically and revels a 6.7-inch screen with a layer of ultra-thin glass. Galaxy Z Flip Design This phone design brings us back to the memory lane when the old flip phones where stylish and everybody wanted one, except this is a way more modern and technology-advanced version of the old one. Samsung says the phone can flip open to up to 200,000 times, which makes it a pretty durable device. Another thing that the company has learned from its mistakes made with Galaxy Fold is that for this device they designed a thin layer of fabric that makes sure that dust particles don’t go between the gap that exist between screen and hinge, which was a problem for the original Galaxy Fold. On the phone’s exterior there is a 1.1-inch SUPER AMOLED screen that show you incoming calls, texts and alarms. It also displays the date and time, so you don’t have to flip it every time you need to see what time it is. Additionally, there is a mini-view finder with which you can take selfies the Z Flip is closed. To do that, you just need to press the power button twice to summon up the viewfinder and then hit one of the volume buttons to take the picture. This is a...

Change isn’t easy, especially when it comes to daily drivers like an eMAR. Habits are formed. Workarounds are found. And business as usual continues, even when new solutions offer better ways to get the job done. Take it from Ed Mason, director of technology and general operations for Mercury Pharmacy. “People don’t like change a whole lot. They just want to get through their lives and not have to worry about extra stuff. And that’s the hardest thing you fight. You have to have the mindset that this change is good.” With over a decade of experience in rolling out eMAR interfaces, Ed has seen their progression from products that required special equipment to services that only need a web browser. Ed was also an early adopter of ALMSA, the care technology that Yardi eMAR is built on. “Back then, ALMSA was the first of everything. It was the first real time, the first online, the first automatic update. It was really cool. I was just sticking ALMSA in every community.” Having set up eMAR systems so many times, he now knows the best way to approach change. When an implementation is underway, he tries to make time to get out to the site. He’s involved from the start to act as a resource and help the community get trained. This productive collaboration extends to his partnership with Yardi. At Mercury Pharmacy, which serves over 6,000 active residents in Washington state, Ed works closely with our implementation team to roll out Yardi eMAR. “What I like about the Yardi implementations is that you actually have trainers go on site to do it. With other eMAR vendors, most of it is done over the web,” Ed said. “Yardi spends a little more time training people,...

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many changes in daily life, among them how we make routine purchases and conduct retail transactions. The desire for contactless point of sale is greater than ever. Hence the uptick in popularity for digital wallet transactions. Better known as e-wallets, this type of transaction lets you pay by tapping your phone or by scanning a QR code. The money will then be deducted directly from your bank account or from an e-wallet’s balance. According to Visa, in the U.S. contactless transactions for grocery and pharmacy have grown more than 100 percent year-over-year with 31 million Americans using a Visa contactless card or digital wallet in March 2020. Overall contactless usage in U.S. was up 150 percent since March 2019. Most Popular Mobile Apps The rise of mobile payment begun in 2014 when Apple Pay hit the market, being the only major mobile wallet on the market. Since then, mobile wallets have flooded the market with many companies introducing digital payment including Venmo, Samsung Pay, Chase Pay, Android Pay, Microsoft Wallet, Walmart Pay and Square Wallet among others. Many apps are default choices depending on which phone you have and the features are much the same on each app meaning that you can download the app for free, upload your credit or debit card and tap to pay with your phone at  retailers that accept the service. Regarding to security reasons, companies ensure customers that mobile payments are a more secure method than using a physical card for many reasons. First, merchants won’t see your name, credit card number or the authorization code from the back of the card and second, mobile wallets are protected by a lock screen, requiring a PIN number or fingerprint authentication to use. There are...

Want to learn how to create digital content that engages professional learners? The first step is to understand the preferences and habits of adult learners. The 2019 BrightTALK Benchmarks report analyzes data on webinars, online courses, videos and other digital modalities to explore how professionals engage with content. How do professionals engage with content and when? More than 77% of those surveyed spend 2 or more hours per week on professional growth. Nearly 55% engage with webinars regularly, with 6% watching daily, more than 48% watching weekly, and more than 31% watching webinars monthly. Though 91% of respondents opt for webinars, other educational formats performed well. About 68% got information from short videos, 60% from articles, and 54% online courses. The ability to view content on demand was the highest ranked format feature, followed by the ability to watch a recording later. Professionals preferred to engage with live content hosted at 8am in Europe and North America. Though mornings were also popular in the APAC region, afternoons performed equally as well. Weekday events performed consistently well worldwide. Viewers in North America favored Tuesday and Thursday slightly more than other weekdays. Understanding the most favorable times to host live events helps growing organizations successfully schedule content. Discover how Roscoe Properties uses eLearning to onboard new employees during periods of rapid growth. What do professionals value in content? Professionals access digital content for a variety of reasons, but four categories attracted the broadest range of participants.  About 80% of respondents accessed online content to acquire a new body of knowledge or skills followed by 78% who desired to improve their quality of the work. Tips, tricks, and best practices caught the interest of 70% of respondents and industry trends and predictions interested 62% of them. When...

Before smart buildings and smart cities can become a reality, the real estate sector must focus on smart processes – and that means automating property management services still tracked on paper. Technology has the potential to enhance transparency and trust between property owners, tenants and vendors, but many property companies are “still figuring out how to take a simple service request on a clipboard and track its progress,” says Bernie Devine, regional director of Asia Pacific for Yardi. Devine has worked at the intersection of property and technology for three decades, and for the last six years with Yardi. “When I first started in real estate, most people operated from spreadsheets or, worse, paper. Today, I’m still talking to clients who manage their workflows on pieces of paper and others who turn to the Yellow Pages for procurement,” he says. This isn’t just inefficient. “Without automated processes we don’t have data. And that’s the bottom line – because without data we can’t make informed decisions.” Yardi’s VendorCafe, for instance, centralises product and service vendor information into a single system of record, reducing paper, speeding up invoicing, automating the onboarding process for vendors and, ultimately, cutting costs. “An automated system means tenants can report a problem in a few clicks, have the request reviewed and resources allocated from a list of pre-qualified vendors,” Devine explains. “Our system addresses the entire lifecycle of procurement, from vendor selection and onboarding through to compliance and tracking warrantees. You don’t need an army of procurement people – you just need a portal that is easy for everyone to use. “The customer knows what’s going on each step of the way, and that gives them comfort, even when there are delays.” Vendors gain real-time visibility of purchase orders and work orders...

You know how the stereotype goes. “Older people don’t use technology.” “Smartphones are too complicated for seniors.” “A flyer or a phone call is the only option.” Reality, as it turns out, begs to differ. According to an AARP survey, over 90 percent of older adults use technology to stay connected. And among those surveyed, text messaging has overtaken email as the method of choice for communication — 86% say they regularly text with friends and family. Clearly, today’s seniors are on board the technology bandwagon. The question now is, are your senior living sales counselors on board as well? SMS text messaging for senior living marketing is not new, but it’s quickly growing in prominence as more and more providers recognize its effectiveness. Text messages have open rates as high as 98%, while emails hover around 20%. If you’re not texting your prospective residents, you’re missing real opportunities to connect. But before you dive in and start sending texts left and right, take note. There are laws in place that regulate what’s allowed, and some property management businesses have already landed themselves in hot water. What’s the law on SMS text messaging for marketing? The Telephone Consumer Protection Act protects people from unwanted communications from any business. That means service providers must receive prior express written consent before cold calling or texting. And they can’t make agreeing to receive these marketing messages a condition for moving in or otherwise purchasing services. So how do you stay on the right side of the law? How do you ensure you’ve gotten permission from your senior living prospects to send them marketing texts? SMS text messaging in Yardi Senior CRM Yardi Senior CRM helps senior living providers manage their entire sales and marketing process — including...