In the show today, we will talk about Google’s new video calling app, and if you are to rank tech companies, which is the most reputable company today and we will close with the news that Nokia is trying to get back into the mobile business.

 

Google Duo

Google has launched its new video calling app, called Google Duo, another video calling app from Google.

Duo is available on Android and iOS smartphones only at this time and works on Wi-Fi and cellular data as well.

Duo also offers end-to-end encryption and as you know this is an important feature that we need to keep our conversations private. It also has a unique feature called Knock Knock, this lets you see real-time, live video preview of the caller before you pick up the call. So rather than seeing a name or email as the other apps have, you now see the live video preview before you answer.

According to a Pew Research, 47 per cent of those in the U.S. ages 18 and up said they’ve participated in phone-based video calls or chats in 2015, compared to 33 per cent in 2013, so there is an increase in video calls.

Audio only calls are not available on Google Duo as of now but Google’s Product Lead for Communication has confirmed that audio-only calls will be available “soon” but we don’t know how soon is this soon.

What will really push Google to add this feature is that audio-only option is already supported by FaceTime and Facebook Messenger. Audio-only calls are especially useful when your Wi-Fi is weak, or if you don’t want to consume too much data. Or when it’s just simply not appropriate to video chat.

If you haven’t tried it out yet, go give it a shot, it is available for the iPhone and Android smartphones.

Most reputable tech companies

If you are to rank the 10 most reputable tech companies, who will be in your list? According to a piece that appeared on Forbes.com, the Reputation Institute (RI), a global reputation management consulting firm in the US released their list of the most reputable American companies in 2016:

Here is the list:

10. IBM
9. Microsoft
8. Alphabet – Google’s parent company
7. HP Inc.
6. Oracle
5. Toshiba
4. VM Ware
3. Intel
2. Samsung
1. Amazon

You may be wondering how does the Reputation Institute arrive at such as list? What they did was a survey and about 83,000 respondents which is a representation of the US population was asked to rate companies they felt “somewhat” or “very” familiar with.

They were rated based on seven key areas: products and services, innovation, workplace, governance (or external communication with stakeholders), citizenship (or corporate social responsibility), leadership and performance.

Amazon was able to earn the no 1 spot because of its dominance in e-retail and its loyal customer base.

In the case of Samsung its Galaxy products have won over countless consumers, and the company continues to innovate and focus on cutting-edge technology. They did well in products and services, innovation and financial performance. But more importantly, Samsung’s leaders have started to bring corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the front as well.

So why is reputation important at all? It looks like it is not affecting the performance of Apple, Facebook and other big names in tech that didn’t make it into the top 10. Maybe not in the short run, but according to the Reputation Institute, reputation drives long-term results. Reputation will ultimately influence where consumers choose to buy products, where investors decide to put their money, and where talented employees want to work.

To win in the end, tech leaders would have to think about excelling in the seven areas that affects reputation.

Nokia: New Devices

The mobile company that will use the Nokia brand name on upcoming hardware, plans to release 4 new devices by the end of 2016. If you are a long time Nokia fan, keep an eye out for these Nokia devices which will be a mixture of phones and tablets.

You may very well remember before the emergence of the smart phone, Nokia was the leading brand in the mobile phone market. But now to make a comeback the company now faces tough competition.

While Nokia has not yet revealed the launch date of its new mobile phones, the company announced that it is working on new smartphones and tablets based on Android, as well as feature phones, in its return to the mobile phone market.

According to a survey they conducted, Nokia smartphones are amongst the top five brands considered for purchase by smartphone buyers – even before they are available. So the company is banking heavily on this. That its brand will sell.