News

3 Ways to Keep Up to Date with Technology

John Smith
04.10.18

Keeping up with the latest news in the tech sector can be difficult at times. However, the experience can be very rewarding and valuable not just in terms of career development, but personal development as well. Here are some of our favourite resources for keeping up with the latest tech developments.

Finance and Technology: Crunchbase News

CrunchBase Logo.

Ndchristie [CC BY-SA 3.0]

Crunchbase News is an online database platform that provides investors with both free and paid information on private and public companies in the technology sector. Crunchbase News has a dedicated staff of reporters, editors and columnists who focus on bringing the latest developments in the technology venture capital world.

Crunchbase News is a must-have resource for those who are interested in finance and investing in technology startups as well as publicly traded stocks. The publication covers the latest in startup financing, upcoming IPOs, industry statistics and company introductions. Much of the content is targeted at investors so, for those who are not very familiar with finance terminology, Investopedia is a great resource for searching up definitions and explanations. Despite the focus on investors, other audiences can still benefit by learning about new companies, trends, products and services that will soon hit the market.

An interesting piece featured by Mary Ann Azevedo titled “Esports Continues to go Mainstream As Funding Surges In 2018” highlights the investing trends and statistics within the Esports industry over the years. The article includes data on the industry’s historical market size as well as future growth projections. Furthermore, the piece introduces Team Solo Mid (TSM), which is one of the biggest and most well-known organisations within Esports. Azevedo also highlights some of the many investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners and NBA player, Stephen Curry that participated in a Series A financing round in TSM.

Crunchbase News is also a great way to keep up-to-date with upcoming tech startups that are planning to go public. Notable IPOs include Gitlab, X Financial and Eventbrite. Whether you are looking to invest in the technology sector or simply keep up with the latest and greatest in the tech startup world, Crunchbase News is a must read.

Consumer Electronics and Gadgets: CNET

Logo of Cnet company.

CBS Interactive – CNET [Public domain]

If you’re a technophile and just need to have the latest and greatest technology at your fingertips, CNET is the resource for you. CNET is a one-stop shop for everything related to consumer electronics – phones, gaming consoles, laptops, PCs – you name it, they cover it. CNET reports on all the new releases and announcements on upcoming technology while providing specs, pricing details and release dates.

In addition to their news page, CNET also offers readers product reviews, tutorials, and top-10 style lists introducing the best in each category of consumer electronics. With 2018 being the year of smart home devices, CNET has put together a best of the year list, which includes products such as the Amazon Echo, August Smart Lock and Nest Hello. Any product featured on the site that is already on the market is likely to have links to full reviews by CNET editors and a link to purchase the device complete with price comparisons and other useful shopping tools.

Social Impact of Emerging Technologies: Wired

Logo of Wired Magazine.

Wired (magazine) [Public domain]

Wired is a subscription-based publication covering the social, cultural and lifestyle implications of emerging technology. In addition to covering the latest news in emerging technology, Wired tends to include a social commentary aspect to their pieces, whether it is warning about the potential consequences of artificial intelligence or concerns about data privacy.

The opinion piece “Why Big Tech and the Government Need to Work Together,” by Ash Carter, is a great example of the style of content that is commonly found on Wired. The op-ed stresses the importance of collaboration between leaders in the tech industry and policymakers in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the public. Carter draws a comparison between the transition into the internet age and the farm-to-factory migration. He reminds readers that many of the industrial safety and quality standards only came about through progressive policy reforms such as child labour laws, worker safety and education standards. At the rate at which technological developments are being made today, a similar regulatory action is needed from policymakers. A prime example would be the on-going debate on how to set ethical norms and regulations for artificial intelligence or whether it is even possible to do so.

In short, Wired is a great resource for readers who have a more general interest in technology related topics and who want to see how certain developments relate to other subjects such as politics and culture.

At FDM, we believe that personal development and learning does not stop after graduation, but is a continuous process that spans the entirety of an individual’s professional career and personal life. As such, we hope that the resources introduced here will help you expand your knowledge and help you keep up with the fast-paced nature of the tech world. To become part of our growing global team, apply online today.

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Featured image credit: Photo by ar130405 on Pixabay