New Smartphone from LG, Cloud Management Services from Staples Make Small Biz Headlines

If you want to run a mobile business, you need mobile specific tools like a smartphone and a cloud management platform. This week, small businesses got a few new options. First, Verizon called a new LG smartphone perfect for content creators. And Staples launched a new cloud management and records storage solution.

You can read about these new services along with more small business headlines in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.

Technology Trends

Verizon Calls New LG Phone Perfect for Content Creators, But Why?

The V20 from LG (KRX:066570) was announced in August, and it is now available online from Verizon (NYSE:VZ) targeting content creators. Today’s smartphones are more than just phones, and manufacturers are addressing different segments with a range of models.

Staples Adds Record Storage and Cloud Management for Business

Small businesses looking for record storage or cloud management services just got another option from a familiar source. Staples (NASDAQ:SPLS) is partnering with GRM, a leading provider of information management solutions, to offer these services under the Staples brand. Staples Records and Cloud Management offers a range of specific services that businesses of all sizes can choose from.

Windows 10 Adds New Dimensions with 3D Paint and PowerPoint

If the upgrade of Paint to 3D by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) works, this might be what catapults the technology for mass adoption. For over 30 years the Paint app has remained popular because it is easy to use, and thankfully Microsoft hasn’t forgotten that. According to the company, it will be just as easy to capture, create and share in 3D with the revamped app.

Office 365 Users, GoDaddy Will Encrypt and Archive Your Email

If you use Office 365 on GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY), a new service will protect your email with an encryption and archiving service. The increase in security by GoDaddy and others in the tech industry highlights the threat landscape in the digital environment, which is very high.

3 MacBook Pros Focus On Productivity — But Are They For Business?

The revamped MacBook Pro line of laptops has arrived with 13 and 15-inch models almost four years after the last noteworthy upgrade. And this time around there are more changes, both inside and outside. A Look at the New 2016 MacBook Pros Externally, they are smaller with the 13-inch coming in at 14.9 mm thick and 3 lbs, while the 15-inch is slightly bigger at 4 lbs and 15.4 mm.

Microsoft Touts Surface Book i7 as Ultimate Laptop — with Ultimate Price Tag

Coined the ultimate laptop by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), the new Surface Book i7 packs a punch, in terms of performance and the bruising your wallet will take. The announcement of the new i7 comes just as Microsoft released Surface Studio, another bruiser that is squarely aimed at taking on Apple’s stronghold among creative users.

Economy

UPS Sees Profits Jump 14 Percent with Ecommerce Driving Growth in Shipments

Riding high on booming ecommerce in the U.S., UPS (NYSE:UPS) has posted a profitable third quarter. UPS 3rd Quarter 2016 Results Domestic Shipments Drive Growth In the third quarter, international operating profit went up 14 percent to $576 million, achieving the seventh consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. What’s more, average daily package volume grew 5.7 percent in the U.S.

Amazon Sees Third Quarter Sales Increases of 29 Percent – in Part Due to New Biz Opportunities

Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) third quarter results are out. This quarter, the company posted $32.7 billion in revenue in the third quarter, up 29 percent. Q3 2016 Amazon Results Key Highlights Among highlights shared by the online retail giant, some are especially significant for small businesses.

Why Small Business Share of U.S. Inventions is Declining

Small businesses are accounting for a smaller fraction of new technology creation than they used to, at least according data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). That trend has many policy makers and pundits concerned that our innovation system is handicapping small business. While that explanation is possible, I think a more basic story accounts for the trend.

Hispanic-Owned Businesses See Revenue Spike, Says Biz2Credit Report

Hispanic-owned businesses are on a roll, reveals a new study. According to the Biz2Credit Hispanic Small Business Credit Study, Hispanic-owned companies had average annual revenues of $202,327 in 2016, up from $68,540 the previous year. The number of loan applications by Latino entrepreneurs made through Biz2Credit.com grew by 68.7 percent in the past 12 months.

Employment

Obamacare Enrollment Opens Today With Impacts for Self-Employed Solopreneurs

Open enrollment for individuals and families wanting to apply for health insurance through Obamacare starts today. Depending on where you live, you can either go to Healthcare.gov or your state’s healthcare exchange website. Self-employed businesses and solopreneurs with no employees  should also use this option.

#SalaryWins Twitter Chat Explores How to Get the Best Employees on a Budget

If you want your business to be successful, you need to hire the best team possible. But the reality for small businesses is that it’s not always possible to spend as much on hiring as large companies. That doesn’t mean that you have to settle when it comes to your team though.

Retail Trends

Are Starbucks Cups Brainwashing Customers? Some Think So (Watch)

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) is in hot water (er – coffee?) again over a special cup design. The design features a variety of different people sketched all over the cup. The cup is green with a white circle in the middle where the Starbucks logo would normally go. The company has said that the design is supposed to represent unity.

10 Awesome Tips for Using Gift Cards to Boost Your Holiday Sales

Whether you own a retail store, beauty salon, restaurant, housecleaning service or other local business, gift cards can be a great way to spark new holiday sales. Gift cards aren’t just for big, national chains anymore; in fact, a new study reports, half of U.S. consumers are very open to buying gift cards from small, independent retailers.

Hair Care Company Faces Lawsuit, Investigation – and Possibly Worse (Watch)

Hundreds of people who purchased hair care products from Wen by Chaz Dean got a little more (or less) than they bargained for. According to a class action lawsuit against the company and direct marketing company Guthy-Renker, 200 women from 40 different states have reported hair loss, scalp irritation and rashes after using the products.

How the Election is Impacting Halloween Spending (Watch)

People are spending more money on Halloween this year than they ever have before. And you might have Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to thank for that. Before this year, 2012 held the record for highest amount spent on Halloween. And there was even an uptick in 2008 even though the country was in the middle of a recession.

Small Biz Spotlight

Spotlight: Aulta Specializes in Watches for Surfers

If you have an active lifestyle, traditional fashion brands might not provide enough durability when it comes to clothing and accessories. But Aulta is different. The company, which was founded by three friends who love to surf, makes watches for surfers and others who have active lifestyles. Read more about the company in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.

Small Business Operations

10 Lessons Your Small Business Should Learn from the Podesta Email Hack

The email hacks — not the other email problem — impacting this year’s Presidential election should be a stern warning to any small business owner. Cyber attacks are on the rise and you don’t have to be the campaign chair of a Presidential candidate to be a target. In fact, if you’re a small business owner, you’re more likely to be targeted.

Airstory Gets Your Team Collaborating on Content — From Anywhere

There are many small businesses that specialize in creating content for websites, and when Airstory becomes available by the end of the month, it could make it much easier to do so. Airstory is a collaborative cloud-based content creation platform for planning, writing, editing and kicking ideas around with your team. It works no matter where they are or what device you are using.

Feds Short-changed Small Businesses Out of $200 Billion in Contracts in 2015 Alone, Says Advocacy Group

The United States government agency responsible for supporting entrepreneurs has been accused of short-changing small business owners out of $2 trillion in federal contracts over the last ten years.

QuickBooks Users Can Now Accept Payments Through PayPal

Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ: INTU), QuickBooks’ parent company, has announced that QuickBooks users will soon be able to send an electronic invoice from Intuit QuickBooks Online and seamlessly accept payment from their customers through PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL). Yep, now small businesses can accept PayPal payments through QuickBooks.

Taxes

5 Changes to Information Returns — Coming in January

The year 2017 may seem like a long time from now, but it will be here before you know it. There are some important changes impacting businesses required to file certain information returns. The sooner you gear up for this tax responsibility, the easier your filing responsibilities will be.

Image: LG

This article, "New Smartphone from LG, Cloud Management Services from Staples Make Small Biz Headlines" was first published on Small Business Trends