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<ul><li><strong>Given the current market scenario, it is essential that event companies approach the project as a focal point instead of the brand. </strong></li><li><b><keyword id="9867678" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Janak-Vora">Janak Vora</keyword>, CEO, <keyword id="4506560" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="event-capital">Event Capital</keyword> suggest a few ways in which launching a virtual event by utilizing innovative technology can lead to recreating effective consumer experience, all through the comfort of their homes. </b></li></ul>The <keyword id="9291054" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="event-industry">event industry</keyword> in recent months has undergone a virtual revolution. With the companies looking for increasingly innovative and engaging ways to bring their events to life, it is now the perfect time to explore technological tools/ XR (extended reality) solutions such as - AR (<keyword id="6369782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="augmented-reality">augmented reality</keyword>) and VR (<keyword id="6369781" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="virtual-reality">virtual reality</keyword>) and create the new generation of <keyword id="9084093" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="virtual-events">virtual events</keyword>.<br /><br />The technologies powering virtual and augmented reality experiences is now more accessible than ever, and are becoming an essential proponent when devising a virtual event. According to Statisca, consumer spending on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technology is expected to reach around 7 billion U.S. dollars. Total AR/VR spending worldwide is projected to amount to 18.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. According to another projection, the overall XR market globally is expected to touch USD 220 Billion by end of 2022. <br /><br />Given the current market scenario, it is essential that event companies approach the project as a focal point instead of the brand. There are various ways in which launching a virtual event by utilizing innovative technology can lead to recreating effective consumer experience, all through the comfort of their homes. <br /><br /><ol><li><strong>3D Merchandise/ Digital Avatars<br /></strong></li></ol>Event organizers can create 3D merchandise or digital avatars that can be used as mascots. These can be available for the consumers to purchase from online stores and act as a great way to build interactivity and can be personalized according to one’s preference. <br /><br /><strong>2. 3</strong><strong>D Landscape</strong><br /><br />Event organizers can create a sense of space through- exhibition/stalls/stages. It helps viewers connect with the theme of the event and gives a make-believe feel to them actually attending the event, even as they are restricted at home. <br /><br /><strong>3. 3D Assistance for Guidance<br /></strong><br />A virtual assistant guiding through the landscape or the event can take the viewers for a tour. This can also be a sales assistant or of any other form, depending upon the nature of the event. <br /><br />We recently witnessed these 3D formats being put to use by Event Capital through its IP- ‘The Edutainment Show’. We, at Event Capital, are now taking one step forward and building a Virtual Funtown for our IP WindMill Festival. Utilization of these elements has its own set of advantages that the event organizers can benefit from<br /><br /><strong>4. Creating interactive real-world experiences<br /></strong><br />Event organizers need to find value in the property that they earlier created on-ground and re-create similar spaces (i.e. exhibition stands or experience zones) in the virtual world. Creating hyper-realistic experiences increases realism and also enables the audience to explore and interact with them is the perfect way to make a virtual event a successful one. Consumers have the liberty to explore the virtual space even as their physical mobility is restricted due to distance or any other reasons. This is what our valued community will witness with the upcoming WindMill Festival – Virtual Funtown.<br /><br /><strong>5. </strong><strong>Make virtual spaces more interactive and immersive<br /></strong><br />Unique AR tools have the power to provide an engaging ‘try-before-you-buy’ experience to consumers, hence becoming a key element in their purchasing journey. Although the experiences offered through the events is virtual, consumers are interacting within their own real-world and can avail some of these services offline too. Such events present a chance to event organisers to showcase their ideas in a more artistic and rewarding way. An example – Ikea offers its customers the chance to place furniture into their homes with the simple use of a smartphone.<br /><br /><strong>6. U</strong><strong>sing 3D element as a visualization and executional tool </strong><br />In order to present a graphic representation of a product or a dynamic understanding of an event, organizers can make use of the 3D tool. This would help present a better idea to brands or consumers that they are catering to.<br /><br />We have noticed some unique innovation done by IIFA Stomp, Sunburn Festival, the upcoming Unrated Music and Arts Festival and as the days go by, we are seeing major improvement in the quality of the XR experience being delivered by Event IP owners. <br /><br />However, a word of caution here before we all start anticipating and celebrating the addition of XR experiences into our virtual / on-ground events. The entire ecosystem both on demand side and supply side - products, devices, software, hardware, content etc. has to evolve into a user friendly and affordable solution…at a mass scale. Until that happens, we will have to settle for virtual 3D experiences and soon those will have no differentiators. <br /><br />But yes, I must confess that the events industry in India is working aggressively towards unique virtual innovations and going by the track record, we have hope and positivity. <br />

How can event companies utilize unique 3D elements while creating virtual events

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>UrbanAero</span></p><p class="caption">UrbanAero AirMule drone</p></div><p></p></div></div>Israel is by far the largest exporter of military drones in the world.</p><p>Take the AirMule from <a href="http://www.urbanaero.com/">UrbanAero</a>. It could have flown right off the pages of a Batman comic book.</p><p>Designed to take off and land vertically with up to 1,400 pounds of cargo and zip through the air at over 100mph, this drone is set to transport injured soldiers from urban war zones where standard helicopters simply cannot fly.</p><p>When it comes to military drones like the AirMule, Israel is by far the largest exporter in the world, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/mar/16/numbers-behind-worldwide-trade-in-drones-uk-israel">shipping over 61% of worldwide volumes</a>, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).</p><p>But Israeli startups account for less than 1% of the $1.1 billion invested in commercial drone startups worldwide. Still, angel backed Israeli startups like <a href="http://www.flytrex.com/">Flytrex,</a> <a href="http://dronomy.com/">Dronomy</a> and <a href="http://www.percepto.co/">Percepto</a> are punching above their weight to tackle distinct segments of the drone market. <em>(Disclosure: I am not an investor in any of the companies mentioned in this article, nor is my company, Genesis Partners.)</em></p><h2>Drones that deliver</h2><p>Flytrex for instance, is a delivery drone startup getting ready to take on UPS, Fedex and DHL. The company is led by Yariv Bash, best known as the co-founder of SpaceIL - Israel's entry for the Google XPrize to put a spacecraft on the moon.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flytrex</span></p><p class="caption">Flytrex drone</p></div><p></p></div></div>Backed by Joey Low, the angel behind WeWork and Taboola, Flytrex has already sold $700,000 worth of connected devices for drones to track flight paths, weather conditions and statistics like speed and distance over the cloud.</p><p><span>Flytrex will </span>use the data it collects from these connected devices to build routes for autonomous drone deliveries, Bash says. Think of this like Waze maps for drones.</p><p>Flytrex is preparing to deliver everything from consumer goods to vaccines at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional ground delivery, and is currently in talks with design partners in emerging markets.</p><h2>Drones that can 'see'</h2><p>For drones to make the leap from gimmicks to mainstream services, experts agree the key is autonomy - or the ability for drones to fly beyond our direct line of sight and perform tasks automatically.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Dronomy</span></p><p class="caption">Dronomy drone</p></div><p></p></div></div>Just as Google is investing heavily in autonomous capabilities for self driving cars, Dronomy is bringing similar obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities to drones.</p><p><span>Dronomy, b</span>acked by executives from Skype, offers an operating system that functions as a drone's eyes and ears. It uses sensors to help drones avoid dangerous collisions with everything from birds to projectiles.</p><p>Founders Ori Afek and Guy Raz previously developed missile detection systems and advanced vision sensors for the Israel Defense Forces so they are well accustomed to any conditions a drone may encounter midair.</p><p>Another startup, Percepto, is using similar computer vision and sensor fusion technology to offer drones for the alternative energy sector.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Percepto</span></p><p class="caption">The Percepto drone module</p></div><p></p></div></div>Backed by former Citibank and TimeWarner chairman Richard Parsons as well as billionaires Mark Cuban and Xu Xiapong, Percepto operates fleets of drones to autonomously fly and inspect huge windmills located literally in the middle of nowhere.</p><p>Other Israeli startups like AiRobotics and Parazero are still flying under the radar and pioneering methods to extend the distance of drone flights and land safely under any circumstances.</p><p>These companies claim demand is already outpacing supply for their enabling technologies that could play a key role in mainstream adoption and compliance with new regulations.</p><p>All of these startups are converting military expertise into commercial applications. While Israel's distance from the global giants has given them room to be wildly creative and kept valuations sensible for investors. Launching at the dawn of the drone age, we can expect this crop of Israeli startups and others to soon fly in a sky near you.</p><p><em>Barak Rabinowitz is a Venture Partner at Genesis Partners, a $600 million early stage Israeli venture capital fund.</em></p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo" style="border:1px solid silver; min-height:114px; padding:4px;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/research-store?IR=T&amp;utm_source=House&amp;utm_term=CtgrPr-Drones&amp;utm_campaign=CtgrPr#!/THE-DRONES-REPORT/p/47962272/category=11987294"></a><strong> Get THE DRONES REPORT now!</strong> Commercial drones are already a reality. <strong>BI Intelligence</strong> takes an in-depth look at the most important aspects, including market forecasts for commercial applications, regulatory process, and the leading players.  <strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/research-store?IR=T&amp;utm_source=House&amp;utm_term=CtgrPr-Drones&amp;utm_campaign=CtgrPr#!/THE-DRONES-REPORT/p/47962272/category=11987294">Get the Report Here »</a></strong></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/smartphone-exposure-affecting-brain-2016-3">What happens to your brain when you check your phone all the time</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xzZW5meDpYCpFU1t_RwFhx4rGx-ruOP8" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Israeli drones are about to take over the world's skies

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Even though it's only 90 miles from New York City, the Hamptons is another world filled with sandy beaches, quaint main streets, celebrities, and restaurants. </span></p>
<p>The Hamptons can make for a relaxing getaway, or a party-filled weekend. But no matter what you're going for. one challenge remains: it can be extremely stressful to find a place to stay.</p>
<p>Since it's officially Hamptons renting season, we broke down the 10 most popular hamlets by reputation, with suggestions for hotels, restaurants, and average rental prices from Memorial Day through Labor Day.</p>
<p>Keep reading to see our ultimate Hamptons rental guide for 2015.</p>
<h3>East Hampton</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>When it comes to nightlife, East Hampton has you covered with raging dance clubs like <a href="http://emmgrp.com/nightlife/sl-east/">SL East</a> and the <a href="http://www.pinkelephantclub.com/pink/">Pink Elephant</a>.</p>
<p>It also has stellar beaches, tons of shopping, and top-notch restaurants. The ultra rich love East Hampton, especially away from the hustle and bustle of the public beaches, where glamorous homes can be found.</p>
<p>If you're looking for a rental deal, look inland - the closer you are to the beach, the more expensive it'll be. Plus, this is one of the most popular hamlets during the tourist season so it's best to get your rental early.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$36,000 to ~$150,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.bakerhouse1650.com/">Baker House 1650</a>, <a href="http://www.themaidstone.com/">c/o The Maidstone</a>, <a href="http://www.1770house.com/">The 1770 House</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://www.fresnorestaurant.com/">Fresno</a>, <a href="http://www.nickandtonis.com/">Nick &amp; Toni's</a>, <a href="http://www.themaidstone.com/restaurant/">The Living Room</a>, <a href="http://www.easthamptongrill.com/">East Hampton Grill</a>, <a href="http://www.luigisofeasthampton.com/">Luigi's Italian Specialties</a></p>
<h3>Southampton</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Another popular town, Southampton puts all other villages to shame when it comes to three things: shopping, celebrities, and real estate.</p>
<p>This hamlet is packed with stores and is a favorite spot for people who have money and want to be seen. There are a lot of epic, multi-million dollar mansions that line the ocean as well as popular hotspots and restaurants where the blue bloods hang out.</p>
<p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;">Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> ~$40,000 to ~$210,000</span></p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.abutlersmanor.com/">A Butler's Manor</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://saazindian.com/">Saaz Indian Cuisine</a>, <a href="http://www.redbarbrasserie.com/">Red Bar Brasserie</a>, <a href="http://laparmigianali.com/">La Parmigiana Italian Restaurant</a></p>
<h3>Sag Harbor</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Known as a haven for artists, this former whaling village is one of the prettiest towns on the South Fork, with cute storefronts and old-school Hamptons appeal.</p>
<p>It also has fantastic real estate and a funky Main Street with delicious restaurants. Plus, it's not too far from the popular Long Beach.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$27,000 to ~$110,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.theamericanhotel.com/">The American Hotel</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://estias.com/">Estia's Little Kitchen</a>, <a href="http://dockhouseny.com/">The Dock House</a>, <a href="http://www.beaconsagharbor.com/">The Beacon</a></p>
<h3>North Haven</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>If Sag Harbor is where the wealthy artists live, than North Haven is its family-oriented suburb. The mansions here keep getting more and more expensive, but there's not a whole lot to do in this tiny hamlet.</p>
<p>Renters can expect extremely high rental prices across the board, with plenty of deluxe mansions up for grabs. North Haven is located between East and Southampton and has a large amount of waterfront real estate, which also factors into the high price points.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$47,000 to ~$190,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> N/A</p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> N/A </p>
<h3>Westhampton/Westhampton Beach</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Westhampton is the closest town on the list to New York City, meaning you'll have a shorter commute as well as access to clean, beautiful beaches right off the exit.</p>
<p>This is a popular hamlet for people renting and co-renting homes. It has restaurants and stores to keep you busy, but is much more affordable than Southampton.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$40,000 to ~$100,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.beaverdamcreekhouse.com/">Beaver Damn Creek House</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://starrboggsrestaurant.com/info.php">Starr Boggs</a>, <a href="http://boomburgerwhb.com/">Boom Burger</a>, <a href="http://pizzetteriabrunetti.com/">Pizzetteria Brunetti</a>, <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-patio-restaurant-westhampton-beach">The Patio Restaurant</a></p>
<h3>Sagaponack</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>One of the oldest hamlets in the area, this tiny village is renowned for its rural beauty and has some of the most scenic beaches in the area. </p>
<p>The major downside of Sagaponack is that its too small for any theaters or shopping. For those, you would need to <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> to nearby Southampton or East Hampton. But the real estate here is top notch - and über expensive.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$65,000 to ~$290,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> N/A</p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sagg-main-store-sagaponack">Sagg Main Store</a></p>
<h3>Amagansett</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Technically within the town of East Hampton, Amagansett has its own special style with delicious restaurants and really nice, sandy beaches.</p>
<p>Amagansett is a lovely resort town for the more low-key Hamptons visitor. It has great boutiques and a musical venue called Stephen Talkhouse where Jon Bon Jovi has performed unannounced.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$46,000 to ~$170,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.duneresorts.com/hermitage-at-napeague.htm">Hermitage Resort</a>, <a href="http://innatwindmilllane.com/">Inn at Windmill Lane</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://www.marysmarvelous.com/">Mary's Marvelous</a></p>
<h3>Water Mill</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Artists, authors, and actors love Water Mill for its charming residential community. You're not going to find a lot of parties or nightlife in this quiet hamlet, but if relaxation is what you're after, Water Mill delivers.</p>
<p>But don't let the pastoral setting fool you. Lots of celebrities and executives have homes here for the summer to capitalize on the idyllic surroundings.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$45,000 to ~$150,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> N/A</p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://www.robertshamptons.com/">Robert's</a>, <a href="http://www.sabrosamexicangrill.com/">Sabrosa Mexican Grill</a></p>
<h3>Montauk<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/montauk-is-now-the-most-expensive-place-to-stay-in-new-york-state-2014-7"><br /></a></h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>During the day, surfers flock to Montauk's Ditch Plains Beach for the best waves on Long Island before the pubs take over with a nightlife scene that draws both hipster and local crowds to this fisherman's village.</p>
<p>Best for families, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/montauk-is-now-the-most-expensive-place-to-stay-in-new-york-state-2014-7">Montauk has become the most expensive place to stay in New York State</a>. For tourist attractions, there are plenty of lighthouses to visit, beaches to walk down, and lobster to enjoy.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$50,000 to ~$150,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.chelseahotels.com/us/montauk/ruschmeyer-s/about">Ruschmeyer's</a>, <a href="http://www.panoramicview.com/">Panoramic View</a>, <a href="http://www.soleeast.com/">Solé East Resort</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/st-peters-catch-montauk">St Peter's Catch</a>, <a href="http://www.zumschneider.com/">Zum Schneider Montauk</a>, <a href="http://www.southedison.com/">South Edison</a>, <a href="http://www.davesgrill.com/">Dave's Grill</a></p>
<h3>Bridgehampton</h3>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Bridgehampton is a trendy vacation destination for the super rich - in fact, about two-thirds of its population are part-time home owners (which means rentals are not hard to come by!).</p>
<p>This town is really big with the equestrian crowd since Bridgehampton hosts the annual Hampton Classic Horse Show in late August. There are also cute boutiques, wineries, and restaurants for vacationers to try.</p>
<p><strong>Average Rental Prices for Memorial Day through Labor Day*:</strong> ~$60,000 to ~$190,000</p>
<p><strong>Hotels:</strong> <a href="http://www.bridgehamptoninn.com/">Bridgehampton Inn</a></p>
<p><strong>Restaurants:</strong> <a href="http://mercadony.com/">Mercado</a>, <a href="http://www.toppingrosehouse.com/">Topping Rose House</a></p>
<p><em>*Note: 2015 rental price ranges were for current four-bedroom rental homes and were averaged from Memorial Day through Labor Day prices on <a href="https://bhshamptons.com/">Brown Harris Stevens</a>, <a href="http://www.sothebyshomes.com/hamptons/rentals#">Sotheby's International Realty</a>, and <a href="http://www.corcoran.com/hamptons">Corcoran Real Estate</a>. Ranges do not account for rental outliers.</em></p>

The ultimate renter's guide to the Hamptons

<p><em>Editor's note: The following was excerpted from the historical novel "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062336010/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0062336010&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=VKC35QM4WP5NJQJD">Gutenberg's Apprentice</a>."<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></em></p>
<p><em>This excerpt describes the founding of the world's first tech startup-the little-known collaboration that produced the first printed book, the Gutenberg Bible.</em></p>
<p><em>Like most innovators, Johann Gutenberg worked with a team that included </em><em>his venture capitalist Johann Fust (left), and the young designer Peter Schoeffer (right).</em></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>The picture Peter carries in his head is that of Moses, dark hair streaming as he parts the waters, urging on the tribes.</span></p>
<p>Gutenberg resembled him remarkably that hopeful spring.</p>
<p>The master stood apart, his arms outstretched, scooping toward them every kind of good this monumental Bible would require.</p>
<p>Peter had to laugh at the way he windmilled his long arms, directing the whole stream into the chute that fed the workshop. "You look just like an abbot at his busy hive."</p>
<p dir="ltr">"You could do worse than watch Cistercians." Gutenberg pulled at his beard and smiled.</p>
<p dir="ltr">There was no question of remaining in the Hof zum Gutenberg. They grasped the magnitude this time. Conservatively reckoning, the Bible ran a thousand pages, if not more-five times as long as their aborted missal, forty times the size of the Donatus. That Fust and Gutenberg even entertained the thought revealed how much their backs were to the wall.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They were inspired, enraptured certainly-convinced of their invincibility, thought Peter afterward. This was pure Gutenberg, of course. But on the other hand they didn't have much choice. The Bible was the only book they could hope to sell in quantity that did not need approval from the church, so long as they adhered to the accepted version.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Yet from the start it was a risk in every way-not least the certainty that Dietrich would look askance at laymen operating outside his control. If any of the clergy were to learn of it, they had no doubt Dietrich would swoop in and shut them down.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Their crew then numbered only four-Peter, Hans, Keffer, and Ruppel-and yet the premises the partners looked at were all cavernous and freezing: a granary, more stables, sculleries, the ground floor of a house in town. They settled on the last, a massive dwelling girded by a thick high wall a street away along the Cobblers' Lane. The press would have to stay behind: it was impossible, the master said, to take it all apart and lug it piece by piece along the street. There was no darkness deep enough to trust, no way to stop prying ears and eyes.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Once burned, twice shy." He winked at Hans. "The last time I was fool enough to let my tools out of my sight, we came much closer than a Christian should to robbing graves." Peter glanced up, amazed. What darkness did he hide? The apprentice tucked that scrap away and vowed to worm it out of Hans.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They left the wood press standing where it was and moved the rest one moonless night across the churchyard of St. Christopher's, through a gate left almost imperceptibly ajar. The master's pastor, clearly, was informed. From that black chink between two walls it was no more than a cat's spring across the street that climbed to St. Quintin's, into a gloomy courtyard, then to the low door of the Hof zum Humbrecht, its upper stories disappearing in the blackness of the night.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Four steps dropped to the battered earth of a ground floor. Joists the width and girth of a small horse held up the cobwebbed rafters stretching deep into the subfloor of the house. The clay gave off a smell of roots and piss and rats.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Chest by bench by bucket, tray by case, they hauled the workshop in. They didn't smuggle only casting boxes, inks and ores and heavy crates of metal type. They had a giant bellows, too, rigged to a treadle, which any fool would know was meant to fan a forge.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Hans and Keffer fit the forge pipe in the chimney stones; Peter and big Ruppel set two casting stations up, and pried the shutters open to scour out the stench. The place was huge and had a space for every need: the longer, narrow halls for drying; the cavern with the forge where they would cast and run the press; a separate room where they could sit and put their letters into lines. The shapes below were echoes of the rooms in which the men would live just overhead.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The master sent for Konrad, back in Strassburg, to build a new press; he would not hire some local cretin who might blab. While waiting they removed the walls that separated room from room in that dim underworld. When it was done, no corner remained safe from his keen eyes, the ceiling held by a stripped forest of dark beams.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"The key is speed," the master said, "efficiency, by God. No wasted step or motion."</p>
<p dir="ltr">It seemed to Peter as he watched him pacing, barking orders left and right, that Gutenberg saw everything from a great height, his raptor eyes pinned to the slightest movement on the ground.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He sent across the city, then the river and the forests and the mountains, for materials. Paper from a mill in Piedmont, vellum out of Swabia, to supplement the stack they had. Ruppel went with him to the Wood Gate to inspect the hardwoods: maple and beech for benches, cases, tables.</p>
<p dir="ltr">He commanded coal and candles, ores and oxides. He was a muleteer, he cracked, a blooming drover. Whip-cracker, jack of all trades: polisher of stones, mixer of metal, deviser of devices, maker of machines.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Peter pitched in with his hammer like the rest. Gone was the little brownish lump from writing on his middle finger and the trace of burn on his left hand. He built the letter cases at a slant, then hefted his own letters, thick and heavy as old bones, and laid them in each wooden pocket.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Each evening he would stand a moment looking at this massive thing take shape. The naked beams, the half-wrought shop, loomed like the outlines of strange buildings to his eye: half memory-palace, half the vision of God's City that Saint Augustine described.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The partners worked together in those months as they had never done before, and never would again. In the cave of Peter's recollection he and Gutenberg and Fust are figures by a constant fire, stooped and sketching, talking and gesticulating at all hours.</p>
<p dir="ltr">What had been left of Fust's eight hundred guilders quickly disappeared into the workshop's maw; they would need more, much more. They'd make at least a hundred books; whatever they could get as a deposit from each buyer would bring something in, but even so they wouldn't see real revenue for several years.</p>
<p dir="ltr">They came to a new business understanding, based not on faith but more on risk and its reward-and most of all on cunning. Neither partner harbored much illusion after all that wasted time; each knew precisely where the other stood. It was the firmest ground on which to strike a deal, Fust told his son: either both would win together, or else both would lose.</p>
<p dir="ltr">A new contract was drawn up, witnessed by the pastor of St. Christopher's, one Heinrich Günther. It did not nullify their first deal of two years before, but simply altered its conditions. Johann Gutenberg still brought the know-how; Johann Fust still brought the gold, and held the workshop as collateral. Except that now new capital was to be raised, a second round, to get this fledgling business off the ground.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Peter's father too invoked the old adage: Once burned, twice shy. Why should he bear all of the risk while Gutenberg reaped the reward? No longer would he simply play the part of banker. He took an equal share in this, their common and uncommon venture.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Fust pledged eight hundred guilders more, and they agreed to split, after expenses, the profits that accrued from what they called, a bit obscurely, to foil spies, das Werk der Bücher. The work of the books.</p>
<p><em>Excerpt of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062336010/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0062336010&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;linkId=RNRBE5FH6UBRXVPB">Gutenberg's Apprentice</a> © 2014 by Alix Christie. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Reprinted courtesy of Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.</span></em></p>

Meet the brilliant business behind the first printed book

<p><em><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><p class="source">Huawei/Flickr</p></div></div>The chairman of China’s <keyword id="6357456" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Huawei">Huawei</keyword> tells Matt Warman how the company plans to rule the smartphone market and that it can overcome political ‘spying’ fears in the US.</em></p>
<p>London’s Camden Roundhouse used to house a giant turntable for trains steaming in to and out of the capital – since it was reinvented as an arts venue, it therefore made an appropriate site for one of China’s largest companies to mount its own bid to turn toward a new direction.</p>
<p>Not content with being the maker of much of the infrastructure behind the internet, Huawei wants to be one of the world’s three biggest mobile phone brands by the end of 2015. For its first major consumer launch last week journalists were flown in from South Africa, Europe and beyond to witness the kind of event usually hosted by Apple or Samsung.</p>
<p>Chief executive Richard Yu stood on stage to announce the Huawei Ascend P6 – the world’s thinnest smartphone – and to issue a clear statement of intent. The company has the ambition, simply put, to make the best smartphone in the world and to sell it for less than Apple or Samsung.</p>
<p>If that sounds like hubris, no lesser figure than Sir Charles Dunstone, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse, says Huawei’s a force to be reckoned with: “I think it’d be hard to displace Samsung and Apple. But with products like these priced like they are, I think Huawei has very credible aims.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of people vying to be in the top three and they’ve got to take these products incredibly seriously. It’s an amazing line-up backed by the most enormous research and development.”</p>
<p>With no vested interest in seeing Huawei displace a Sony, an LG or a BlackBerry, Sir Charles adds: “If you were anyone else, you should be scared.”</p>
<p>Yu himself doesn’t appear scared of anybody – he talks freely not only about Huawei’s line-up, but also about the complex politics that have at times threatened to engulf the company. There could be no more palpable demonstration that secretive Huawei is trying, admittedly slowly, to open up.</p>
<p>When he sees my Samsung Galaxy S4 on the desk, Yu is blunt: “We want to provide the best, most beautiful, slimmest smartphone – this one’s much thicker.” Picking up on criticisms about the Samsung build quality he says simply: “We’re not made of plastic.”</p>
<p>Huawei claims Samsung – the biggest smartphone maker in the world – has built its success on hyperbole and enormous advertising spend. “In the high tier, if you have huge money to spend on marketing and branding, like Samsung, then everyone will buy that,” he says.</p>
<p>“We don’t have so much money to do marketing and branding so we have to make our products better. The best smartphone in the past was from Nokia, then from Apple, then from Samsung. And who is number one? The industry is so dynamic – no matter how successful you are, if you’re currently number one, doesn’t mean tomorrow you’ll be number one</p>
<p>“Samsung, they have such huge money – if you invest in marketing and branding then people will always buy no matter how good the products are. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is just a so-so smartphone.”</p>
<p>He claims he’d like to buy more advertising space “but I don’t have so much money”.</p>
<p>While it’s Samsung that has all the momentum, it’s Apple that has set the pace for “cool” – the factor Huawei badly needs if it is to truly compete. Never lacking in ambition, Yu thinks he’s got Apple in his sights as well.</p>
<p>“In its latest update, Apple makes the phone extremely simple to use,” he says. “But if we are just learning from them we can’t catch up, because they are now slipping. We want to go higher than them.”</p>
<p>Being “higher than Apple” is part of the thinking behind the software Huawei’s using for the new phone.</p>
<p>A simplified version of Android, it also offers highly customisable interfaces, including a way to make the switch from one homescreen to another look like a windmill.</p>
<p>“We have a good relationship with Google,” says Yu. “We want Android to be more user friendly, so we have made a lot of enhancements. Google is good for an engineer but it’s not good for the consumer. It’s a little bit too complicated.”</p>
<p>Huawei will also go after new markets: “We want to bring a lot of personalised things – ladies like a lot of these things, so we’re making it more suitable for them.”</p>
<p>Indeed, Huawei’s approach in China has been to build phones tailored for every market. Huge investment in research and development means that there’s a phone, tablet or in-between phablet at a range of prices and at a host of sizes.</p>
<p>The new P6 does represent a step change in the quality of its design and Huawei’s clear commitment to a new approach. Hardly two years ago it had never made a phone in its own name, while the P6, up against Apple, Samsung and others already has 2m Chinese pre-orders.</p>
<p>Yu says that in China, Apple is hamstrung by its lack of a large-screen phone. “Large-screen phones do very well in China,” he says. “Asian people prefer large phones. Gentlemen can’t put an iPad Mini in a pocket.”</p>
<p>Moving on from the battle over products, Huawei is also involved in a battle over politics. Around the world, Huawei has had to deal with rumbling accusations that its network business could be a conduit for Chinese espionage.</p>
<p>In its defence, the company points out that it merely sells networking equipment to businesses which operate them.</p>
<p>Why would Vodafone put up with a back door that could be infiltrated by a foreign power? And, anyway, Huawei is a privately held company not state-owned entity. These arguments appear to carry little weight with some politicians, as both the US and Australia restrict Huawei’s operations in their countries.</p>
<p>In the UK, both David Willetts, the science minister, and George Osborne, the Chancellor, have gone out of their way to welcome the firm and its significant investment.</p>
<p>“Consumers welcome the Huawei brand,” says Yu. “It’s a [US} government guy, a political guy [who doesn’t]. Consumers like Huawei, and feel that we’re a trustworthy brand, a reliable company.</p>
<p>“Politicians feel that Huawei headquarters are in China and China is the Communist Party and some governments don’t like the Communist Party or socialist countries.</p>
<p>“Actually, China is not a socialist country any more, we’re a capitalist country. The only difference is, we have only one party. Some leaders don’t like this system. We are a Chinese company – if we were a British company, a German company, we’d have no problem.”</p>
<p>Yu describes Huawei as “a globalised company, headquartered in China”.</p>
<p>While many British companies outsource work to China or to India, Yu says it is in order to recruit quality staff that can only be found in Britain that Huawei is so active here, opening a new UK headquarters in Reading two weeks ago.</p>
<p>“The UK’s a good [test bed] for America and the world,” he says. “We hire a lot of UK people and we contribute a lot to society.</p>
<p>In the UK we can get good people. We behave like a local company.”</p>
<p>As Chinese companies, across Africa in particular, are accused of parachuting in their own employees without benefiting the wider society, in the UK at least Huawei is keen to stress that it is learning how to be a good corporate citizen.</p>
<p>None of this will placate the company’s critics – but Huawei is a brand with unparalleled bulk and ambition. “All retailers say they will buy more from Huawei,” says Yu.</p>
<p>And retailers such as Sir Charles certainly seem to agree. At the Roundhouse, he took to the stage to emphasise how good his own relationship was with Huawei, and how much faith he has in the business. But more than that, he implied it was time for a change when it comes to the established smartphone hierarchy.</p>
<p>“Typically over time the prices of the established products comes down,” he told me afterward. “But, in fact, over the last five years the price of products has gone up as more features were added. Huawei understands as they build their market share they’ve got to develop a point of difference. And every one of my customers would like to spend less.</p>
<p>“Huawei is approaching it in a smart way – they’re saying, ‘How do I give people a better product at a better price?’. That’s a lot more credible than the people I meet who say they’ve got a phone just like the iPhone but it’s more expensive.”</p>
<p>For now, Sir Charles’s Carphone Warehouse markets a Huawei device as “the best smartphone you’ve never heard of”.</p>
<p>“There’s a story round that,” he says. “And you can demonstrate to people you’re getting more for your money.” But Sir Charles clearly thinks that story is beginning to change. The comparison he makes is stark: “Ten years ago, number one was</p>
<p>Nokia. Just think how quickly you can be displaced.”</p>
<p>Yu certainly agrees.</p>
<p></p>

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