• Omni — a San Francisco-based self-storage startup that's raised over $40 million — is on a mission to transform the traditional self-storage world. 
• Omni lets users not only store their items for a flat monthly fee per item, but it also allows for those items to be rented, helping people earn money on things that would have otherwise collected dust. 
• On Wednesday, the company announced it would start letting users cash out their rental income by moving it to a cryptocurrency wallet (XRP) instead of a conventional bank account. 
• "Having a strategy for how you want to work with some degree of crypto is important for almost any startup at this point," Omni CEO Tom McLeod told us. 

Costume Town may look like a typical, online costume rental store — complete with a replica Stormtrooper suit and Spider-Man onesie — but behind the scenes, it runs a little differently. 

Rather than keep its inventory in a storefront or warehouse, Costume Town is built on Omni — the San Francisco-based startup that's on a mission to transform the traditional self-storage world.

Omni lets users not only store their items for a flat monthly fee per item, but it also allows for those items to be rented to strangers, helping it customers earn money on things — like fancy plates, or crutches  — that would have otherwise collected dust. Some, like Costume Town, use Omni as the back-end inventory storage for their business. 

When you want to store an item, you schedule a pickup, and an Omni courier grabs it from you. When you want it back, same deal; just use the app to schedule a dropoff. A camera might cost you $0.50/month to store with Omni, while larger items like a bike may be $3/month. Pickups and dropoffs can be free, depending on the time of day.

"We're always trying to push the boundaries on how people think about assets, ownership, and access," Omni CEO Tom McLeod told Business Insider in a recent interview. 

On Wednesday, Omni announced it was pushing those boundaries even further by letting users cash out their rental income in XRP, a popular form of cryptocurrency associated with the blockchain startup Ripple.

McLeod tells us when a user decides to cash out, his company will look at the current prices across the top five XRP exchanges and offer the average of those amounts to be transferred to a user's XRP wallet. Once the transfer is complete, users can store that value in their wallets and, when they decide the time is right, trade it for regular money.

"We think of Omni as a tool for unlocking liquidity. Rentals give you the ability to unlock value while still maintaining that asset, " McLeod explains. "Now [with the XRP integration] you can also look at one of your items as an investment and then double dip into another investment off the back of it." 

McLeod gives the example of a tent that rents for $50 over the weekend. An Omni user can cash out $25 in USD to their traditional bank account and move the remaining $25 to their XRP wallet as an investment. 

Omni COO Ryan Delk explains that the reason XRP was such a great fit for this dip into cryptocurrency was mainly because of the token's liquidity.

"The transaction confirmation speed is incredibly fast (seconds), the cost to transfer is really low (pennies), and it's very liquid — you can move XRP into any other currency on any major exchange," he said. 

Omni hasn't been shy about its interest in crypto. Part of its recent $25 million funding round came from two Ripple executives — Chris Larsen and Stefan Thomas — in the form of XRP. 

"Having a strategy for how you want to work with some degree of crypto is important for almost any startup at this point," McLeod said. "This is us dipping our toe in with a partner that has worked with us in the past." 

Beyond the XRP integration, Delk tells us that bringing its services to more cities across the US will be a focus for the company. Last month, the storage-startup that's raised over $40 million in funding began operating in Portland — its the first market outside of the Bay Area. 

The company also wants to invest in building out tools for businesses, like Costume Town, which are actually relying on Omni to make their own businesses run.

"Probably similar to Airbnb when people starting going beyond just listing their own home. Or the same thing Uber went through where people bought more cars to have more people drive for Uber," Delk explains. "We're starting to see that moment happen [at Omni], which is pretty exciting." 

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NOW WATCH: British Airways has a $13 million flight simulator that taught us how to take off, fly, and land an airplane

• Traditional pay TV faces a bleak future, a new survey indicates.
• Nearly a third of consumers now say they don't subscribe to any kind of multi-channel pay TV service.
• Meanwhile, a plurality of US consumers say Netflix is the service they most frequently watch on their TVs, and it's significantly ahead of basic cable service.
• Among Millennials, Netflix's lead is even larger.

We just got another glimpse at how much trouble the traditional pay TV business is in because of Netflix and online streaming.

The portion of US consumers who don't subscribe to any kind of traditional pay TV service is now nearly one in three, according to a new survey from Cowen Equity Research. Among all consumers, basic cable is now a distant second to Netflix when it comes to the service they say they use most often to watch video content on their televisions. And among Millennials, basic cable is no. 3, topped by not just Netflix, but YouTube too.

The survey "once again highlights the importance of Netflix in the home, particularly among Millennials," Cowen analyst John Blackledge said in the research report that contained the survey data. Netflix's well-publicized push to invest in original, high-quality shows and movies, he continued, "likely ensures [it] the top spot in the living room over time."

Some 19% of consumers are cord cutters — those who formerly had a cable or satellite subscription but have dropped it — according to Cowen's report, which surveyed 2,500 people total. Another 12% are so-called "cord nevers," people who have never signed up for a traditional pay TV service.

That data roughly corresponds with recent research from Leichtman Research Group. At the end of the second quarter, some 91.3 million US households — about 72% — had some kind of multi-channel pay TV service. That was down from 88% of US households in 2010.

Consumers are tuning in Netflix instead of basic cable

Basic cable used to be the dominant form of TV watching. But no more. It's been displaced by Netflix.

Some 27.4% of consumers say that the video service they watch most often on their television is that of the streaming giant, according to Cowen's survey. Just 20.2% of consumers said basic cable is their most frequently viewed video service. Another 17.5% of consumers said broadcast TV was their most frequent choice.

Things were even worse for traditional TV providers among younger consumers. Among consumers aged 18 to 34, streaming services ranked first, second, and fourth in terms of the video services they most frequently watched on their televisions.

A whopping 39.6% in that age group said they were most likely to tune in Netflix on their television than any other video service. In second place was YouTube, the top choice among 16.9%. In fourth place was Hulu, with 8.3%.

Basic cable came in third, the top choice among just 12.4% of those in that age group. Broadcast television was a distant fifth, with 7.1% support.

Even if all the cord cutters and cord nevers are excluded, things don't look particularly good for traditional TV service providers. Although basic cable took the top spot among these consumers in terms of the video services they watch most often, it's lead was tiny. It was the top choice among just 26% of these consumers; Netflix, by contrast, was the most frequently viewed service among 24.9% of them.

As part of the report, Blackledge reiterated his "outperform" rating and $400 price target on Netflix's stock. That target was pushed slightly further away with Wednesday's broad market selloff. Netflix shares finished Wednesday's regular session down $29.82, or 8.4%, at $325.89.

SEE ALSO: Netflix's 1 million subscriber miss is exactly why it’s time for the company to stop hiding a critical part of its business

SEE ALSO: Netflix has hit a speed bump with original series and movies, and it could spell bad news for investors

SEE ALSO: Netflix dominates the US streaming market, but it may soon be an even bigger hit overseas

SEE ALSO: Netflix is now the most popular TV service in the US — here's why its lead is likely to only get larger

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NOW WATCH: Apple might introduce three new iPhones this year — here’s what we know

• On Thursday, Bella Hadid attended the launch of her new collection with True Religion wearing a denim bustier.
• The model paired the top with matching jean capris — a style that was everywhere in the mid-'00s.
• She completed the bold look with playful accessories including big hoop earrings, a leopard-print purse, and matching ankle-wrap heels.
• Known for her head-turning style, Hadid has rocked animal prints — one of the trendiest patterns this fall — quite a few times in recent weeks.
• In late September, she wore sheer lingerie as a minidress, which she accessorized with a plush cheetah-print handbag.

Bella Hadid recently brought back one of the biggest trends of the 2000s.

On Thursday, the model attended the launch of her new collection with True Religion wearing a denim bustier in dark-wash denim. Hadid paired the top with matching jean capris — a style that was everywhere in the mid-'00s.

Hadid completed the bold look with playful accessories including big hoop earrings, a leopard-print purse, and matching pointy-toe, ankle-wrap heels.

Known for her head-turning style, the model has rocked animal prints — one of the trendiest patterns this fall — quite a few times in recent weeks.

In late September, Hadid stepped out in Paris wearing sheer lingerie as a minidress, which she accessorized with a plush cheetah-print handbag.

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

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NOW WATCH: 3 compelling reasons why we haven't found aliens yet

A year after Amazon introduced its first smart display, the Echo Show, Google has responded with its own version: the Google Home Hub. 

It's good timing, since the 2018 version of the Echo Show ships out to customers on Thursday. 

These smart displays are still relatively new, but what they can do goes way beyond the first iterations of virtual voice-assistants, which more than 60 million people already have in their homes.

So whether you're one of those people and are considering an upgrade, or are looking to buy your first smart display, here's how the Amazon Echo Show compares to the Google Home Hub.

SEE ALSO: Apple's original TV shows and movies could be free for all iPhone and iPad owners with the launch of its new video streaming service

There are a few key differences between the two devices. The Amazon Echo Show is a much bigger and heavier device than the Google Home Hub. It also has a larger display.

The Amazon Echo Show is a significantly bigger device than the Google Home Hub, weighing in at almost four pounds. Google's device is incredibly lightweight, comparatively: it's listed at weighing just over one pound. 

Here are the rest of the specs:

• Dimensions: Amazon Echo Show (9.7 inches x 6.9 inches x 4.2 inches) vs. Google Home Hub (7.02 inches x 4.65 inches x 2.65 inches)
• Display: Echo Show (10.1-inch screen) vs. Home Hub (7-inch screen)

The Echo Show has a camera for video calling, while the Google Home Hub does not.

This is probably the biggest difference between the two devices. At the Google event where the Home Hub was announced, executives said the company"consciously" decided not to include a camera out of concern for users' privacy.

The Amazon Echo Show does have a camera, however. Users can make video calls with anyone who has the Alexa app — which is available for both Android and iOS devices — or anyone who has an Echo Spot or Echo Show device.

Amazon says that it's working on adding Skype calling as well.

The Echo Show costs $80 more than the Google Home Hub.

Google is offering the Home Hub for $150. But Amazon's latest version of the Echo Show (they've stopped selling the 2017 edition) costs $230.

Amazon began shipping its latest Echo Show on Thursday, but orders on the site are already backed up into November. Google is letting customers pre-order the Home Hub online, but it won't start shipping out until Oct. 18.

• A brawl broke out at the Lakers-Rockets game on Saturday night, with Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Brandon Ingram all eventually being thrown out of the game.
• The Rockets contest that Paul was provoked by Rondo when the Lakers guard spit in his face and have provided the league with video to support their case.
• Suspensions are likely to be announced soon for all three players.

LeBron James first game as a Laker in Los Angeles did not go according to plan.

With just four minutes remaining in Saturday night's game between the Lakers and Houston Rockets, a fight broke out as tensions between guards Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo boiled over. Punches were thrown, and James was forced to shift from playmaker to peacemaker, helping to separate and de-escalate the brawl.

Paul, Rondo, and Ingram all threw punches and were all ejected after the referees stopped the game to break down how to allocate punishments after the dust had settled.

Replays show the inciting incidents between Rondo and Paul, with Rondo throwing a left hand at Paul after Paul shoved a finger in Rondo's face. The Rockets claimed that Rondo spit in Paul's face, prompting retaliation — a charge that is being investigated in slow motion.

The brawl was likely especially awkward for James, who is good friends with Paul and newly teammates with Rondo and Ingram. As for his part in the spat, James said "I just tried to calm things down, that's all. Play basketball."

The NBA is investigating the brawl further, and suspensions will likely be doled out soon.

When the action on the court finally calmed down, the Rockets would go on to win 124-115 to drop the Lakers to 0-2 to start the season.

SEE ALSO: LeBron James announced his arrival to the Lakers with a thunderous dunk

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NOW WATCH: What it takes to be an NFL referee

• Global IT spending is forecast to hit $3.8 trillion in 2019, according to analyst firm Gartner.
• The number reflects continued growth, though at a slower rate than past years. Gartner forecasts that spending will from 3.2% in 2019, down from its forecast of 4.5% growth in 2018.
• More than a third of that spending will go toward communications services, though enterprise software is the fastest growing spending area.

Global IT spending is forecast to hit $3.8 trillion in 2019, up 3.2% from the $3.69 trillion companies are expected to spend this year, according to newly-released Gartner data.

While corporate budgets continue to boom, Gartner's projection for 2019 IT spending actually represents a slowdown in growth. Gartner forecasts that spending in 2018 will ultimately grow 4.5% from 2017, while actual growth in 2017 was up 3.9% from 2016. And so, a year-over-year gain of 3.2% is a notable dropping-off.

Communications services — which includes everything from landline and mobile telephone services, to cloud communication tools like Zoom — is projected to take in $1.4 trillion in 2019, more than a third of overall spending for the year. But spending in that area is expected to grow just 1.2% from 2018.

The fastest-growing segment is enterprise software, which is projected to rake in $439 billion next year. This bucket includes customer relationship management software like Salesforce, as well as financial management and HR software like Workday.

Companies are expected to increase spending in enterprise software by 8.3% in 2019, following 9.9% projected growth in 2018, and 10.4% growth in 2017.

Even spending on data center systems, which have lost their edge thanks to growing corporate reliance on public clouds, is expected to grow by 1.6%. This is down from 6% growth projected in 2018, and the 6.4% growth realized in 2017.

This year's expected IT growth is "buoyed by a strong server market," according to Gartner. However, the steep decline in 2019 reflects the fact that the server market is expected to slow down once again, according to the report.

Here's the full forecast: 

SEE ALSO: Oracle is acquiring a tiny cloud startup backed by Qualcomm to build out its health science product suite

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NOW WATCH: 3 surprising ways humans are still evolving

• In March, I left New York to travel around the world as Business Insider's international correspondent. In more than six months, I have so far visited 12 countries.
• Spending all this time traveling has hammered home one truth for me: forget about FOMO (fear of missing out). If there's an attraction, landmark, or museum that doesn't interest you, don't be afraid to skip it.
• There are often too many things to see in whatever place you are visiting to waste your time on something that doesn't interest you — even if it's something as monumental as the Taj Mahal or the Great Wall of China.

Perhaps you know the feeling. You're on that vacation you've been planning all year to some exotic location — let's say Tulum, Mexico — and you've got just two more days before heading back to the office and the nine-to-five grind.

As you nap on the beach, you imagine a nightmare.

Before you left, your buddy Chad at work talked your ear off about how amazing the Mayan ruins are in Yucatán. He visited Tulum last year and raved about how the pre-Columbian city of Chichen Itza was the most incredible place in the world. You have to go, he said.

Now, sitting on the beach with two days left, you don't want to go. Historical sites don't particularly interest you. You travel to relax and to eat tasty local food. Spending a day on a hot bus so you can listen to a tour guide drone on about Mayan astronomy sounds terrible. You want to soak up as much sun and surf as humanly possible.

But then FOMO — fear of missing out — starts to creep in. What if it is the most incredible place in the world? And you didn't go. In your mind, you see Chad in front of the water cooler doubled over with laughter: You didn't go to Chichen Itza? It's like you didn't even go to Mexico.

Your life will be irrevocably ruined if you don't go, a little voice in your head says. Goooooooooooooo.

I'm here to tell you: Your life won't be irrevocably ruined, and you don't need to go. Screw Chad. Do what you want.

While spending the past six months traveling the world as Business Insider's international correspondent, I've been in variations of this scenario dozens of times. It may sound as though I have a lot of time to hit tourist attractions— "You travel for a living!" the internet shouts at me constantly — but with all the time I spend reporting and writing, I usually have only a couple of days to see what a place has to offer. I often have to make choices about my time: Do I spend my Beijing sightseeing day at 798 Art Zone, a district of modern art galleries? Or the Forbidden City?

When I traveled before this job, I took backpacker-style one-week vacations each year. During them, I constantly fretted about missing out on some landmark, and I tried to cram everything I possibly could into a trip. It led to me wasting a lot of my time doing things I'd rather I didn't.

In Bogotá, Colombia, I spent half a day in the Museo del Oro, a museum exclusively displaying pre-Columbian gold. In Europe, I visited ornate medieval church after ornate medieval church. In Stockholm, Sweden, I spent a day trudging through the stuffy rooms of the Royal Palace.

I did all those things because I was afraid of the proverbial Chad saying something like: You didn't go to that? It's like you didn't even go to [insert destination here].

That's not necessarily to say that any of those places aren't worth going to. If you love royal architecture, Stockholm's palace is a fine example of 18th-century Baroque architecture. But spending a day on that meant I had to spend one fewer day exploring Sweden's stunning natural beauty, which, in hindsight, I would've much preferred.

That persistent sense of FOMO is one of the reasons I hate bucket lists. They are a constant pressure to see and do things that other people say you have to do, rather than what you actually want to do.

These days, I do my best to ignore the little voice in my head screaming "FOMO! FOMO!" and instead try to follow my interests. It has made travel infinitely more fulfilling and engaging for me. I suggest you try it.

And if you're wondering, I spent my day in Beijing at 798 Art Zone, because it felt more urgent to try to understand China's flourishing art scene and was more appealing than visiting one of China's top attractions during Chinese holidays.

Life is too short to spend time doing stuff you don't want to do. YOLO.

SEE ALSO: I've been traveling the world for 6 months, and I've found real life doesn't always live up to the hype. These are the most disappointing places I've been.

DON'T MISS: I've been traveling the world for 6 months, and these are the best apps for each country I couldn't live without

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NOW WATCH: What happens when you sleep in your contacts

• One of the feel-good stories to come out of Hurricane Michael was the woman who spotted her relatives' call for help thanks to interactive maps from NOAA.
• Business Insider spoke with Mike Aslaksen, the man in charge of the division that produces these images, which helps track damage to the coastlines and land after natural disasters.
• He said Amber Gee's story of spotting her trapped relatives shows the "multi-use of the data."

Technology is changing the way that emergency responders conduct search-and-rescue operations after hurricanes.

When Hurricane Michael ravaged the Florida Panhandle, Amber Gee turned to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maps to see the damage inflicted on her grandmother's property in Youngstown, Florida.

What she found was remarkable: a call for "HELP" written on the lawn in downed tree branches.

Gee alerted rescuers, who found her uncle, aunt, and a family friend hunkering down at the property last Sunday, and brought them to safety.

It was a feel-good story for Mike Aslaksen, who leads the remote sensing division of the NOAA's National Geodetic Survey.

"I'm happy that there was a happy ending to this," he told Business Insider on Tuesday. "It again really shows some of the multi-use of this data."

The images Gee found came from NOAA researchers taking photos from survey planes that flew over the damaged areas once the hurricane had passed through. The images were then compiled into an interactive map that anyone can search and explore.

Aslaksen remembers a similar story coming out of Hurricane Katrina, and is hopeful that the press surrounding Gee's story will lead to others using the tool in future natural disasters.

A bird's eye view

This technology is hardly new. Aslasksen says NOAA has been taking aerial photos after natural disasters since the 1930s.

Typically, the agency sends a single surveying plane up after hurricanes to see what kind of damage the storm has done to the shorelines that might impact nautical travel. FEMA also gives Aslaksen's team special missions to collect images of the destruction inland.

Aslaksen shared this image showing the routes the survey plane took after Hurricane Michael. The lines covered the shoreline and a large area north of Panama City, with one line stretching up into Georgia:

The images taken from the plane are especially helpful at the beginning of the recovery effort, when search-and-rescue teams are reliant on these pictures to see which routes they can take to reach hard-hit areas or whether they need to be helicoptered in.

Aslasken said he heard Florida officials used the Hurricane Michael images to determine the best places for helicopters to land in the devastated town of Mexico Beach in order to deliver much-needed food and water.

Read more:25 photos show Hurricane Michael's destruction from the sky

A new era of disaster imagery

And it's not only hurricanes they're surveying from the sky.

The team, which usually includes two pilots and a sensor operator, have also been sent to survey the damage after tornadoes, major floods, earthquakes, nor'easters, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and even man-made disasters like the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

It was September 11th that proved a turning point for the division. Back then, they used film to take their pictures, which meant that it could take up to a week to process the data into a digital format.

"When we interacted with the emergency response community, they really said we need it in 24 hours or we can't use it all," Aslaksen said. So his team focused their energies on digitizing their whole process to meet that 24-hour goal.

They met that goal and then some. In regards to Michael, the team flew their first mission Thursday morning and had their first sets of maps out by 8:30 p.m., just four hours after landing.

"Comparatively, if we had to do that from the high-end work stations that we used to carry, that could be eight to 12 hours," he said.

Aslaksen credits the quick turnaround to their camera, which does a lot of the processing while they are still in the air, and the cloud system that they upload their photos to, which can upload between 1,500 to 3,000 images in just a matter of hours.

"Our biggest challenge in a lot of cases is just having a good internet connection to upload the data," he said.

Record-breaking events

After years of responding to natural disasters, Aslaksen said four stuck out in particular: Hurricane Katrina, the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado, the US Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma, and Michael.

Aslaksen said it left him awestruck to see before images of the Virgin Islands, totally green, turned to brown after Irma completely stripped the vegetation.

"This really shows you how the impact of these storms can be. When you're told to leave, you need to leave," he said.

Aslaksen said the records show the events they've surveyed in the last year or two have been more severe.

"We're flying a lot more than we used to," he said.

SEE ALSO: A Florida woman sent rescuers to save her family when she saw the word 'HELP' written on the lawn in aerial images after Hurricane Michael

DON'T MISS: 25 photos show Hurricane Michael's destruction from the sky

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NOW WATCH: 3 surprising ways humans are still evolving

Tech stocks took a beating in last week's market-wide sell off. 

But one Wall Street analyst thinks a special breed of software companies are well positioned to withstand choppy stock market conditions. 

In a note published Sunday, Evercore ISI analyst Kirk Materne flagged a group of software companies and compared them to February 2016 levels — that's when the stock market reached a short-lived low point amid uncertainty and fear.

"We believe that when it comes to software investing, times of macro stress and market volatility have usually ended up being good buying opportunities," Materne wrote, adding that investors who look past the "noise in prior crises have generally been rewarded," three to six months later.

The key? Many companies in the software sector have built businesses based on recurring revenue, giving the businesses a "durability" that's now well-understood by investors, Materne wrote.. The top 25 software companies today have 69% of their revenue from recurring business customers, compared to 42% 10 years ago, he said. 

Materne highlighted software companies with estimated growth of more than 20% in the upcoming years. Those stocks tend to have an enterprise value of around 5x their revenue. And as their revenues grow, so will their valuations. 

Here are 18 high-growth software companies to keep on your radar:

SEE ALSO: $7.2 billion Twilio is spending $2 billion to buy one of its publicly-traded partners

Carbon Black

Analysts expect Carbon Black (CBLK), which went public this year, to grow its revenues by 22.7% in 2019 and 24.3% in 2020. Its enterprise value— a slightly different figure from market capitalization — is 2.6x its estimated revenue over the next twelve months. Materne thinks that multiple could reasonably grow to 5x. 

Box

Box (BOX) has had a rough time on the stock market in recent months, and is trading down 10% from a year ago, but its revenues are still slated to grow 20.9% and 17.7% in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The company's enterprise value is 3.7x its estimated revenue over the next twelve months, and Materne thinks it could reasonably grow to a 5x multiple.

Rapid7

Rapid7 (RPD) is up 80% from where it traded a year ago. With 20% revenue growth expected in 2019 and 22.3% growth expected in 2020, the company could continue to see its valuation grow. Its enterprise valuation is curretly 5.2x its estimated revenue over the next twelve months

• Apple cofounder Steve Jobs popularized the "tech keynote" back in the mid-80s, where he would walk on stage to a crowd of hundreds of fans to announce new gadgets, software, and technological developments.
• These days, most of the big tech companies hold similar-style keynotes, including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Samsung, and even companies like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Nvidia.
• Keynotes are not very efficient — they're long, and usually lacking surprises given the abundance of leaks of major tech products.
• Tech companies would be better off retiring keynotes in favor of online debuts, where they can control the presentation and messaging — plus preserve some surprises — by making announcements directly to consumers via websites or videos.

Steve Jobs was famous for his "keynote" presentations.

For decades, starting in the mid-1980s all the way up to 2010, hundreds of tech enthusiasts would cheer for Jobs as he walked on stage to debut new gadgets and services in front of a large screen. People treated him like a rock star, even though the keynotes themselves consisted of little more than showing off a PowerPoint presentation using Apple's software, appropriately named "Keynote."

Indeed, Jobs' presentations did feature a "rock star" quality about them. No matter what he was there to talk about, he always made Apple's latest invention sound like something you couldn't live without. He made even smaller developments sound exciting and world-changing.

These days, Jobs is no longer around, but countless imitators have taken his place. Apple continues its keynote presentations, which are held roughly two to three times a year, but plenty of other tech companies do the same: Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Samsung, and even companies like Huawei, Xiaomi, and Nvidia hold similar keynote presentations throughout the year to debut new products.

The thing is, the magic of the keynote has worn off.

Tech companies can't keep a secret anymore

The first tech keynotes were held long before the internet came along. So each presentation had an air of mystery about it: What would be unveiled? How will it change our lives?

These days, that mystery no longer exists. Between the power and pervasiveness of the internet, and the fact hundreds of thousands of interested parties will pay significant sums of money to learn even the smallest detail about the next iPhone, it usually means tech keynotes get spoiled in one way or the other — many months before they're even held.

For years, we've known crucial details about the new iPhone long before Apple holds its official keynote. We knew about Touch ID in the iPhone 5S before it was introduced. We knew about the iPhone 6 redesign months before it happened. And we knew almost every single little detail about the iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, and this year's iPhone XS and XS Max, before those phones were launched.

It's not just Apple, though. Samsung's two biggest phones of 2018, the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, were known about months before their debuts. And Google's new Pixel 3 may have been the most-leaked smartphone ever, with countless leaked images and documents — and even a physical sale of a pre-release phone— leading up to its October unveiling.

The fact is, if you follow the news at all in 2018, it's very rare to witness a tech presentation that features legitimate surprises. And if there are no surprises, what's the point of the presentation?

Keynotes should evolve into "online debuts"

If the goal of the keynote is to give tech companies control over how they present their new products, there's a better way to do that than inviting people to a physical event space.

The internet offers powerful visual tools — and the fact is, after every tech keynote ends, the company invites people to just visit the website anyway to learn more.

Therein lies an opportunity: Tech companies should ditch the physical keynote address, which has become old hat by now, and debut their products directly on the internet.

There are a few reasons an online debut would be superior to a tech keynote:

— An online debut gives the company more control over how the new product is presented. With physical keynote addresses, things can go wrong. Microphones can cut out, executives can fumble over their lines, or the products might not work at all! By debuting products online, companies could have total control over how people learn about these new gadgets and services for the first time.

— An online debut provides a greater element of surprise. It's nigh impossible to keep new gadgets a secret before they're debuted, but that's because those products have to make it to a physical event space — and the more people that have exposure to those new products, the greater opportunity there is for leaks. By launching new products online, tech companies could retain the element of surprise; perhaps they could unveil the new product while it's still in its design stage to get ahead of leaks that come out of the supply chain, when the product has already reached the manufacturing stage.

— Keynotes are too long, and too boring, too often. Showcasing new products online first gives people a chance to learn about gadgets at their own pace. Unless they're fans or journalists, most people will not sit through two-hour keynotes — even if it's Apple or Google running the show. Two hours is an extraordinary amount of time, but these tech companies have lots of announcements to get through. By going fully online, tech companies can summarize announcements more easily, or provide more accessible ways to learn about more details instead of sitting through a long presentation.

Whether or not we’ll see tech companies move away from keynotes is another issue entirely. Apple, for one, seems to love its traditional keynotes, and it would be hard to imagine the company ditching those without a major reaction from fans. But for the most part, keynotes have become rote and tired, and should be replaced by something more exciting and innovative. Tech companies owe it to the people who spend countless hours developing those new products to ensure a good first impression.

SEE ALSO: Here's everything Google unveiled at its biggest hardware event of the year

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Apple unveiled three new iPhones this year: the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

While the iPhone XR is in a league of its own— it doesn't even go on sale until the end of this month — the iPhone XS and XS Max are considered the true successors to last year's iPhone X, which featured a total redesign that removed the traditional home button in favor of a facial recognition system and an edge-to-edge OLED display.

But if you're considering the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max, which is the right phone for you?

Here are 3 reasons to choose the larger iPhone XS Max instead of the standard iPhone XS:

SEE ALSO: 9 reasons you should buy the smaller iPhone XS instead of the iPhone XS Max

DON'T MISS: The iPhone XR is coming soon: Here are 9 reasons you should buy it instead of an iPhone XS or XS Max

1. The iPhone XS Max has a bigger display — and for smartphones, bigger screens are better for just about anything.

The iPhone XS and XS Max both feature the same OLED "Super Retina" display from last year's iPhone X — the same pixel density, same contrast ratio, same everything.

The only difference, screen-wise, between the iPhone XS and the XS Max, is the size. But size is a pretty big deal.

Going from 5.8 inches on the iPhone XS to 6.5 inches on the iPhone XS Max is a pretty substantial leap, and that bigger screen comes in handy just about everywhere: If you're writing an email, taking notes, watching a movie, or just reading Reddit or Twitter, having more real estate is a good thing. Your content looks bigger and better — particularly your photos and videos, which really pop on that large OLED screen.

If you spend a lot of time on your phone, it's worth the extra $100 (to start) to upgrade to the bigger screen on the iPhone XS Max.

2. The iPhone XS Max has better battery life than the standard iPhone XS.

Last year's iPhone X could last about 12 to 13 hours on a single charge.

This year's iPhone XS lasts 30 minutes longer than the iPhone X, so expect 12.5 to 13.5 hours.

But iPhone XS Max has the best battery life of them all: It lasts 90 minutes longer than the iPhone X, so expect 13.5 to 14.5 hours.

3. The iPhone XS Max has a slight edge when it comes to graphics and overall performance compared to the standard iPhone XS.

Both new iPhones feature identical processors — including Apple's new A12 Bionic chip, 6-core CPU, a 4-core GPU, and a next-generation neural engine that's dedicated to machine learning.

But for some reason, the iPhone XS Max performs slightly better than the iPhone XS when it comes to benchmark scores for graphics and overall speed.

Tom’s Guide performed three separate benchmark tests on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max — Geekbench 4, which measures overall speed, and 3DMark Slingshot Extreme and GFX Bench 5, which both measure graphics performance. The iPhone XS Max came out on top in all three tests. (Both phones performed much better in those benchmark tests than last year’s iPhone X.)

• Hailey Baldwin submitted an application to trademark the name, "Hailey Bieber," on October 10, The Blast reported Friday.
• The model filed to register the name for the purposes of a clothing line, according to a document found on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
• Baldwin and Justin Bieber, who met in 2009, confirmed they got engaged in July.

• Since then, neither Baldwin nor Bieber has commented publicly on their marital status.

• However, in September, people speculated that they were secretly married after the couple was reportedly spotted at a New York City courthouse where marriage licenses are issued.

Hailey Baldwin has submitted an application to trademark the name, "Hailey Bieber."

The model filed to register the name for the purposes of a clothing line on October 10, The Blast reported Friday.

According to a document found on the United States Patent and Trademark Office website, the trademark application was filed through Baldwin's company, Rhodedeodato Corp — a combination of the model's middle name, Rhode, and her mother's maiden name, Deodato.

Through her company, Baldwin also submitted applications to trademark her maiden name, "Hailey Baldwin," as well as, "HRB3" — also for the purposes of a clothing line.

Baldwin and Bieber, who met in 2009, have been romantically linked several times — first in 2015, and then again in 2016. In July, one month after they appeared to rekindle their relationship, the pair confirmed they got engaged.

Since then, neither Baldwin nor Bieber has commented publicly on their marital status. However, in September, people speculated that they were secretly married after the couple was reportedly spotted at a New York City courthouse where marriage licenses are issued, according to TMZ.

At the time, an unnamed "religious source" also told People that Baldwin and Bieber were legally married in the courthouse but are planning to have a "big blowout" with friends and family "soon."

On Tuesday, according to Us Weekly, the pair reportedly "simultaneously said yes" when a fan in Los Angeles asked them if they were married. 

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• Mike Vrabel's aggressive play-calling came back to bite him and the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
• After scoring the potential game-tying touchdown late in their game Sunday against the Chargers, the Titans elected to go for a game-winning two-point conversion.
• The Titans had two attempts to win the game thanks to a defensive penalty but threw incompletions on both plays to lose their third straight game.

Mike Vrabel has made a point to be aggressive in his play-calling as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Heading into Sunday, his gutsy calls had worked out alright for the Titans — most notably his decision to go for it on fourth down in overtime against the Eagles back in Week 4, extending a drive that ended with a game-winning touchdown.

But this week with the Titans taking on the Chargers in London, Vrabel's risky decisions caught up with him, and ultimately lost the game.

After trailing for most of the game, Marcus Mariota and the Titans marched 90 yards down the field to score a potential tying touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining in the game. With the score 20-19 with the extra point pending, Vrabel immediately held up two fingers to indicate to his players they'd be going for the win.

The Titans first attempt ended in an incomplete pass, but the team was initially bailed out by a defensive holding penalty that moved the ball up to the one-yard line. Now even closer to the game-winning conversion, the Titans lined up again, but rather than handing the ball off to one-person wrecking crew Derrick Henry to pick up the score, Vrabel elected to pass yet again.

Mariota's pass was tipped and ultimately fell incomplete, sealing the win for the Chargers.

After the game, Vrabel stood by his decision to go for the win.

Vrabel's eagerness to go for the win is certainly understandable — it's a message he's been preaching to his players all season and with the Titans entering the game on a losing streak, could have provided the spark necessary to jumpstart their season.

But when such a move backfires, it's always easy to start second-guessing things — both the decision to pass on the game-tying extra point and the decision to throw for the win when only a yard was needed.

With the loss, the Titans fall to 3-4 on the season, dropping out of pole position in the AFC South.

SEE ALSO: Despite the Chargers' attendance concerns, they may be stuck in Los Angeles for at least 20 years

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At the Met Gala in early May, a surprising new couple showed up on the red carpet: billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk and Canadian musician and producer Grimes.

While Musk has long been known to date successful and high-profile women, the two made a seemingly unlikely pairing. Shortly before they walked the red carpet together, Page Six announced their relationship and explained how they met — over Twitter, thanks to a shared sense of humor and a fascination with artificial intelligence.

Since they made their relationship public in May, the couple has continued to make headlines: Grimes for publicly defending Musk and speaking out about Tesla, and Musk for tweeting that he wants to take Tesla private, sparking an SEC investigation.

But shortly after Musk's run-in with the SEC, Grimes and Musk unfollowed each other on social media, igniting rumors that the pair had broken up. 

Now, it appears that the couple is spending time together again: they were spotted with Musk's five sons at a pumpkin patch in Los Angeles last weekend. 

For those who may still be wondering who Grimes is and how she and Musk ended up together, here's what you need to know about the Canadian singer and producer.

SEE ALSO: How to dress like a tech billionaire for $200 or less

Grimes, whose real name is Claire Boucher, grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She attended a school that specialized in creative arts but didn't focus on music until she started attending McGill University in Montreal.

Source: The Guardian, Fader

A friend persuaded Grimes to sing backing vocals for his band, and she found it incredibly easy to hit all the right notes. She had another friend show her how to use GarageBand and started recording music.

Source: The Guardian

In 2010, Grimes released a cassette-only album called "Geidi Primes." She released her second album, "Halfaxa," later that year and subsequently went on tour with the Swedish singer Lykke Li. Eventually, she dropped out of McGill to focus on music.

Source: The Guardian, Fader

• Prince Harry was recently photographed rehearsing an important speech in front of Meghan Markle.
• Hours before the 2018 Invictus Games began Saturday night, Kensington Palace's official Twitter account shared a candid picture of the duke practicing his speech for the event's opening ceremony.
• In the photo, Harry stands on a stage in front of a nearly-empty audience, save for Markle.
• The duchess can be seen sitting in the first row wearing the same white blazer, black top, black pants, and black heels that she was spotted in later that day.
• On Twitter, royal fans said they loved seeing how supportive the duke and duchess are of each other.

Prince Harry was recently photographed rehearsing an important speech in front of Meghan Markle.

Hours before the 2018 Invictus Games kicked off at Sydney Opera House Saturday night, Kensington Palace's official Twitter account shared a candid picture of the duke practicing his speech for the event's opening ceremony.

In the photo, Harry stands on a stage in front of a nearly-empty audience, save for Markle, who is sitting in the first row wearing the same white blazer, black top, black pants, and black heels that she was spotted in later that day.

On Twitter, royal fans said they loved seeing how supportive the duke and duchess are of each other.

The Invictus Games — an international sporting event for wounded and recovering veterans and active servicepeople — will end with a closing ceremony on October 27. Created by Prince Harry, the games have been held annually since 2014.

The duke and duchess, who kicked off their 16-day autumn royal tour on Tuesday, are set to visit cities in Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand in the coming weeks.

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• Conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly called the international — and bipartisan — uproar over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's alleged murder by Saudi officials a politically motivated "stunt."
• Carlson accused the media and American politicians of selective outrage over the Saudi government's latest human rights violation.

Conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson has repeatedly called the international — and bipartisan — uproar over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's alleged murder by Saudi officials a politically motivated and hypocritical "stunt" by the American "ruling class."

Carlson accused the media and American politicians of selective outrage over the Saudi government's latest human rights violation, pointing out that the regime regularly violates the rights of its own citizens and is currently engaged in a brutal war in Yemen — actions that he said are not condemned by the very same US leaders. Carlson also criticized the mainstream press for supporting US strikes on Syria in 2017 and 2018, which he said were advocated for by the Saudi government. 

"The whole game is people who have no basis for moral superiority sort of impose their moral superiority on you," Carlson said during an appearance at Politicon, a two-day conference of pundits and politicians. "The outrage is so false."

The provocative host said the Saudis' alleged torture and murder of a journalist shouldn't shock anyone — and slammed the "mindless ruling class" for turning Khashoggi's alleged murder into "the most important story in the world." He pointed to media personalities and liberal politicians who have argued that President Donald Trump's attacks on the media encouraged the Saudis to so boldly kill a prominent journalist. 

"Spare us the theatrics now," Carlson said during his Friday night primetime show on Fox News, calling the response "false posturing.""This is a stunt, it's an international incident hyped and manufactured for domestic political goals."

Saudi Arabia said on Friday that Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and a US green card holder, was killed during a fist fight inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have said the official Saudi explanation for the journalist's disappearance isn't credible and that Khashoggi's alleged murder crosses a red line. 

While Carlson has long criticized the Saudi government, he has rarely called out Trump for working so closely with a regime Carlson calls a "a primitive, evil theocracy."

Carlson didn't explain why it benefits some of Trump's biggest Republican boosters in Congress to call Khashoggi's apparent murder an especially grave affront to American values. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and close confidant of the president's, has aggressively pushed the administration to punish the Saudis, telling Fox News that he would "sanction the hell out of them," and that he thinks Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman should be removed from power. 

"We deal with bad people all the time, but this is in our face," said Graham, who is a longtime supporter of the US's close relationship with the Saudi Arabian government. 

Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a critic of the Middle Eastern nation, told Fox News last week that Khashoggi's death is more reason to dramatically rethink the US's relationship with the country. 

"Saudi Arabia is not our friend," Paul said. "This latest episode with killing the journalist is just proof that we need to not be arming them." 

The Kentucky Republican is one of the few in his party who views the oil-rich nation as an adversary, accuses it of sponsoring terrorism, and advocates for the US to stop selling arms to the country's military. 

SEE ALSO: Top Republican slams Trump's 'clampdown' on intelligence about missing journalist Khashoggi and calls on him to take a stand

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The average change in prices paid by consumers over time for goods and services is measured by a figure called the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has tracked the CPI for beer, ale, and other malt beverages since the 1950s. 

According to the Official Data Foundation's Inflation Calculator, the data from the BLS shows that the price of beer in the US was 475.62% higher in 2018 than it was in 1953.

Here's what buying a pack of beer cost the year you were born.

1953: $1.57

Inflation rate: 1.24%

1954: $1.62

Inflation rate: 3.28%

1955: $1.61

Inflation rate: -0.74%

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Fintech hubs — cities where startups, talent, and funding congregate — are proliferating globally in tandem with ongoing disruption in financial services. 

These hubs are all vying to become established fintech centers in their own right, and want to contribute to the broader financial services ecosystem of the future. Their success depends on a variety of factors, including access to funding and talent, as well as the approach of relevant regulators.

This report compiles various fintech snapshots, which together highlight the global spread of fintech, and show where governments and regulatory bodies are shaping the development of national fintech industries. Each provides an overview of the fintech industry in a particular country or state in Asia or Europe, and details what is contributing to, or hindering its further development. We also include notable fintechs in each geography, and discuss what the opportunities or challenges are for that particular domestic industry.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Most countries in Europe have made some formal attempt to foster the development of domestic fintech industries, with Germany and Ireland seeing the best results so far. France, meanwhile, got off to a slow start, but that's starting to change. 
• The Asian fintech scene took off later than in the US or Europe, but it's seen rapid growth lately, particularly in India, China, and Singapore.
• The increasing importance of technology-enabled products and services within the financial services ecosystem means the global fintech industry isn't going anywhere. 
• Fintech hubs will continue to proliferate, with leaders emerging in each region.
• The future fintech landscape will be molded by regulatory bodies — national and international — as they seek to mitigate the risks, and leverage the opportunities, presented by fintech. 

 In full, the report:

• Explores the fintech industry in six countries or states, and identifies individual fintech hubs.
• Highlights successful fintechs in each region.
• Outlines the challenges and opportunities each country or state faces. 
• Gives insight into the future of the global fintech industry. 

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• The new "Halloween" movie made $77.5 million over the weekend, a franchise best and the second-biggest horror movie opening of all time.
• Exhibitor Relations box-office analyst Jeff Bock noted that nostalgia could have been a big factor in the movie's success, as it brings back original "Halloween" star Jamie Lee Curtis and director John Carpenter, who produced and scored the new film.
• It signals a trend that has worked for Hollywood before, and could be applied to future horror movies.

The new "Halloween" movie murdered the box office this weekend with $77.5 million, the biggest opening weekend for a horror movie of the year, the second-biggest opening for a horror movie of all time, and the biggest opening in the "Halloween" franchise.

It was also close to the recent October opening weekend record holder, "Venom," which made $80 million earlier this month.

Needless to say, "Halloween," from film studio Blumhouse, is a hit with audiences. It continues a trend for the horror genre the last two years, which has seen hit after hit, with "Get Out,""It,""A Quiet Place," and most recently "The Nun." But in regards to "Halloween," there may have been bigger forces at play than just the horror factor.

Exhibitor Relations senior box-office analyst Jeff Bock told Business Insider that the "nostalgia factor" helped "Halloween" make big money, and it could signal a Hollywood trend.

"Nostalgia — doing right by franchises and their fanbase — right now is the key to a successful reboot," Bock said. "'Predator' and 'Ghostbusters' didn't do it, and look where they're at ... MIA. 'Halloween's' debut has proven without a shadow of a doubt that the nostalgia factor is a massive component in successfully rebooting a franchise in the current marketplace."

Bock told Business Insider in September, before the release of "The Predator," that the movie would disappoint financially because it missed an opportunity to include the original movie's star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who declined an appearance because the role was too small. Lowballing Schwarzenegger did prove to be a mistake, as the movie failed to generate box-office success. 

"Halloween," meanwhile, brought back familiar franchise star Jamie Lee Curtis and acted as a direct sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 original (Carpenter even returned to produce and score the film). With "The Nun" a box-office smash just a month ago, audiences weren't lacking in horror. But the familiarity of the "Halloween" name with an original star and creator attached helped attract moviegoers.

Nostalgia has helped franchise films win big at the box office before, and two of the biggest movies of the last few years capitalized on that. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" brought back original stars Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher and featured a similar plot to the original movie, not unlike "Halloween.""Jurassic World" completed the promise of Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" by being set at a fully functioning dinosaur theme park.

Disney has also found success in remaking its classic animated films into live-action blockbusters. "Alice in Wonderland,""The Jungle Book," and "Beauty and the Beast" all made over or close to $1 billion worldwide. Nostalgia certainly played a factor there, as adults who grew up with those movies could enjoy them just as well as a new generation could. "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" are expected to arrive in theaters next year. 

The next potential blockbuster that will rely on this strategy is next year's "Terminator" movie from "Deadpool" director Tim Miller. Not only is Schwarzenegger returning, but original star Linda Hamilton is, as well. 

But the horror genre has rarely used nostalgia to its advantage like other genres have. It's something that the last two movies in the "Halloween" franchise, Rob Zombie's 2007 reboot and its 2009 sequel (along with many of the horror remakes of the 2000s) failed to do. The new "Halloween" has already grossed more worldwide than either of those movies did. 

Ridley Scott has attempted to revive his "Alien" franchise in recent years with prequels like "Prometheus" and "Alien: Covenant," but those movies underperformed in the US. "District 9" director Neill Blomkamp was at one point attached to direct an "Alien" movie that would have taken place after "Aliens" and ignored later, disappointing sequels, which is very similar to what the new "Halloween" movie did. That movie was ultimately canceled, but what if original franchise star Sigourney Weaver returned? What would audience enthusiasm look like now if that movie was still on track?

The next "Conjuring" movie, an "Annabelle" sequel, is bringing back "The Conjuring" stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, which may produce a higher box-office take. With the success of "Halloween," it wouldn't be surprising to see future horror movies try to tap into the nostalgia of their respective franchises.

SEE ALSO: The 19 biggest horror movies of all time, ranked by how much money they made at the US box office

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• Kate Middleton's mother Carole Middleton was spotted wearing the same coat the duchess wore in January.
• Carole was photographed in the coat while visiting her daughter Pippa Middleton on Friday.
• The coat is by British retailer Boden and originally retailed for $330.

Kate Middleton is a source of fashion inspiration for many people, and it looks like her own mother turns to the duchess when picking out her outfits. 

Carole Middleton was spotted visiting her youngest daughter and new mom Pippa Middleton at her home in London wearing a coat that's also a part of Kate's royal wardrobe.

The duchess wore the same coat in January 2018 while visiting Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. While Carole paired hers with some black tights, Kate wore her coat over a beige dress.

The coat is from British retailer Boden and originally retailed for $330, though it's currently sold out at the time of this post. It features a ruffled design at the collar, pocket, and sleeves.

Kate is known for her impressive wardrobe of cozy coats, so it only makes sense that Carole would take a few notes from her style playbook.

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