John & Dean have more hot topics and deep dives to get you through the holiday weekend and break the ice at your next team meeting.

• What’s going on with Amazon drones?
• What US cities have the highest rent?
• What cities are most polluted?
• Who are the world’s most sustainable companies?
• What bands put together the best single-show setlist?
• What are the best US states to retire to?
• Starter homes that cost how much?

It’s the episode that’s perfectly happy right where it is.

TEConnecting with us:

Dean - Reasons to love America

John - Record-setting Chinese bridge/tunnel system

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Elo Outdoor Solutions

Intel has been increasingly investing in our channel, but what does their interest in VARs and solution integrators mean? This week, Intel’s VP of Global Distribution & Partner Sales, David Guzzi, shares his insights as someone with experience in the channel. What’s changed, and how is it impacting Intel’s market strategy? What has surprised him about working with VARs? Why partner with Intel, and what do they bring to VARs to help them find and win business?

#VARValue - How is Intel helping drive solutions & outcome-based selling to VARs and integrators with their education programs?

Join Intel's Partner Alliance! https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/partner-alliance/overview.html

TEConnecting with us:

David - How AI is impacting soccer

Dean - Joby Aviation - hydrogen-electric air taxis

John - Using chatbots to combat phone scammers

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Intel/Toshiba TCx-900

7” Elo Pay

The robots are here and moving into the reseller channel, but what does that mean for you? Intel’s Robotics Specialist, Milt Walker, joins the show to share his insights into the market and where there may already be opportunities for VARs willing to add robots to your offerings. What industries and use cases are easy fits for robots? What are some common objections to buying/selling robots? How can VARs turn robotics into recurring revenue and demonstrate ROI for their customers?

#VARValue—Entering the robotics market might not be right for every VAR. What recommendations or checkpoints should they consider to determine if robotics are the right fit for their tech stack, and how does Intel support them?

TEConnecting with us:

Milt - James Webb telescope

Dean - Robots w/living tissue faces?

John - Lego moon bricks

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Intel/Toshiba TCx-900

Elo Quick Ship

We’re talking more about AI with Elo’s Kristin Roubie, this time regarding digital displays and industries deploying the technologies together. How are Kristin & Elo approaching AI at the moment? What are some practical applications she’s seen or expects to grow? How does touch, in particular, amplify the power of AI?

#VARValue - What should VARs and their customers look for in an AI solution to ensure it takes advantage of displays like Elo’s?

TEConnecting with us:

Kristin - Modern building materials

Dean - Dark oxygen

John - Notepad adds spell-check

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Elo I-Series 3

Restaurant and hospitality kitchens are more chaotic than ever, pulled in multiple directions between in-house customers, take-out, delivery apps, and sometimes ghost kitchen responsibilities. This week, Epson’s Tessa Kohl explains their challenges with labor, tackling waste, inefficiencies, and narrow margins, and the role of KDS in a full kitchen technology solution. It’s the episode that’s looking to reduce your cognitive load!

#VARValue - Tell us about TrueOrder, Epson’s new KDS software. How will this help VARs win some business?

TEConnecting with us:

Tessa - The evolution of generative AI

Dean - Limited value of multivitamins

John - NASA Mars mission sim ends

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Epson TrueOrder KDS

Elo 04/54 Interactive Touch Displays

No one thinks about batteries until they run out and need replacement or a charge. Any downtime wastes time and productivity for enterprise operations using handheld computers, scanners, printers, and other mobility devices. This week, GTS’ Rob Cass and Danny Rockett join the pod to explain why battery health is so important, how to stay ahead of problems, and how VARs can generate new revenue with customers still using legacy devices. What are the benefits of custom batteries? What’s rapid disassembly? It’s the episode that needs to find a charger!

#VARValue - For anyone unfamiliar with GTS, give us an overview of your key products and services.

TEConnecting with us:

Danny - Exoskeleton batteries

Rob - Lithium phosphate battery jump

Dean - Nanorobot kills cancer cells

John - NASCAR EV

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Elo Pay 7"

Wow! 200 episodes! We’ve been doing this for a while, and to mark this milestone, we're taking a break from our usual educational discussions to have some fun with another installment of Tech Trivia. It's Dean versus the younger generations, Sarah Schlueter and Sarah Stenger, in a battle of tech knowledge. Plus, as a special bonus, John & Dean finally do more than make a passing reference to the unofficial TEConnect Podcast film, “Minority Report.”

Thank you to our viewers/listeners and sponsors! Elo, Zebra, Intel, Epson, Star, Honeywell, Datalogic, Wasp, MicroTouch, Code by Brady, Toshiba, & LG

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Elo Outdoor Solutions

It’s no secret on this podcast that we believe in full solution-selling as the path forward for VARs, but resellers and integrators have probably been burned a few times by software providers and shifting customer expectations, especially in highly competitive industries like restaurants/hospitality. Is leading with software still worth it? This week, Tonic POS CEO Tyler Young joins us, not just to affirm his belief that it is but to explain why VARs should be more selective than ever about choosing ISV partners…and vice versa. What challenges does “software-first” create? What does an ISV look for in a quality partner? What best practices have Tyler and his team deployed to grow and win? It’s the episode that wants to help everybody win!

#VARValue - What differentiates Tonic POS from other offerings? What can VARs expect when working with you?

TEConnecting with us:

Tyler - Sonos headphones & Boston Robotics

Dean - ALCHEM-E electronic drum kit

John - The Bear, Season 3

Keep in Touch!

Email - TEConnect@bluestarinc.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-star

Submit your topic ideas - https://www.bluestarinc.com/en-us/about-the-company/bluestar-teconnect-podcast

Subscribe to the BlueStar Nation Newsletter - https://nation.bluestarinc.com/#subscribe

Sponsored by:

Elo Quick Ship Program