I’ve been thinking a lot about the recent announcement of the iPhone 5s and the fingerprint scanner that was included. It was given about 1/3 of the attention for the 5s announcement, but it really is a much bigger deal.

Think about the possibilities of payments with the best authentication on the market - your fingerprint. Apple largely set themselves out of the NFC and mobile payments game by introducing Passbook. Give third parties the ability to handle payments, points and loyalty cards all while not giving in to NFC. When was the last time you used NFC for a payment? What if you lost your phone…with NFC someone could easily just tap your phone to make a payment.

The fingerprint scanner changes everything and Apple is starting small. By weaning users on to making iTunes/App Store payments with their fingers they are slowly training users to a new way to pay with their phone. Who...

Twenty years ago, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” hit the air. Like me, you’re probably feeling old now – sorry about that

As I’m sure we all remember, the show led to a wildly successful franchise. There were books, Halloween costumes, video games, spin off shows, and even a movie. We all loved those teenagers-turned-superheroes, and the show’s enduring popularity has some takeaway lessons for those of us who are building products.

You see, I’ve got a theory about this popular kids’ show that directly applies to products. Bear with me for a minute.

There’s a certain reason why kids – as in, all of us circa two decades ago – loved the Power Rangers so much. The general plotline was something that resonated with youth: A timeless story of good people working to overcome evil. It’s the same reason children are drawn to classic fables and Disney movies: there’s a story that teaches you...