The race begins for vending machines in US cabs

It appears that vending machines for cabs may be the next frontier for the market, with both TaxiTreats and New Orleans Carriage Cab developing ways for passengers to buy products on the move.

Vending machines appear to be a platform ripe for new innovation, and Springwise has seen numerous twists on the concept – from beer and wifi dispensers to machines that work only for adults. Now it appears that the next frontier of this market may be vending machines for cabs, with both TaxiTreats and New Orleans Carriage Cab developing ways for passengers to buy products on the move.

The NY Post reports that New York University MBA candidate Brian Shimmerlik has developed the Vengo, a small machine that holds products that will appeal to those out on the town – such as chewing gum, drinks, perfume and perhaps condoms. The first version, which includes a touchscreen user interface and credit card payment machine, was trialled last month in a New York nightclub and Shimmerlik hopes that they could be used not only in taxis, but also in offices and entertainment venues. Having won a USD 17,500 New York City Economic Development Council grant to develop his idea, he has also since raised USD 1 million in private funding to bring the concept to life.
Reports also suggest that the New Orleans Carriage Cab is the first service of its kind to offer soft drinks to its customers, using a similar tablet payment system. Around 40 of the company’s fleet currently have refrigerators installed in the trunk of the vehicle, with cans dispensed behind the back seat. Each machine holds around 36 drinks and the firm are collecting the empty cans for recycling. The concept could provide a head start against competing companies, although the size of the machine may mean that passengers – particularly those traveling to the airport – are not able to use the trunk space for their own luggage.

With continued development, it may be the case that these mobile vending machines come to be standard in taxi cabs, offering passengers goods and refreshments while they travel and boosting revenue for operators. Investors – one to get in on early?

Website: www.taxitreats.com
Contact: info@taxitreats.com
Website: www.neworleanscarriagecab.com
Contact: info@neworleanscarriagecab.com
Spotted by: Lily Dixon

Source : Springwise

3D printing pen that can draw real objects into existence raises over USD 2m on Kickstarter

The 3Doodler aims to bring 3D printing down to the handheld scale, with a pen that uses quick-cooling plastic to create hand-drawn 3D models.

3D printing has long been mooted as the future of manufacturing, offering anybody the ability to create complex DIY items. We’ve already seen some companies preparing for the boom, such as Filabot‘s device for making printing filament out of recycled household plastics. Now the 3Doodler aims to bring 3D printing down to the handheld scale, with a pen that can draw real objects into existence.

The pen has received a lot of press in the past few weeks and it’s hugely successful Kickstarter campaign has come to an end today with a total of USD 2,344,134 raised of an initial target fund of USD 30,000. Operating in a similar way to a glue gun, users first plug it in to heat up the plastic filament inside and press a button on the side to push the liquid material out of the pen. By dragging the device across a space, the pen leaves a trail of plastic that instantly solidifies into a stable structure that retains its shape. Users can draw straight onto paper to create flat forms – peeling the paper off when they’re finished – or draw in the air to make more free-form designs. The pen has useful applications in both creating artworks or 3D sketches on the fly. The creators have also produced a 3D stencil – paper with pre-printed templates that users can draw over with the 3Doodler to make more complicated structures.

The 3Doodler is an example of a business using forward-thinking for an emerging trend, finding a way into the market and future-proofing their concept. Product developers – plenty of inspiration here.

Website: www.the3doodler.com
Contact: www.the3doodler.com/contact
Spotted by: Nameet Potnis

Source : Springwise

La lumière laser devrait bientôt s'étendre à la gestion des flux de véhicules

La télédétection par laser, ou LIDAR, importée d'une utilisation dans le secteur de l'aviation, augmenterait et faciliterait les possibilités de relevés géomatiques.

Autrefois utilisée principalement pour des applications de cartographie aérienne ou géologique, la technologie de télédétection par laser, ou LIDAR, pourrait s'ouvrir à bien plus de domaines de compétences. En effet, il y a maintenant un peu plus d'un an, L'Atelier constatait son utilisation en voiture pour le bénéfice des personnes malvoyantes. Et c'est maintenant un rapport du Transportation Research Broad, dont une publication préliminaire est disponible, qui confirme la tendance de l'application de cette technologie dans le secteur des transports. Le LIDAR permet en effet de récupérer sous forme de données 3D des informations topographiques relatives à un lieu scanné.

De nouvelles applications

Les auteurs du rapport prévoient ainsi de nombreuses applications pour les LIDAR dans le secteur du transport. Entre autres, cette technologie permettrait de planifier des projets mais aussi pour la maintenance des infrastructures en place ou encore la gestion des embouteillages. Toutefois, plusieurs contraintes bloquent encore la démocratisation des laser pour la télédétection. Le manque d'entraînement des experts d'une part, le coût et l'amas de données généré ainsi que sa gestion demeurent des problèmes importants. Enfin, les auteurs ne négligent pas une utilisation touristique des images créées par cette technologie, afin d'améliorer les cartes existantes, et en ce sens similaire dans le principe au Google Street View.

Une technologie mobile

La technologie LIDAR mobile est utilisée depuis près de vingt ans dans l'aviation, avec par exemple des usages militaires. La télédétection par laser fonctionne sur un principe relativement simple. En effet, l'appareil diffuse sur 360° un faisceau lumineux, qui est ensuite renvoyé par la source émettrice par effet de réfraction. Le temps de parcours de la lumière permet alors de calculer rapidement les formes d'un lieu. Les LIDAR mobiles génèrent des informations sous forme de nuage de points, et peuvent récupérer jusqu'à un million de points par seconde. A l'inverse des laser transportés par des avions, un tel dispositif installé sur un véhicule terrestre possède une meilleure définition et, par rapport aux techniques en usage de relevés topographiques, un balayage LIDAR ne prendrait que 10% du temps actuellement compté, pour un coût cependant cinq à dix fois plus cher.

Source: L'Atelier

British Airways launches UnGrounded, an innovation lab to help solve the global talent crunch

British Airways announced today that it is launching a global innovation program called UnGrounded. In a press conference today, the company shared that its first initiative will be focused on developing real solutions that connect the “next generation of talented innovators” to civic and commercial opportunities around the world. The airline has teamed up with the United Nations and the Decide Now Act (DNA).
On June 12, British Airways says that it will invite 100 “inspirational” innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and academics from Silicon Valley to participate in what it’s calling the first “innovation lab in the sky”. On a flight from the US to the UK 30,000 feet in the air, the UnGrounded participants will work to come up with a potential solution to a specific problem that the United Nations is trying to resolve — on this particular flight, the group will address the “misalignment between where science and technology talent is emerging and where opportunities exist in order for them to realize their potential.”
According to Amir Dossal, the Chairman of the Global Partnerships Forum and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the Information Technology Unit (ITU) for the UN:

Our understanding is that the talent crunch is a real issue for companies and organizations in major tech hubs around the world. We need to give people the opportunity to discover and be discovered, to grow skills, provide experience and uncover new ideas globally.

In Silicon Valley, it’s not uncommon for people to hear that startups are in dire need of developers and designers in order to help scale their business. Often they search for talent outside of the US, but even that can be difficult. British Airways and the UN hope that it will be able to maximize exposure of the global talent supply with the needed demand.
The US is also dealing with the issue of technology and immigration, especially with the creation of the “March for Innovation” effort led by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. President Obama earlier this year called for STEM immigration reform during his 2013 State of the Union address. He said:

Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.

Dossal says that through this effort, the UN is interested in helping talent find the right place where they can work and succeed. He cites that Africa has been relatively immune to the economic crisis that has griped the rest of the world, but the belief is that there is growing talent there and the global body would like to help pair them with companies that need it.
British Airways says that in a recent study, from the demand side, 29 percent of respondents said that they could not pursue market opportunities because of lack of talent. 31 percent said that they weren’t innovating effectively and 24 percent became unable to achieve growth forecasts. On the flip side, around the world with global millennial, 82 percent are eager to help change the world while 48 percent have a desire to found their own business.
The UnGrounded group will travel to London to present their approach and solution the challenge at the DNA Summit on June 14, which will be received by the UN Secretary General of the ITU. The DNA Summit is billed as a high-level workshop to connect the best minds in the world.
British Airways says that participants will be chosen based on their “energy, ideas, and experience.”
The program also is supported by Silicon Valley Bank, Stanford University, Rocketspace, Eric Schmidt’s personal investment firm Innovation Endeavors and others. Those in the tech community assisting in the effort include Todd Lutwak of Andreessen Horowitz, Leor Stern of Google, Celestine Johnson of Innovation Endeavors, Duncan Logan of Rocketspace, Gerald Brady of Silicon Valley Banks, Marguerite Gong Hancock of SPRIE, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Rhonda Abrams of The Planning Shop.
➤ UnGrounded

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Source : Thenextweb , Ken Yeung

Start-up : mieux que la Silicon Valley, les eaux internationales

Lancer sa société dans les eaux internationales, tel est le pari de la société Blueseed qui espère créer un incubateur de start-up sur un bateau, au large de San Francisco. Si l'objectif avoué des postulants est de travailler dans un écosystème stimulant, les arguments fiscaux et administratifs ne sont pas loin.

Ce serait l'histoire d'un paquebot géant, à 30 minutes des côtes californiennes. Située dans les eaux internationales, cette île flottante baptisée Blueseed aurait pour vocation d'accueillir des start-up, bien loin donc de toutes contraintes juridiques et fiscales. L'incubateur est censé voir le jour d'ici le deuxième trimestre 2014 mais avant cela, il doit réussir à lever la coquette somme de 27 millions de dollars.

D'après le Los Angeles Times, les initiateurs du projet, Max Marty et Dario Mutabdzija, auraient déjà reçu l'accord de principe de près de 370 start-up, soit 1 200 entrepreneurs provenant en tout de 66 pays. Un quart provient des États-Unis, 10% d'Inde, 6% du Royaume-Uni et 2% de France, soit 8 projets. Parmi leurs motivations, « vivre et travailler dans un environnement pour start-up avec des espaces de travail pensés pour la technologie » arrive dans 55% des cas.

La deuxième motivation est la proximité avec les investisseurs de la Silicon Valley, dans 36% des cas. Vient ensuite la facilité à trouver des talents, qui motive 27% des aspirants. Enfin, un quart loue le côté « cool » et médiatique du projet, autant que ceux qui y voient un avantage réglementaire. Sur ce point, pour les start-up qui resteront plus de six mois, elles devront s'enregistrer auprès de l'État où Blueseed est déclaré : la société envisage les Bahamas ou les Îles Marshall... de quoi apprendre les rudiments de la défiscalisation.

Pour résider sur Blueseed, il en coûtera entre 900 et 2 300 euros de loyer par mois. Un prix que la jeune société met en balance avec le tarif moyen d'un studio à San Francisco, qu'elle évalue à 2 000 dollars. Un simple passeport sera nécessaire pour monter à bord, même si les résidents non américains devront passer par les États-Unis et obtenir un visa B1 (business) ou B2 (touriste), qui n'offrent pas le droit de travailler dans le pays, mais sont plus simples à obtenir qu'un visa de travail.

Source: Clubic.com

New York Is Threatening Silicon Valley's Tech Dominance

West Coast—best coast? Not so, says the thriving New York City start-up scene.
During the past decade, the Big Apple has emerged as a top tech center for new companies and a hotbed for both angel and venture capital funding.

In the last year, 127 start-ups were founded in the city, nearly equal to the combined 131 that launched in San Francisco and Palo Alto, Calif., according to data from SeedTable.com.

Eric Hippeau, a partner at Lerer Ventures, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" he sees a shift from Silicon Valley to New York.

"New York is booming—here to stay as a big tech center," he said. "It's very different than the Valley. I don't think the people in New York are trying to replicate what's going on in the Valley. New York is doing what New York is good at—commerce, media, publishing, enterprise, marketplaces."
Last year, there were 100 deals for private tech companies in the city valued at $8.32 billion, second only to Silicon Valley, according to a recent report from PrivCo.

"It's clearly a testament New York City has arrived as a technology hub, and that we can create private technology companies, and ones worth being acquired," said Sam Hamadeh, PrivCo's chief executive.

He added that New York has become a permanent tech start-up hub, but one with a different sector focus than the Valley.
 "But the old adage that 'if you want to be a true tech entrepreneur, go West'—shown in the Facebook movie "The Social Network," when a young Mark Zuckerberg was told he must move to Silicon Valley for any hope of succeeding—no longer holds true, our data confirms," Hamadeh said. "One can now start a company in New York City, and find top venture capital firms and a thriving tech ecosystem for the first time. New York's tech ecosystem is now built to last."

Brooklyn-born Etsy, a pioneer in the ecommerce space for homemade crafts, exemplifies this trend.
CEO Chad Dickerson said he finds New York's urban environment more compelling. He moved from Berkeley, Calif., in 2008 after working at Yahoo for a few years.
 "I think Silicon Valley is really a one-industry area," he said. "Everyone's working in tech—everyone you speak with, everyone you meet is working in tech in some way. And one of the things I really like about New York that is different is that New York is much more diverse."
This diversity, both occupationally and demographically, has helped him develop his online services and website, he added.

For beauty subscription service Birchbox, it was important to launch in New York because of the city's proximity to the beauty industry as it built its reputation and established itself, said co-founder Katia Beauchamp.
"There was no other city for us to start our business, which is (a) hybrid media, marketing and retail company that started in beauty," she said. "New York is the destination for media, marketing and the majority of beauty companies in the U.S."

Changing Landscape
Since Dickerson's move East, the start-up landscape has changed as both the infrastructure and companies themselves grow in size and scope.
"It doesn't feel as much like New York is trying to be something," he said. "New York is something."
The venture capital scene is also improving in the city, he added.
"One of the things I've noticed is that in the four years I've been here—or almost five—is that nearly every West Coast venture firm now has an office in New York," he said. "And it's not really a satellite office; it's a real office. So where New York is lagging, I think New York is catching up really, really quickly."

As New York's tech scene grows, persuading talent to trek east has gotten easier, said Kellan Elliott-McCrea, Etsy's chief technology officer.
"Five years ago, if you wanted to move people to New York, they had to ask the question, 'Is this career suicide? If I move to New York and I take a job at Etsy, will I be able to get a job (later)? Is there a start-up scene in New York?'" Elliott-McCrea said. "And we've answered that question, and everybody knows about the tech scene in New York. So that piece is easier."
Still, the scarcity of nearby colleges with a heavy tech emphasis poses challenges.
"One of the things that's not quite as well developed in New York is the university system," Dickerson said. "For example, in the Bay Area, you have Berkeley and Stanford as feeder schools, and they're right in the heart of the Bay Area. In New York, we have NYU, but NYU's not really sort of a tech school."
But Dickerson thinks Cornell's upcoming construction of a campus on New York's Roosevelt Island could change this dynamic.

Birchbox's Beauchamp also acknowledged that finding talent poses some challenges.
"The culture in California is more established in fostering start-ups, and it is a bit harder to recruit tech positions and find the engineering talent that California is so abundant with, but we are succeeding nonetheless and are very proud of the tech talent at Birchbox," she said.

Encouraging Development
To foster additional growth in the sector, a number of initiatives have emerged to aid fledgling companies.
Last month, the city government extended its "We are Made in NY" campaign to the tech sector. More than 900 tech start-ups, including Etsy and Birchbox, have signed up to post job postings on the campaign's site.
The program's website provides links to find subsidized office space, apply for funding through NYC Seed, bid on government contracts and seek out up to $400,000 in training grants.

The initiative was launched by the mayor's office of media and entertainment in partnership with New York Tech Meetup, an organization with more than 30,000 members that holds monthly events where companies demonstrate new ideas. Several prominent members of New York's tech scene have debuted at the events, including Foursquare and Tumblr.
Although Hippeau said New York's tech scene still trails Silicon Valley, its growth continues to outpace both Boston and Austin, Texas.
"Will it be bigger than Silicon Valley?" he said. "Should it be bigger than Silicon Valley? I'm not sure that that's the kind of race you want to be in. The fact is, it's transforming the economy of New York and that's the important part."

This story was originally published by CNBC.

Source : Businessinsider.com

The Future of Google (and Tech): Phones and Computers Are Converging

A personnel change suggests Google is setting itself up for the moment when Android (for mobile) and Chrome (for PCs) become one

Sundar Pichai is now Google's top general in the battle for the hearts and minds of consumers of every kind of personal computer. (AP/Jeff Chiu)

Google's master plan for mobile is finally coming into focus.

The latest development: Andy Rubin, who has run the Android mobile operating system since 2004, even before it was acquired by Google, is stepping down. Taking over Android will be Sundar Pichai, currently the head of Google's Chrome web browser and Chrome OS project. And here's where Google shows its hand: Even as he takes on new responsibility for Google's mobile strategy, Pichai will remain in charge of Chrome.
Somewhere in the afterlife, Steve Jobs just yelled, "Boom!"
The distinction between PCs and mobile devices is blurrier than ever, and Google seems to be setting itself up for the moment when Android (for mobile devices) and Chrome (for PCs) become one.
In 2011, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said that Android and Chrome OS would some day fuse. Android currently runs the majority of smartphones in the world, while Chrome OS is Google's successful but still nascent attempt to provide people with an alternative to Windows on their notebook and desktop PCs. Putting a single person in charge of both Android and Chrome at once is rather transparently the fastest way to get both projects headed toward some kind of union.
Schmidt has also said that Chrome OS is for devices with keyboards, and Android is for devices without. But as the world fills with all manner of hybrid beasts--tablets with keyboards, laptops that convert to tablets, smartphones that become tablets, gigantic smartphones and even notebooks designed to run Windows and Android simultaneously--it's apparent that these distinctions are, if not exactly meaningless, then at least increasingly unhelpful. People are having fun with and getting work done on whatever device is at hand. Call them mobile PCs.

THE CHROMEBOOK PIXEL

The baffling, tantalizing Chromebook Pixel.AP/Jeff Chiu

Google recently released the Chromebook Pixel, a high-powered laptop that only runs its own Chrome OS. The operating system is good, but it isn't nearly as capable as Windows or Mac OS X, and its primary talent right now is a great web browsing experience and native integration with Google's cloud services like Gmail and Drive. In other words, it's great for cheap laptops, but Chrome OS simply isn't doing anything taxing enough to warrant all the horsepower and expense of the Chromebook Pixel. Reviewers savaged it accordingly.
But now we see where Google is going with all of this. Like the operating system that runs on Apple's iPhones and iPads, one of the strengths of Android is its enormous library of "native" apps--that is, applications that you download to the device before using. Native applications can do things web-based applications  still can't, like intensive video editing and high-end gaming.
Once Google fuses Android and Chrome OS, Chrome will get the huge library of native applications that it currently lacks, and Android could gain the desktop-like features that make Chrome so useful for getting real work done. Some of these advantages are quite simple: Chrome has true "windowing," which means that the web applications running on it can be run in individual windows instead of browser tabs or, as is common in mobile operating systems, as full-screen apps.

AVOIDING MICROSOFT'S MISTAKES

Valve CEO Gabe Newell called Windows 8 "this giant sadness."AP/Elaine Thompson

If all this sounds familiar, it's because the exact same vision animated Microsoft Windows 8, which puts a mobile and tablet-friendly interface alongside regular old Windows. But most people have found that fusion leads to unacceptable compromise.
Here's the key difference for Google, if Chrome and Android merge: Google does not have to support a huge population of existing users of its desktop operating system. Chrome OS is only four years old, and it wasn't until recently that cheap laptops pre-loaded with Chrome OS made it the least bit mainstream.
Microsoft's strength is also its weakness: Millions of businesses have built applications on top of Windows that Microsoft must support with each successive version of Windows. Google's primarily obligation, on the other hand, is to the hundreds of millions of people who already use Android, a lightweight, stable, constantly improving operating system that is already close to being capable of allowing users to do "real" work with it.
Unburdened by the need for backwards compatibility and empowered by all the lessons tallied so far by the PC industry, Google has the chance to create an operating system that spans all devices and is truly workable--not just a kludge like Windows 8.

ANDROID + CHROME = $$$

With Google selling hardware like its Nexus 7 tablet more or less at cost, the company remains dependent on advertising.AP/Ahn Young-joon

Currently, Google doesn't charge a licensing fee to the companies, like Samsung, that make billions of dollars selling mobile devices that run Android. Google's only way to make money from Android is through the Google Play store, where it sells apps, and so far the Play store is not a material portion of Google's income.
But a fused Android and Chrome OS opens up a number of new potential revenue sources for Google. Foremost among them is simply charging for future Google services. While Gmail might always be free, Google is happy to charge users to store their data. As people move more and more of their lives to the cloud, Google could potentially lock them into life-long subscriptions to its data storage and other services.
Google is already accomplishing this at the enterprise level with the per-user subscriptions to a suite of Google apps.

THE AGE OF CLOUDS
Google's move to fuse Chrome OS and Android is perfectly in line with its identity as an internet company. Chrome OS epitomizes Google's view that no matter what device you pick up, simply logging in should present you with the same experience, no matter what. Google recognizes that what users want isn't control but fluidity.
People want that moment in the movie Avatar, when a character swipes a document from a flat panel monitor onto his tablet computer, so he can carry it around with him as he walks. We live in an age in which, Google Docs and iCloud and Microsoft Office 365 notwithstanding, the dominant method for sharing data between computers, even computers owned by a single person, is still email. What we could have, instead, is a single unified digital life that is abstracted into the cloud. In this world, every device, no matter its size or capabilities, is simply as a window into our online workspace. A world in which all screens are created equal.
Google is trying to realize this vision, but so far its expression--force users into a Chrome OS in which everything is run through the browser--has felt limited. But these are the early days, and the company's larger ambitions have yet to be realized. The only question is, will it be called Chandroid or Androme?

Source : Theatlantic.com

SketchInsight stimule les échanges collaboratifs grâce à un tableau blanc intelligent

Pour animer un peu plus la collaboration entre les employés, le tableau intelligent SketchInsight retranscrit sous forme de graphiques l'ensemble de données rédigées au cours d'une réunion.

Comment faciliter l'exploration de données lors d'une réunion entre collaborateurs ? Plusieurs scientifiques de l'université de Calgary, au Canada, et du Centre de Recherche de Microsoft, ont essayé de pallier les défauts d'une prise de notes sur un tableau. Selon eux, si l'acte d'écrire encourage la créativité et la collaboration, les données mises en avant ne sont jamais que des échantillons incomplets. Pour ce faire, ils ont développé un tableau intelligent, s'apparentant à un simple tableau blanc, qui offre un accès à un set de données, comme un fichier Excel, et qui permet de le manipuler par le contact de la main ou d'un stylo, et de le rendre intelligible sous forme de graphiques.

Un outil au service de la collaboration

Une interaction maximale entre l'homme et la machine est avant tout recherchée avec ce produit. Il suffit à un utilisateur de manier un stylet et de créer sur la tableau des graphiques, qui seront ensuite reconnus par le logiciel intégré au tableau intelligent. En effet, « le système reconnaît automatiquement les éléments du dessin », explique Bongshin Lee, chercheuse chez Microsoft et à la tête de ce projet. Ensuite, « SketchInsight consulte les données, en déduit les informations demandées et les reproduit visuellement sur le tableau. » Il est ainsi possible de retranscrire des données de différentes manières : par des graphiques à barre, des graphiques linéaires ou encore des nuages de points.

Des interactions dépendantes du facteur humain

Il est rapidement apparu au cours de l'étude qui a mené à la création de SketchInsight que les utilisateurs parvenaient rapidement à différencier gestes de la main et gestes du stylet. Ainsi, si l'interface tactile est avant tout utile pour transférer ou déplacer des données d'un geste de la main, l'encre numérique reste nécessaire pour créer un graphique linéaire – tracer l'esquisse d'un L sur le tableau suffit. Ce tableau intelligent possède néanmoins certaines limites. Il ne permet pour l'instant pas d'accéder directement aux données mais uniquement de s'en servir. Par ailleurs, un seul ensemble de données n'est utilisable à la fois et le nombre d'utilisateurs est limité : il est impossible pour plusieurs personnes de s'en servir en même temps.
Source : L'Atelier

Flint libère les paiements mobiles des lecteurs de carte

La plupart des systèmes de paiement mobile nécessitent un lecteur de cartes sécurisé lié à l'application du commerçant. Flint propose aux commerçants un service qui équipe automatiquement leur smartphone d'une application utilisant la caméra comme lecteur de carte sécurisé.

Les lecteurs mobiles de cartes de crédit ont ouvert de nombreuses options aux commerçants, indépendants ou petites entreprises, et sont une option intéressante pour les foires et événements spéciaux. Les freins à l'entrée étaient peu élevés, avec notamment des lecteurs gratuits de Square et de PayPal, mais aujourd'hui, les commerçants n'ont plus besoin d'aucun équipement pour utiliser le service de Flint. L'application utilise la caméra du smartphone du commerçant pour lire le numéro de la carte du client et réalise ensuite toutes les fonctions d'un lecteur point de vente : contrôle de sécurité, montant de la transaction, signature du titulaire et reçu.

Une application qui assure le payement et rentabilise le reçu en vue du marketing social
Flint offre d'autres fonctionnalités à ses utilisateurs, comme un historique du client, une aide au remboursement et le marquage du reçu. L'application envoie le reçu par mail avec des liens que le client peut utiliser pour s'inscrire à un programme de fidélité ou pour partager son achat sur Facebook ou y mettre des commentaires. Le commentaire du client est publié aussi bien sur sa page personnelle que sur la page du magasin ce qui crée de nouvelles opportunités, reconnaissance de la marque ou nouveaux clients. Flint propose des statistiques aussi bien sur l'activité de paiement que sur l'activité sociale et informe les marques sur ce qui plaît le plus aux clients.

Vers toujours plus d’ubiquité
Les freins à l'entrée sont un des facteurs principaux du succès d'une application, d'une start-up ou d'une nouvelle technologie. Flint généralise une technologie omniprésente, innovante dans la simplification. D'autres start-up ont développé des plateformes de paiement par smartphone qui contournent le lecteur de cartes en utilisant la caméra pour scanner, comme par exemple Card.io or Jumio. Mais, avec son utilisation du reçu, Flint propose des programmes de fidélité et de marketing social intégrés comme un élément naturel du processus de paiement. Ceci pourrait constituer pour cette nouvelle start-up un attrait dans l'industrie très concurrentielle des paiements mobiles d'autant plus que les grandes entreprises financières s'efforcent de gagner des parts de marché avant que les plus petites entreprises n'affermissent leur emprise.

Source: L'atelier

From Hungary, foldable electric scooter can be collapsed and carried like a rolling suitcase

Green auto maker Antro has created the Moveo, a lightweight electric scooter that can be collapsed and carried like a rolling suitcase.

Consumers have been familiar with foldable bicycles for a while now thanks to brands such as Brompton. Now, eco-friendly Hungarian automotive firm Antro, has taken the logical next step and has created the Moveo, a lightweight electric scooter that can be collapsed and carried like a rolling suitcase.

The company has spent the last five years refining the prototype, getting the weight down to 25 kilograms and the top speed up to 45 kilometers per hour, with its battery charge able to take it 35 kilometers. The current model has stylish gold carbon-composite bodywork and sleek design, while a full scooter seat has not been sacrificed. When drivers reach their destination, the vehicle can be easily folded and carried around using the extendable handle and caster wheels. When folded, bodywork protects users from the machinery inside and the design means that owners don’t have to look for a parking space or lock up their vehicle. Rather they can carry it with them on alternative modes of transport.

Much like the Hiriko Fold, the Moveo reduces the amount of space vehicles take up on crowded city streets and gives drivers more options when the scooter isn’t in use. Antro hopes to get the Moveo into production early next year and is currently looking for investors. Once it hits the market, consumers are set to pay between USD 3,100 and USD 4,600, according to reports. Could your financial backing help bring this innovation to life?

Website: www.solo-duo.hu
Contact: info@antro.hu
Spotted by: Murray Orange

Source: Springwise

Top 10 QR Code Store examples (by shop2mobi)

Apr

14

2012

In the last couple of months, QR Code Virtual Stores have been popping up all around the world. After the launch of Tesco (Homeplus) Virtual Store in South Korea in 2009, the number of virtual stores is increasing rapidly. We have gathered a number of inspiring examples of QR Code stores from the US, Europe, Asia, UK, Canada, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, South Korea and Sweden. What’s your favorite? Have you already seen a store in your own area? Or are you the first one to start your own QR Code Virtual Store?

#1 Tesco (South Korea)

The mother of all examples is the Tesco (Homeplus) QR Code Store in South Korea. In 2009 Homeplus took over a subway station and created a QR Code virtual store to provide their customers with an ultimate shopping convenience. The QR Code virtual store was branded exactly in the look & feel of the homeplus formula, so people felt like they were inside the homeplus store doing their groceries. By placing the store in a high traffic public transport place, Tesco transformed transit time into valuable shopping time.

Concept	Let the store come to the people
Results	Increase of 76% in customers Increase in revenue of 130% More than 65.000 registered users Weekly revenue after 4 months $ 28.000

#2 Jetshop (Sweden)

From March 12th to March 18th 2012, Stockholm Central was taken over by a QR Code Superstore. About 20local merchants provided the virtual store with their products. The store was visited by roughly 1.5 million people. During this stunt, Jetshop provided the QR Code virtual mall with people who advised on scanning the codes and using their mobile phones to buy from local merchants. One of the conclusions was that some products were far more suitable for QR Code sales than others. The psychological price line was set at around € 150 (~ $ 200).

Concept	Local merchants innovate sales channels
Results	Impulse buying products most succesful (T-Shirts, books, DVD’s and cosmetics) Sharp price barrier of $ 200 Cosmetics and after-pay most succesful

#3 Toys”R”Us (USA)

In December of 2011, Toys”R”Us has presented their young and old customers with a way to bring theirfavorite toys to life using videos. Customers then visited the mobile shop to buy the toys using their smartphones. To make the experience even more extensive, the QR Code campaign was accompanied by publishing QR Codes in the popular toy catalogs and using the Toys”R”Us iPhone and Android apps to unlock certain secret features, loyalty points, rewards and sales driving user experience by using QR Codes.

Concept	Holiday season brings toys to life
Results	30.000+ scans in one month 40 transit stations used Google Wallet integration Cross-channel marketing and catalogs

#4 Ahold/Peapod (USA)

In the beginning of 2012, Ahold (Peapod) simplified grocery shopping for commuters in Philadelphia bygetting their store to their customers. Commuters can now simply scan and buy their groceries while waiting for the train. The average traveling time for a commuter was calculated to be 2.5 hours a week, which let consumers put this otherwise lost time to good use, by doing the inevitable grocery shopping. The QR Code virtual grocery store also gave the online supermarket a chance to open physical stores without having the associated investments.

Concept	Using transit time to do everyday groceries
Results	15% of customers tried and liked the app People are more engaged with the brand Coca Cola, Bounty and P&G partnered up Purchasing virtually gets a $ 20 discount

#5 Well.ca (Canada)

March 2012 saw a big hit for Well.ca, an online health & beauty retailer who launched the first virtual QR Code shop in Toronto, Canada. “Commerce anywhere” lets the consumer buy at the exact moment they have the urge. By bringing the store to the consumer combined with the high awareness of QR Codes and exponential growth of smartphone use, Well.ca disrupts the retail landscape. Well.ca has experienced monthly growth in double digits and plans to set up more virtual stores in cities across Canada and expand into food and pet products.

Concept	Bringing the virtual store to you
Results	More than 100 app downloads in 3 hours 15% sold through mobile device More sold in 1 day than in 1 month 150 of 50.000 products in virtual store

#6 Aliqua/Budnikowsky (Germany)

2011 meant a breakthrough for Aliqua, a shop for natural cosmetics in Germany. In late october they started aQR Code campaign with 55 huge posters throughout Germany in the exact look & feel as their stores. By presenting the products in this manner, Aliqua improved awareness about natural cosmetics and increased the size of the market of natural cosmetics. The posters also demonstrated design potential for virtual QR Code shops by making the wall a piece of art, making it an attractive showcase for other poster shops.

Concept	Expanding the natural cosmetics market
Results	Over 1000 scans in the first few days 55 F and U-bahn stations Exact look and feel template QR Codes lead directly to product pages

#7 Woolworths (Australia)

Woolworths, an Australian chain of supermarkets, combined public transport and grocery shopping by taking online ordering one step further. By launching their first virtual store in Sydney on February 19th 2012, Woolworths capitalized on consumers’ increasing need for convenient and time efficient solutions. The Virtual QR Code supermarket now boosts 120 different products through their poster shop with QR Codes. The 4×1 meter setup was available for two weeks and Woolworths is now looking into expanding their non-brick virtual stores.

Concept	Address the need for convenience
Results	Well aligned multi-channel strategy Increase in downloads Woolworth-app More scans during busy shopping hours Increased number of visitors to shop

#8 Cold Storage (Singapore)

From December 7th to December 20th, visitors of Singapore train stations Bugis and Boon Lay were in for a Christmas treat. Cold Storage, a supermarket chain, launched their Virtual Shopping QR Code Supermarket delivering Christmas products, such as turkey, ham and baby back ribs. In the first version of the virtual supermarket, only Amex credit cards were accepted, but due to preliminary success, Visa and MasterCard were added within the first week. The products were aligned realistically on the high-definition posters.

Concept	Hassle-free and convenient shopping
Results	Two stations, fully taken over All mastercards accepted Products realistically aligned 20 Christmas food items

#9 John Lewis (UK)

Another Christmas present came from John Lewis, a department store based in UK. In December 2011, the retailer featured a QR Code wall in their window, oaffering the ‘Top 30 favourite things for Christmas’. Opening the QR Code virtual store, extended the opening hours of John Lewis to 24/7. Products that are ordered before 7pm, became available for collection from the store from 2pm the next day. This click-and-collect service in the heart of Brighton takes convenience to another level, according to Craig Inglis, Marketing Director.

Concept	24/7 convenience taken to another level
Results	54% increase in use of click-and-collect Over 200 tweets about the store Rolled out to 129 stores throughout UK 96 products on QR Code display

#10 Ocado (UK)

The first UK virtual store, also called Shopping Wall, was installed in London in August 2011 by the online-only groceries shop Ocado. Taking the concept “Window Shopping” to another level, Ocado installed theirShopping Wall with QR Codes in One New Change, the London shopping centre. Without having to invest in brick stores, Ocado simply moves to high traffic locations. Based on the success, Ocado has already opened a second QR Code virtual window in Bristol and is expanding the virtual window shopping concept to other parts of UK.

Concept	Presenting your online products online
Results	Already opened a second shop in Bristol High traffic mall in London Delivered by the time you get home Uses fronts of empty shops in malls

Source : http://www.shop2mobi.com/