Nokia Lumia 900: Winner of Best of CES 2012

Learn More

U.S. Says Million-Dollar Italian Supercar, "Not so Fast"

The Pagani Huayra 2012 model will be sold in the US by the end of this year
only if the automaker installs the missing safety feature for its new model:
Advanced safety airbags. Image from DupontRegistry.com

The speed demon prides an impressive 700-horsepower 6.0-liter, V-12 twin engine under its hood. It accelerates from zero to sixty mph in as little as 3 seconds and can reach a top speed of around 230 mph with more than 738 lb-ft of torque. The car has an estimated base price of $1.4 million.

Lately, the Italian automaker Pagani, intends to sell the exotic car with its 2012 models in the US late this year. It applied for an exemption but the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denies the request and blocks the car from sale in the US until a major safety issue with the car has addressed:  No advanced airbags installed in the car.

The 2012 Lamborghini Reventon

Hmmm... that's interesting. If the automaker can produce a million-dollar car with carbon-titanium monocoque chassis, why did it fail to install a basic safety features which costs only a small fraction from its production cost?

It's closest rival, the 2012 Lamborghini Reventon  which will be sold in the US has met and surpassed safety ratings including advanced airbags and all the bells and whistles. If I have the money, why would I invest it into a million-dollar car if I can have all the amenities and prestige in Reventon for the same price?

For now, let's just watch and play the Shift 2 - Unleashed Pagani Huayra videogame until the automaker can fix its safety issue. Shall we?

You may like these:

Shift 2 - Unleashed for PlayStation, X-Box, or PC
Forza Motorsport 3 for X-Box 360
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for Wii, PlayStation, X-Box, and PC

DSE: World's Largest International Tradeshow for Digital Signage

Looking for a world-class digital signage experience for retail? There is no more innovative, and interactive signage show than the Digital Signage Expo. The video above was a recap of last year's event. You may visit the DSE website to get a better feel of what I am referring to.

For next year's event, DSE will be held at the las Vegas Convention Center on March 6-9 2012. To give you an idea for DSE 2012, sponsors of this event will include some of the best names in the industry such as Intel, AMD, Dynasign, BroadSign, Wireless Ronin Technologies, among others.

If you are an exhibitor, digital signage innovator, digital content provider, retail owner, or a visual merchandising executive, and interested in attending DSE 2012, you may request information about how you can attend the next year's expo. Contact Form here.



About DSE
The world's largest international trade show and conference dedicated to digital signage, interactive technology, and Out-of-Home networks. Digital Signage Expo was launched in 2004 and quickly became the #1 event serving the fast-growing digital signage industry, drawing impressive attendance from a wide variety of industry segments, including consumer brands and advertising agencies.

ExpoNation, LLC.
1405 Old Alabama Rd Suite 120
Roswell, GA 30076
Phone: 770-649-0300
Fax: 770-518-0022

Loss Prevention Conference 2011 Unprecedented Success

The 2011 Loss Prevention Conference is over. It was held last week in  Dallas, TX with more than 2,700 attendees coming from the United States and other countries. It was so far the biggest conglomeration of LP professionals since the creation of the conference.

I already had mentioned about this conference in my earlier blog, but I just want to give some highlights and coverage of what happened in this event. Here are some of the big names in the retail sector that attended the conference in random order:

7-Eleven
Amazon.com
American Apparel
Walmart Stores, Inc.
Apple, Inc
Barnes and Nobles, Inc.
Whole Foods
Bartell Drugs
AT&T
Costco
CVS
Fred Meyer
JCPenney
Kohls
Walgreens
TJX Companies
Target, Inc.
Sears
Safeway
Pier 1 Imports
Macy's, etc.

Here's another video presentation by NRF Senior Asset Protection Advisor Joe LaRocca who outlines trends and issues in retail loss prevention:

Go here to view a more complete video presentations of this event.
If you are interested to attend next year's LP conference sponsored by NRF, take a look here.


Related Posts:

• Active Shooting Incidence: The Retail Perspective
• Top 10 Cities Affected by Organized Retail Crime

iHop Serves at Walmart Stores

Imagine those hearty combinations of two medium cooked eggs, crispy bacon strips, soft pork sausages links, hot and fluffy buttermilk pancakes, hash browns combined with hot coffee and a deliciously old-fashioned cholocate cake for desserts in a breakfasts at your favorite iHop restaurant? Hmmm...yummy!

iHop will soon serve breakfast menu at Walmart Stores.

Almost but not quite. Truth of the matter is, iHop for the first time, will enter the retail business by offering frozen breakfast items to 3,000 Walmart Stores nationwide which include French Toast Stuffed Pastries, Omelet Crispers, and Griddle 'n Sausage Wraps. For now, those items can only be purchased from Walmart Stores but DineEquity plans to expand its products to other retailers as well. Currently, the chain has more than 1,500 restaurants in all 50 states, Disrict of Columbia, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

iHop's French Toast Stuffed Pastries will soon be sold at Walmart Stores

So, the next time you go shopping, try to see if these frozen products have been in your local Walmart Store.


Company Information:

• Revenue:                 $349.6 million USD (as of 2006)
• Operating income:    $72.8 million USD (as of 2006)
• Net income:             $44.5 million USD (as if 2006)
• Employees:              32,300 (as of 2007)
• Parent Company:     DineEquity

More iHop Interesting Links:

• Jobs and career opportunities at iHop
• iHop corporate awards and achievements
• iHop has been accused of animal cruelty and food safety by the Humane Society of the United States

Highlights on the 2011 NRF Annual Convention

Here is Terry Lundgren giving the opening remarks at the recently concluded NRF's 100th Annual Convention in New York City. He is the CEO, President and Chairman of Macy's Inc. He was among the speakers for the National Retail Federation's 2011 Convention. The convention was attended by more than 20,000 attendees and represented by more than 80 countries worldwide.

For exhibitors, and innovators, you may register now for next year's convention. Go here for more details.

World's Smallest Wireless Barcode Data Collector

The KDC200 Barcode Data Collector/Scanner. Image courtesy from KoamTac.

Nope. They are not mobile phones nor cigarette lighters, neither digital cameras or remote controllers. They are enterprise-grade barcode data collectors or scanners. Who needs the gigantic, bulky, heavy and outdated barcode data collector when you can use the sleek, zippo lighter-size and Bluetooth-enabled powerful Barcode Scanner?

The barcode data collectors are innovations from Koamtac, a Princeton, New Jersey company that specializes with data collection devices. These devices only weigh just 2 oz and the size of a cigarette lighter making them the world's smallest Bluetooth-enabled barcode data collectors. The KDC barcode scanner can be worn around your neck, carry it in a purse, or simply slide it in your pocket.

The KDC barcode Data Collector fits perferctly into your
palm. Image from CFCompany, Japan

Do not underestimate because of its size. The device is an enterprise solution for virtually any retail, supply chain, or data collection requirements. It tracks packages, couriers, shipments, deliveries, and identify your location worldwide.

It is used in retail stores for quick physical inventory, UPC validation and Scanning. It makes speedy access to patient's medical records, and insurance data. It is used to manage properties, visitor's identifications and scanning of driver's licenses, among others.

The first generation of this product, the KDC100 was introduced in the US in 2008 at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by the Princeton-based company. A year later, the second generation was released with the ability to read 2D barcodes with Bluetooth technology and supports the Honeywell's Adaptus Imaging Technology.

In 2010, the KDC300i was introduced as newer upgrade which supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and can scan any type of barcode symbologies. This time the device gets smaller and weighs only around 1.2 oz. In 2011, Koamtac has released the newest version of the barcode scanner with GPs capability. The company also released new KDC firmware which supports Spec2.1+EDR and HID option which allow the user to toggle the iPhone soft keyboard so that both device works simultaneously.

All KDC line of barcode scanners support all mobile devices such as laptops, desktops, PDA's, Tablets,  Mobile Phones, and Smartphones. It supports virtually any mobile and desktop operating systems which include Google Android, RIM Blackberry, Apple iPhone/iPad iOS, Mac OS, Windows Mobile, all Microsoft Windows operating systems such as Win98/2000/XP/Vista/Windows7/Windows Servers, making it the first barcode collector that supports cross-platform.

Image from KoamTac

Read more enterprise news about KDC Data Collectors

KDC is a registered trademark and property of KoamTac, the innovator of the KDC line of Barcode Data Collectors. KoamTac, Inc. designs, develops, and manufactures barcode data collection devices and barcode scan modules.  Adaptus is a registered trademark and property of Honeywell International Inc; Android is a registered trademark and property of Google Inc; Bluetooth is a registered trademark and property of Bluetooth SIG.


Blackberry is a registered trademark and property of Research in Motion Limited; KDC and KTSync are trademarks of KoamTac Inc.; Mircosoft Windows is a registered trademarks and property of Microsoft Corporation; iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Will Smartphones Replace Your Credit Cards?

A BlackBerry smartphone

Updated January 31, 2011

One of the hottest trends in technology right now, at least in the US (although it has been ongoing in Europe, and some Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea) is the adoption of NFC-enabled chips into smartphones and mobile phones to act as your contactless mobile payment or contactless credit card.

Some of you may have heard rumors about Apple is contemplating to adopting the technology with its latest version of iPhone or iPad by developing the software side that runs NFC which enables these devices as a mobile wallet. Once enabled, your phone can be used at POS as opposed to making online credit payments.

Some even have predicted that NFC payments may surpass contactless cards in 5 years.

An iPhone being used in payment transaction.

NFC, or Near Field Communication is a short range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices between 4 to 10 centimeters in distance. It is an extension of the ISO/IEC 14443 proximity-card standard which runs using radio frequency. An NFC-compliant mobile phone/smartphone can emulate or behave like a contactless card which can communicate to a standard ISO/IEC 14443 smart card reader. In short, you wave your mobile phone/smartphone close to a contactless reader at checkout to pay for your coffee, or shopping items just like how you wave your contactless credit card.

If you can wave your mobile phone to an NFC-enabled card reader then your device is NFC enabled. In the US, there are only few smartphones or mobile phones that do that. Some newer models of Blackberry is NFC-compliant. Newer iPhone models and the Nokia C7 have built-in NFC chips but are not enabled yet. Windows Mobile and the Android based smarphones/mobile phones do not support NFC at this moment.

But here's my take: One of the greatest drawbacks about using your smartphone as medium for payment transaction is the security of your personal information. Recently, the current RF-enabled swipeless credit has been demonstrated hundred of times how easily to skim or hack the information from these credit cards via cheap card readers. Because technology is neutral and it can be utilized by both the criminal and the innocent, no one can ascertain the extent of benefits or harm it can bring.

This Nokia C7-00 is an NFC compliant mobile phone. This and other mobile phones can be available at Amazon
and some retail stores in the US. Image from Nokia.

When your standard credit card is stolen, you can always report immediately to your card issuer and disable it immediately, then request for a replacement. You can always "regain" your previous credit status back at that instant. Besides, credit card replacement is free or at least with few dollars only. But how about an NFC-enabled mobile phone or smartphone (like the picture above), when it is stolen, how much information can be lost?

A loaded smartphone can have tons of information such as but not limited to, your important emails, saved voicemails, your online purchase transactions, your personal data, possibly your bank information, your personal or business activities, important people from your phonebook. Your personal and family pictures that you cherished. Or even your intimate videos with your significant other that you happened to record are also there.

Virtually your life and your identity ARE at risk and even becomes irreparable after it is gone. Therefore the question that must be addressed will be: Are you willing or are you ready to risk these much information in the name of convenience to be used and abused by other people once your smartphone is gone or stolen? Would you?

No doubt, NFC-enabled smartphones are smart alternatives to credit payments and therefore they create more options for shoppers like you and me. But it won't replace the latter even in the next 15 or 20 years. Contactless credit cards will evolve to more sophisticated smartcards but they won't be replaced by mobile phones. I am not saying it is impossible. They are theoretically possible. All I am saying is that it is unlikely to happen. 

There is no question that NFC-enabled smartphones can simplify your life. Their ease of use and the convenience they bring are functionally and economically irresistible. But convenience, or ease of use has always a price to pay. And that price could be the very life you have.

The iNNOVATE 2011 Retail Conference on March Opens For Registration

If you are an exhibitor, an innovator, a retail owner, an IT or marketing professional, and looking for the right place to enhance your experience in retail innovations, or want to engage with big luminaries in the retail business, this conference is best suited for you.

The iNNOVATE 2011 Retail Conference will be held this time at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, CA. on March 8 - 10. A plethora of great speakers will delight all attendees and exhibitors at the conference. Part of this even will be the Racie Awards, which honors the best in retail ads, commercials, digital productions that consumers first enjoyed during the past year. You will also witness the Innovation Zone, the newer version of an EXPO hall where exhibitors will display and demonstrate the latest innovations in the retail business.

Some of the speakers include Lee Applbaum, Executive VP RadioShack Corporation; Van Baker, VP and Research Director for Retail and Manufacturing Industry advisory Services, Gartner, Inc.;  Guy Kawasaki, Founder of Alltop.com

Early registrants for this event are big names in the retail industry such as:

• Amazon Services
• Hotels.com
• RadioShack Corporation
• Best Buy
• JCPenney
• Sony Electronics
• CostPlus
• Kohls
• Toys R Us
• Office Depot
• Overstock.com
• OfficeMax
• Gap, etc.etc.

Did you miss last year's conference? Don't worry, catch up some of the conference's handouts now for free while the files are still available here all in PDF formats. Or, better yet watch some of the video presentations at the last year's conference.

The iNNOVATE Conference is being brought to you by RAMA and Shop.org

Galleria integrates Retail Solutions With RGIS to Offer Optimized Space Services

A Giant Eagle store in Stow, Ohio. One of Galleria's retail customer being optimized using the company's ISO.

Just very recently, Galleria's Intelligent Store Optimization (ISO) converged with RGIS' Smartspace retail space solutions services to provice increased visibility to the store layout in order to "help retailers optimize every square inch of selling space."

Just in case you didn't know, Galleria is a merchandising solutions for Walmart, Tesco, Safeway, Morrisons, among others.  Galleria's ISO provides retailers with 5 main functions which include Automation of Macro Space Allocation, Space Optimization, Space Models, What If analysis, and Opportunity Analysis. RGIS is an inventory provider for the Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

What this partnership tells to retailers is, "I will realign merchandise in your store, make them more visible to your customers to boost sales and revenue." If you've been in the retail business for a while, all these terms on retail optimizations is about intelligent merchandising. Read more about Galleria Retail Technology and RGIS partnership here.

iPad as a POS Device at International CES Tradeshow

This iPad POS system will be showcased at the International CES Tradeshow
in Las Vegas in January 2011. Image from Revel Systems

Your iPad will not only be used as a personal computing gadget, or as a fancy apple of your eye, but also a serious Point of Sale (POS) business solution. This new iPad for retail solution, including thousands of others, will be showcased at the Las Vegas International CES on January 6 - 9 2011.

This iPad POS accepts card swipes for payments with a Bluetooth-enabled barcode scanner. The bundle also includes equipment such as receipt printer, cash drawer, a software license, iPad POS stand, battery backup, among others. It is also capable of accepting payments including Paypal or Google checkout.

The International CES is the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow featuring more than 2700 exhibitors which include companies, manufacturers, innovators, and a prestigious awarding ceremony for most innovative products for 2011. Revel Systems, one of the thousands of exhibitors will showcase the iPad POS at the said event.

If you are an exhibitor, a product innovator, a manufacturer, a business owner, or simply wants to take a look on the future of retail business solutions before they will be introduced to the market, you may register by visiting the International CES website.

More POS systems:

      

• Bestselling POS hardware at Amazon.com
• Bestselling POS software at Amazon.com
  

Missed Black Friday? Go for Cyber Monday

So, did you get what you wanted on Black Friday? Maybe some of you did not bother to proceed to long lines, waited for doors to open, and prepared to get stampede (if your favorite store had one yesterday morning) just to catch the favorite deals on Black Friday. I got mine. The last Xbox 360 Kinect item at a Target store in Seattle just right on time. No, I didn't go there at 5am, not even close. But around 11am when the shopping surge had mostly calmed down.

But just in case you missed the fun on Friday, great deals is NOT over yet. 

Cyber Monday* is yet to come. It is the online equivalent of Black Friday. Five years after the term was introduced, most retailers have extended great shopping experience to those who have missed Black Friday at the comfort of their rooms online. In fact, 9 out of 10 retailers (around 88.2%, almost 16% growth since 2007) will have special promotions on Monday. 

The best things about Cyber monday is that you can do it anytime of the day. No need to fall in long lines and get stampede only to find out that your favorite item has ran out. In Cyber Monday, some deals are even striking lower than those being offered from Black Friday. And most importantly, FREE SHIPPING for most items. Visit online retailers such as Macy's, Walmart, Bestbuy, Target, etc. for great deals on Monday now. Don't miss it.

Bestbuy Cyber Monday Deals

*Cyber Monday, a term coined by Shop.org in 2005, began after retailers noticed a trend of people shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Today, Cyber Monday is viewed as the online equivalent to Black Friday.

Walmart's Biggest Black Friday Sale Ever!

 Walmart's Black Friday 2010 Ads

Walmart promises that this year's Black Friday will have the biggest sale ever, surpassing all deals from previous years. Other retail giants Best Buy, Macy's, Sears, Target, Toys R Us, are also expected to boost sales for this Friday's event. Some local Walmart stores will even open as early as midnight on the onset of Black Friday. So check your local Walmart store out for store opening time.

It has been projected that holiday sales are expected to climb a convincing 2.3%, higher than last year’s 0.4 percent increase. This projection was based on retail sales last month that went up by 1.2%. This year, most of Walmart Black Friday Ads shall consists on electronics, toys, gadgets, furniture, apparel and jewelry.

Don't miss this great opportunity. Happy Shopping!

Ricoh G700SE: The world's first barcode scanning 3rd generation digital camera

Did you know that the first barcode scanning app for a digital camera was developed not for Apple smartphones nor for Google Android neither for Blackberry but for a digital camera called Ricoh?

In 2007, Ricoh-USA has launched a geo camera, pretty much like any rugged digital camera but with one exeption: it has an advanced feature that scan barcodes similar to the way how your iPhone works now. That was Ricoh 500se, the world's first integrated digital camera with a barcode scanner and the first generation of digital camera of its kind. The camera was first introduced in 2007 at electronics and camera retail stores one year prior to the advent of barcode scanning apps available for smartphones. The first successful realtime barcode scanner for the iPhone was Redlaser 2.0 and was developed by Occipital (Now bought by eBay in June) was launched ONLY sometime in May 2009.

The first Ricoh 500SE introduced in 2007. Image from Ricoh USA

When Ricoh 500SE was first introduced, it has impressive features that include among others:

• Built-in mobile GIS mapping software
• a GPS-enabled camera
• Barcode scanning functionality that can read both coded images and barcoded assets
• Bluetooth and WiFi enabled for wireless image transmissions

Now, here comes Ricoh G700SE, the 3rd generation barcode scanning digital camera will be launched either next month or January next year. As a digital camera, I must say that it has more advanced features and benefits if we compare it with the rest of digital cameras in its category that are available in the market. It has better development partners now including Fabsoft Inc., Extraware Inc., PSIGEN Software Inc., GeoSpacial Experts LLC, Laser Technology LLC, among others. If you are looking for a durable, all weather digital camera that works as a barcode scanner too, and met your photography needs or image collection requirements, then Ricoh G700SE should be definitely in your list.

The latest Ricoh G700SE digital camera, on top of the ones I already have mentioned, also include the following additional features:

• Water. Dust. and Shock resistant
• Wireless LAN capability
• Works well with Windows XP and later
• Works with Mac OS X

Digital Camera Selection:

• Bestselling Digital Cameras in Amazon.com
  
• Hot New Releases in Digital Cameras
  
• Ricoh G700SE Digital Camera with Bluetooth and Wireless LAN Support can be pre-ordered thru Amazon.com and soon become available in your favorite electronics retail stores.

More Digital Cameras:

Will Microsoft Scores big with Xbox 360 Kinect?

Image from Xbox.com

Just few days after Microsoft launched Kinect, the motion sensor add-on for Xbox 360 became an instant fame. Microsoft has made a bold prediction that Kinect could sell anywhere from 3 million up to 5 million units before the end of the year. I think that it is reasonable considering the more than 30,000 retail locations selling the system including giants such as Walmart, Target, Bestbuy, and Amazon.com.

How Kinect works

Kinect is a horizontal bar camera sensor that can be installed in front of your flat screen or TV monitor in the same manner how you install a Wii or PlayStation Move Bundle sensors. Kinect can be bundled with Xbox 360 OR as a separate purchase with Kinect Adventures! if you already have the Xbox system.

What makes Kinect differ from other systems such as Wii and PlayStation Move is its radical departure from the traditional controller-based to a hands-free gaming environment.  Kinect is a motion or voice-activated gaming environment where your moves or your voice acts as the interface. No more remote, no more buttons, no more workout pads, no more nunchucks, no more faus steering wheels, or the wand-like controller that you hold in your hands.

To better understand and appreciate this technology, consider watching the following video.

Duration: 6.2 minutes. (Won't take long, I promise)
Source: YouTube videos




The Kinect's camera does two things: it has a motion sensor which generates a moving 3 dimensional image of objects within its view and recognize human beings from those objects. There is no need for external controlers since the camera can accurately measures the "depth" or how far away your body movements (or coordinates), including head, torso, legs, arms at. Then the sensor chip processes those information in the near IR light making it a remote control-less gaming environment.

What makes the gadget more enviable is its ability to accept voice prompts from the user with its built in voice-activated functionalities. In fact, due to the great potential applications of the Kinect's software such as in robotics, educational research, and open source applications, a website is currently offering $3000 to anybody who could reverse engineer er... hack the drivers built into the Kinect system.

Now, Kinect systems  rank 8th and 9th in Amazon under videogame category.

Microsoft's product launches compared
I am not promoting Kinect system here, although I have been an Xbox user for couple of years now. The product looks very promising based on the avalanche of good reviews it earned for the last 7 days. In fact, I intend to buy one for my family this Christmas. But until I can personally test the new gadget myself, only then can I make an objective review of the company's latest product launch.

Remember 5 months ago when Apple launched iPhone 4 in June? The company took only 3 days  to reached 1.7 million unit sales and it was touted  as the most successful product launch in Apple's history. You can also read the story from here. Although it maybe unfair to compare between an entertainment phone with a gaming device, the question remains to be answered: Can Microsoft duplicate Apple's feat? Both companies are giants in spearheading great ideas in personal electronics where consumers like you and me shall judge which technology can better address our needs.

As most of us knew, Microsoft has been unsuccessful in product launches in the last 6 years. It failed with Zune. Then there was Windows Vista, a transitional fossil from Windows XP and Windows 7. And the belated launching of Windows Mobile 7 to an already saturated mobile systems world. But if Microsoft succeeds this time with Kinect, then the company remains a force to reckon in small electronics ingenuity at par with Apple, Sony, and Nintendo. And if that happens, maybe we can expect Steve Ballmer and his investors dance one more time with gusto.

For now, let's keep our fingers crossed and wait for results.


You may also like:

• Read in details how Kinect works from the company that develops it.
• Did somebody hack the Kinect system yet?