Reseller
Internet of things Tesco Virtual supermarket
Online shopping is nothing new, but this is a little different, launched in South Korea, one company says it's going further, It's testing out a virtual supermarket in a public place.
This virtual supermarket is primarily designed for commuters at Seolleung underground station in Seoul, there's a row of brightly lit billboards along the platform, with hundreds of pictures of food and drink - everything from meat, fruit, milk, eggs to instant noodles and pet food.
All set up by Homeplus, the South Korean affiliate of the United Kingdoms supermarket chain Tesco.
Standing on the platform, a man in his 60s who gives his name as Mr Bae, says it looks to him like an advertisement for a convenience store. But when I explain it's a virtual supermarket that you access with your smartphone, he doesn't seem impressed. He says he doesn't have a smartphone, so it's not for him. But he says, it's a good idea for younger Koreans.
No time to shop
A major South Korean retailer has opened what it appears to be the world's first virtual store geared to smartphone users, with shoppers scanning barcodes of products displayed in a Seoul subway station. Homeplus, the nation’s second largest discount chain, is offering 500 items including food, electronics, office supplies and toiletries at its "store" at Seolleung station in the south of the city of 10 million.
Seven pillars and six platform screen doors have been plastered with images of life-size store shelves filled with goods -- such as bananas, steak, apples, a bag of rice or school equipment, pens paper -- each item has a small barcode. Shoppers download an App on their smartphone and make purchases by taking photos of the barcodes.
"You place an order when you go to work in the morning and can see the items delivered at home when you come home at night," said a spokeswoman for Homeplus.
It gets better this is a version of the IoT ( Internet of things), consumers don’t have to be anywhere near the virtual store. For example, if you want to order replacements of a bottle of water at your office or in your home or even sitting on the train, you don’t have to visit the subway station. You simply scan the bottle’s barcode with the Homeplus app. The products are delivered later to home or office.
IT and enterprise themes will dominate at MWC
Mobile World Congress Analyst Mark Newman gives his Opinion
For the first 30 years of its life, mobile communications felt like a standalone industry with its own technology, services, vendors, and service providers. A select group of telecoms vendors created the technology road-map and vision; a relatively small number of investors and operators captured the most lucrative licenses to build and operate mobile networks; and a few European, US, and Asian vendors controlled the mobile phone sector.
The Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona next week, will highlight just how quickly the technology and services landscape is starting to change. It will mark a further shift in the evolution of mobile communications from a sector in its own right to a service and a capability which other companies in other sectors – banking, enterprise technology and software, and digital media to name just a few – can use to deliver improved services to their own customers.
The hot topics at MWC will come mostly from the world of IT. Cloud, data analytics, and SDN will all feature prominently on the exhibition floor. Enterprise services and applications become a dominant theme. And most of the “future-gazing” on display will be around the Internet of Things.
Top 10 themes for MWC
PC Outlook Remains Cautious, Despite Modest Third Quarter Gains
The rise of Smartphones, Phablets and Tablets in 2014
Worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by -2.7% in 2014, an improvement from the previous forecast of -3.7%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC)Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Although the third quarter results were a few points ahead of forecast with shipments down only -0.5% from the prior year, most regions and market participants saw this as a short-term gain rather than as a sign of stronger growth in the medium- or long-term.
Read more: PC Outlook Remains Cautious, Despite Modest Third Quarter Gains
Panasonic and NetMotion Wireless have partnered
Panasonic and NetMotion Wireless have partnered to improve productivity for enterprise mobile workers by offering better connectivity and security for Toughbook and Toughpad users through NetMotion’s Mobility and Locality software. NetMotion’s software will be available as an option on all Panasonic’s Toughbook and Toughpad tablet devices across Europe under the ProServices solution offerings.
Public IT Cloud Services Spending Will Reach $127 billion in 2018
As the Market Enters a Critical Innovation Stage
Public IT cloud services spending will reach $56.6 billion in 2014 and grow to more than $127 billion in 2018, according to a new forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC). This represents a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8%, which is about six times the rate of growth for the overall IT market. In 2018, public IT cloud services will account for more than half of worldwide software, server, and storage spending growth.
Read more: Public IT Cloud Services Spending Will Reach $127 billion in 2018
IronKey Workspace with Windows To Go is a PC on a Stick
A review of the W700 Windows 8.1 . PC on a stick from a resellers point of view by Robert Bradley
The Bring Your Own Device fashion has created problems and solutions, with both employees and bosses bringing in the latest tech into the office environment, creating head-aches for the IT department. This fashion is also reshaping the way employers equip their workforce.
Read more: IronKey Workspace with Windows To Go is a PC on a Stick
Internet Of Things
Internet Of Things
Connections in your everyday items. It might be in your home it might be in your work place but it will change things. With the use of M2M (machine to machine) connectivity either through telephone SIMs or GPS.
This miniature GPRS Quad-band unit offering connectivity over several interfaces to the outside world. This low power module integrates a powerful 16 bit processor which runs custom applications and a GPRS transceiver which handles the connectivity and provides the embedded world with a powerful cost-effective mobile internet in a small footprint.
MicroSD Cards Pushing Flash Market Forward
The worldwide flash memory market is estimated to have grown 2% in 2014, totalling nearly 1.2 billion units shipped to the aftermarket, according to the latest research from Futuresource Consulting
The study, which excludes SSD, reveals that the volume increases are being generated by continued price drops, with trade value closing the year at $9.8 billion, 2% lower than 2013, with the additional push from the continued growth of traditional uses in telephones and the phablets, most purchases are through resellers and dealers will be at the time of purchase of telephones.
"The MicroSD card segment is the driving force of the worldwide flash aftermarket, growing 11% in 2014 and with continued growth forecast for 2015," says Mats Larsson, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. "Conversely, flash USB pen drives and standard sized cards are in decline."
New Rugged Embedded Computer RE0814
The new RE0814 rugged embedded computer passes IEC and IEEE testing.
The unit and can be panel or rack mounted for harsh environments and critical around the clock operations like power distribution and oil & gas markets.
Crystal Group a specialist American manufacturer of rugged commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) specialises in custom-developed computers, displays, switches, and storage devices, with carbon fibre and aircraft grade aluminum have announced that the company's RE0814 Rugged Embedded Computer has successfully completed and is compliant with IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613 tests for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC).
