POS Software Point of Sale Software Hardware GPS Security Camera
Bar Code


Industry News - DECember 7th 2014

 

RETAIL AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Red Robin Deploys Wait List App for iPad

Red Robin International, Inc. has successfully integrated the NoshList Firespotter Labs waitlist app for iPad, into all restaurants nationwide. A fully featured restaurant waitlist and guest management solution available for free at www.noshlist.com, NoshList makes it easy for restaurants to efficiently manage their waitlist and elevate the guest experience. NoshList notifies diners via unlimited free text messaging and automated phone call alerts that their tables are ready, replacing paper lists, microphones and alert buzzers. 
 
Red Robin International, Inc. currently operates more than 330 company-owned Red Robin restaurants and chose NoshList based on its industry-leading proprietary telephony technology. Similar to other multi-unit restaurants, Red Robin traditionally used pen-and-paper waitlists and microphone systems to address diners waiting to be seated. Prior to using NoshList, the casual dining chain experienced significant surges in both the front and back of house relative to guest flow during peak times. In February, Red Robin deployed NoshList to 50 locations quickly rolling out to the remaining company-owned restaurants within 60 days due to the remarkable results.
 
Red Robin also selected NoshList as its preferred front-of-house, guest management technology platform because of its simple and intuitive interface, which allows restaurants to implement quickly. The ability for restaurant operators to implement and train staff within minutes minimizes the resources that restaurants typically have to allocate to the introduction of a new piece of technology. Restaurants are better equipped to forecast expenses without worry of increases relative to changes in diner traffic.
 
Understanding that deployment of technology for multi-unit restaurants is no easy feat, NoshList, through a partnership with iPadEnclosures.com, has designed a "push-button" distribution strategy that can provide restaurants with up to 500 fully provisioned iPads within 7 days.
 
NoshList provides restaurants unlimited text and call notifications for alerting parties when their tables are ready. Both NoshList, a free version of the application, and NoshList Premium, priced at the flat fee of $49 per month, can be downloaded from www.noshlist.com.


Hotels Providing Mobile Devices in Common Areas Becomes Common Practice

More hotels have been looking to implement mobile devices into guest rooms to appeal to the tech-savvy guest. SLS Hotel, a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based sbe Entertainment, is a prime example of a hospitality organization taking customer experience to the next level using mobile technology in their South Beach and Beverly Hills locations. The company is also planning to take that same experience nationwide as they expand to the New York and Las Vegas markets.

As a boutique, 140-room hotel looking to provide an immersive guest experience, the SLS Hotel South Beach hotelier decided to place an iPad in each room and feature their internal application, which could be used to change TV stations, place wake-up calls, and order room service.
 
Now hotels are moving beyond merely deploying this tech in guestrooms and the focus is also turning to lobbies and other public spaces. USA Today recently ran a story by Barbara Delollis that lists a number of hotels that have enjoyed success with iPad rollouts in common areas.
 
Read the full story here.


AT&T Launches Enhanced PTT

Tough phones and instant communications – that’s a powerful combination. AT&T today announced that its Enhanced Push-to-Talk (PTT) service is available for businesses and organizations of all sizes. With Enhanced PTT, AT&T customers can communicate faster, to larger talk groups, and across more types of handsets than ever before.
 
AT&T Enhanced PTT is designed for 4G LTE from the get-go, while others are still deploying push-to-talk services on legacy CDMA and iDEN networks. 
AT&T’s device lineup for Enhanced PTT provides the right device for the job – for every type of worker and every type of communication. Some of the newest devices in the line-up include:
 
Samsung Rugby® III: Starting soon, organizations can pick up the Samsung Rugby III for free with a two-year AT&T Enhanced PTT services agreement. The Rugby III is a rugged flip phone that features a 2.4-inch QVGA display and a 3 megapixel camera. It includes a dedicated PTT button on the phone for easy access, is built to military specifications (810G specifications) and is waterproof, dust proof and shock resistant.
 
In addition, AT&T offers Enhanced PTT on the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, an Android smartphone that is built to military specifications (810G specifications) and comes with full device encryption and corporate email support. Organizations using Enhanced PTT can also choose the Samsung Galaxy S III or Samsung Galaxy SII Skyrocket and download the Enhanced PTT service onto those devices.
 
Sonim® XP5560 BOLT: AT&T is also working with Sonim Technologies to offer the Sonim® XP5560 BOLT. This ultra-rugged device comes with a comprehensive 3-year warranty and will cost $199 for Enhanced PTT customers. The Sonim® XP5560 BOLT features a dedicated PTT button and can stand up to many challenges, including drops from more than six feet onto concrete and submersion in water for 30 minutes. Businesses that operate in the most extreme environments will be able to count on the Sonim® XP5560 BOLT with AT&T Enhanced PTT to keep employees in touch.
 
In addition, AT&T Enhanced PTT runs on both the BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 and BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900. AT&T is offering several of these devices for free through AT&T Business Solutions with an AT&T Enhanced PTT two-year contract.
 
Key features of AT&T Enhanced PTT include:

  • Larger contact lists and talk groups than competitive PTT solutions
  • Ability to combine PTT services and mobile applications, with help from AT&T’s team of mobility consulting and integration experts
  • Supervisory override and talk group scanning, features that were previously available only for two-way radio users
  • Sub-second call setup
  • Priority Dispatch Inc., a leader in delivery and logistics services across the Midwest, signed up for AT&T Enhanced PTT through the early access program.  

LG First To Launch Next Google TV Update

LG Electronics (LG) is the first manufacturer to offer its consumers the newest version of Google TV.  The 2014 LG Smart TV with Google TV™ (G2 Series) models now combine intelligent voice and greater search functionality with LG G2 Series' L9 dual-core chipset and user-friendly interface to make content discovery faster and easier.  
 
With Google TV's new features, consumers gain the added benefit of intelligent voice technology and more search functionality to easily find what they want to watch, listen or play. Voice Search is available through a convenient button and microphone on LG's Magic Remote.
 
Google TV PrimeTime (previously the TV & Movies app) offers LG G2 Series users a choice of more than 100,000 movies and TV shows available on live TV, Netflix, Amazon, HBO GO and other on demand channels*. PrimeTime searches through an extensive content library to find almost any show or movie with the option of viewing it on live broadcast TV, through an on demand application or a website. A quick guide has been added to allow consumers to scroll through favorite TV channels and movies while watching content on the larger screen.
 
Google TV now also includes a feature that automatically pairs consumers' smartphones to LG G2 TVs via Wi-Fi®.  This allows consumers to instantly play a YouTube video from their Android smartphones or tablets on their LG G2 TVs. The performance of YouTube is further enhanced by LG's dual-core processor, its L9 chipset, based on the ARM architecture with a quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU). This chipset offers ultra-fast processing speeds, allowing consumers to quickly access and watch YouTube videos on LG G2 Series TVs with little upload and lag time.
 
The L9 chipset also provides the power needed for LG's four-mode Magic Remote with QWERTY keyboard. Leveraging the power of LG's Magic Remote voice recognition, a more intelligent search engine has been added in this Google TV update so that broadcast TV or Internet content can be found with only one vocal command.
 
The LG G2 Series features LG's CINEMA 3D technology to deliver 3D with virtually no cross-talk and battery-free, shutter-free and lightweight glasses. In addition, G2 Series consumers gain access to the OnLive® application, which turns G2 TVs into a powerful on demand gaming platform by making hundreds of premium video games available instantly without a console. Games can be demoed free and purchased, or rented a la carte. Players also can subscribe to the OnLive PlayPack for unlimited play of more than 200 games, with more titles added monthly. To view OnLive's game catalogue go to onlive.com/games/featuredgames.
 
The G2 series LG Smart TVs with Google TV are available in 47- and 55-inch class sizes (47.0-inch and 54.6-inch diagonal respectively) at $1,699.99 and $2,299.99 respectively. The Google TV update will be available to existing G2 TV customers beginning Nov, 15 through an automatic software update to the TV. For more information, go to LGusa.com/G2.
*Internet connection & certain subscriptions required and sold separately. Content and services vary by product and are subject to change without notice.
*For a small percentage of the population, the viewing of stereoscopic 3D video may cause discomfort such as dizziness or nausea. If you experience any of these symptoms, discontinue using the 3D functionality and contact your health care provider.
 

 

More Technology News
 

 


News Archives

[ [ Home ] . [ POS Hardware ] . [ POS Software ]. [ Security & ID]. . [ News ]. [ About Us ] . [ Clients ] . ]