Starbucks iOS App Puts Loyalty First With New Rewards Features
Starbucks yesterday announced a new version of its iOS app, featuring an overhauled design that aims to offer a more personalized experience for its customers and highlight the benefits of its loyalty program.
A new homepage for the app puts the company’s Stars rewards front and center, enabling users to keep track of how many stars they’ve accrued and redeem them more easily.
Collected stars are displayed via an interactive Stars screen that shows customers how close they are to their next reward and allows them to use their finger as a “magnet” to create their own constellations.
The new homepage also keeps users regularly updated with personalized offers and displays live music track information highlighting what’s “Now Playing” in Starbucks stores.
The update introduces the option for members to redeem rewards and offers through its Mobile Order & Pay platform, which was introduced in the United States in September 2015. Members were unable to redeem rewards through the app until now.
However, stars are now earned by how much customers spend in stores, rather than how often they make purchases. The change translates to two stars for every dollar spent, instead of one star per visit, which means customers will have to spend $63 more to qualify for a free reward.
Reward program tiers have also been reduced from three to two in the new scheme, meaning customers must earn more stars than previously in order to go up a tier.
Starbucks says its app is used by 17 million people and Rewards members can expect more features soon, including the ability to earn Stars outside of Starbucks.
Starbucks is a free download from the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
Tag: Starbucks
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JINS smartglasses swap fitness advice for meditation guidance
In a bid to get you focusing at work or chilling out at lunch break or at home, Japan-based JINS has announced a trio of new companion apps for its Meme smartglasses. The focus isn’t on posture or workouts this time, but literally focus — by monitoring your eyes. It’s the same glasses we’ve been using at the gym, but this time the apps tap into the high-tech sensors found on the nose bridge. Specifically, three-point electrooculography (EOG) sensors that can detect minute electromagnetic changes from your eyes, detecting when you blink without any cameras involved. The company quotes scientific research that shows that frequency and intensity of our blinks represent whether we’re concentrating or not, and they’ve fashioned three different apps around that metric — as well as keeping a strict eye on your posture. No slouching.
Office acts like a hub for the new additions, but also lets you monitor your concentration levels real-time. (Yes, you have to be wearing the Meme glasses.) Your metrics are divided into ‘mental’, ‘heart’, and ‘body’ scores, with the app offering rolling advice on your condition, mentioning that the blue light of the PC might be tiring your eyes, for example. You choose a time period, and it’ll monitor you for that long, even sharing how long it thinks you were concentrating highly for. (Say three out of five minutes.) After some brief testing, it seemed to do the trick: it’s like a high-functioning wearable pomodora timer.
The end results are shared, and then you can move into other apps to improve your score. The core app for improving your posture, or the new Zen app for recovering if you’re burnt out from all that concentrating prior. Zen is aimed at getting you familiar with the process of zen meditation, and while you’ll need the phone (and some headphones), it’s set up so that you can do it pretty much anywhere: from office desk to during your daily train commute. You pick a time, and chose from either an attention-focusing exercise, or creativity boosting one. (We’re sure mileage will vary here, so we’ll be testing these further.)
Then, there’s Walk. This is a gentler reimagining of the company’s Run app, but (obviously) slower. It monitors your walking gait as well as your fatigue levels. We’re not sure if you need an app to tell you to clear your head with a walk outside, but the app will at least ensure you’re not dragging your feet and walking properly, like your imaginary British nanny told you to. We’re currently wearing the smartglasses, simultaneously / pointlessly trying to both meditate and focus — we’ll give you our verdict later.
Source: JINS Meme (Japanese)
New Immersive VR and 360 Video Editing Tools Coming to Adobe Creative Cloud This Summer
Adobe has announced major updates to Premiere Pro CC and its other video apps, with VR workflows spearheading a new focus on immersive VR and 360 video experiences.
Set for an “early summer” release, the CC platform updates bring new VR capabilities to Adobe’s flagship video editor, in the form of a “field of view” mode that allows editors to work with imported spherical stitched video and see what a viewer would see when looking in a given direction.
The new mode will allow users to dynamically switch between monoscopic, stereoscopic and anaglyph frame layouts, freely reposition the viewing angle across 360 degrees while editing, and export video with VR tags so that video players like YouTube automatically recognize it.
Adobe also announced a new workflow that enables editors to begin editing during “ingest” while importing video and audio in the background, as well as new proxy workflows for working with high resolution formats including 8K, HDR and HFR media.
Additionally, Adobe is expanding Premier Pro’s Lumetri color correction toolkit, which should give editors finer control when isolating and adjusting specific colors using HSL secondaries. New navigational keyboard shortcuts, an added Twitter export option, and extra captioning and titling features are also part of the forthcoming update.
Many other apps in Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite are also set to benefit from the new release. Other feature highlights coming to Adobe CC include:
Media Encoder: A clearer media browser panel is coming to Adobe’s standalone encoding app, as well as support for Audition and Character Animator apps.
After Effects CC: The motion graphics and special effects editor is being given a new audio and video preview engine for smoother playback for cached frames, new GPU-accelerated Gaussian Blur and Lumetri Color effects for faster rendering, and new 3D media export options.
Audition CC: A new Essential Sound panel boasts simpler sound mixing and preset saving, while a quick export option lets editors send video projects with finished audio directly to Adobe Media Encoder.
Character Animator CC: A new puppet tag panel enables users to apply multiple motion trigger behaviors to video, track puppets in the field of view and quickly switch between facial profiles.
Adobe Stock CC: Tighter integration with Adobe’s suite of apps and a new filtered and tagged search system for quick access to over 50 million images and video clips from within Premiere Pro and After Effects.
The new features were announced by Adobe ahead of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show next week, where it will be previewing the updates to Creative Cloud, which are expected to be made available to subscribers in the coming months.
Adobe offers subscriptions to Creative Cloud for $49.99 a month, while non-subscribers have the option of a free 30-day trial. More information about Adobe video apps and Creative Cloud is available on Adobe’s website.
Tag: Adobe Creative Cloud
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Ford Focus (2016) review: Unlearn everything
It’s difficult to ignore the Ford Focus. With an impressive 83,816 of them sold in the UK in 2015, it’s also difficult to drive anywhere without seeing one.
So this might be the UK’s best selling hatch, edging out the Golf marginally, but there’s no escaping the fact Ford has something of an image problem here in Blighty. The company knows it too if the most recent “Unlearn” marketing campaign is anything to go by.
We’re always game for a re-education, so we slipped into the driving seat of the Ford Focus Black Edition. True to form, the Focus left its mark.
Ford Focus review: Special edition design
The Ford Focus Black Edition isn’t a regular Focus, it’s a special edition. Following similar colour theme specials on the Fiesta, the bigger Ford now has its chance, with Black and Red special edition models on offer. It’s a Ford Focus Zetec S underneath that paint job, but rolling out here in Shadow Black, with a red roof, wing mirrors, grille surround and detailing around the nose and tail.
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It’s a colour combination that turns heads, as many of the Ford Focus cars out on the roads are a safe silver-grey. Rear privacy glass adds to the gangster looks, and sitting at traffic lights, there were plenty of admiring glances – something that a regular Ford Focus won’t always get.
Red brake callipers sitting behind the 17-inch black alloy wheels adding to the hot hatch looks, although the Black Edition doesn’t go the whole hog and give you the bigger grille of the Focus ST, or the dual rear pipes. The new family grille is more reminiscent of Aston Martin than Dagenham’s finest, and now runs throughout the range, relieving the Focus of the slightly slitted front opening it previously wore. Over time, the Focus appears to have opened its mouth and squinted its eyes, getting more and more angry. The Style and Zetec are the least angry, the Focus RS, definitely the most.
Importantly, however, you can’t spec-up a cheaper model Focus to look like this. You can opt for the Shadow Black paint job, but you can’t get all the other options, meaning these special editions remain just that. Whether that justifies the asking price, which in the case of the Black Edition sees it at some £2,000 more than the Zetec S, perhaps remains open to question.
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Ford Focus review: Interior comforts
The Black Edition finds itself with added red stitching on its seats, mats and around the leather steering wheel and handbrake, which add to the details. That’s paired with sports pedals and sporty seats that give some support in those faster corners – but leather isn’t an option, so you’re limited to fabric seats only.
Those seats are comfortable, however, and generally speaking we think Ford makes great seats regardless of the finish you choose. It’s difficult to ignore that for the a similar price you could have a Titanium X with partial leather seats, so choosing your Focus model might pose something of a challenge.
The Focus interior is surprisingly spacious, however. There’s plenty of room in the backseats for the passengers and the rear seats don’t squash you in, so you’ll get a couple of adults in the back if you need to. That’s paired with a boot capacity of 316-litres which isn’t the biggest in its class (it’s smaller than the Golf), so might be a practical consideration for those wanting to load-up the car for longer journeys.
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The Focus mostly uses soft-touch plastic for the dash and we like that the driver’s display cowl has ridges to match those of the bonnet, bringing a little exterior design to the interior. Most of the facing surfaces are matte plastic and this saves from the fingerprint smears that glossy finishes suffer.
It’s not the plushest interior out there – the likes of Mini is more creative and Audi is higher quality – but things are logically placed for the most part. The driving controls fall nicely under the fingers, with plenty on the steering wheel to enable you keep, um, focus on the road and a switch gear that’s positive enough.
The climate control is easy enough to use and there’s an array of controls for the infotainment system, although much is pushed to the central Ford Sync touch display. Here, big clear dials are conventional, with a central digital area to convey a little more information to the driver and letting you loop though things like your averages and so on.
Ford Focus review: Technology treats
Ford has been making a lot of noise about Sync recently and our review model came with Ford Sync2 DAB Navigation – an upgraded option that’ll cost you £300. Everything is centred around that 8-inch touch display, which breaks down into four major sections: phone, entertainment, navigation and settings.
These big sections make navigation pretty easy to touch your way into the segment you want and means you don’t need corresponding buttons for each around the dash, which most rivals still carry. There are convenience features aplenty, as right from the home screen you can see where you are, what you’re listening to, as well as being able to punch the do not disturb button for your phone.
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That last option might be appealing, because once connected to a compatible device (we used the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge) you’ll find that that Sync is ready to handle your calls, as well as read your messages out loud, if you want it to. It’s a pretty comprehensive system and we like that it extends to compatible apps too. For example, when connected via Bluetooth, Sync is happy to handle Spotify via the phone with no fuss, giving track information, as well as controls (something that doesn’t always happen with Apple CarPlay at this point in time – not that Ford offers it.)
There are a range of input options for connecting different media types, as well as a handy USB connection in the centre console, and a place to stash your phone, which is all very convenient.
There’s a leaning toward voice control, but we found this to be more frustrating than useful. Voice control systems are a little hit-and-miss in cars, and something you definitely learn over time, but we found that trying to control the navigation system via voice was difficult. As with many in-car navigation systems, they make for a tidy interior, but often struggle to compete with something like TomTom, which we’ve generally found makes for the better navigation solution.
The Black Edition we tested was also equipped with reverse parking sensors, handy for those who might not know how small a space they can squeeze the Focus into. However, with good visibility all round, we’ve found that the Focus is pretty easy to park. There’s the option for a rear view camera too (£250), if you’re still struggling.
There are a few additional tech packages, including things like cruise control, although you don’t get the full run of options that you do on the other models, such as adaptive cruise control or active parking. The idea of this special edition is to give you a good spec for the money, rather than lots of options.
Push-to-start is standard, meaning you can leave the key in your pocket during driving, although you’ll need to get it out to lock and unlock the doors. Automatic folding mirrors add a premium highlight, as well as tucking them out of the way so they’re less likely to be hit by passing traffic when you’re parked on the street.
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Ford Focus review: Behind the wheel, ahead of the curve
The thing that perhaps takes people by surprise, no matter how many times it’s written down, is that the handling of the Ford Focus is very good. This has been true for a number of generations and remains true of the current model – from the very basic, through to the racing models at the top of the ladder.
Based on the Zetec S, this special edition is a little sportier than the basic spec, with firmer sports suspension. On the road handling and cornering feels dynamic, so if you like to throw the car into corners hard you’ll find it responds well, with little body roll. The slightly stiffer suspension doesn’t give a ride that’s too harsh and we found it handled suburban speed bumps nicely for a comfortable ride, neither too jarring nor too wallowing. The steering is light, though, getting heavier with speed, although we feel things are a little too light and it could do with being a little weightier for a more connected feeling.
The Focus is also pretty quiet. Its 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine under the hood isn’t noisy and that gives a surprisingly sophisticated feeling inside the cabin. The interior might not be the most plush, but you’re not sitting in a noisy cabin either. That engine is paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox, with a clutch that’s light and forgiving to drive. For those wanting an easy drive, the Focus certainly delivers it: it’s a car that’s easy to live with day-to-day, yet fun to drive.
With 182bhp, this particular Focus model is lively, without jumping to the exhilaration of the ST, which is only a few hundred pounds more in price. However, with this EcoBoost engine you’re looking at 8.5-seconds to hit 62mph, so it isn’t an especially speedy car. There’s plenty of power for a fun and responsive drive around urban areas, but there’s a lack of grunt once you’re up to higher speeds: put your foot down when travelling at speed on the motorway and it takes a little time to get you going while working the engine hard. There’s a 2-litre diesel option, if that’s you’re preference.
The engine sounds its most fun with a lively purr when you’re up around the 3,000rpm mark and sitting above the turbo, but that’s a reward you only really get when faced with an open road, or pulling onto the motorway. The return is entirely reasonable fuel economy that we found stayed on the top side of 40mpg, without us really trying to drive economically.
Verdict
The Ford Focus’ success brings with it a label that it’s common. There are Focus models on the road everywhere you look. But for those looking for a new hatchback, to not consider the Ford Focus is to deny yourself one of the top cars on the road in this class.
This Black Edition is a well specified model with distinctive looks, so while there’s a growing number of STs out there for the racers, and plenty of other regular models, if you want to stand out then you’re rewarded aplenty with this special edition.
However, for those looking for pure value for money, the proximity in pricing to the Titanium or ST1 models makes this special edition feel as though it’s perhaps a few thousand pounds more expensive than it should be. Being expensive poses something of a challenge, because there’s the VW Golf, Mini and Audi A3 waiting in the wings to tempt you away from your money. That said, oping for the pure Zetec S model gives you much the same car with more available options for less money.
The Ford Focus continues to be one of the most compelling five-door hatches on the road and maybe Ford is right. Maybe it is time to unlearn what many think about the Focus. Instead of seeing it as a “common” car, let’s take it on its strengths instead. Of which there are many.
What is Ultra HD Premium and why does it matter? The 4K HDR badge explained
The home cinema and entertainment technology industry sure loves a badge or two. Kit from TVs and Blu-ray players, to amplifiers and speakers all seem to be run through a certification process to give you an idea that they will perform in given circumstances. Even some content can be stamped with specific approval.
Ultra HD Premium is one of the newest you’ll need to look out for.
Panasonic recently revealed that its DX902 4K TV will carry the badge. And its UB900 Blu-ray player, now available in the UK, is the first device other than a television to get the stamp of approval. But what does it mean?
Are Ultra HD Premium products better than other 4K devices? And what about the content? Let us explain more…
What is Ultra HD Premium?
You might already have seen a badge banded around both content and products in an attempt to define a premium 4K ultra-high definition experience. See an Ultra HD Premium badge on a TV or a UHD Blu-ray? That means it qualifies and passes the UHD Alliance’s specification to be considered a best-of-best audio-visual experience.
Resolution
Confused yet? Whether a 4K product is described as Ultra HD Premium or not doesn’t impact on the resolution – 4K products and video still offers and presents a 2160p (3840 x 2160) resolution. But increasingly the umbrella term “UHD” or “Ultra HD” is being used rather than just 4K. What the Ultra HD Premium badge confirms is that the product or content achieves high-quality colour, HDR (high dynamic range) and audio standards in addition to that resolution.
Colour
The first thing is colour. With 10-bit colour bit depth a minimum for all products and content to qualify for the badge, there’s a much wider palette on display. Current Blu-ray offers 8-bit colour, for example, which means 256 shades per primary colour (red, green, blue) for millions of possible colours. UHD Blu-ray, with 10-bit colour, translates to 1,024 possible shades per primary colour, meaning billions of possible colours can be displayed.
But just because colour information exists doesn’t mean all displays can present it. That’s where colour gamuts come in, best described as visual representations of the full colour spectrum and the achievable range from that which can be displayed.
BT.2020 (also known as Rec. 2020) colour representation is the standard, but – and perhaps a little confusingly – different product types only need to display a given percentage of that gamut to achieve the Ultra HD Premium badge. A TV, for example, needs to display at least 90 per cent of P3 colours, while a mastering display must display a minimum of 100 per cent.
Dynamic range
Given how technologies are treading down different paths – with OLED and LCD (the tech that drives LED TVs) handling brightness and black levels quite differently – when it comes to HDR (high dynamic range), the Ultra HD Premium badge can be achieved in different instances. One, for peak brightness to be more than 1,000 nits with a black level of less than 0.05 nits (we’ll call that LCD; it’s 0.03 nits for mastering displays); two, for peak brightness to be 540 nits with a black level of less than 0.0005 nits (we’ll call that OLED).
Ubiquity
So while the Ultra HD Premium badge is there to show to consumers that a specific product or video is capable of achieving a premium experience, there is still plenty of choice and potential difference between display products. Some TVs will be brighter than others and still qualify, some will have deeper black levels.
Over time we suspect the badge will become ubiquitous, as manufacturers strive to achieve the desired standards for 4K products and content. It’s win-win for the consumer, even if the badge isn’t as clear cut as it may purport to be.
Will Ultra HD Premium be on all 4K products?
No. Some manufacturers have decided not to have their devices certified, even though they might meet all of the criteria. Samsung’s first 4K Blu-ray player, for example, doesn’t carry the badge yet is still capable of playing HDR 4K Blu-rays well.
Sony has also, confusingly, decided to stick with its own naming convention.
READ: Sony won’t be using Ultra HD Premium labelling, but it will launch Ultra HD Blu-ray in 2016
Who has announced Ultra HD Premium products?
During CES in January, we saw announcements from a number of manufacturers confirming that they will be carrying the Ultra HD Premium badge. LG was one of the first, as all its 2016 OLED televisions conform to the standard.
Panasonic too announced that its Viera DX902 TV is Ultra HD Premium certified. It has since become the first manufacturer to get an approved 4K Blu-ray player onto the market, the UB900.
Samsung also announced that its 2016 SUHD televisions meet the mark too, but its 4K Blu-ray deck will (and has in some regions) ship without the badge.
As previously mentioned, Sony has opted for its own 4K HDR badge for its products.
New software can tell if you’re using bad USB Type-C cables
Subpar USB Type-C cables could fry your devices — just ask that Google engineer who tested a few and ended up losing a Chromebook Pixel 2 to a particularly bad one. In an effort to protect users, the USB Implementers Forum, a non-profit org that certifies USB cables, has developed a cryptographic-based authentication protocol. A device that has been updated or released with the protocol will be able to tell if the cable plugged into it has been approved by the organization before taking any other action.
A phone, for example, can warn you if you’re trying to use a substandard/non-authenticated cable before it even starts sipping electricity to charge its battery. Computers can also detect if a USB Type-C drive is encrypted before they read its contents. Hardware manufacturers could either ship their devices with the authentication system in place or roll it out as an update later. Either way, this new protocol coupled with Amazon’s decision to ban the sale of low-quality Type-C cables, could help save you from losing an expensive gadget.
Source: USB-IF
Here are all the Facebook Messenger bots we know about so far
While Facebook just announced its bots for Messenger platform today, it already has a few dozen developers lined up to take the chatbot plunge. If you downloaded the latest Messenger update today, you can already get started with the CNN bot, a weather bot called Poncho, a WSJ bot, a bot for 1-800-Flowers and a few more. Here we’ve compiled a starter list of bots that are already available, plus ones that are slated to arrive in the next few months. You can also peruse the Messenger bot store on Botlist for more. (Props to Martin Hoffman for this public Google Doc of Known Bots).
| 1-800-Flowers | Yes | “1-800-FLOWERS.COM will offer customers the ease and convenience of ordering floral gifts through Messenger. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM will blend its bot and live customer service support on Messenger to serve as “gift concierges” and answer questions, make gifting suggestions, process orders, send shipping updates and provide an array of other important information such as gift reminders.” |
| Bank of America | Not yet | “Bank of America is working with Messenger to deliver capabilities to help its clients stay connected to their finances whenever and wherever they choose. Initial capabilities will enable clients to receive important real-time alerts and communications from Bank of America through Messenger.” |
| Burger King / Tim Hortons | Not yet | “Restaurant Brands International (RBI), owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, is launching on the Messenger Platform for an easier way for customers to interact with both Burger King and Tim Hortons. Their bot will provide a way for customers to order food through Messenger.” |
| Business Insider | Not yet | “Through Business Insider’s bot for Messenger, people will be able to sign-up to receive chat messages alerting them to the most important news, in real-time.” |
| CNN | Yes | “CNN is using bots for Messenger for people to get CNN news and information in a personalized, private message. People can now chat directly with CNN to get breaking news or personalized and specific stories by messaging CNN with a keyword to receive related stories.” |
| eBay | Not yet | “eBay is launching a platform that allows buyers to receive price alert updates within Messenger so that they never lose an auction.” |
| Expedia | Not yet | “Expedia enables customers to search, browse, and book hotels inside of Messenger.” |
| Fandango | Not yet | “Fandango’s bot for Messenger will provide fans quick and easy access to movie information, trailers, show times, theater locations and a link to advance ticketing for all theatrical releases on Fandango.” |
| Great Western Railway / Conversocial | Not yet | “Great Western Railway is launching a tool to communicate with customers via Messenger, making the line of communication easier during busy times.” |
| HealthTap | Yes | “HealthTap is now offering the expertise of its network of top U.S. doctors instantly via Messenger. Now people using Messenger around the world have a new, convenient and simple way to access health information. Anyone can type a question into Messenger and receive free and trusted doctor answers wherever they are and whenever they need them.” |
| HP | Yes | “With bots for Messenger, HP consumers will be able to print their photos, documents and files to any connected HP printer as well as receive notifications to re-order toner cartridges.” |
| LivePerson | Not yet | “LivePerson is announcing the seamless integration of LiveEngage and Messenger’s Platform. Through the new integration, consumers using bot assistance to interact with a brand on Messenger will be able to effortlessly transition to a live agent conversation powered byLiveEngage if in need of additional support.” |
| Mic | Not yet | “Mic is launching “Mic Check Yourself”, an integrated news product powered by bots for Messenger. Once a day customers will receive original takes on a major news story in that day’s news cycle, delivered to them straight through Messenger.” |
| Operator | Yes | “Operator is offering a new way to shop on Messenger. With the new integration of Operator for Messenger, people can now discover and purchase on the go with the help of Operator’s network of experts and bots who help consumers find and purchase the best things from around the world.” |
| OwnerListens | Not yet | “With OwnerListens’ suite of tools built especially for bots for Messenger, any business can now use Messenger to chat live with customers and do so safely and at scale. Improved customer experiences include multiple responders, automated, context-aware replies, templates, DIY Calls to Action (CTA), off hours settings, CRM integrations and more.” |
| Philz Coffee | Not yet | “Philz is offering customers the ability to communicate in real time, powered by the OwnerListens platform. Through bots for Messenger, Philz can answer customer questions, enable people to receive gift cards and choose to follow Philz on Facebook or Instagram.” |
| Poncho | Yes | “Poncho is using bots on Messenger to send people real time local weather reports, including a new on-boarding experience and scheduled weather pushes based on your preference during on-boarding.” |
| Rogers | Not yet | “Rogers enables customers to reach customer care reps via Messenger through a continuous chat, so they can ask questions, make changes to a plan, update accounts, set up a new line and more.” |
| Salesforce | Not yet | “Salesforce is launching a platform that enables businesses to tie live chat interactions with their backend CRM and Ads activities.” |
| Sequel Stories | Yes | A selection of choose-your-own-adventure stories |
| Shopify | Not yet | “Shopify is using bots for Messenger to provide live customer support, automatically send order confirmations, shipping updates, push notifications and more.” |
| Sonar | Not yet | “Sonar is now built on top of Facebook’s API, allowing businesses and customers to communicate over its Messenger Platform offering features such as lightning fast messaging exchanges, status updates, rich media and structured messages.” |
| Sparkcentral | Not yet | “Spark Central powers live chat, which will send customers itineraries, status updates, and boarding passes and live chat customer support within Messenger.” |
| Spring | Yes | “Spring is launching Spring Bot, a personal shopping concierge powered by the Messenger Send/Receive API, Send to Messenger plugin and Zopim live chat.” |
| Staples | Not yet | “After signing up to connect on Messenger, Staples mobile web customers will now have the ability to chat with sales and customer service specialists for shopping assistance and post-sales support. Customers can also opt-in to receive personalized updates, like order confirmation and shipment notifications.” |
| StubHub | Not yet | “After signing up to connect on Messenger, StubHub customers will have the ability to receive ticket confirmations, event maps, event updates, and parking passes within Messenger. Customers can also opt-in to receive alerts for games and events in which they are interested.” |
| theScore | Not yet | “theScore is launching a platform that allows sports fans to receive automated real-time scores and news updates through bots for Messenger. theScore Bot will deliver scores, stats and news from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and most major soccer leagues, and fans will be able to get alerts for game start, live scoring plays, the final score of a game and any breaking news related to the team being followed.” |
| Thrillist | Not yet | “Using Thrillist’s venue services and Spectrm’s chat platform, people can tell Thrillist’s Bot what they want to eat or drink, send their location and the bot will respond with curated recommendations right in Messenger.” |
| ToyTalk | Not yet | “ToyTalk has created a “choose your own adventure” game that can be played in Messenger.” |
| Twilio | Not yet | “Twilio is launching a platform enabling companies who typically communicate via SMS to send rich notifications via Messenger.” |
| UNICEF | Not yet | “Similar to UNICEF’s UReport program, people will be able to message UReport in Messenger, set up a profile, get involved as a UReporter and recieve notifications.” |
| Wall Street Journal | Yes | Get the latest headlines from the WSJ through Messenger. You can also get live stock quotes by typing “$” followed by a ticker symbol. Or you can type “lookup” followed by the company name. |
| Zalando | Not yet | “Zalando, one of Europe’s biggest retailers, is testing an integration that allows customers to ask Jaff, “Just a fashion friend,” for product recommendations.” |
| Zendesk | Not yet | “Zendesk is launching Zendesk Message, one of the first dedicated customer service messaging software on Messenger. Zendesk Message integrated with bots for Messenger to create a tool built for businesses to address the unique characteristics of messaging and the growing demand for customer interactions within this channel.” |
| Zingle | Not yet | “Zingle is launching a platform that enables hotel guests to interact directly with hotel staff via Messenger.” |
New York’s NFC payments for public transit are five years away
The move toward a more futuristic modern New York City is going to be a slow one. The MTA recently opened up the bidding process (PDF) for replacing Gotham’s existing MetroCard readers with NFC terminals for busses and trains, but the contracts are expected to last 69 months. So if you were hoping to tap your phone to hitch a ride sometime soon, that won’t happen until deep into 2021 at the earliest.
The MTA says it will pick up 100 percent of the tab for this. However, bidders must display that they’re capable of completing every aspect of the job including setting up the network to handle payments and monitoring turnstiles — something that almost assuredly rules out LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. Estimated cost? At least $10 million, but The Verge notes that a 2014 estimate projected a $450 budget. That’s a hell of a disparity.
In case you can’t wait for over five years to use your phone for getting around NYC, remember that the new contactless parking meters should be finished by year’s end. Oh, and the subways will have WiFi in 2016 as well. Baby steps, everyone.
Via: The Verge
Source: New York MTA (PDF)
Google Calendar wants you to achieve your goals
Google Calendar’s latest feature can help you find time for the activities you want to do that always seem to fall by the wayside. Say, you want to start being more active or to learn a new skill or language: all you have to do is add it as a “Goal” and tell Google how often you want to exercise or study, along with the best time to do it. Calendar will then look at your schedule and figure out how to squeeze it in. It’s like having a virtual coach shouting in your ear to stop procrastinating and get your ass in gear.
Thankfully, it’s a lot more lenient than that PE teacher who wouldn’t let you sit out his class when you’re already having a full-blown asthma attack. If work or life gets in the way, you can defer a goal — the app will find another time for it. By the way, when you add a personal goal, the app will show you various categories to choose from, but you create custom ones, as well. If you think this is the extra push you need to get you going, you may want to update your app ASAP. The feature’s now out in all languages and in all countries where the iOS and Android apps are available.
Source: Google
Amazon’s one-hour Prime Now deliveries come to Surrey
Over time, Amazon has widened the availability of Prime Now to cover a number of major UK cities. One-hour deliveries are happening in London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester, but now the company has turned its focus to one of the most populated counties in the south east: Surrey. From today, customers in Camberley, Lightwater and Aldershot can grab a one-hour slot for £6.99 or choose to wait an additional hour to get their order delivered for free.
As is typical with any new regional launch, Amazon will also offer two-hour delivery slots in surrounding areas. Customers living in selected Hampshire and Berkshire postcodes will now be able to order more than 15,000 items and have them delivered in a two-hour slot between 8am and midnight, seven days a week. The company boasts that it was able to deliver Call of Duty: Black Ops III in just 15 minutes, but it turns out that most people are using it to get their hands on a Fire TV Stick, bottled water and Dawn French’s favourite sweet treat: a Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
Source: Amazon UK
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