A New Way to Access Facebook

While rumors of Facebook creating a smart phone have been denied, the company does plan to release a new interface for Android smart phones. When users unlock their phone, the first thing they will see on their home screen is what will be called Coverfeed, which works in a similar way to the Newsfeed feature on the actual site. This can prove to be useful and innovative for the many people who check their Facebook accounts first thing in the morning.

Users will be able to access Facebook from anywhere on phones while still having access to all the other apps they may have. Another feature of Facebook Home is the ability to respond to Facebook messages while not interrupting the use of other applications at the same time. Facebook Home will also integrate all Facebook messages and text messages from the same friends onto one screen.

Facebook Home will be available for users to download beginning April 12^th 2013, but only on select devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note II, and the HTC One X. Facebook has also partnered with HTC to create the HTC First smart phone that will be less expensive than top selling smart phones and include standard features, but will be optimized for Facebook Home. The goal of this new interface is to have smart phones be centered on people instead of apps. Will smart phone users find Facebook Home more innovative and easier to use or will they prefer to stick to the traditional way of accessing their Facebook accounts?

Targeting a New Group of Hotel Guests

Read any hotel news or rate special and you will more than likely find that properties seem to gear themselves towards two groups, adults and children. But what about the Beiber-loving, Converse-wearing group that makes up so much of our population? With that in mind hotels have begun trying to draw the attention of the teenager market; hotel companies such as Omni Hotels, Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Marriott have begun to tap into this important segment.

One way hotels are doing this is by offering teen concierges that find exciting new activities to keep teens entertained during their stay. These teen concierges are staffed with people between the ages of 18-25 so that teen guests feel valued and hopefully want to visit again on their own once they are older (or may even entice their parents to take a trip back). Teens are offered various on and off property activity options while being able to have time away from their parents, but still be in a safe environment with other guests their age.

Targeting teens is an important way to attract potential hotel guests. And because teens are often glued to their smart phones and social media accounts, hotels may gain some free advertising. Sounds like an all around win to us! 

Up in the Air and While on Vacation – Airline and Hospitality Mobile Technology

As with the rest of society Airports seem to move their focus towards new technologies, with the overall goal being the improvement of customer service. As part of this airlines have shifted focus with the use of mobile optimized websites and apps.

Mobile apps allow customers to see their wait time and flight delays. Wait times are one of the main annoyances listed by travelers today, and being able to track them is a major plus in our book!

Another new technology is a GPS style system which allows customers to get directions to their specific gate number. No more looking lost in unfamiliar airports! It seems like airports need these new technologies in order to advance and draw more customers.

 

With all the perks associated with mobile applications it's no wonder that mobile applications seem to be hitting various markets. Take a look at us for example. Percipia Networks' mobile applications allow hotel properties to access their guests even before stepping foot on the property. Guests can make changes to their reservations or locate restaurants and entertainment near their hotels all from their mobile phones. And because hotels can feature their restaurants and spas directly to their hotel guest, mobile apps have become a great and relatively inexpensive way for hotels to market themselves. So what do you think? Would you use your mobile device to customize your flight or stay? 

New Hotel Trends

With many standard hotel rooms now including Wi-Fi, electronic docking stations, and HDTV, what other technological improvements can hotels make?  With increasing technology it is important to not just improve the inside of the hotel, but also improve the exterior. Making the appearance of the hotel more vibrant could potentially attract more guests.

One hotel beginning this new trend is the InterContinental Miami. It plans to use LCD screens and lights on the outside of the building to attract guests before they even enter the hotel. Plans also include having multiple hanging LCD screens displaying downtown Miami and touch-screen coffee tables in the lobby.

 

  

  

As consumers become more obsessed with new technology, hotels seek to go beyond typical in-suite technology and improve their properties to redefine their guest’s entire hotel experience. In order to do this, hotels are looking at advancements in transforming the appearance of the property by making it stand out in a crowded city.

Smart Watches: The Latest in Wearable Technology

We already mentioned one new wearable tech product, Google glass, but now tech companies are competing to create the latest in wearable technology. With watch sales declining over the past year why not find a way in our technology advanced world to create a smart watch that does more than simply tell time? It’s no surprise that companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google have smart watches on their minds. Let’s take a look at what these companies have planned for their version of a smart watch…

Apple plans to have its iWatch notify wearers when they receive a call or a text and allows access to maps.  Even more convenient the iWatch could solve all our lost iPhone problems – the iWatch has the capability to warn wearers when they are a certain distance away from their phones. It is also rumored to run on the same operating systems as other Apple products, allowing users to sync their information across all their devices.

  

Samsung’s Galaxy Altius is expected to have the same capabilities as the Samsung Galaxy smart phones. The Galaxy Altius also plans to run on the same Android platform as smart phones and include a music player and email access.

  

Google’s smart watch allows wearers with the ability to change the channels on your TV for you. So long lost remote! Google has also applied for patents on a flip up display and a camera. 

   

Smart watches could enhance and control the use of smart phones, which could widen their appeal. How useful would a smart watch really be? What does a smart watch offer that isn’t offered by smart phones or tablets already? With all the latest technological advancements, cell phones, tablets, and PCs, it may be more of a matter of what type of device the user prefers and finds easier to use. Can smart watches become the latest must have device?

PCs or Tablets in the Workplace?

When the iPad initially hit the marketplace most people thought it was a groundbreaking device, but that it could never take the place of a PC. However, with new apps and advances, tablets are becoming an indispensable part of many businesses both large and small. The Microsoft Surface for example offers a built in keyboard for employees who hate using a touch screen. Tablets also make use of “cloud” technology, allowing employees to save their work online and still have access to it from anywhere. Laptops and PCs have this technology as well, but a tablet is more portable and can be taken anywhere. Overall tablets run faster than PCs, and in today’s fast paced business world, speed is everything.

 

Not all companies are making the switch however; some still like having actual computers for doing the majority of business tasks. Some have given a tablet to their employees to use in the field, but also still have PCs available back at the office. Using tablets in the field allows employees to take a high quality photo and instantly email it to a client without having to wait until they get back to the office. This also makes multi-tasking easier which frees up more time for the company to focus on improvements and specific goals. Tablets can be an extremely valuable tool to many businesses, and could eventually replace PCs. However, only time will tell if tablets are the new PCs or just a passing fad.

How Facebook Graph Search can Help your Business

Facebook is an ever increasingly important part of our lives; everyone from college students to business professionals uses it. Facebook is a ubiquitous part of our society, when meeting someone new you may add them on Facebook before you get their contact info. Until recently however, it was hard to really target one audience on the site due to its large amount of members, but Graph Search may change all that.

 

Graph search is a tool which allows you to target certain pages or friends and send out a message catered towards them. It’s currently only available in a Beta version for a select few users, but the possibilities are endless. A company could use it to figure out which users interact most with their brand and offer special deals to them as a reward for being a loyal customer. It has the potential to allow companies to find new employees based on education and previous job experience in a way similar to Linked In. Companies could also tailor their marketing toward which ever group they want to cater to. Graph Search is an exciting idea because it would make customized marketing much easier. We live in an increasingly digital world and Graph Search is Facebook’s answer to that.