Category: Percolate

Theater Play To Be Broadcast Live Online

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: THR

A theater production called The Noir Series running this weekend in Los Angeles has managed to be both a stage play and live Internet TV: tickets are available to see the show in person while special “online viewing tickets” for live streaming are also available. It’s an interesting twist on companies such as BroadwayHD and Broadway Near You that have been working to bring hit Broadway shows to movie screens around the world. These dual models could potentially open up new revenue streams for the struggling theater business.

 

Meet Onyx, The Star Trek-Inspired, Futuristic Walkie-Talkie

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Business Insider

OnBeep, a year-old startup based in San Francisco, just unveiled its first hardware product – a real-time wearable communicator named Onyx. Inspired by the futuristic walkie-talkie featured in Star Trek, it pairs to a smartphone via Bluetooth and works with Wi-Fi or data service. Sporting a slightly bulky but lightweight circular design, Onyx can support up to 15 people in real-time group conversations—an interesting take on bringing group messaging into the physical world.

Amazon Surprises With Echo, A Smart Speaker With A Built-in Virtual Assistant

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: The Verge

Out of nowhere, Amazon announced a new product named Echo, the world’s first smart speaker that comes with an always-on, Siri-like virtual assistant. Connected to the cloud via Wi-Fi, the AI assistant, dubbed “Alexa,” can provide you with news, weather, and even Wikipedia-generated answers to random questions. When connected with your mobile device, it can also perform tasks such as setting alarm clocks and managing to-do lists, all handsfree via voice command.

Of course, the wireless speaker also serves its traditional purpose: playing music. It has built-in support for Amazon Prime Music, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn, it’s also fully Bluetooth compatible, making playback from Spotify, Pandora, and other audio apps from other devices possible.

 

Redesigned Google Maps Boasts New Hyperlocal Features

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Business Insider

Earlier today Google unveiled the latest update of its Google Maps app for both iOS and Android. Revamped with a colorful new design that aligns with Google’s newly introduced “material design” concept, the app added new features such as embedded restaurant reservations enabled by OpenTable and deeper Uber integration that now displays the price for the rides right in the app. Convenient and business-friendly, these new hyperlocal features are sure to be embraced by users and merchants alike.

Why Dropbox Is Teaming Up With Microsoft

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: The Verge

Dropbox users will soon be able to edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files stored on its service with Microsoft’s Office Suite, and in the very near future, updates of Office mobile apps will also seamlessly sync files to Dropbox. It’s a win-win partnership for both sides, as the cloud storage service has been facing strong competition from Google Drive and Apple’s free, iCloud-enabled iWork apps.

Update: In a major strategy shift, Microsoft now offers mobile Office on iPad, iPhone, and Android for free

Square Teaming Up With Big Brands To Stay Relevant

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: The Street 

Fighting to remain relevant in the increasingly consolidated mobile payments world, Square is reaching out to some big-name retail brands, including Uniqlo, Burberry and Lululemon, for potential partnerships. The expanded deals are reportedly for processing fees lower than the traditional 2.75% rate Square usually charges small businesses, which has been the company’s main clientele so far.

Amazon Is Extending Prime Benefits To Other Online Stores

Posted on by Lab Team

 Read original story on: TechCrunch

Amazon is now extending the benefits of its Prime membership to other digital stores, starting with British retailer AllSaints. Besides granting free next-day shipping to Prime members, Amazon is also incorporating products from AllSaints’ web store into its search results.  If this arrangement continues to spread, Amazon Prime could very well become the VIP pass of ecommerce.

PayPal Now Lets You Pay After Delivery

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: The Next Web

PayPal has officially launched a new Pay After Delivery service in U.S, which allows PayPal users pay for their goods up to two weeks after online purchases are made. New partnerships with Burger King and GoDaddy were also announced to assist the launch. Facing increased competition from Apple Pay and alike, PayPal needs such new features and partnerships to help it stand on its own, once it spins off from eBay.

Meet HP’s New Innovative PC Sprout And “Dumb” Smartwatch

Posted on by Lab Team

Read original story on: Wired

Last week, HP unveiled Sprout, its newest PC offering. It features “HP Illuminator,” a downward-facing camera/scanner/projector combo that allows a user to easily digitalize physical objects and manipulate digital projections on an accompanying touch mat, placed where a keyboard would normally be. Innovatively blending virtual and physical reality, Sprout is set to ship on November 9.

In related news, HP has also launched a new smart-watch that leans heavier on luxury design than smart features. The MB Chronowing, led by fashion designer Michael Bastian, looks fantastic but doesn’t have a touchscreen. Instead, it relies on a black and white LCD for simple email and text notifications, and three chunky side buttons for navigation. HP has partnered with online fashion retailer Gilt to exclusively launch this watch on Nov. 7.

The Smartphone-Enabled Hotel Room Keys Have Arrived

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Read original story on: 9to5Mac

Starting today, guests staying at ten selected Starwood hotels will be able to use their iPhone (and, in the spring, Apple Watch) to unlock their hotel doors with the new SPG Keyless service. Based on Bluetooth LE (instead of NFC), the virtual keys will work with all iPhones from the 4S onward. Similarly, Hilton Worldwide has announced that it will be introducing its own smartphone key system next year as well. More Internet of Things could be expected to be applied in the hospitality industry in the near future.