Green is big business and represents a new way to do business, it has a two fold effect and helps improve the bottom line whilst helping the environment. Now digital signage kiosks and enclosures are going green.

There is a movement in the kiosk and enclosure manufacturing industry for greener products, these units will be manufactured from renewal materials and will not damage the environment as previous units did. Coupling this with cutting edge dynamic signage is a winning solution.

There are three key steps to follow: ??

* Adhering to RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)
* Using recyclable material
* Reducing power usage

In July 2006 a policy was implemented in Europe for RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), this policy was soon accepted within the businesses throughout Europe and into Asia.

This new policy was seen as a problem by some manufacturers, as it limits the amount of lead and mercury in a particular product as well as specifying which type of flame retardants to use.

The policy was one reason a company decided to buy back any kiosks or enclosures they were replacing and recycle them, by sending the old kiosks or enclosures to a specialised company that melted the steel and plastics then re-processed the product so it could be used again.

This is the way forward, with greener digital signage kiosks everyone wins including the planet!

Acer is working on a frameless laptop with touchscreen keyboard that uses the back of the panel’s glass substrate as the cover – with potential release in the second half of 2010.

Coupled with a touchscreen keyboard, the rumored device should be impossibly thin by traditional laptop comparisons. Keep in mind that we’ve already seen this Frame Zero concept from Fujitsu and Acer’s arch-rival ASUS has been showing off its dual-display laptop prototype with touchscreen keyboard for months. Even the OLPC XO-3 plans to eschew the clickity keyboard in favor of a touchscreen version.

The design will help reduce the thickness of the ultra-thin notebook and can also reduce material costs.
Acer will also adopt a touch keyboard to allow the notebook to be even thinner.

Apple’s touch-screen iPad tablet will go on sale in the UK in “late April”, the company has revealed. The late April launch date applies to both models of iPad – the wi-fi only and wi-fi plus 3G – in the UK.

Apple’s UK website still gives a March launch date for the wi-fi only iPad with the 3G iPad stated to arrive in the UK in April. However, according to a press release from the company today, both devices will now arrive at the same, albeit slightly later, time.

CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad back in January. The touch-screen tablet device resembles a giant iPod Touch and is designed for web browsing, playing games and reading e-books.

The news coincides with Apple’s first iPad advert, which featured during the Oscars. You see the airbrushed hands of a man at home picking up the iPad to check out videos, read the New York Times, flip through book pages, check his private mail, and that sort of thing… See for yourself.

With the proliferation of kiosks, especially in retail outlets, businesses now have a new weapon in their branding arsenal.
According to the latest version of Summit Research Associate Inc.’s annual report, “Kiosks and Interactive Technology — Global Statistics and Trends,” 1.85 million kiosks were projected to be in use by the end of 2009, with each seeing an average of 94 users per day. Summit forecasts that number to grow to 1.9 million by the end of 2010 and to 2 million in 2011.

Branding is a powerful tool that can be integrated into almost any kiosk, and when done well can significantly increase its effectiveness and value. The branding of today’s retail kiosks carries a tremendous amount of influence when it comes to a customer’s purchasing decision.

Kiosks deliver a range of services 24 hours a day, and what customers experience while using the machine can shape their perception of the product or service offered by the kiosk and the environment in which it is located.

“When it comes to a retail self-service kiosk, 70 percent of the buying decision is made at the point of purchase,” said Ronald Bowers, senior vice president of business development with Grafton, Wis.-based Frank Mayer & Associates. “Media advertising, the identity influence and out-of-store promotion account for 30 percent of the consumers’ decisions.

Those who find the touchscreens on their ever shrinking gadgets too fiddly to handle, will be glad to hear scientists are developing a new touch surface… your own arm.

Developers at Microsoft Research and Carnegie Mellon University are working together to create an armband that projects an interface directly onto your skin.

They have combined a mini projector which creates a changing display with a sophisticated sensor that can tell which part of your arm is being tapped.

The researchers showed Skinput can be used to control audio devices, play simple games like Tetris, make phone calls and navigate simple browsing systems.

The gadget effectively turns your arm into a touchscreen surface by picking up various ultra-low sounds produced when you tap different areas.

Different skin locations are acoustically distinct because of bone density and the filtering effect from soft tissues and joints. The team then used software that matched sound frequencies to specific skin locations. The prototype then uses wireless technology like Bluetooth to transmit the commands to the device being controlled, such as a phone, iPod, or computer.

In April, the researchers plan to present their work at the Computer-Human Interaction meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

2010 is the year of 3D television and theatrical film, but do not forget about still photography. Fujifilm is planning a spring shipment of its 3D camera station kiosks that are designed for spots where people are likely to take photographs, such as tourist attractions, parks, and special events.

No pricing details are known, but Fujifilm’s camera can print out 4 different size photos, which can also be altered and enhanced with 3D graphics from various templates. The company claims that to enjoy the effect, no 3D glasses are necessary. The stations are 50kg each, so do not even think about lifting one.

Self-service solutions seem to be available everywhere these days. You can find eye exam kiosks in convenient locations such as chemists, some parts of town are using kiosks to enable bike sharing, and even some bars and nightclubs are using kiosks to determine if late-night revellers have had one to many to drive home.

One of the fastest growing verticals for self-service screens has been libraries. Many are installing kiosks to help streamline a variety of processes – in the hopes of reducing costs and improving the customer experience. Customers may use the kiosks to place holds on books, to pay fines, and to check out books. Some locations are even closing smaller libraries and replacing them with vending kiosks that actually dispense books. The face of the traditional library is changing, and its long-term viability may be at stake.

For those who continue to utilize the library, there’s great news! Thanks to technology investments, it’s becoming much easier – the self-service kiosks make the trip more convenient than ever. And, thanks to the kiosks enabling less complex tasks, librarians will have more time to spend with customers who need specialized services.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung’s 3G-enabled uVending Machine caused quite a stir.

Unlike conventional dispensers, this prototype has a massive touchscreen. Not only does it spit out Coca-Cola and Sprite, the machine also carries handsets, music and videos. There’s embedded 3G connectivity which allows vendors to revise product prices without having to be there physically as well as receive alerts whenever the supply gets low.

Extending the concept of a connected life is the media player/tablet device that “talks” to the vending machine. What this means is you can “push” content from your handheld to the vending machine and make use of the huge display of the latter. For example, if you are a video online store, you can swipe your finger across the screen on your handheld in the direction of the vending machine.

The gesture essentially “sends” information such as the video description to the vending machine so it’s easier on your eyes if you’re reading chunks of text. How this is achieved is by infrared which is used to detect when a device is near the vending machine. The data is then transferred via Wi-Fi.

Of course, you’ll still have to pay for the goods, although it won’t be at the time of purchase. Instead, this will be charged to your monthly mobile phone bill.

Content strategies and discussions will dominate the launch of new networks and the re-thinking of older networks. Content began to rise to the top of the agenda in 2009 and now in 2010 it takes a front and centre seat.

No matter what shape or size the display is, content is the fundamental element which ultimately leads to the very success, or failure, of a digital signage deployment. Some of the greatest success stories for brands in 2009 have been achieved by creating content that is relevant to the experience and activities that the consumers are engaged with at the time of interaction.

Keith Kelsen, author of “Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage” and CEO of the 5th Screen, says:

“Any team that is operating a digital signage network or is planning a network has a unique opportunity to bring excellence to this emerging industry and set some precedents. We can see this already in the work of some networks that have focused on research with innovative approaches using content as the source and cause for relevant messaging that is useful, helpful and provides a positive experience for the viewer.

“Content for DOOH will stand alone during its creative production, but content will have more continuity in 2010 with the other four screens (cinema, TV, PC and mobile) to echo its message across the digital landscape of screens. As for every screen that is put into this new landscape, it will be the experience that the consumers will take away, and what better way to impact that experience than with great content.”

South Africa’s Southern Sun Hotels’ Sandton City is launching what it bills as “Africa’s very first hotel self check-in and check-out kiosks,” according to the chain’s Facebook page – nicely timed for the 2010 World Cup that begins in June.

The touchscreeen-enabled kiosk allows guests to check-in and out and to perform certain in-house hotel functions within the hotel environment. Guests can check in by identifying themselves by reservation number or credit card, and then the kiosk integrates with the hotel’s operational system, allocates a room, authorizes a debit or credit and dispenses a room key card. Check-out follows a similar identification process.

“Our guests already use self check-in facilities at airports and the movies, and at economy, economy plus and brand hotels overseas. Generally, they welcome technology that enables them to ‘do it themselves’ – not to mention quickly,” said Southern Sun managing director Graham Wood.

For those seeking a human interaction, Garden Court Sandton City hostesses will continue to provide check-in services at reception, and will also be available to assist customers with the self check-in terminals if needed.