Nowadays the mobile phone has become integral to our every day lives. Everyone has one and we would be totally lost without it. Smartphones have taken over the globe offering new features and applications that twenty years ago, many of us would’ve never imagined.

However, with these cool, trendy and fun-filled Smartphones, there comes a price. And that price can often put you in rather difficult situations and stressful moments if you are stuck of a solution.

The problem comes in a small little box known as the phone battery which can be totally drained in one day if the phone is incessantly used to make phone calls, send text messages, connect to the Internet, playing games, taking photographs and films etc.

Despite mobile phone manufacturers desperately trying to improve the battery life of their phones, they still haven’t found a quick fix solution for batteries to handle the large amounts of applications and features that these new Smartphones bring.

Fortunately there is a solution to this problem and it could be coming to a town near you very soon. Yes, a new kiosk is due to be deployed that can offer rapid phone charging for little or no money as well as a great way for business owners to get people through their doors and possibly increase their revenue.

Already a big hit in Asia, the US are looking to deploy the kiosks which will feature a set of connectors for various phone types, a monitor, touch screen options, a payment system as well as connectivity for the processing of transactions, remote management and the download of new content for the monitors.

Samsungs introduction to mobile phone charging at airports

Like the ATM, the mobile phone kiosk will provide customers with a unique solution to help ensure the mobile communication of voice and data is not restricted by the death of the battery.

And there are many businesses that can truly benefit from deploying these kiosks systems including, hotels, convention centres, airports, hospitals, bars and clubs.

For example, if you are in an airport and your flight is delayed or cancelled you may find yourself having to sit around in the airport longer than you expected. These scenarios can leave you frustrated especially if your battery is on its last legs and your charger is in your main luggage. With the mobile phone charger kiosk system your prayers are answered and you can get in touch with home to let them know that you will be late so they are not stood waiting for you at the airport.

The new mobile phone kiosk is a fantastic idea and is sure to be a big hit once deployed in shops and stores across the US. Lets just hope it hits the UK very soon.

All of the key employees of DVE will relocate to the new location and join the rapidly expanding sales, marketing and technical teams at Protouch. The merger is expected to be completed during July 2010.

 The merger will combine DVE’s cutting edge software services and product design capability; including its acclaimed “Gorilla Media” software and the extensive experience in multi location roll outs of public facing  IT solutions  for global brands such as McDonalds, BT and Virgin with the high volume hardware manufacturing, design, sales and marketing capability of Protouch .

Protouch feel that DVE have entirely complementary skills which when combined will be undoubtably provide the most comprehensive range of solutions for public access software, interactive terminals, kiosks and digital media.

Protouch’s Managing Director Tom Quarry says, “DVE’s capability fits seamlessly with Protouch’s existing multi functional kiosk approach. It’s vital that both our hardware and software services meet with our clients’ needs to deploy a wide range of public access kiosk applications across all industries.

“We’re confident that with the addition of Mike Kellond and his team plus the tools available within Gorilla Media we will greatly improve our offering to give our clients cost effective, customised, touch screen solutions.“

 Mike Kellond, DVE founder and 15 year industry veteran, will assume responsibility for the software services activity at Protouch. Gorilla Media, developed by DVE, is a multi functional software package providing remote monitoring and management, secure and locked down browsing for public access, broadcast advertising management and scheduling, payment and ticketing options.

Gorilla Media has been tested and approved by a number of major corporations including BT and several major banks. Mike will drive the integration of Gorilla Media in to the Protouch product offering and be responsible for the strategic evolution of all software services at Protouch going forward. He expressed his delight with the merger with Protouch “I see this as a major opportunity for DVE and our customers. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the two companies are a perfect match and the combined company will be capable of providing forward looking improved service to its customers “.

Industry insiders have speculated that the new agreement will encourage other studios to strike similar deals with DVD kiosk companies such as redbox and NCR Corporation, which has already deployed about 6,000 Blockbuster Express-branded DVD-rental kiosks in the past year.

“Our BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosks currently offer day-of-release titles because we purchase them from third party retailers, but we continue to have discussions with studios about licensing agreements that would allow NCR to get day of release titles directly from the source,” said Jeff Dudash, a spokesperson for NCR’s DVD kiosk division.

The deal between redbox and Paramount was reached following a 10-month trial license agreement and analysis, which concluded that day-and-date rentals at kiosks had minimal impact on DVD sales, according to a statement issued by redbox.

“After analysing the data from our test period we have concluded that redbox day-and-date rental activity has had minimal impact on our DVD sales,” says Dennie Maguire, Worldwide President of Paramount Home Entertainment, said in a press release. “By granting redbox day-and-date availability we are allowing the consumer a choice of how to consume our movies while maximising the profitability of our releases in the home entertainment window.”

President of redbox, Mitch Lowe, said that the arrangement is a “win, win and win for consumers, Paramount and redbox.”  About $575 million is expected to be spent to the studio during the course of the agreement, which runs through to the end of 2014, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Stocks for both Coinstar, parent company of redbox, and rival Blockbuster Inc zig-zagged everywhere last week and for Blockbuster the ride isn’t over. The company had a meeting in Dallas last week which scheduled them to vote on board nominees, including a controversial bid for director Gregory Meyer who founded a DVD rental kiosk business in 2001 that was later sold to Coinstar Inc.

Blockbuster began issuing press releases urging stockholders to vote in favour of incumbent director Gary Fernandes instead of Meyer. A live audio webcast of the meeting will be available viat the Blockbuster’s investor relations site at http://investor.blockbuster.com.

Paramount’s strength as a major player among studios seems to continually expanding. This summer’s DVD and Blue-ray releases include Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shutter Island’ with Leo DiCaprio.

For more information about kiosksystems and how they can improve your business visit Protouch.co.uk.

This super creative use of a kiosk system shows how versatile and wacky you sometimes need to be to make your interactive technology stand out.

Combining this augmented reality and digital signage opens the door to a wide range of creative opportunities. Whether you are a child or an adult, it would be pretty hard to drag yourself away from this kiosk.

Customers simply hold a Lego box upto the screen to see the pieces inside rendered as an interactive 3D image! How cool is that?

For this to happen a camera and display screen has been built into the interactive kiosk to allow  Lego packaging to reveal its contents fully assembled within live 3 animated scenes. This new age technology is an unforgettable experience for store visitors and acts as a powerful assisted selling tool that makes the image on the side of the box come to life.

It simply gets the customer excited about the product – that is composed of individual pieces – then giving him the ability to hold the potential purchase in his hands and examine it from every angle.

The kiosk can be found in LEGO stores around the world.

For more information about interactive kiosk systems and how they can work for you, visit Protouch today.

The NCR Corporation survey, carried out by Buzzback Market Research, found that 83 per cent of consumers wanted the flexibility to research, compare and shop across channels. 84 per cent of survey-goers said they wanted retailers to make sure their social media activities were integrated with their other communications such as websites and email.

However, 46 per cent said that they feel bombarded with irrelevant information and offers over a “dizzying array of touchpoints.”

The solution, says NCR, is to provide shoppers with personalised offers and information, based on analysis of the shopper’s previous shopping history.

“Retailers need to harmonise the total cross-channel shopping experience in the emerging era of converged retailing,” said Rick Chavie, vice president of marketing of NCR’s retail and hospitality business.

A white paper about NCR’s research on converged retailing is available at www.ncr.com/c-tailing

So while customers are clicking on to what retailers need to do, stores need to take note of what changes need to be made for an improved shopping experience.

Customers are fed up with the impersonal and irrelevant offers thrown at them via email or instore, and would like a much more subtle approach that allows them to take charge of their shopping experience themselves.

Kiosks are a great solution as customers are able to acces store and product information, see what deals are on offer as well as printing out vouchers to use while in store.

For more information about how kiosks can help your business, visit Protouch today.

Sam Serrill, chief operating officer of the Wesley Medical Centre said, “We wanted to improve our service to visitors and patients who come into the hospital because we don’t have somebody manning our information desk 24/7.”

But the team were keen to keep a smiling friendly face to greet people, by implementing a face into the kiosk system. And because the kiosk stands at 8ft tall, you look her right in the eye.

“We picked out the candidate who is the hologram, and we thought she looked welcoming like a volunteer who may work here,” said Carol with Guest Services.

To view a video of the life-size kiosk click here.

The kiosks will be installed in the hospitals three main hospital areas.

Kiosks are a fantastic way of communicating with your customers and offering extended services to keep them in the loop and fully informed.

As we move into a more tech savvy world, consumers are no longer stunned by technological gadgets and what they see around them. They simply want it to do the job and do it well.

And a hospital kiosk to help people navigate around the medical centre is a fantastic way of providing an extra service for times when there are no staff around or visitors and patients want to protect their privacy.

To learn more about installing kiosk systems into your business, whether it be an Internet kiosk or a payment system, visit Protouch today.

The condensed pack features an array of information to answer all your kiosk needs as well as keeping the leisure industry in the loop on how to expand their demographic and explore new means to attract more customers.

Their tips cover:

• why not to reinvent the wheel when designing a kiosk, best practice for use and how to protect your investment
• extra tips on outside factors, such as marketing, prime locations and staff training as well as
• a few hints and advice for kiosk uses and accessories.

There are so many different uses for a kiosk and the Protouch leisure industry guide covers them all. From cinema payment systems to an internet kiosk, the Protouch guide masters the basics behind kiosk technology; the first step in achieving a successful kiosk deployment.

So get access to your FREE copy of ‘Mastering Kiosk Deployment within the leisure sector’ by clicking here.

But a growing number of publishing industry insiders are telling quite a different story. Inspired by the potential impact of touchscreen devices such as Apple’s iPad, many publishers are reconsidering their decision to write the internet off as a zone outside the realm of profit. Aiming to replace the ‘free content’ online mantra with one a little more sustainable, many publishers believe that paid iPad and Amazon Kindle subscriptions could help newspapers monetize their online presence.

The Guardian currently publishes content through its own iPad application, charging subscribers an affordable £16 monthly for the privilege. As content on the iPad is readable almost anywhere, the newspaper hopes to replace near-free online content with a more portable paid version.

Over five UK-based newspapers have their own iPad and iPhone applications, each available in a  range of monthly subscription or one-off pricing options. We suspect more will follow, aiming to capitalise on the device’s popularity and potential to introduce new income into a financially stagnant industry.

With two rental kiosk services expanding into America’s Deep South, the retail movie rental firms may finally end up losing their position. Revenues have been down for two years at Blockbuster, with competing companies closing branches and entering bankruptcy as the year has progressed.

Of course, movie rentals certainly aren’t the only area in which self-service kiosks are succeeding. The travel industry has cut spending, and often staff quotas, by installing self-service check-in units at airports and railway stations across the world. Kiosks are also popular in retail, helping large chain stores and independent businesses improve customer service and boost returns.

With a greater number of businesses experimenting with alternative customer service and sales strategies, it seems inevitable that kiosks will become more common in the marketplace. Retail experiments have been largely positive, both for businesses and their customers, indicating that self-service and customer-driven shopping is here to stay.

Cash machines, health centre check-in, ticket machines at train stations; it’s easy to forget just how prevalent self-service has become and supermarkets are now leading the way with their embrace of self-service check-outs.

Customers’ needs and expectations for fast and convenient service are growing which means a traditional, more slowly-paced service can leave people frustrated, downing goods and walking away empty handed, taking your profits with them.

This is one of many reasons why the self-service checkout is surging in popularity. As of May 2010, Tesco leads the way with self-service counters in 256 UK stores, where they are responsible for a quarter of all transactions. Sainsbury’s is following suit, with a growing 220 stores offering self-service, and more set to follow. Wal-Mart has had self-service checkout lanes since 2004.

The UK’s leading supplier of self-service kiosks, Protouch, believe that interactive kiosks can bring a greater return on investment for your business and have put together an in-depth guide for companies looking to boost in-store sales.

In the guide, Protouch Marketing Manager Amanda Wallace explains it’s not just a case of plonking down a new kiosk and waiting for a flurry of revenue.

“Getting kiosk deployment right goes a long way to having a successful rollout. It needs to guide the customer through a clear on-screen journey. If the home screen looks too complex, too much like an advert or simply doesn’t portray the purpose of the kiosk the customer may be put off. The idea is to invite the customer in and take them on a step by step journey leading to your target action.”

For a kiosk to do its job effectively customers need to know what and where it is, so positioning is just as crucial as presentation.

“Kiosks must be placed in a prime location so they are easily seen by customers, serviceable by staff and do not detract from an existing product display. It needs to be accessible to all potential users,” says Amanda.

“Use in-store advertising to lead customers to the kiosk and promote its function with branded messaging on the kiosk body. Try shopping from the customer’s perspective to see where improvements can be made.”

Last October, Tesco broke new ground by introducing an Express store in Northampton where customers were served by only one member of staff and a host of self-service tills, yet the supermarket chain has no plans to ditch traditional manpower in favour of machines; opting instead a for a hybrid of the two.

So with both self-service and staffed check-outs here to stay, it’s advisable that they both get along.

“Your employees need to know that the kiosk is there as a selling tool to help them, not as substitute to them,” Amanda adds. “Explain what their new role is and how the kiosk operates so they feel confident in educating customers. The enthusiasm of your workforce will be your biggest asset in making a kiosk successful.”

You can read the full Protouch guide to boosting in-store sales at: http://beta.protouch.co.uk/ProtouchGuides/84/Goodbye_tills,_hello_kiosks_-_3_step_guide_to_boosting_in-store_sales