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.

Apple is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls “our latest creation,” which is thought to be a tablet-style touch-screen computer.

The company email offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only January 27 event in San Francisco.

But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling the gadget that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a standard laptop.

Tablets are one-piece computers with big screens and no keyboards. Such devices have been around since the early 1990s, but haven’t seen much success in the mainstream.

The real questions will be asked after the launch, when focus will fall on who will be providing what types of content (music, magazines, video, games, books etc) for Apple’s new slate.

Recent rumours have suggested that Apple is currently in talks with HarperCollins and a number of other major book publishers suggesting the tablet will be looking to straddle the eReader market.

An electronic touch-screen kiosk at a major hotel was hacked to show an online video demonstrating humorous uses for condoms, prompting an investigation by tourism authorities. The video appeared on a kiosk at the Souk Qaryat al Beri, adjacent to the Shangri-La Hotel and operated by Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority.

“The relevant ADTA department has launched an investigation into this situation, and the kiosk at the Shangri-La has been closed,” said a spokesman for the authority.

ADTA said it would release more information when it became available.

Someone manipulated the kiosk at the Shangri-La to circumvent the visitor advice system and connected to YouTube via a web browser. The prankster appeared to have searched for the word “condom” on the video-sharing site, and the kiosk was displaying the result in full screen.

The Abu Dhabi emirate is renowned for its stringent laws, especially when it comes to the subject of sex.

Industry research by Kiosk Marketplace has produced a key White Paper on how businesses can get the most out of their kiosks, looking at touch screen technology from the customer’s perspective.

Here in part two, we’ll look at five more key ideas that have emanated directly from consumer feedback.

6) Size matters
In some kiosk uses such as healthcare, it is critical that other customers cannot see the kiosk screen. However, there are a number of reasons why privacy is important even for everyday uses. People don’t like being watched, particularly if they are trying out something new, and customers don’t want to feel judged if they make a mistake. However, a recent trend has been to place ever-larger screens on kiosks.

To maintain privacy, screens must be kept small, preferably less than 12 inches.

7) Instant gratification
Sometimes kiosks make use of a question and answer session in order to identify a product which satisfies a customer need. This makes an implicit assumption that the customer knows exactly how to answer the questions, but it is more likely that the customer will not know how to answer, and simply abandon the session, sometimes after as few as three screens.

The kiosk is there to support the customer, not the other way around. The kiosk must provide results almost immediately to satisfy the human desire for instant gratification.

8. Just looking…
The common kiosk browsing experience is very clumsy; each page only contains a small number of products, so the customer must click from page to page, taking time and leading to frustration.

An alternative is to display multiple products on a single page in conjunction with an effective scrolling mechanism. Even though trackballs and mice can be used, they are difficult to control standing up, and can actually make the problem worse. Thumbwheels are a good alternative. ‘Thumbing’ through products this way allows visual comparison of many different images. This is particularly valuable when color and style are major product features

9) Search facility
Standard kiosk searches require the customer to type in a query and wait for the results. Misspelling and over-qualification often produce no results, or too many results.

So, list results in real time as the query is typed. As the query becomes more specific, the number of results reduces. For example, someone searching for an egg roll recipe would:

- Type in the word “egg,” resulting in all items containing eggs being listed
- As the word “roll” is typed, the list would change to only display recipes for egg rolls

A graphic of each result also can be provided to help identify the results. Searching should be phonetic rather than based on exact spellings to allow for errors.

10) Don’t bring the website instore

Running an existing website on a kiosk in a retail store is a poor choice for many reasons, including:

- Websites are designed for someone who is sitting down with a mouse and keyboard. A kiosk is designed for someone
who is standing up interacting with a touchscreen.
- Websites have many small buttons which are impossible to use with a touchscreen. This is particularly acute with the use of underlined text on the web to represent links.
- Websites make extensive use of “hover over” technology, which is not supported by kiosk touchscreens.
- Websites have information which is not appropriate for in-store use.
- Websites make extensive use of “cookies” to identify user behavior. This does not work when there are multiple users on a single kiosk.
- Any data entered by a user into a kiosk must be deleted after an appropriate timeout. Data to be deleted includes browsing patterns as well as identifiers such as name and address.

So many changes must be made to make a website appropriate for in-store use that it is often easier to start again and develop a solution that is tailored to the kiosk.

With the emergence of Windows 7’s touch screen capabilities, the major players for the New Year and beyond are already emerging. Let’s take a look at the contenders….

Lenovo Thinkpad T400s
This little fella has a simple tap application that lets you double tap anywhere on the screen to bring up the control panel. You can then control the computer from the 14.1″ screen, which is probably the best feature. It has an anti fingerprint coating to protect the screen and also helps to lower power consumption. This laptop will set you back £1000+ and it comes equipped with a wider Touchpad and DDR3 memory modules.

Archos 9 PC Tablet
The Archos Tablet line jewel that offers a new way to enjoy Internet, your media, and TV – all in a handheld device. It clearly redefines the high-end portable device with its ultra-thin design 9-inch touch screen and still weighs less than 2 pounds. It comes with a 1.3 megapixel webcam for your video conferences, 1GB of RAM and 60GB of hard drive.

Asus T91MT
We love this touch screen that can turn in any direction you want – excellent for presentations. This can lay claim to being of the world’s smallest and slimmest touch pcs. It is also very light weighing in at 2.1 pounds and also comes with a 3D interface and touch friendly browser that will let you flick through floating panels on the screen. The touch screen is very easy to use and you can navigate the web effortlessly at the flick of a finger.

We doubt they have the capacity to transport you through time and into space, but Tardis-style kiosks are set to land in Preston nonetheless, with powers designed to help police combat crime.

The intergalactic-looking touch-screen will have screens on three sides, providing information about “policing issues”, public safety and tourist information. Messages will also be broadcast via a ticker tape LED display. It will also include a help button, linked to the city centre CCTV control centre, which can be pressed in an emergency – such as looking for a missing child, or to alert the authorities of a street fight.

And police hope the “modern and iconic” addition to Preston’s city centre will become a “local source of pride”.

The unmanned, three-metre high “citizen contact kiosk” will be made of stainless steel to withstand vandalism and the design will be based on one which has been successfully operating in Glasgow since 2005.

Coun Ron Atkins said he hoped more of the kiosks could be built elsewhere in the city if the initial model proves successful.

“I think it’s an excellent idea – it will do a lot for communication between the people of Preston and the police.
I think it’s one of the best ways of contacting the police for people who would otherwise be reluctant to contact them.”

Movie-rental giant Blockbuster has rolled out its plans for next year, which will see them go touch-screen kiosk crazy!

They’ll be throwing money at their new Blockbuster Express campaign with an increased amount of automated kiosks as well as maxing out their Blockbuster on-demand digital streaming offering.

At present, their physical points’ presence stands at 2,500 Blockbuster Express branded kiosks and by early 2010, they’ll be unleashing their first 24-hour automated retail store.

James Keyes, CEO of Blockbuster, says: “We are working hard to take the multi-channel approach to the next level by providing the customer with flexibility, control, and ease-of-use. Through our planned integration of stores by mail, vending, kiosks, digital services, we intend to utilise a centralised customer database to realise supply chain efficiencies and ultimately to deliver a superior customer experience.”

Over a million British and American men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their country and one memorial cemetery has dipped into new kiosk technology to help relatives quickly find the names of their loved ones who died in conflict.

The touch-screen system was launched this week, and immediately Veteran Greg Adamson of Bettendorf, US, showed a young woman how to quickly locate the name of her father at the Bettendorf Veterans Memorial.

Until now, people had to scan the numerous long granite columns while hunting for loved ones’ names but the new directory kiosk is making their search quests simple and immediate.

The project took about 170 hours of work, Adamson said.

Sir Alan will be proud. Yasmina Siadatan has sealed her first digital signage deal since winning The Apprentice last summer, landing herself a six-figure role in the Knight’s renowned company.

Yasmina closed the five-year deal with Great Ormond Street, the U.K.’s leading center for treating sick children, which will see Sir Alan Sugar’s firm install touch-screens throughout the London-based hospital in high-traffic areas such as waiting rooms, corridors, coffee shops and restaurants.

“Our digital signage screens are allowing hospitals and doctor’s surgeries across the country to communicate with patients and keep them informed on a range of important health issues,” said Yasmina.

The Apprentice returns to our screens for series 6 in June 2010.

Most things that Barack Obama touches turns to gold, and now the US President is setting his sights on revamping the American medical sector via touch-screen technology.

The winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize has had his hands full in the last twelve months in attempting to solve the issues that plagued George W Bush’s administration but now, President Obama sees huge scope to improve his country’s health industry by embracing technological advancements.

He has pledged to ensure that all medical records in the United States will be electronic within five years, synced through the touch-screen kiosks that are present in most US health centres – a plan sure to positively affect the healthcare industry as a whole and create opportunities for technology providers.

Patient check-in kiosks have existed in doctors’ surgeries for years, but their advantages have not always been fully utilised, as described by one industry exec:

“Healthcare has always been thought of as being sort of behind on IT technology,” Napua said. “But obviously with the infusion of the Obama initiative for electronic medical records, I think there’s a growing interest, to say the least, in trying to figure out a lot of these solutions in healthcare.”