Content about smartphones

March 1, 2013

Denver-based PRO Group said it is helping its affiliated stores through the use of QR (quick-response) codes.

By using QR (quick-response) codes, PRO-affiliated stores can let consumers tap bargains and information by tapping their smartphones; links reveal coupons for goods and demonstration videos for do-it-yourself projects.

September 28, 2012

Danger: Texting and talking behind the wheel

As smartphones and tablets become ubiquitous, multi-tasking behind the wheel has been gaining notice as a grown-up workplace danger rather than the sole province of reckless, texting adolescents.

Along with the risks to life and limb, the trend carries significant financial perils for employers.

A worker who causes an accident while reading e-mail or texting on the job can expose an employer to millions of dollars in liability for loss of life, in addition to the costs of property damage and lost productivity.

August 17, 2012

Lowe’s, Walmart and others to deliver mobile wallet to consumers

Expectations are high that mobile payments represent the future of commerce, and a group of leading retailers this week formed a new organization to offer an alternative way to pay.

The group, Merchant Customer Exchange, will integrate a range of consumer offers, promotions and retail programs available via any smartphone. Participating retailers include Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Sears Holdings Corp. and Target. Additional members are expected to be announced in the coming months.

August 13, 2012

IKEA Canada adds interactive element to catalog

IKEA Canada has announced that its new catalog, debuting Aug. 13, has incorporated a host of interactive elements designed for smartphones and tablets.

When holding a smartphone or tablet over a page, users are able to access films about IKEA products, experience 3-D models, look behind closed doors with an X-ray function or change curtains and get creative.

Users will access the bonus material by downloading the IKEA app to smartphones or tablets, or by visiting Ikea.ca.

July 27, 2012

Get ready: Workers will watch Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics will offer a technologically unprecedented opportunity for workers to plug in and slack off to watch live-streaming games on smartphones, tablets or company computers. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that the London games, which get under way July 27, will hurt productivity much more than previous Olympics.

May 17, 2012

DeWalt Mobile Pro app hits iPhones

Delmar and DeWalt announced the launch of DeWalt Mobile Pro, a new mobile application for construction professionals. DeWalt Mobile Pro is an innovative and powerful mobile solution developed specifically for contractors and tradesmen in the construction industry, with free features and numerous ways to customize the app based on each user's trade focus. The app is available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and has been designed with custom interfaces to suit the various screen sizes of each device.

March 30, 2012

Energy and the modern home

Regardless of federal or state subsidies, the home product marketplace continues to generate product innovation that increases efficiency and value for the energy-conscious consumer.

November 17, 2011

Lowe's employees get on the iPhone

According to Lowe's Rick Damron, executive VP store operations, the Mooresville, N.C.-based retail giant has rolled out iPhones to more than 60% of its stores, where they're used as sales tools and scanners.

The mobile devices customized with retail applications and based on Apple's iPhone technology are expected to be rolled out to all stores by the end of the year.

October 4, 2011

Gift cards going mobile

A survey conducted in September at the annual Shop.org Retail Summit in Boston showed that that almost half of all retailers surveyed planned to offer eGifting this holiday season and 44% were looking at location-based deals as a key element of their mobile marketing strategy.

A survey conducted in September at the annual Shop.org Retail Summit in Boston showed that that almost half of all retailers surveyed planned to offer eGifting this holiday season, and 44% were looking at location-based deals as a key element of their mobile marketing strategy.

The survey, sponsored by CashStar, found a growing number of concerns among retailers about the lack of personalization of gift cards.

September 9, 2011

Lowe’s buys 42,000 iPhones

Lowe’s announcement on Aug. 31 of its very own Lowe’s App for iPhones and iPads was apparently just one bite of the apple. The home improvement retailer has purchased 42,000 iPhones and intends to use them as mobile cash registers in its stores, according to an article in Business Insider.

August 31, 2011

A new dimension to marketing 

Across the country, and across a broad spectrum of industries, advertisements sporting mobile bar codes are becoming an increasingly familiar sight. QR codes — quick response codes — are the most common of a few types of bar codes that consumers can scan using a pre-downloaded smartphone app. The bar codes may appear on anything from posters to packaging to catalogs and, when scanned, lead consumers to a specific set of information, often through a mobile website.

July 15, 2007

Let’s do launch

Sister Bernice Marie, my 90-year-old great aunt, had this to say about Apple’s iPhone launch:...