Why Augmented Reality is the Future of Retail

When it comes to digital marketing and advertising; another factor which is booming is Augmented Reality in the Retail and e-Commerce sector. How it is going to be? And how it will affect the future of buying? Will augmented reality would really change the future of buying style? And more importantly, whether we will be able to implement it or not?



There are enormous question which arises whenever virtual reality or cyber space come into the picture. Currently when every big company is spending huge bucks over augmented reality applications, retail sector has also started thinking over it. What is Augmented Reality? Augmented reality (AR) is a technology which creates a 3D environment with the help of computer graphics which generates an illusion of a real world around us. So, with the help of an AR the retail sector would definitely experience a better profits as it will improve the customer experience. It will definitely enhance the shopping experience of users who are opting for online or e-shopping. As now with the augmented reality you can experience the products in the virtual reality world which seems more realistic as compare to the 2D images. Therefore, it will definitely bridge the gap between an online store and a physical store.



With the augmented reality coming into the picture of retail world, it will also improve the advertising style and the mode of selling. AR offers digital enhancements to the real world senses like touch, sight, smell and sound. It will not just give better product demos, sneak peeks, interactive social media, and multiple products views but also better deals and real time information too. In a study conducted in UK, both traditional print and augmented reality marketing campaigns shows that when customer can feel the product and can experience it like a real world then they feel more connected and buy more products as compared to the printed ones.



Major Benefits of Augmented Reality are –



• Great Interactivity – You can feel and touch the product like you do in a real world which helps in making decision faster and accurate.



• Need of Less Space – It definitely helps in reducing the space which is needed for displays for those physical products.



• Real time Information – It provides a real-time information to the users and to sellers which can help a seller to track the warehouse and product availability.



Although this technology is still under the clouds and developers are trying to come up with something absolutely out of the box which at the end is a WIN-WIN situation for both the parties i.e. for consumers and sellers. Where everything is moving on digital environment, a virtual environment and augmented reality is always fascinating to all.



Today mobile technologies are taking steps towards new dimensions and making apps with such thoughts and ideas which could definitely improve the customer satisfaction, loyalty towards the company and better purchasing decisions which will ultimately proves beneficial for the companies. The retail companies who are planning to use augmented reality are – Domino’s Pizza, Starbucks, Volvo, Cadbury, Walmart and Ikea etc. So, lastly what do you think over this technology? And what are your takes about it?



Omnie Solutions is an enterprise application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business. Omnie Solutions has implemented augmented reality based digital solution, 3D Digital Sand Model, for planning mission critical activities and monitoring the country borders on a 3 Dimensional Digital platform. Follow Omnie Solutions on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A Research Reveals That Work Productivity Can Be Increased By Wearable Devices

A recent study shows that wearable devices have positive impact on the organization’s workforce. People are being more productive after using wearable devices at their work stations. Researchers from London looked into this phenomenal and found that effective use of wearable devices in the organizations.



The research conducted by The Human Cloud at Work study, found that the productivity of the employees was boosted by 8.5 percent through wearable devices. The researchers observed the trend for one month before coming to the final conclusion that-wearable devices indeed can be very effective in increasing the productivity of the employees.



Bottom line behind this fact could be the possibility with which the employees are able to do multiple things with the help of wearable devices. Also, there is no denying that wearable devices are the next big thing of the industry after tablet computing. It is also a product which can be used my masses.



Some of the fact which came out during the research are:

•  The productivity was boosted by 8.5 percent through the use of wearable devices.


•  Job satisfaction was also increased by 3.5 percent.


• Only 5 percent of employees were concerned about their personal privacy.


• 59 percent of companies however were concerned about the data security of their company.

As we all have accepted that wearable devices are next big thing, slowly and gradually the non IT people are also adopting to the idea of it. Soon, we all will see the expansion of wearable devices as we all witnessed for the mobile phones. Everyone would own a wearable device and they would be connected with the world without using their hands.

Motorola
WT4000 Wearable Terminal

Right now, either Silicon Valley or the fitness freaks are into wearable devices. However, the developers are religiously working towards creating the wearable device application which can offer more than the augmented reality and IT information. 63 percent of IT companies in United States and 25 percent of IT companies in United Kingdom are working towards developing the wearable device applications.



Also, if we take a look at the features and functions of the wearable devices we would see that this piece of technology can do wonders for medical professionals and emergency workers who have to have an access of the internet connection in the critical situations.



Right now, all we can say is that this is just the beginning for the wearable device and soon we all would be under its spill. However, we personally would like to see these augmented based wearable devices to do something in the field of healthcare first.



Do let us know what do you think, how our future will be with these wearable devices. You can comment given below.



Omnie Solutions is an enterprise application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business. Omnie Solutions has extensive experience and expertise in app development for smart gadgets. Follow Omnie Solutions on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.



Image Source: telegraph.co.uk

Wearable Tech Accelerates Into the Clothing Industry

From smart phone, to smart devices to smart jewelry, wearable technology is the next wave of our digital world interweaving with our clothing lives.



The people who use wearable devices while doing exercise are really not very comfortable with it because one has to wear these devices constantly. The users have to wear these gadgets, sync them, and charge them etc. In short, they require a lot of maintenance.



In the process of making wearable’s as natural as it can get, a company called OMsignals have launched a clothing line. The company has developed the workout t-shirts that can measure your heart rate and other stats like breathing rate and calorie burned etc.



These t-shirts are more accurate and effective in comparison to other fitness devices because the t-shirt is woven around your chest and gives more accurate heart rate and breathing rate. This t-shirt can also guide you towards your energy level and prompt you to slow down.



OMsignal CEO Stephane Marceau said-“We need something that complements life, without getting in the way of life,” while explaining the concept behind the t-shirt in the press conference. Clothing was, naturally, the most friction-less fit. “Clothing is the only type of wearable you’ve been wearing your whole life. Clothing also allows us to access biological functions where they actually happen.”

OMsignal Biometric Smartwear

The smart t-shirt has high quality texture and it features a band around the chest woven with conductive silver-based thread. This mechanism works very effectively and send signals to the hardware piece which is called as “little black box” by OMsignals. This device is capable to telling the following things to the users:

• Fitness and stress level




• It can tell you how much energy is left in your body




• It can demonstrate whether you are at the level of losing weight or you need to put some extra efforts




• The breathing patters and respiratory system can also be guided by the device in case your objective is to build stamina

Basically, this device tracks your heart rate as well as your breathing patterns by the way your chest expands and contract as you breathe. It also measures your heart rate as well as your breathing patters as you do exercise. For all the other fitness devices, getting the firsthand experience about the breathing pattern is very difficult.



Currently these t-shirts are available in the market and so far people have not faced any problems in its maintenance. OMsignals is planning to launch some more fitness clothing systems which can further change the way of fitness for people.



Omnie Solutions is an enterprise application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business. Omnie Solutions has extensive experience and expertise in app development for smart gadgets. Follow Omnie Solutions on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The Future Scope of Augmented Reality

As said by Wayne Dyer “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Augmented reality, when graphics or the normal computer displays are brought into the real world which gives an illusion of its existence to the environment, such technology is known as augmented reality (AR). Don’t you think; it sounds exciting that AR just not add graphics, sounds and haptic feedback but also sense and smell to that Virtual reality world.



Today augmented reality has spread its wings not just into gaming but also into our day to day life. From retail business to health sector. Augmented reality shown its capabilities and showcased its future scopes to all of us. In the retail sector, where it can change the whole shopping experience and will definitely bridge the gap between the online and physical store. Whereas, in health sector nothing more fascinating than understanding a human body or for that matter any physical body in a 3D aspect rather than a 2D image or graphics.

Augmented reality also influenced the mobile industry. Today any Tom Dick and Harry can act like a James Bond with an augmented reality featured wearable devices and with a GPS enabled Smartphones. You can definitely enjoy those special effects and advance technology on your hands itself. Imagine you are wearing this cool glares which look absolutely normal to other but you are wearing a glare which not just correct your eye vision but also stores plenty of HD movies, your favorite books and even songs and you can enjoy them all day long without even getting noticed by others. Isn’t this cool? Here, Google glasses surely making its impression and with upcoming news it’s been said that the geeky glasses are now going to shrink into contact lenses with the AR technology fitted into it.

Image source: WSJ

According to studies companies are spending big bucks over the augmented reality. Augmented reality is still under the clouds and there are many prospects on which the developers are working. Reportedly, Microsoft has paid as much as $150 million to buy IP assets related to augmented reality and even Sony PlayStation4 are coming up with an idea of Virtual Reality which they are planning to release in 2015 itself.



It also taking upper hand in the field of advertising and promotional events. Today smartphones are equipped by powerful GPS receivers, compasses and accelerometers that make it possible to know exactly where it’s located and what they are looking at. Augmented reality apps such as “Layar” takes the advantage of this to show people information about the surrounding including what businesses are nearby.



Although it does have some limitations like GPS is only accurate within the range of 30 feet i.e. 9 meters and doesn’t work in the indoors as well. Other than these even your connectivity matters it won’t work if it’s not 3G network at least and the quality of your camera does effect the technology when it comes to quality. Another major disadvantage is the existing mobile devices are still not powerful enough to process the required amount of data in real‐time whereas to run at interactive frame rates is (15‐30 frames per second). There are also some privacy concerns when it comes to image recognition software coupled with AR.



Despite of these few limitations; the future of augmented reality seems really bright and prospective. Like any other evolving technology, AR also faces some obstacles regarding technical issues, to social and ethical problems to financial problem. Where none of the issues seems overwhelming. With the time, all the technical issues will be resolved and AR will definitely showcase something that would fill the gaps between social and ethical issues too. Toward the end, what do you think about this cool technology? Whether it work or it will fail? What are your opinions about it?



Omnie Solutions is an enterprise application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business. Omnie Solutions has implemented augmented reality based digital solution, 3D Digital Sand Model, for planning mission critical activities and monitoring the country borders on a 3 Dimensional Digital platform. Follow Omnie Solutions on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Smart Revolution – TomTom Cardio Sport Watches Offer GPS and Heart Rate Tracking

Have you heard about this TomTom fitness watches? This revolutionary watch was launched on 2nd April 2014 in Amsterdam. It’s a cutting edge technology for all those fitness freaks which got a built-in heart rate monitor. It makes you aware of your cardio activity without having a strap band around your chest to monitor it. It also have the features of GPS in it, and by using this watch runners can see real-time heart rate, distance, pace and other essential running information at a one scan.



This device is available under 2 modes – runner cardio and multi-sport cardio which cost 269 euros and 299 euros respectively. Basically the Runner watch is only to monitor the cardio while running whereas the multi-
sport can keep a check on running, cycling and even on swimming goals. The Runner Cardio makes it easy to train-in the optimal heart rate zone. Runners can easily select one of five intensity zones to match their training goals and will receive alerts to know whether they need to speed up or slow down. The 5 heart rate zone are –

1. Easy: Easy tempo training, mostly used for warming up and cool down.


2. Fat Burn: This is great for weight-loss with moderate tempo training.


3. Sprint: The most common type of training used in internal training while cardio.


4. Endure: This is moderate to high tempo training, to improve your lung and heart capacity.


5. Speed: This is the last mode, with high tempo training to improve your speed and fitness.

“TomTom is aimed for simplicity and unobtrusiveness when designing the Cardio GPS watch series, as well as convenience and accuracy”, TomTom President Jocelyn Vigreux explained in an interview with TechCrunch. Vigreux says devices like the Cardio can definitely co-exist with multipurpose gadgets - “There’s a lot of striking tech under the hood with the Cardio line of sport watches, but it is a dedicated wrist-borne run tracker a bit of a dinosaur in an age of smart watches with built-in location services and optical heart rate monitors?”



“If you have a smart watch, it’s definitely going to be heavier, it’s definitely going to be doing a lot of other things,” Vigreux said. “We’ve seen in multiple businesses that multi-purpose and single-purpose devices doing the same thing can cohabitate. The purpose of the Cardio is basically to get out of the way, by providing feedback on the wrist using a built-in vibration motor. It will tell you when you’re in your optimal heart rate zone for whatever kind of training you want to accomplish (fat burn, cardio, warm up, etc.) and give you nudges when you’re either running too hot or too cool.







The main highlighted features it got are –

• Long lasting battery


• Slim design


• Weather and water resistant


• Bluetooth


• QuickGPSfix


• Multi-Platform compatibility i.e. syncs with TomTom MySports website, MapMyFitness, RunKeeper, TrainingPeaks and Strava


• Indoor Tracker if you are running over treadmill


• Full Screen Graphics


• Single Button Control


• Tough Display

At the end we can conclude, although there are many variants of sport smart watches but this one is indeed different from others plus this device is proven to be the most effective while calculating the heart rate if compared to the other watches which fall under the same category. Nevertheless, if you are planning to buy these watches you can visit TomTom site to buy one.



Omnie Solutions is an enterprise application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business. Omnie Solutions has extensive experience and expertise in app development for smart gadgets. Follow Omnie Solutions on Facebook, and Twitter.



Image source: TomTom

Microsoft Finally Acquires Nokia to Accelerate Innovation & Market Adoption for Windows Phones

After long follow up, Microsoft has finally acquired Nokia Devices and service business for $7.2 billion. This transaction will be completed this Friday, April 25 as it had received all the required regulatory approvals and Microsoft will officially welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business as part of the Microsoft family on same day.

After long follow up, Microsoft has finally acquired Nokia Devices and service business for $7.2 billion. This transaction will be completed this Friday, April 25 as it had received all the required regulatory approvals and Microsoft will officially welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business as part of the Microsoft family on same day.



Last September, Nokia had announced it would sell a substantial part of its devices and services (D&S) business, including assets in India, to Microsoft for $7.2 billion by March 2014.



The closure of the 5.4 billion euro deal, which was agreed in September, had been delayed due to pending approvals, but earlier this month the companies won a crucial nod from Chinese regulators.



“The completion of this acquisition follows several months of planning and will mark a key step on the journey towards integration. This acquisition will help Microsoft accelerate innovation and market adoption for Windows Phones. In addition, we look forward to introducing the next billion customers to Microsoft services via Nokia mobile phones,” said Brad Smith, general counsel and executive vice president at Microsoft, in a blog post on Monday.



Microsoft has plenty of room to accelerate. The global market share of Windows Phone stands at just 3.9%, according to the research firm IDC. But IDC expects that figure to reach 7% by 2018. Between now and then, it also expects the global marketshares of Android and iOS, the two leading mobile operating systems, to decline from 78.9% to 76% and from 14.9% to 14.4%, respectively.



According to an internal letter posted online last week, Microsoft intends to call its new subsidiary Microsoft Mobile.



The deal has changed somewhat since it was announced. Smith said that Microsoft plans to manage the nokia.com domain and related social media sites for up to a year and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will be in charge of Microsoft's devices group, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. He also said that Microsoft will gain 21 employees in China who had originally been designated to remain with Nokia's Chief Technology Office, part of the Nokia Group not being sold. Finally, he said that Microsoft will not be acquiring Nokia's manufacturing facility in South Korea, as originally planned.



Microsoft released Windows Phone 8.1, the latest version of its operating system for mobile devices, to developers a week ago. The update introduces several new features designed to compete with the capabilities of Android and iOS. These include: Cortana, Microsoft's answer to Apple's Siri personal assistant; a notification system called Action Center; and improved browsing and battery life.



Though absorbing Nokia Devices and Services will give Microsoft more complete control over its mobile hardware, it won't immediately address the company's software shortfall: The Windows Phone store had only 240,000 apps in February. Apple's App Store and Google Play each boast more than 1 million apps.



However, Microsoft's decision to open source more of its .Net development framework through the newly formed .Net Foundation and its collaboration with Xamarin, maker of a framework for cross-platform development, might encourage more developers to use Microsoft-friendly tools. Those who do so will find it much easier to create Windows app builds from code intended for Android or iOS markets. And in the long run, broader adoption of its development tools should make Microsoft more relevant in the mobile market.



Once the transaction is closed, “the name of Nokia Corporation/Nokia Oyj will change to Microsoft Mobile Oy.” This means that Nokia will no longer exist as a company that makes phones - after more than two decades in which it has been at the forefront of mobile innovation.



Omnie Solutions is an enterprise application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business. Omnie Solutions has extensive experience and expertise in various technologies to build simple and affordable solutions. Follow Omnie Solutions on Facebook, and Twitter.