Retail News CRM

Tag: app

  • BMW Customers Can Give Real-Time Approvals For Service And Repairs With New Smart Video App

    BMW Customers Can Give Real-Time Approvals For Service And Repairs With New Smart Video App

    BMW India has announced introducing a new mobile application that will allow customers to give real-time approvals for service and repairs. Called the BMW Smart Video, the new BMW exclusive app allows the technicians at the dealership to make a video of the vehicle explaining the service/repair requirements and share the quotation online. Customers receive a link where they can understand the service requirements through the video and provide approval online without the hassle of visiting the dealership again.

    Designed to enhance BMW’s aftersales service experience, the company says by digitizing the aftersales service process, it ensures that there is complete transparency and offers faster turn-around time. In fact, BMW India claims that the new BMW Smart Video solution has already benefited more than 10,000 customers with a high rate of customer satisfaction.

    Talking about the new BMW Smart Video App, Rudratej Singh, President and CEO, BMW Group India said, “BMW is an immensely successful brand not only because of its best-in-class products but also because of its unparalleled aftersales service standards. Trust and transparency are the core BMW values that naturally extend in all our customer interactions. Leveraging new-age digital solutions, we are building numerous services and solutions that will further enhance interaction between our customers and their beloved machines. BMW Smart Video is a fine example of how an innovative solution helps our customers easily understand the technical aspects of their vehicles and its servicing. Thus, creating a joyful ownership experience.”

    The BMW Smart Video application is already live in the BMW network in 50 countries across the world, including Australia, US and UK, among others. Now, the new BMW Smart Video is also available at BMW dealerships in India.

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  • Yahoo launches new Mail app for Android and iOS

    Yahoo launches new Mail app for Android and iOS

    Yahoo is desperately trying to become relevant once again. We’re not sure how many people still own a Yahoo email account, but it looks like the company has just unveiled a brand new logo and a new Yahoo Mail app.

    The new app is available for Android and iOS users starting today and brings some important changes over the previous one. First off, it will allow users to customize their push notification to highlight the type of mail they want to be alerted of, as well as personalize the Yahoo Mail inbox with custom color themes and sounds.

    The new Yahoo Mail app comes with a new view that lets users access all their attachments, including travel documents, tickets, photos, and essential files. There’s another view for subscriptions that allows users to browse shopping emails and unsubscribe from any newsletter with a single tap directly within the app.

    Also, you’ll now have three separate types of deal that you can view in different tabs: Deals View, Location View (iOS only) and Grocery View. Finally, the app will highlight timely updates like package tracking, travel info, or a deal that’s close to expiring (iOS only).

    If you still trust Yahoo to keep your emails, you can now download the new Mail app for iPhone and Android via App Store and Google Play.

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  • Waze is getting Google Assistant support in the US

    Waze is getting Google Assistant support in the US

    Google Assistant support is coming to Waze, which means you’ll be able to use voice commands while navigating to your destination. The new feature is rolling out starting today and should become available to all English-speaking Android users in the United States in the next few days.

    Waze users can now say “Hey Google” within the app to access the Assistant. It will let them make a calendar appointment, play music, make calls, or find a coffee shop nearby, without having to leave the Waze navigation screen.

    If you don’t see Google Assistant when you open Waze, simply tap the mic or head to the Google Assistant settings in Voice & Sound. In the next window, tap “Enable now” to start using Google Assistant in Waze.

    Here are some of the voice commands that you can use in Waze once Google Assistant becomes available:

    • Hey Google, navigate home
    • Hey Google, navigate to a coffee shop
    • Hey Google, find gas stations
    • Hey Google, report traffic
    • Hey Google, what’s my ETA?
    • Hey Google, show alternative routes
    • Hey Google, show directions
    • Hey Google, allow/avoid tolls

    Waze hasn’t mentioned anything about the availability of Google Assistant outside of the United States, nor whether or not non-English speaking users will get it.

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  • Uber now uses smartphones to detect possible car crashes in the US

    Uber now uses smartphones to detect possible car crashes in the US

    Uber started testing an interesting safety feature last year that would allow its team to detect unexpected long stops or possible crashes using a smartphone’s GPS and other sensors like gyroscope and accelerometer.

    One year after it debuted the beta test, Uber announced RideCheck is now live in the United States. The new feature is available for all Uber riders and drivers in the US, but the company has plans to expand it to more countries in the future.

    Since every trip is on the map, Uber knows where and when you’re riding and who’s driving you to your destination. Using this particular data and other sensors in drivers’ smartphones, Uber’s technology can detect possible crashes or if a trip goes unusually off course.

    Also, when a RideCheck is initiated, both a rider and driver will receive a notification asking if everything is alright. Through the app, either of the two can inform Uber that all is well, or take other actions like using the emergency button or reporting the issue to the Safety Line.

    Uber says that in the event of a crash, it can also help expedite the insurance claims process. Also, the company promises improvements to the current technology through additional scenarios to RideCheck.

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  • Samsung discontinues its mirroring app for smartphones

    Samsung discontinues its mirroring app for smartphones

    Samsung is notifying customers that the SideSync app will be discontinued next month. The South Korean company cites changes “in internal operation policy” for the removal of the app, which has more than 50 millions of downloads in the Google Play Store.

    Ironically, Samsung added support for Android 9.0 Pie early this year, which suggests that the decision to discontinue SideSync was probably taken more recently. For those unaware, the SideSync app lets users share their smartphone’s screen and data with a tablet or PC. Instead of SideSync, Samsung now recommends Galaxy smartphone users to download Samsung Flow, an app that does exactly what the soon to be discontinued SideSync app does.

    Dear SideSync customers, SideSync is no longer available as of [09:00 AM, 15, October 2019, GMT+9], according to a change in internal operation policy. Though SideSync service is no longer running, you can continue to use the mirroring through Samsung Flow. Thank you for using SideSync. We will endeavor to continue providing you with high-quality services.

    Effective October 15, Samsung SideSync will no longer work, so if you want to be able to share your smartphone’s screen with your PC or tablet, you’ll have to switch to Samsung Flow.

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  • JD.Com and Thai Retailer Launch Financial App

    JD.Com and Thai Retailer Launch Financial App

    China e-commerce giant JD.com and Thailand’s top retailer Central Group have jointly launched a new financial services app, partnering with the largest Thai lenders to capitalize on the nation’s digital banking opportunity.

    The «Dolfin» app will include an e-wallet, digital lending platform, insurance and wealth management capabilities, according to a statement from the joint-venture, Central JD Fintech. A merchant version will be rolled out next year to target small businesses and Central’s mall tenants with merchant data to be used to further support bank lending.

    Major Thai lenders, Siam Commercial Bank, Kasikornbank and Bangkok Bank are currently partners with Bank of Ayudhya expected to join later.

    Central JD Fintech aims to reach 400,000 Dolfin users by year-end and 1.5 million next year.

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  • Global Vans shoe design competition kicks off

    Global Vans shoe design competition kicks off

    Sports shoe & apparel brand Vans is launching its interactive “Vans shoe customisation competition”, designed to inspire artists around the world.

    The Global Custom Culture competition aims to provide the means for self-expression through digital and canvas mediums unique to Vans. This is the inaugural year of the Vans shoe customization competition, encouraging artists from around the world to turn a pair of classic Vans shoes into their personal art piece.

    The contest will award three winners – one each from Asia Pacific, North America and Europe –  a US$25,000, and the designers will have their shoes produced and sold by Vans, experience a trip to the Vans design headquarters in Southern California, and have the opportunity to partner with Vans to donate $100,000 to a charity that will further enable creative communities.

    “Our goal through Vans Global Custom Culture is to create a platform that is accessible to everyone,” said Vans senior director of global brand marketing April Vitkus. “A barrier to creativity is having access to the tools needed to create something unique, and as a brand it’s our purpose and commitment to provide a range of platforms to empower and enable individuals.”

    The public will have the chance to vote for their favorite design submissions, helping determine the top 10 finalists from each geographic region, in early October. Once the top 10 have been selected, the Vans shoe customization competition finalists will receive a pair of Era shoes to apply a new design onto Vans’ literal canvas. The top 10 will be announced on December 5, where all the artist’s creations will be displayed online for a public vote.

    On December 19, Vans representatives from the design and marketing teams, as well as selected art ambassadors, will choose one grand prize winner in each region.

    Throughout the month of September, Vans will host creative workshops, as a way to participate and support competition participants in a collaborative environment.

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  • Skype brings a handful of new features to its app

    Skype brings a handful of new features to its app

    Skype’s messaging app might seem a bit obsolete for some due to the lack of many features, but that’s about to change. The developer announced a new set of improvements are coming to Skype in the coming days.

    The newest update brings message drafts, a much-needed feature that allows Skype users to save any messages they didn’t send in the corresponding conversation. Skype also says that messages saved as drafts are even available when you leave and come back to the Skype app, but we don’t think adding this feature in any other way would be useful.

    Message bookmarks is another important addition in this update. It will allow Skype users to bookmark any message in conversations by simply right-clicking or long-pressing the message and tapping Add bookmark. The message will be saved in the Bookmarks screen with other bookmarked messages.

    Furthermore, the update brings the option to preview photos, videos, and files that you want to share before sending them. You can even add a message that will be sent along with the files if you want to write an explanation or description for what you’re sending.

    Also, a new way to display multiple photos or videos sent at once. You’ll now see an album in the chat history with all the photos combined, but you can also check them out individually by clicking between the photos or videos in the album.

    All the new features announced today will be available on the latest version of Skype across all platforms, so expect to see them soon on your phone.

  • Amazon In Talks For Stake In Indonesia’s Ride-Hailing Startup Go-Jek

    Amazon In Talks For Stake In Indonesia’s Ride-Hailing Startup Go-Jek

    Amazon.com Inc is in early talks with Go-Jek Group to buy a stake in the Indonesian ride-hailing startup, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

    Details of the stake were not known and the source did not want to be identified as the talks are private.

    Both Amazon and Go-Jek did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

    Indonesia’s first unicorn, Go-Jek, has up to 20 services and has evolved from ride-sharing to allowing its customers to make online payments and order everything from food to groceries.

    Earlier this year, Amazon also bought a stake in British online food delivery company Deliveroo as it competes with Uber Technologies Inc’s Uber Eats in the global race to dominate the market for takeaway meals.

    Reuters reported in July that Amazon is expanding its transportation prowess to do virtually everything short of building a car.

    Go-Jek, which counts Alphabet Inc’s, Alibaba Group Holdings Inc, Tencent Holdings and Visa Inc (V.N) as investors, last raised here funding in July at a valuation of around $10 billion.

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  • Hulu launches new iOS app, Android version coming later on

    Hulu launches new iOS app, Android version coming later on

    After surpassing Netflix when it comes to the number of subscribers in the United States, Hulu revealed plans to rehash its user interface in an attempt to make it less confusing for users. Well, it looks like that time has come, as Hulu is now rolling out a new version of its app to iOS users.

    Although the company hasn’t made any announcements yet, TechCrunch reports Hulu confirmed a major update is now pushed out to mobile devices. Hulu also mentions that the update is coming to Android as well, but at the moment it’s only tested internally.

    As far as the changes go, the most important tweak is the complete removal of the Lineup landing page, which is replaced with Hulu Picks. The latter features content that’s curated by Hulu staff, and it’s not populated based on the algorithms derived by user viewing habits.

    If you swipe down, there’s more content available at first glance, as you’ll be able to see two items at a time. For example, on the iPad, you’ll be able to see two rows totaling 6 cards on the app’s main screen when in landscape mode.

    Every page in the app takes advantage of this format, including Live Now, Unwatched in My Stuff, My Channels, as well as genre-based sections like Sports, News, TV, Movies, Kids, and Hulu Originals.

    These seem to be the only visible changes in the new Hulu app for iOS devices, which is a bit surprising considering the company revealed plans for more improvements like expanded metadata next to content and the ability to mark content as “unwatched.”

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  • Ride-Hailing Firm Grab Plans Major Investment In Vietnam

    Ride-Hailing Firm Grab Plans Major Investment In Vietnam

    Singapore-based ride-hailing firm Grab is set to invest “several hundred million dollars” in Vietnam where the company sees its next major growth market, just weeks after it unveiled a $2 billion plan in Indonesia.

    The proposed investment is the latest example of a top-notch regional brand deepening its commitment to Vietnam, one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. It also shows the eagerness of Grab, which has raised billions of dollars from investors, to put its cash to work.

    “We’re very excited about Vietnam. We see very similar characteristics to Indonesia,” Grab President Ming Maa told Reuters in an interview.

    Grab and rival Indonesia-based Go-Jek are evolving from ride-hailing app operators to become one-stop shops for services as varied as payments, food delivery, logistics and hotel bookings in Southeast Asia.

    Grab, with its app on more than 160 million mobile devices across eight countries, has said its Indonesia investment aims to build a next-generation transport network and transform how critical services such as healthcare are delivered.

    Like Indonesia, many middle class and young consumers in Vietnam are using apps and websites to access services, Maa said.

    “I would expect us to invest over several hundred million dollars into growing our Vietnam business,” he said without giving specific details on the investment.

    Vietnam ranks third or fourth among Grab’s top markets, said Maa, who joined the company three years ago from its major investor, Japan’s Softbank Group Corp, and a previous decade-long stint at investment bank Goldman Sachs.

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  • Disney’s new Genie app will make your theme park wishes come true

    Disney’s new Genie app will make your theme park wishes come true

    You might not realize it, but when it comes to technology Walt Disney is not a Mickey Mouse operation. You might recall that back in 2017, we told you that the entertainment giant was testing OTA wireless charging using a technology called quasistatic cavity resonance. The goal is to allow visitors at its parks to one day walk into an attraction and walk out with their mobile devices fully charged.
    Today, during the D23 superfan convention in Anaheim, Disney announced a new app called Genie that is expected to launch late next year. The company says that it will “enhance the way you plan for and experience a trip to Walt Disney World Resort.” The app will provide custom itineraries based on a user’s interests such as a princess-day theme, or for those foodies who like to experience the culinary delights from the different countries at Epcot. There is even one for thrillseekers; the latter, we assume, includes rides on Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and the positively frightening Wedway People Mover and other hair-raising rides.
    If you know what attractions you want to see at a Disney Park, tell the Genie app and it will go through millions of possible options to come up with a fun-filled schedule for the day. And if you decide to make changes, that is no problem; Genie will “re-optimize” your schedule. As you walk through the park, the app will also send alerts with recommendations and will even handle any dining reservations that you might want to make.
    “This represents yet another way we are using creativity and innovation to connect guests with the stories and characters they love, and to help them make lasting, magical memories with the family and friends they cherish most. Over the past several years, Disney parks have become more seamless and enjoyable through other digital offerings, such as mobile food ordering, the Play Disney Parks app, online check-in and so much more”-Disney
    Despite Disney’s ties to Apple (Steve Jobs and his estate were once the largest Disney shareholder after the purchase of Pixar), we’re sure that the app will be made available to both iOS and Android users.
  • Commune launches high-tech AR app in Singapore

    Commune launches high-tech AR app in Singapore

    Furniture-design and lifestyle-brand Commune in Singapore has unveiled a cloud-based, omni-channel furniture retail solution and mobile augmented-reality (AR) app.

    Commune: In Motion is designed to transform the shopping experience and reduce the time taken to serve customers by about 70 per cent. It is the product of a design development process underway since 2016 to discover new values and growth in the evolving digital landscape.

    “The retailers who thrive in the next decade will be those who reimagine and redefine their stores for the digital age,” said CEO Joshua Koh. “Brick-and-mortar retailers have enormous opportunity to leverage the distinct benefits of ‘old fashioned, in-person shopping’ in ways that digital sites can only dream about. The winners of tomorrow will be those who are able to transport the digital world into their stores in a manner that delights customers, builds loyalty and generates brand value,” he said.

    The app enables the integration of online and offline data across various touch points – for example, customers’ browsing behaviour and the management of purchase and delivery orders in real-time – to provide a personalised shopping experience for homeowners and furniture enthusiasts.

    “Commune: In Motion exemplifies Services 4.0 where next-generation services are end to end, frictionless and anticipatory to customers’ needs,” said development partner Infocomm Media’s executive Jane Lim. “Commune has shown us how retail businesses can meet changing customer needs quickly in the digital age by effectively harnessing emerging technology and data.”

    Some of these initiatives undertaken by Commune in Singapore include the development of a VR and 3D space planner, implementation of an e-learning portal for in-house training, and the participation in overseas business missions.

    For Commune, the system aims to further improve business operations and speed up customer-service efficiencies, as well as provide a platform whereby the company can build a better relationship with its customers.

    Commune in Singapore has a vision is to create a seamless, online-offline shopping experience that is more immersive, fun and explorative while encouraging other companies in the industry to embark on similar journeys.

  • Google thinking to remove the ability to message directly on YouTube

    Google thinking to remove the ability to message directly on YouTube

    Google has confirmed it will kill off another of its obsolete chat service – YouTube messages. The decision is probably related to the fact that not many people are using the ability to message directly on YouTube.

    Although it’s a relatively old feature having been launched back in 2017 after one year of testing, Messages on YouTube will no longer be available after September 18. The announcement mentions that since the feature was launched two years ago, YouTube focused on public conversations with updates to comments, posts, and stories.

    Unfortunately, that was not enough to convince users to take advantage of the feature as often as YouTube would’ve wanted. After re-evaluating its priorities, Google has decided to discontinue the messaging option hidden inside YouTube and start focusing on improving public conversations instead.

    Even though the ability to direct message on YouTube will no longer be available after September 18, you will still be able to share YouTube videos by heading to the video watch page, clicking Share, and then tapping the “social network icon” from which you want to share a video.

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  • Google brings new spelling and grammar correction capabilities to Gmail app

    Google brings new spelling and grammar correction capabilities to Gmail app

    Google has announced a couple of nifty features will soon be rolled out to Gmail on all platforms. Although the app does feature predictive text, users are still prone to typos or grammar mistakes.

    To correct that issue, Google announced it will introduce new spelling and grammar correction capabilities for Gmail which are meant to help users with G Suite accounts compose emails faster.

    The new capabilities will trigger ones you start typing a message and will use artificial intelligence to make smarter spell-check suggestions while detecting potential grammar issues at the same time. Moreover, Google mentions that it has added as-you-type autocorrect.

    Google says these new features will be rolled out gradually to all G Suite accounts starting today, but the full deployment will last until mid-September. Unfortunately, the new features are not yet available for regular users, although we can safely assume they will be made available to all Gmail users at some point, just like it happened with the Smart Compose function.