Hotel chain Residence Inn by Marriott is to pilot image recognition and augmented reality technology that will allow guests to scan beverage coasters to access interactive experiences, including games and food and drink suggestions, on their smartphones... More
Archive: Other news
Facebook expands free Bluetooth beacon program
Facebook is offering free Bluetooth beacons to select businesses across the US that will enable them to send “useful and relevant” information to customers about the places they visit... More
Credit union to add Touch ID
Montgomery County Employees Federal Credit Union is working with digital banking provider Digital Insight to add Touch ID to its mobile banking apps... More
Williams-Sonoma adds shoppable videos
US houseware and home furnishing retailer Williams-Sonoma has launched a four-part video series that uses YouTube’s new “shoppable” technology to allow its online shoppers to buy the showcased products with a click through Visa Checkout. The first video is now live online while the following three will follow later this summer... More
Google files contact lens authentication patent
Google has filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office that describes a contact lens which collects reflected light through sensors to assemble an image of the iris that is then matched against a stored image to authenticate the wearer... More
Brain waves could replace passwords
Brain waves could be used to verify a person’s identity in the future, researchers from Binghamton University have demonstrated in a study published in academic journal Neurocomputing... More
Vodafone Turkey adds eye verification to mobile wallet app
Vodafone Turkey is adding support for eye verification to its mobile wallet to enable users to unlock the app using biometric provider EyeVerify’s Eyeprint ID technology... More
HID Global brings government IDs to mobile
ID card provider HID Global will use its Seos technology platform, which supports both NFC and BLE functionality, to let citizens carry government IDs on smartphones and other mobile devices... More
Google’s Project Soli to bring hand controls to wearables
Google is working to create next-generation, hand-gesture technology that would enable rich interactions with smart devices regardless of screen size to “drive applications across wearable, home automation, automotive, industrial and medical markets”... More
Shazam launches visual recognition marketing platform with global brands
Shazam has launched a visual recognition marketing platform that lets its mobile app users scan Shazam-enabled logos or QR codes placed on images to access custom mobile experiences including interactive content, special offers and the ability to purchase items or share them with others... More
1bn biometric banking consumers by 2017
More than 1bn consumers globally will be accessing banking services through biometric systems by 2017 and biometrics will become the predominant method of identification for accessing bank services by 2020, Goode Intelligence predicts... More
Google unveils Project Brillo
Google has unveiled Project Brillo, a development platform for the Internet of Things that will connect devices through a communication layer called Weave which “provides seamless and secure communication between devices both locally and through the cloud,” Google explains... More
LG G5 could launch with iris scanner
LG’s next flagship smartphone, the LG G5, will reportedly come equipped with an iris scanner and recognition technology developed by Korea-based biometrics provider Irience... More
Project Jacquard: Google and Levi’s collaborate on interactive clothing
Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group is working with Levi’s to develop interactive fabrics that would allow the wearer to use their phone just by tapping or swiping their clothes... More
BBVA adds card controls to mobile wallet
Spanish bank BBVA has updated its BBVA Wallet app, allowing customers to use their mobile phone to limit plastic cards for ecommerce or ATM withdrawals, as well as turning cards ‘on’ and ‘off’ at any time... More
Samsung files contactless fingerprint patent
Samsung has filed a patent in the United States that reveals a touch-free fingerprint recognition system, using a device’s camera and matching the fingerprint to a stored image... More
Marriott Hotels lets users check in with Apple Watch
Hotel chain Marriott Hotels has released version 4.6 of its iOS mobile app that introduces support for Apple Watch, enabling users to check in, receive room-ready alerts and check out from their wrist... More
AMS chips will allow cars to be unlocked and started with NFC phones
PARTNER NEWS: AMS’ AS3914 NFC reader IC has been selected by automotive equipment supplier Marquardt for its new series of contactless door lock and ignition control modules due, says the chip maker, to the chip’s reliable NFC coupling even when mounted in close proximity to sheet metal... More
Apple Store purchases get two-step authentication
The Apple Store app for iOS has been updated with two-step authentication, meaning users will now need to enter both a password and a verification code sent to a trusted device before they can complete a purchase... More
India’s ICICI Bank launches voice recognition service
India’s largest private sector bank ICICI Bank has become the first in the country to launch a voice recognition-based service, allowing more than 33 million customers to make banking transactions through the bank’s call centre by authenticating themselves using their voice... More