First developed back in 1977 by Murray Lappe, a student of the University of Illinois, the self-service kiosk has – in recent years at least – exploded in popularity, becoming increasingly common in all aspects of business.
Lappe’s kiosk, known as The Plato Hotline, was placed into his uni’s Student Union, and allowed people to find maps, courses, bus timetables and other information. It attracted more than thirty thousand different users in just six weeks!
Since then, the technology has evolved at a blistering pace; nowadays we can see self-service kiosks having an impact on nearly every aspect of our everyday lives.
In Airports
Airports quite frequently rely on self-service kiosks to help prevent long queues from building up – have you ever used a self-check-in counter? In many airports you can buy your flight tickets, confirm your reservation, and even check in your baggage, all using a simple kiosk.
Often found by the airline’s staffed check-in desk, the fact that people have the option to do it themselves frequently prevents lengthy queues for everyone.
At the Bank
Again used as a method of cutting queues, interactive kiosks have become almost synonymous with the banking experience. Cash machines (or ATMs) are an example of these that you’ll find all over the place, but more advanced ones are frequently found in-branch.
These versions tend to have a lot more features, allowing you to pay your bills, deposit cash, pay in cheques, make transfers, and all sorts of other useful things.
At Hospital
Similarly used as in the airport, hospitals and doctor’s surgeries can benefit from using a self-service kiosk as a means of letting patients check themselves in. This allows a receptionist to deal with the more serious patients, and can also provide a handy map telling the user which department they should head to.
A patient could use the kiosk to amend personal details or even to register at the surgery, cutting a lot of time from the normal procedures.
In the Shops
Self-service kiosks have taken off in a big way in the world of retail – in particular, the touch screen kiosk is now immensely popular, being utilised in a wide variety of different shops and outlets.
Many are using them in place of cashiers, allowing the staff member to be more gainfully employed in a different manner, although they are also good at working alongside cashiers, helping cut queues in two.
Also, they can be put outside of a store, meaning that customers can continue to browse the wares and potentially even place orders well outside of normal opening hours. Some, like those at Boots, allow customers to use their loyalty cards to find out the latest special offers.
In Museums
Many museums are now using kiosks to help guide visitors around, offering an interactive experience by which the visitors can learn all about the displays in front of them. They often offer audio content as well as visual, so that nobody has to miss out, as well as virtual galleries that let people flick through loads of interesting content.
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Best Websites for Freelance Workers
1.Elance: Elance is a best website which offers you lots of freelance projects from the various part of the globe.Elance are very large enough which provides you thousands of works from all over the world and Elance totally works all over the credentials as well as bid systems. As a newbie, you can sign up in this website and fill out the profiles to start earning. You can complete your profile to get more projects from the list and you can also take exams to show your skills to the clients.
2.Freelancer: Freelancer is another fantastic website that brings out lot of opportunity for the freelancers.Freelancer works prettier than the other websites and you can fill out your credentials for start bidding for different projects.Freelancer is an open market for getting freelance works for the freelancer. You can notice the name of the website;Freelancer.com is specially made for freelancers around this globe. By signing up in the Freelancer.com, you will able to select works under different categories such as content writing, java development, Animations and so on. You can easily get more projects on the Freelancer and you can increase your reputations by finishing the tasks in a better way.
3.Fiverr: Fiverr is a micro job portal which offers you several ways to earn money by completing small works.Fiverr provides an opportunity to improve your standard of living and you can sell your skills by posting the gigs in the Fiverr website. You need to post your gigs in the Fiverr website and the buyers will buy your skills if they needed your task. Fiverr brings out fantastic way to improve your skills too. Fiverr allows you to get more contacts and friends too.
4.Smashing Jobs: Smashing Jobs is one of the top 20 blogs of the world and you can list your jobs in the Smashing Jobs website and you can find your desired jobs as you wish. Smashing Jobs provides you a better option to find jobs such as designing jobs, programming jobs and so on.
5.Project4hire: Project4hire is a freelance marketplace which offers you a stack of opportunities for getting projects and Project4hire is an open platform where you can find your job according to your skills. You can find freelance projects such as coders, designers and so on very easily.
Turn Any Android Device into a Chrome cast Dongle For Free
But then once more, nothing beats free, associate degreed if you've got an humanoid device sitting around and doing not a great deal, the app can facilitate your trustworthy spare get its moment in the sun once additional.
Cheap Cast arrives courtesy of XDA-Developers member Maui Island, and turns on the subject of any humanoid device into a Chromecast receiver. Since the important factor doesn’t truly do an excellent deal – as critics are fast to show – the app is so rather straightforward. Once transferred, you fireplace it up, set a reputation for your mock receiver, and from there, you’re primarily able to go.
It may be referred to as Cheap Cast; however it doesn’t operate just like the poor man’s version it purports to be. In fact, it works even as the important Chromecast receiver will, however though several users area unit still probing for support outside of Netflix, Google Play et al, Cheap Cast will share the unwanted attribute of restricted compatibility with its legitimate counterpart. He program giant’s Chromecast device debuted solely a couple of days ago, however with its very low cost value, many folks have jumped on to use this hack-able device. For simply $35, the receiver permits you to stream content from any device to your HDTV, however during this early stage of Chromecast, limitations allow you to play solely a few of video and audio services area unit presently compatible.
Therefore, some guys have opted to not purchase the Chromecast, and if you're one in all those people staying away for the nowadays, you may be tempted by CheapCast, associate degree app that may flip your humanoid device into a makeshift Chromecast receiver. Cheap Cast.
Associate degreed if you've got an humanoid device sitting around and doing not a great deal facilitate to you in your standard of living, this app CheapCast will provide you with a reason to not throw away that humanoid phone of yours.
CheapCast is developed by XDA-Developers member Maui Island, and alters any Android device into a Chromecast receiver. Since the first electronic device doesn’t truly do an excellent deal – as reviews and critics have known – the app is so rather straightforward. You’ll be able to download the app from Google play store (link at the end).
Although it should be referred to as CheapCast, but it doesn’t work like the poor man’s version of Chromecast dongle as the name suggests. In fact, it works a bit like the important Chromecast will.
CheapCast remains running in beta version, and with no current support for Google solid tab streaming in Chrome, let’s cross our fingers, once it will crawl out of beta, that this practicality are going to be obtainable.
You can transfer CheapCast right away from the Google Play Store, and if you encounter any difficulties, take care to visualize out the first forum thread over on XDA.
Galaxy Gear: Stuff You Need to Know About Samsung's Smart Watch
Samsung has just revealed the long-rumored Smart watch. Here is something that the new android powered wrist watch has to offer.
Galaxy Gear is a like a trimmed version of the Smartphone which you wear it on your wrist. Just like the smart you will see the time appearing on the home screen and also shortcuts to access applications like the contacts and the camera. You can move back and forth between various features by swiping on the screen. You can also make a call and receive calls too, posting status on your favorite social networking site Facebook and twitter has been made easy. It includes specially designed apps to support the small 1.63-inch.
The Gear boasts a 1.9-megapixel camera that has the capacity to capture both photos and videos, and it works much similar to that of other Samsung Galaxy series. For example, you can make use the S Voice to create texts, see the forecast, set alarms and make calendar appointments hands-free. There is also something known as the Auto Lock which will lock your phone screen when your five feet away from the watch. It also interacts with foreign language signs and can translate it for you—translation of foreign languages has been something that Samsung's has been really pushing.
The presence of some other neat sounding but when we see its features, like answering calls by just raising your wrist to your ear when the phone is ringing.
The interaction of the interface is done only through swipes there is no tapping here which is pretty smart, as there will be many accidental taps on your wrist.
The most fundamental parts with it will be the performance. The accuracy of the touchscreen! Is it fluid! Is it way too fast! The interface is controlled by swipes instead of tapping, and it is not quite sure how smooth it will be.
Battery life has a day of backup, so you will have to wait until. You should also note that, it is coming in at significantly less time than Sony's.
Galaxy Gear will work like your Fit bit or Fuel Band. It has a built-in pedometer which will track your steps that are performed by you and calories burned from your body, distance covered by you while doing exercises, and so many things were tracked by the Samsung Galaxy Gear automatically.
It is lightweight which makes you to love it, made out of stainless steel that gives a fantastic look for the Samsung Galaxy Gear, and sports in six different unique colors.
Galaxy Gear will be a best competitor for the apple iWatch which is to be manufactured by the Apple Inc. and both has best features which makes them to compete with each other. You can buy these smart devices to enhance your life style and your standard of living.
Should Companies Restrict Internet Access During the Work Day?
One of the most controversial topics you’ll encounter in the workplace these days is the question of whether or not management has the right to restrict Internet access. Some see it as an attack on personal liberties, while others view it as nothing more than a company protecting its investments.
It’s a complicated issue, to be sure. Let’s try to get to the heart of the debate by taking a look at the arguments for and against.
Arguments For Internet Restriction
Let’s face it: there are plenty of attractive nuisances in the workplace that can distract us from our work. The Internet is the most obvious, and it can really throw a wrench into workplace productivity.
When an employee clocks in for the day (literally or figuratively), they’ve signed a more-or-less binding agreement that they’re there to work. Anything that might prove to undermine that promise, or take their focus off of their work, should be viewed as a disruption.
As a result, workplaces everywhere have placed restrictions on which sites employees can and can’t visit during work hours. The phrase “time is money” isn’t just a catchy idiom: it also happens to be true. By restricting Internet access, employers are ensuring that the time their employees spend in the office is spent working.
Arguments Against Internet Restriction
One might argue that there are already measures in place to ensure that employees are actually working when they’re supposed to. It’s called a paycheck. Plenty of workplaces rely on qualitative and quantitative measurements to ensure that their employees are meeting expectations. If they don’t, they’ve probably earned whatever’s coming to them. The argument here is that anything that doesn’t negatively impact an employees’ productivity is best left alone. In other words: if an employee can get their work done even with unfettered Internet access, so be it.
Another argument against Internet restriction comes down to trust. Every employee wants to know that they’re trusted and valued. Anything that removes an employees’ ability to make a choice, no matter what the choice might be, can be damaging to their self worth and, in turn, workplace morale.
Bring-Your Own Device (BYOD)
There’s a further complication in this issue, and it comes down to a relatively new practice in workplaces across the country. A rising number of IT departments are allowing employees to bring their own devices to work with them (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) for work purposes.
The practice, known as BYOD, has been found to improve morale and even save money for the company. It would seem to be a no-brainer.
However, there are practical reasons why it might interfere with a company’s laissez-faire approach to Internet use. When an employee’s personal device is used as part of an office phone system, for example, it presents certain security risks.
Modern cloud technology and VOIP systems have made it possible to create an inextricably linked network of devices in the workplace. If the security of just one device is compromised, it can pose a risk to the whole system. Restricting Internet usage on personal devices, then, would seem a good way to curb some of the risk.
This will likely be a contentious debate for some time, but understanding the complications involved can help business owners make an informed decision, one way or the other.
Mike Simmons is a native and current resident of South Jersey. Mike is a web enthusiast with a knack for staying current in a world of constant change. When Mike isn’t reading the latest technology news, he’s sobbing about Breaking Bad or cheering on his beloved Liverpool FC.
It’s a complicated issue, to be sure. Let’s try to get to the heart of the debate by taking a look at the arguments for and against.
Arguments For Internet Restriction
Let’s face it: there are plenty of attractive nuisances in the workplace that can distract us from our work. The Internet is the most obvious, and it can really throw a wrench into workplace productivity.
When an employee clocks in for the day (literally or figuratively), they’ve signed a more-or-less binding agreement that they’re there to work. Anything that might prove to undermine that promise, or take their focus off of their work, should be viewed as a disruption.
As a result, workplaces everywhere have placed restrictions on which sites employees can and can’t visit during work hours. The phrase “time is money” isn’t just a catchy idiom: it also happens to be true. By restricting Internet access, employers are ensuring that the time their employees spend in the office is spent working.
Arguments Against Internet Restriction
One might argue that there are already measures in place to ensure that employees are actually working when they’re supposed to. It’s called a paycheck. Plenty of workplaces rely on qualitative and quantitative measurements to ensure that their employees are meeting expectations. If they don’t, they’ve probably earned whatever’s coming to them. The argument here is that anything that doesn’t negatively impact an employees’ productivity is best left alone. In other words: if an employee can get their work done even with unfettered Internet access, so be it.
Another argument against Internet restriction comes down to trust. Every employee wants to know that they’re trusted and valued. Anything that removes an employees’ ability to make a choice, no matter what the choice might be, can be damaging to their self worth and, in turn, workplace morale.
Bring-Your Own Device (BYOD)
There’s a further complication in this issue, and it comes down to a relatively new practice in workplaces across the country. A rising number of IT departments are allowing employees to bring their own devices to work with them (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) for work purposes.
The practice, known as BYOD, has been found to improve morale and even save money for the company. It would seem to be a no-brainer.
However, there are practical reasons why it might interfere with a company’s laissez-faire approach to Internet use. When an employee’s personal device is used as part of an office phone system, for example, it presents certain security risks.
Modern cloud technology and VOIP systems have made it possible to create an inextricably linked network of devices in the workplace. If the security of just one device is compromised, it can pose a risk to the whole system. Restricting Internet usage on personal devices, then, would seem a good way to curb some of the risk.
This will likely be a contentious debate for some time, but understanding the complications involved can help business owners make an informed decision, one way or the other.
Mike Simmons is a native and current resident of South Jersey. Mike is a web enthusiast with a knack for staying current in a world of constant change. When Mike isn’t reading the latest technology news, he’s sobbing about Breaking Bad or cheering on his beloved Liverpool FC.
