Category Archives: bits&bytes

a little of this and a little of that

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The Polaroid Camera Makes a Comeback

I remember the days when you could use a Polaroid camera to take a picture and watch as the image developed. While those cameras are no longer available, the company recently announced its Polaroid Socialmatic Camera.

Polaroid SocialMatic Camera

According to the company, “Polaroid was the original social network: allowing people to instantly capture, print, and share life’s moments in a way that has never been possible before.” The camera will have a 14 megapixel front-facing camera and a two megapixel rear-facing camera. It will run on the Android operating system. With built-in wifi, it will be able to upload photos to the customer’s social networks. It is also Bluetooth enabled so it can send photos to a smartphone. In addition, the camera will also be able to print 2-inch by 3-inch sticker-backed photos.

It is expected to be available this fall.

New Android Polaroid Socialmatic camera, front/rear cameras, wifi, print capabilities.

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Insurance Obvious Big Data

While giving a presentation at The Year Ahead: 2014, Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, said “insurance is the most obvious” industry “about to explode” with uses for big data. Better cost controls and more efficient delivery of services are two ways data can transform industries, he said.

At the conference hosted by Bloomberg LP, Schmidt and Dan Wagner, the head of the data analytics team for Pres. Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, discuss ways companies and government regulators can use algorithms to sort through vast amounts of information about people and markets to help them boost productivity.

The insurance industry could use data to target services to those more at risk, which could help lower the cost of healthcare. Data analytics is one of the big trends that you will see over the next few years within the insurance industry. The better the industry can understand risk and claims activity, the more targeted products and services can be.

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Voice Commands In Your Car

Honda has added both Apple and the Kia technology into its latest infotainment system for their 2014 Civic and the 2015 Honda Fit. The 2004 Civic will be the first car to get Siri Eyes Free technology, Apple’s integration of its personal digital assistant into a vehicle dashboard.

Once it is paired with an iPhone via Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free uses a single command button on the wheel to trigger the voice-controlled system. With it, text messages and emails can be read out and sent; calendar entries, reminders, and alarms set; weather forecasts requested; sports and stock results read out; and Apple Maps directions ported through the infotainment system’s speakers.

Honda has also created its own GPS app, using Nokia HERE mapping data, with live traffic and 3-D graphics. Priced at $59.99, the app will support remote planning on a smartphone and then transfer the route into the car; it will also have turn-by-turn guidance, and points of interest.

The continued development of vehicle technology will help make the driving experience safer for everyone. The impact on insurance remains to be seen.

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Applebee’s Rolls Out Tablets

Applebee’s has entered the race to put tablets on restaurant tables, especially in large casual dining chains. The company will put 100,000 tablet devices on tabletops across the restaurant’s locations in the United States. The tablet devices will put the control of the restaurant experience in the hands of their guests. The first thing consumers will notice is the ability to pay their bill through the tablet device.

Speed of payment will help the restaurant move diners out the door faster once they are ready to pay. This will help turn over and allow the restaurant to increase the number of guests they can serve in an evening.

This is another example how consumer’s expectations are being changed by industries outside of the insurance space. When consumers come to expect to have the ability to pay their bill when they’re ready, how is your agency going to handle that consumer wanting to pay their insurance bill online or with a credit card?

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Create a 3-D Selfie

Artec Group has launched the first 3-D scanning and printing service available at home. People that have the Microsoft Kinect for Windows or Kinect for Xbox 360 equipment can individually scan themselves, friends and family, upload the scan to Shapify.me and receive a 3-D figurine sent to their address. This isn’t a 3-D image—it’s a solid, 3-D figurine, like a miniature statue—looking just like you, only smaller.

The clone figurine can be delivered in monochrome or color and is 1/20th your actual height. It’s made of either white or multicolored plastic material and, if you are so inclined you can use your artistic skills to paint it. Give family clones to Dad and he can keep his mini-family on his desk.

3-D Scanning has never been as easy as with Shapify; just follow simple voice instructions to scan yourself in several minutes and to upload the 3-D scan of yourself to the print shop. Your clone figurine will be delivered to your home in several days.

Some cool cloning ideas include scanning your kids to make a gift for grandmother, or create your most unusual set of Christmas tree toys, or make a lineup of all your sports teammates… whatever you choose. It’s only limited by the imagination and is now available from your home. Way more hip than just another photo…