Cell phone-based gadget saves cost of rolling a truck April 21, 2008 by Dave HaynesFor many years now I have been recommending the use of something called an automatic ring rebooter when network operators are using DSL for connecting and monitoring screen networks. Simply put, it’s a switchable power bar that you run the DSL phone line through. When, not if, the DSL modem or router fails, all you …
Standards finally getting some attention April 17, 2008 by Dave HaynesI am told, reliably, that past efforts by POPAI to get technical standards discussions going in this industry were met with a, umm, tepid response. As in, all you could hear on the conference call was the sound of crickets. Fast forward to last week, when there was a renewed effort via conference call to …
A look at the AT&T's use of Surface screens April 17, 2008 by Dave HaynesGadget blog Gizmodo has a nice piece of Flash video demo-ing the capabilities of the Microsoft Surface table in peddling cell phone plans and handsets. I don’t get very twitchy about being able to zoom in and around a coverage map, which is the first part of the video. Basically, “Yeah, so …” But what …
An in-store that's useful and at eye-level … go figure April 17, 2008 by Dave Haynes I like this … A Silicon Valley-based company called Evincii has come up with a shelf-edge screen that allows consumers get more detailed information on over the counter medications by fiddling with what the company calls a search engine in a store. They started installing PharmAssist stations in Longs Drugs about a year ago and …
NAB holds session on DS basics April 17, 2008 by Dave HaynesThe NAB show is a massive event tuned to the technology side of the mainstream broadcasting business, and new media initiatives have never been a big part of the proceedings. However, this year’s event in Las Vegas (where else?) had a session on our weird little industry, and the organizers got some pretty impressive names …
MediaTile unveiling sign/kiosk piece at Vegas show this week April 16, 2008 by Dave Haynes I’m not sure if this really is a world-first, but it’s a hair-splitting debate I and most people likely care less about. It is, however you look at it, interesting. MediaTile today unveiled the world’s first all-in-one digital signage and kiosk solution, with integrated cellular-broadband networking and web-based management, at the international KioskCom Self Service …
Mainstream TV takes on DS ad format April 16, 2008 by Dave HaynesOne of the concerns I have had around some digital screen networks is using an ad format that is utterly foreign to media planners and content producers — notably the “L” or reverse “L” format that has a strip along the bottom and side of a screen. I’ve see a few companies doing this, often …
Old school in-store media kicks new stuff's shiny butts, says Soreson research April 15, 2008 by Dave Haynes Bill Gerba picked up on this already but I will continue, driving home some research that will hopefully start to influence some decisions around in-store media. At that conference in Montreal last week, a guy from one of Canada’s biggest agencies casually asked me who in retail was doing a really good job of in-store …
Time for a mixer April 14, 2008 by Dave HaynesThe NAB and Kioskcom shows are on this week in Las Vegas and that’s pretty much it, for a bit, in terms of industry-related events for a while. We have not had a local industry mixer for a while and have been dodging them because of all these trade shows that suck people out of …
Smart Pic's Dollar General on massive install blitz April 14, 2008 by Dave Haynes Travels last week prevented me from writing much, including a post on news that the Dollar General value retail chain in the US has launched a screen network. Much has been written on a few posts about the basics of the deal, including on Screens TV. Briefly, Dollar General TV (DGTV) started rolling out last …
