innovations
20
magazine
2
i
Barco has added a lower cost collaboration and presentation
system to its ClickShare range, which enables meeting
participants wirelessly to share content from a PC, Mac, iPad
or smartphone (Android or iOS) on a central meeting room
screen at the click of a button.
With a price tag of £1,500, the ClickShare CSM (ClickShare
Meeting) Base Unit is less than half the price of the existing
ClickShare CSC (ClickShare Conference) Base Unit, aimed mainly
at boardroom applications.
The CSM model has been developed specifically for smaller
meeting rooms. It allows up to eight people to connect to the
base unit, though only one person can deliver content to the
screen at a time.
The more highly featured CSC model enables 64 people
to connect to it and as many as four people to share a
screen simultaneously. It can also drive two separate screens
simultaneously and supports special output resolutions, including
panoramic composition (2560 x 1080).
Wireless collaboration for small
meeting rooms
Neo is a new app that enables users of iOS and
Andoid devices to control central heating and hot
water remotely. Developed by thermostat and
heating control manufacturer Heatmiser, Neo is
being promoted as an effective way to reduce
heating bills as it enables you to adjust thermostat
settings for your whole house, or specific zones,
on the fly. For the app to work, users must replace
their existing thermostat and programmer with
Heatmiser’s neoStat products and attach a
neoHub to their broadband router.
neo.heatmiser.com
One of a growing number of free
apps for ordering and paying for
food and drinks via a smartphone,
Preoday is also a useful marketing
tool that can be branded by pubs,
bars and restaurants and used to
set up loyalty programmes and
targeted special offers.
Giving customers the ability to
order via an app saves them time
and enables the caterer to sell more
product more quickly – and identify
who they are selling to.
Burnley FC, which used Preoday
to create its iPie app, found that in
the first nine matches of the season,
orders placed through the app were
108% higher in value and took half
as long to fulfil and collect. The app
also encourages shared orders, which
reduces queue lengths.
Chris Gibson, head of catering
at Burnley FC, is also excited by the
marketing opportunities. He said:
“For the first time we can see who is
spending money at our concessions.
We can use this information to start
communication with them on a
personal level, with offers, news and
information. The opportunity is huge.
The end result can only be good for
fans and good for us.”
Other early adopters include the
Barbican managed by Searcys, which
uses Preoday to enable theatre-goers
to order interval drinks via their
Now you know who ate all the pies
Cut heating bills with Neo
phone, and the barbecue restaurant
group Bodeans, which is currently
trialling Preoday with its take-away and
home delivery services.
Preoday’s easy-to-use online service
enables businesses to create their own
branded app for publishing on the app
store and marketing to customers as a
new service. The app is secure, scalable
and able to connect with EPOS and
customer management systems.
Mobile security fromAvira
Avira, a global anti-virus software company with more than 100 million
users, has launched a free mobile security app for the Apple iPhone, iPad and
iPod. The software scans for malicious processes and is the only free app to
include 5GB of cloud storage for users to back-up to. Features include scans
to detect malicious or rogue processes; verification of updates; checks to see
if anyone has tried to jailbreak the device; anti-theft and location tracking;
and cloud storage.
Every wallet needs one
LifeLink is a neat alternative to bulky smartphone charging cables.
Developed by PlusUs, the Micro USB, Lightning and 30-pin cables are
70% thinner than cables supplied by Samsung and Apple and, when
stored, are no longer than a credit card. This makes them easy to keep
in a wallet, purse or on a keychain. In use, they can be unfurled to
their full length of 180mm, long enough to enable devices
to be used while charging.
