Throwback Thursday: Virtual Agents for Wearable Devices

Happy Throwback Thursday! 

Earlier in the year, noHold published a short demo video showing you how Virtual Agents can augment the Internet of Everything. Check it out below:  

When asking the community what they think about wearable devices, there has been an overwhelming lack of consensus on this technology. People have mixed feelings whether to embrace this disruptive tech, or reject it completely. With the announcement of the Apple Watch to come out in 2015, we'll see if wearable devices will gain a little more traction than before.  

In addition to being the latest wearable device in the game, Apple Watch also comes equipped with Apple's well known Personal Virtual Assistant, Siri, but Siri seems to be falling short compared to other personal Virtual Assistants lately. While it has received some updates, one important feature that Siri still lacks is the ability to follow a conversation. You can ask it a question, but as soon as you ask another question, Siri loses the context of the conversation. 

For wearable devices and the Internet of Everything to be a more usable concept, a Virtual Agent (VA) needs to be able to act as a 'butler' (similar to the video above), to manage all the devices and applications in your life. It should be able to, not only do what you ask, but also suggest other actions based on gathered knowledge and reference back to the context of the conversation. For example, you ask the VA to set the alarm for 6:30 AM. The VA sets the alarm, but comes back with the suggestion to set your alarm a little earlier because your gas tank is low and you need to fill up in the morning.

What are your thoughts on the future of wearable devices? Are they going to be a dying trend or will they be the next must-have devices? How do you think a more conversational and intuitive Virtual Agent will impact wearable devices and the Internet of Everything?

www.nohold.com

Virtual Agents Enhance the Customer Experience within Handheld Devices

Lately, there has been much news about trusted brands expanding product lines to include mobile devices, as well as consolidation among vendors. Top PC manufacturers are starting to realize that to stay a competitor in the industry they need to branch out to the tablet, smartphone, and wearable device markets. For example, Lenovo recently acquired Motorola Mobility from Google with the desire to strengthen its position in the smartphone market (Lenovo to Acquire Motorola Mobility from Google). Also, Dell has been reaching beyond PC’s to solidify its stake in the tablet and mobile arena. Big name companies are also preparing for the wearable device boom. Intel jumped on the wearable train and acquired Basis Science, a provider of high-end fitness trackers, along with a few other companies that specialize in wearable tech (Intel Buys Fitness Band Maker Basis Science). Amazon's recent announcement of a smartphone, further validates the demand for not only mobile devices, but enforces the consumer desire for streaming media on the go. 

While Virtual Agents are known for the ability to troubleshoot issues and answer questions about desktops and laptops, they are also flexible enough to live on handheld devices. Their lightweight characteristics give them the ability to adapt to almost all environments. In fact, noHold's CEO has talked about a future where websites take a more proactive approach and begin by asking the visitor a question first; comparable to a concierge style Virtual Agent.

Do you see the future of websites (via PC’s or mobile devices) being more proactive, intuitive and interactive? Will trusted brands start using this concierge-like approach to seamlessly guide users through their websites? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.   

www.nohold.com

noHold Demonstrates How Virtual Agents Offer ‘Siri-like’ Experience for Communicating with Wearable Devices

May 6, 2014, Milpitas, California – noHold announces that it has been working with a number of popular manufacturers to prove that Virtual Agents augment the Internet of Everything (IoE). With a working version already able to communicate with wearable technology, noHold Connect will change the way that humans interact with the IoE.

According to a recent article published by Computerworld (Computerworld.com), “Analysts expect not only an explosion of wearable devices in the next three years, but an explosion of mobile apps of all kinds. Research firm Gartner last year predicted that wearable devices will drive half of all app interactions by 2017, a startling prediction, but one that Gartner believes was reinforced by the flurry of wearable devices shown at International CES.” One analyst mentioned that “virtually all vendors are choosing mobile apps to interact with the way we will use a wearable device.”

The scenario that noHold described in a Press Release about noHold Connect and the IoE, is coming to fruition. noHold Connect augmenting the IoE is about focusing on bringing the human element to the future of interconnected living, while making consumers less dependent on multiple apps. When the average consumer purchases a wearable fitness bracelet, he/she will expect to be able to interact with it from a conversational standpoint. Today, a conversation with noHold’s Virtual Butler sounds like this: The end customer asks, “Can I eat cake?” and gets a real response based on the data collected by the devices such as carbohydrate and glucose intake. The response from the Virtual Butler is, “Sorry! Based on your glucose level, you cannot eat the cake.”

Similarly, a wearable device capturing data about sleep patterns is now able to communicate with noHold’s butler. If asked, “How much deep sleep did I get,” the butler retrieves information about last night’s sleep quality, and interprets that data into a response such as, “You had 2 hours and 46 minutes of deep sleep last night.”

This is just the beginning; consumers will expect similar experiences when setting and managing appliances such as a coffee makers, thermostats, etc. as well as conducting common daily chores like checking the automobile’s oil level, making an appointment at the nearest auto shop, while scheduling the recording of a favorite TV program.

At an event this month, noHold’s butler will demonstrate how Virtual Agents can now bridge the gap between Internet connected ‘things’ and cognitive interaction without the need for managing hundreds of mobile apps.

“In the near future, communicating with technology and our surroundings [especially devices] will be the norm. Voice and text interaction with our environment is not just a marketing ploy; it’s happening. There is a real paradigm shift that’s taking place, and the technology has been validated by industry leaders such as IBM Watson™, Apple®, Cisco®, and more. I was recently asked where we get our inspiration for connecting new devices, and I definitely recommend attending the Cisco Live event which is taking place May 18-22 in San Francisco. You can register for the event here,” said Diego Ventura, CEO and Founder of noHold, Inc.

About noHold Inc.

noHold is a privately held company established in 1999 and is headquartered in Milpitas, CA, USA (Silicon Valley). noHold is the acknowledged leader in Web based Self-service solutions with a mission to deliver real answers to real questions - real fast. Simple to use, easy to implement and as close to human as you can get, noHold turns automated customer support into cognitive customer interaction. noHold customers include Toshiba, Lenovo, Cisco and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at www.nohold.com.

Press Contact

Sarah Ramoz

Marketing Operations Manager

sramoz@nohold.com

408.946.9200 ext. 305

Copyright © 2014 noHold Inc. All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners.

The Future of Wearable Technology…for Kids!

Kids in the 21^st century are getting accustomed to technology at much younger ages. "Around one quarter of children aged 12– 15 (26%) and 18% aged 8-11 have their own tablet computer, while household ownership of a tablet has more than doubled since 2012 (51% vs. 20%). Use of a tablet computer at home has tripled among 5-15's since 2012 (42% vs.14%) while one-quarter (28%) of 3-4's use a tablet computer at home" (Digital Kids: how children are using devices, apps and media in 2013). With such compelling statistics about the use of technology among children, Leapfrog has decided to venture into the wearable technology market. They already create apps and tablets focusing on education, but the LeapBand is a similar concept to adult fitness bands (i.e. FitBit, Jawbone, Nike Fuel Band, etc.), encouraging play/ healthy living habits for children.

As mentioned in the video above, Trying Out Leapfrog LeapBand, a Fitness Band for Kids, the LeapBand is an interactive “fitness gadget” for children ages 4 to 7 with 50 games and challenges such as “walk like a crab” or “spin like a helicopter.” Once an activity is completed, new games and “virtual pets” are unlocked on the device. Another feature, designed for the parents, is the ability to monitor your child’s activities and control what challenges they can and cannot do.

Children are exposed to technology use all the time. In a technology driven era, children are sometimes expected to know how to use these devices. (Tablets in the classrooms, smartphones, etc.) Providing them with a popular technology that also promotes physical activity is a great way to support healthy lifestyles later on in their adult years, while learning the ins and outs of using different technologies.

Can the worries of parents about their children not getting enough exercise or outdoor activity due to technology now be put to rest? Do you think we should embrace the use of technology for our children?

www.nohold.com