Trends to Look for at Rio's Summer Olympics

There is much anticipation building as we wait for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio summer Olympics to start this Friday, August 5th. Top athletes from all around the world will make their way to Brazil to compete for the ultimate prize, a gold medal. This year, more so than others, technology will play a huge role in a variety of aspects at the games. Here are some of the major tech trends that can be spotted at this years summer Olympics. 

According to multiple articles, wearable technology will be all over Rio, from helping athletes train, to improving the overall experience for the Olympians. Here are a few examples of what kinds of wearable tech you'll see.

• Visa's NFC-enables payment ring- this ring, mostly used by athletes and Visa employees, allows payments to be made with a simple wave of the hand.

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• Solos- these augmented reality glasses are being used by the US cycling team to provide data driven training. These glasses are able to collect information such as power, speed and pedal revolutions from bike sensors and in real time, relay that information to the cyclists straight on their glasses. "With the ability for the athlete to reveice real-time feedback via the Solos smart glasses, they can now adjust on the fly," says Ernesto Martinez, a director at Solos.

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• WHOOP- Being used by athletes for some time now, WHOOP is unlike traditional wearable devices. It tracks more than your heart rate and steps taken, it goes a step further and reports on "how travel is affecting them, how close they are to a potential injury, and how much training is too much training." (sikids.com)

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Another trend you will notice this year is the attention large tech moguls are placing on the games. Google, Comcast, Twitter, Facebook, etc are all finding ways to make all the games (and relevant information) easily accessible to you. "Google announced on Monday that it's tuning up Search, YouTube, Trends, and Google Maps for a better mobile and online experience that helps fans find event information, official broadcaster videos, and user-generated content." (ZDNet) Twitter is also take part in the movement, launching a live Rio Olympics moments button, providing live content, highlights, and lots of new emojis. (digitaltrends)

Lastly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be highly used this year. Some of the products mentioned above and more utilize some form of AI to extract the pertinent data, and turn it into practical information that athletes can use when training. Virtual Assistants are one way to augment the way athletes interact with these different technologies. Connecting Virtual Assistants to these wearable devices makes for a simplified approach to analyzing data collected by these devices. Athletes can easily ask the VA some a question regarding their health, and the VA will use the information from the wearable device to give an appropriate response. See the video below for a short demonstration.

I am looking forward to seeing how these different technologies will impact the games this year. What are some other types of tech you are hearing about in Rio? Is it fair to be using these types of technology, does it give some countries an unfair advantage? What's your opinion? 

www.nohold.com

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

Apple's Big Announcement: What Does This Mean For Siri?

"Today, we are pleased to announce the biggest advancement in iPhone." -Tim Cook

The much anticipated Apple event occurred this morning in Cupertino, CA. Here, they announced some of the latest features integrated into the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. 

• Much larger screen.  iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display. iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch display. 
• The cover glass is made up of a Retina HD display.
• There is a updated Home screen for landscape mode.
• iPhone 6 has a 8MP iSight camera, 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, with an all new sensor.
• The predictive keyboard learns your conversation style and helps you answer accordingly. 
• The new Health app gives you a detailed look at your health and fitness data.
• See how much faster and easier it is to pay with Apple Pay
• Pre-order your iPhone 6 starting Sept. 12

Not only did they announce all the newest features integrated within the iOS8 platform, they also unveiled the newest addition to their product line, the Apple Watch. Looks like the rumors were right; Apple joined the market for wearable devices. Check out the sleek design.

Photo Credit: Apple.com

Siri also made it's way into the Apple Watch. The iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and Apple Watch all run iOS8, which made some significant updates to Siri. Though, the event did not mention Siri much, back in June at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, they mentioned some of the updates Siri will be getting in iOS8. 

• Shazam song recognition
• Voice activation, all you have to do is say "Hey, Siri."
• Streaming voice recognition
• 22 new dictation languages
• Purchasing iTunes content

Do you think this face lift be enough to keep Apple on top of the Virtual Assistant game, competing with Android's Google Now and Microsoft's Cortana?   

 www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: The Rise of Wearable Technology... a Fad or Here to Stay?

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In the past few years, wearable devices have become a household name. Similar to the beginning of the smartphone boom, wearable technology is starting to pop up all over the place. If we take a step back though, we realize that wearable devices have been around for a lot longer than we think. To the right is an infographic (click link to enlarge) about the rise of wearable tech. 

Eyeglasses were one of the first forms of wearables created in the 1200s. Then, in 1907, the creation of the first wristwatch was introduced to the world by Alberto Santos-Dumont. 

These two "old-school" wearables paved the way for today's innovators to enhance them. The invention of eyeglasses and the wristwatch are getting futuristic touches in today's tech inspired world. Now, manufacturers are coming out with smart-watches (Apple) and smart glasses (Google).    

Also, circa 2010, fitness gadgets were invented to help people track their health and activity. These devices then connect to your smartphones, showing all your data on a larger screen making it easier to analyze. Now, wearable devices are becoming a part of the Internet of Everything and being augmented by a Virtual Agent. Click the link to watch a demonstration of how a Virtual Agent helps users experience the Internet of Everything.     

According to the infographic made by Memoto (now known as Narrative), the amount of wearable devices shipped is projected to grow between 39 and 171 million devices in 2016. Some analysts are saying that wearable technology is just a fad, and it won't be as big as people are making it out to be. What is your opinion? Are wearable devices here to stay or is the next evolution of wearable technology embedded in our handheld devices (i.e. smartphones)?

                                      www.nohold.com

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Near Field Communication, Digital Payments, and Virtual Agents in Your Favorite Store?

New technologies are developing to create unique experiences for customers; Near Field Communication (NFC) is one of those technologies. NFC allows companies to know when you are in the store and monitor your interactions with different products. These “sensors” give companies the ability to provide you with a personalized experience. Here is an example from an article written by David Marcus, President of PayPal, about Near Field Communication and wearable devices…

“For example, we have a pilot running in our on-campus Starbucks that combines Beacon, with an app built for the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, and Gear Fit devices. Walk into the area covered by the Beacon, your watch notifies you you've checked-in, the barista, greets you by name because your photo shows up on the point-of-sale system, and when she rings you up, you get another push notification. Tap on the watch to confirm the payment, and go. This is one of the most transformative payments experience I've had. No wallet. The phone never leaves my pocket. And I'm in control” (Three Trends that MightTransform the Retail Payments Experience).

This example combined NFC and wearable technology to create a completely personalized shopping experience. In the future, Virtual Agents will be incorporated into virtual retail experiences - For example, if you are interested in buying a router, you can scan the box and a Virtual Agent will pop up on your phone to tell you everything you need to know about that product, acting as a personal “shopping advisor”. While this is happening, your data (interactions with different products) are being sent to a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for sales associates to interpret your history and cater promotions or messaging specifically to your interests/needs. 

There is a lot of controversy surrounding NFC, specifically related to security issues. What is your opinion on NFC? Would you opt to share your 'in-store' activity resulting in a more personalized experience? 

www.nohold.com