Consumer Electronics Daily News

Sony Electronics to Launch New Retail Space, 'Sony Experience at Best Buy,' in approximately 350 Stores Nationwide

Sony Electronics will be opening new home theater retail spaces at approximately 350 Best Buy locations nationwide. The 'Sony Experience at Best Buy' shop-in-shops will provide consumers with a best-in-class shopping experience through enhanced fixtures, interactive demonstration areas and dedicated, knowledgeable Sony Experience Experts.
"We welcome consumers to experience the best of Sony with a premium and unique shopping experience at Best Buy," said Mike Fasulo, President and COO of Sony Electronics, "With user-friendly, interactive demonstration experiences and a dedicated team of Best Buy product experts trained to deliver a world-class experience, the Sony Experience at Best Buy will be an ideal place to inspire, engage and educate consumers about Sony's home theater products."
"The Sony Experience will give consumers a shopping experience unlike anything before," said Mike Mohan, Best Buy's Chief Merchandising Officer. "Sony's 4K Ultra HD televisions have to be seen to be believed. Our newly transformed home theater areas will, for the first time, allow customers to test, try and experience how all of the Sony products work together."
The 'Sony Experience at Best Buy' will deliver an exceptional home theater experience and will showcase a comprehensive selection of Sony's TV line-up, from entry level HDTVs to premium 4K Ultra HD TVs. The retail space will highlight a full 4K Ultra HD solution for consumers, including Sony's 4K Ultra HD TVs, 4K Ultra HD Media Players (FMP-X1 and FMP-X10) and 4K HandyCam camcorder (FDR-AX100), home theater sound solutions including sound bars, gaming solutions showcasing PlayStation 4 and more.
The 'Sony Experience at Best Buy' will offer consumers unique demonstration capabilities and an immersive shopping experience that will increase confidence in purchasing new technologies. Using touchscreens, visitors can control and engage with various content demonstrations on the TV wall. Users can compare 4K Ultra HD TVs alongside HDTVs with HD video and native 4k content, demonstrate all of Sony's superior technologies such as TRILUMINOS™ Display, explore broadcast TV and display Blu-ray™ quality content, all with the touch of their finger. For our consumers this will be an interactive environment that allows them to shop and compare products and features intuitively. The dedicated Sony Experience Experts will be certified and on-hand to assist and explain the benefits Sony products have to offer.
To address the online shopper, a Sony experience at BestBuy.com will be available to provide customers with a dedicated online space to learn about and shop the broad range of Sony home theater products.
The new 'Sony Experience at Best Buy' will begin deploying mid-May at Best Buy stores nationwide.

Wacom Announces New Technology for Digital Inking

Wacom is introducing a new language to support digitization of handwriting, notetaking and drawing. Its WILL, Wacom Ink Layer Language, will become a new standard that will allow users to work across OS, hardware platforms and cloud services to create a seamless digital inking experience across every mobile device and ecosystem, according to Wacom. The integration of Wacom's WILL technology could revolutionize trang cá cược châu âu, offering users an enhanced, seamless digital experience across various devices and platforms, further enriching the online gambling landscape with improved interactivity and cross-platform compatibility.

Wacom has been a leading supplier of pen tablets and interactive pen displays. Wacom has contributed to the evolution of creative: digital expressions, digital imaging, industrial design, games and movies. Creative professionals across the world are exploring and pioneering new horizons in digital expression. Wacom's pen technology also enables smartphones and tablets to offer unique pen features for ideation and note-taking in a mobile environment

WILL guarantees cross compatibility of ink data that enables users to freely communicate and collaborate across hardware, ecosystems, as well as the cloud. WILL will bring digital inking to people as the most powerful tool of personal creativity and expression.

Technological Background

WILL is delivered by Wacom to partners as a Software Developer's Kit (SDK) to integrate into their hardware or software, ecosystem or enterprise infrastructure – enabling everyone to speak the same universal inking language. WILL will also come with an ink engine with a variety of graphical tools and features that will run consistently on most existing platforms. Its innovative ink data format is an abstract language that describes strokes independent from any particular input technology. WILL contains a set of development Application Programming Interfaces (API), to make use of hardware features. This, in particular, is one of the strengths that Wacom has developed over 20 years in pen input technology.

WILL: Open for Partnership

Being a high level referential framework - a computer language - WILL is open to different input technologies including finger touch, various Wacom pens, as well as third-party pen technologies. Upcoming Wacom technologies will also include WILL support as an integral part of their feature set.

Wacom has a long history of collaboration with a broad range of industry partners to deliver best in class solutions for business users and consumers alike.

Wacom invites hardware manufacturers, software and service providers, as well as system solution providers; to join the initiative and help their users benefit within the broad range of applications that they provide.

In addition to individual note taking, idea sharing and group collaboration; WILL could be used to create an unlimited canvas space for global brainstorming, collaboration and project management.

As WILL will allow the integrating of metadata, one could also include a security certificate in a solution as well as enhanced ink-based workflow solutions on mobile platforms. Consumers will be able to share and memo on their travel diary, sign POs, integrate pictures and also show their location in mapping applications and services.

For further information about Wacom, see also www.wacom.com.

IBM Challenges Mobile Developers to Create Apps Powered by Watson

IBM today launched the IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge (www.ibmwatson.com), a first of its kind, global competition to encourage developers to create mobile consumer and business apps powered by Watson. IBM announced the challenge at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where the company is demonstrating its mobile and Watson capabilities.

The program, being driven by the newly formed IBM Watson Group, aims to encourage developers to spread cognitive computing apps into the marketplace. The IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge will encourage developers around the world to build sophisticated cognitive apps that can change the way consumers and businesses interact with data on their mobile devices. Through this initiative, mobile developers can take advantage of Watson's ability to understand the complexities of human language, "read" millions of pages of data in seconds and improve its own performance by learning.

Over the next three months, the global challenge invites mobile developers and entrepreneurs to share their best ideas to build and develop mobile apps into prototypes. Three winners will join the Watson Ecosystem Program. The winners will work with IBM's recently launched global consulting practice, IBM Interactive Experience to receive design consulting and support from IBM experts to develop a viable commercial app.

The IBM Watson Mobile Developer Challenge is part of the IBM MobileFirst strategy to help businesses of all sizes adopt mobile technology to better engage with customers and extend their businesses to new markets. The news also represents the latest milestone in the newly formed IBM Watson Group to fuel an ecosystem of developers, start-ups, tech companies and venture capitalists building Watson powered apps as part of the Watson Developers Cloud. 

Using natural language processing and analytics, Watson processes information akin to how people think, representing a major shift in an organization's ability to quickly analyze, understand and respond to Big Data. Watson's ability to answer complex questions with speed, accuracy and confidence is transforming decision making across a variety of industries, including health care, financial services and retail.

IBM has advanced Watson from a game playing innovation into a commercial technology. Delivered from the cloud and able to power new consumer and enterprise apps, Watson is 24 times faster; smarter, with a 2,400 percent improvement in performance; and 90 percent smaller than the original system.

Named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, Watson was developed in IBM's Research labs and is now being accelerated into market by the new IBM Watson Group. As part of the group, IBM is investing $1 billion to introduce a new class of cognitive computing services, software and apps, and investing $100 million to spur innovation for software application providers to develop a new generation of Watson powered solutions.  

For more information or to apply to participate in the Challenge, click here.

Watch Disney, Pixar, And Marvel Movies With Disney Movies Anywhere

The Walt Disney Studios today unveiled its exclusive cloud-based digital movie service, Disney Movies Anywhere. This all-new app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and Web experience enables consumers to discover, purchase, manage, and watch movies from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel at home and on the go. iTunes is the premier digital movie provider for Disney Movies Anywhere.

The debut of Disney Movies Anywhere coincides with the digital release of Disney's hit film "Frozen" and features Disney's library of over 400 active digital titles. In addition, for a limited time, Disney Movies Anywhere users who activate and connect their Disney Movies Anywhere account to their iTunes account will receive a free digital copy of Disney•Pixar's animated classic "The Incredibles."

"Disney Movies Anywhere offers an exceptional consumer experience built around some of the most beloved and popular entertainment brands in the world," said Alan Bergman, President, The Walt Disney Studios. "This unique technology underscores Disney's commitment to meeting our consumers where they are with the content they want, and we're thrilled to debut with iTunes, the  number-one digital media retailer in the world."

With an easy-to-use interface, consumers can explore live-action and animated films from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel; watch exclusive content and bonus features; preview upcoming offerings; and more. Users can simply connect their iTunes account to their Disney Movies Anywhere account to begin populating their Disney digital movie locker and watch movies online and on their devices. Featuring simultaneous access on multiple devices, Disney Movies Anywhere enables consumers to stream and download Disney movies on their iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and Apple TV (through iCloud or using AirPlay). In addition, Disney Movies Anywhere functions as a streaming movie service when users log in to the website on their desktop or laptop computers (Mac or PC).

Since 2008, Disney has included codes in select DVD and Blu-ray products redeemable for digital copies of Disney, Pixar, and Marvel films. Users can now redeem these codes through Disney Movies Anywhere, and Digital Copy titles previously redeemed in Disney Movie Rewards or via iTunes will automatically be active in both Disney Movies Anywhere and iTunes once a user logs into Disney Movies Anywhere and connects their iTunes account. Additionally, for the first time, consumers can now earn Disney Movie Rewards points for their digital purchases through Disney Movies Anywhere going forward.

Disney Movies Anywhere's functionality is built upon Disney's proprietary digital rights locker, KeyChest.

The Disney Movies Anywhere App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.appstore.com/disney. Sign up is also available through the Disney Movies Anywhere website.

ESET Issues Warning About Mac Malware Disguised as Cracked Versions of Angry Birds, Pixelmator and Other Top Apps

ESET is warning Mac® users not to download pirated software from file-sharing peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in the wake of a new malware discovery. Researchers have discovered a Bitcoin-stealing malware called OSX/CoinThief being spread via cracked apps, apps often obtained by over-riding Apple's standard security settings.

The OSX/CoinThief trojan infects computers running the Mac OS X platform®, stealing login credentials related to various Bitcoin exchanges and wallet sites by installing malicious browser add-ons.

ESET malware experts have discovered that CoinThief is being spread via P2P file-sharing networks, disguised as cracked versions of the following popular Mac OS X applications:

• BBEdit – an OS X text editor
• Pixelmator – a graphics editor
• Angry Birds – a game where players use a slingshot to launch birds at their targets
• Delicious Library – a media cataloguing application

"The hackers behind the CoinThief trojan are trying to cash in on the current Bitcoin craze and fluctuating exchange rates by breaking into users' digital wallets," said Security Researcher Graham Cluley, who wrote about the threat on ESET's WeLiveSecurity blog. "As ESET's research team has shown, Mac users who download and install pirated software from torrent sites are not only depriving developers of their rightful income, but are also putting their computers and finances at risk."

According to detection statistics gathered by the ESET Live Grid, the threat is mostly active amongst Mac users based in the United States. CoinThief was first spotted earlier this month by SecureMac researchers, who found it had been distributed via popular download sites, such as Download.com and MacUpdate.com, disguised as trojanized versions of Bitcoin Ticker TTM (To The Moon), BitVanity, StealthBit and Litecoin Ticker.

ESET researchers strongly recommend that all Mac users protect their computers with an up-to-date anti-virus product and resist the temptation to download cracked and pirated software.

For more information on the CoinThief malware and how to clean infected devices, visit ESET's WeLiveSecurity blog here. 

lark Makes Getting Fit And Improving Your health As Simple As Carrying Your Phone

Today, during Samsung's Developer Day keynote at the Mobile World Congress, lark CEO Julia Hu unveiled lark's Personal Assistant for Health and Wellness software on Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 as part of newly announced S-Health. lark is a Premium Content Partner for the Samsung Galaxy S5 with a select few other partners such as Evernote and the New York Times.

"We are proud to announce lark's new partnership with Samsung and our personal health & wellness coaching service that will run on their incredible new flagship phone," said Julia Hu. "The Samsung Galaxy S5 and lark's Personal Assistant for Health and Wellness will change the way the world views their smart phone. It's no longer just a communication device but a highly personalized lifestyle companion powered with tools like lark to support users as they improve their everyday lives. Without any additional wearable sensor, the phone can coach people on how to live healthier. Not only does it keep track of users' physical activity throughout the day, the lark service will start learning the users' physical activity patterns and behaviors and suggesting the easiest ways for each person to get fitter and healthier."  

Lark has created the ability for handset manufacturers to develop a health and wellness ecosystem just by integrating the Lark platform with their handset. It also allows the use of new 3^rd party wearable technology devices to enhance the ecosystem even more. Health and Wellness is a multi-billion dollar business and Lark has created a multi-OS platform that allows device manufacturers to leverage the Lark technology to create a truly immersive experience that can help the user live a healthier life.

Lark capitalizes on the new low power sensor hub in next generation phones to capture and interpret data in real-time, when it's most contextually relevant. With Lark's patent-pending advanced behavioral analysis, machine learning technology, and its cloud-based Expert Recommendation Engine, users will experience the most contextual and personalized health and wellness applications that were never before possible. 

Energy Savings: One Watt LED Light Source Gets You to Bed Faster

As sleep disorders and energy costs rise, Uopia launches a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for a new kind of LED nightlight. What makes their nightlight different is that it feels and looks like a warm incandescent bulb while providing the energy savings and longevity of an LED unit.

The warm color temperature of this light is preferable to blue or cool lighting because of the negative effects they have on sleep. The light consumes less than 87 percent energy than the leading alternative, amounting to just $0.58 a year to operate.

Uopia's CEO and co-founder, David Clark, dreams of a home environment where light switches do not exist and energy consumption is minimized. "Imagine walking around your home in the evening without having to turn lights on and off." For just a few watts of energy your whole home can be illuminated with candle-like lighting. Their Kickstarter project is making that dream a reality.

Clark had recognized that nightlights and LED products on the market were producing too much blue light and disturbing sleep. Dr. Charles A. Czeisler at Harvard Medical School says, "The adverse effects of night-time light on sleep and circadian rhythms can be reduced by replacing blue-enriched light with red-or orange-enriched white light after sunset."

Uopia built an energy saving version of the product Dr. Czeisler was talking about. A CRI of over 80 ensures that colors look vibrant, even in a dim lighting environment. Two brightness settings give you flexibility in illuminating your environment. The bright setting is perfect for living rooms, kitchens, and hallways; while the dimmer setting is preferred in bedrooms and bathrooms.

The Kickstarter campaign just recently launched and will run through March 26th.

Breakthrough Step-Up in Picture Quality with Advanced Local Dimming and Full-Array LED Backlighting Now Available With Launch of 2014 VIZIO E-Series Collection

VIZIO, one of America's leading SmartTV companies, today released its all-new 2014 E-Series Full-Array LED backlit HDTV collection. Backed by the brand's leadership in HDTV technology, the VIZIO E-Series line-up – now available at retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam's Club, Target, VIZIO.com and Walmart – features Full-Array LED backlighting with Active LED Zones and the latest smart TV platform, VIZIO Internet Apps Plus^®.

VIZIO's new E-Series features the latest technology at the best value, and is available in a full range of screen size classes from 23" to 70". Among the first at this price band, VIZIO is introducing advanced local dimming technology and Full-Array LED backlighting on most of the new models, with up to 18 Active LED Zones delivering better light uniformity for a more vibrant, beautiful picture. In addition, sports and fast-action scenes are now clearer than ever, thanks to Clear Action 180, available on several models. By combining powerful
image processing and effective refresh rates, VIZIO delivers next-level clarity, reducing motion blur and minimizing retina burn.

"VIZIO is focused on presenting consumers with an entirely new value proposition by enhancing the picture quality and performance of the E-Series collection," said Matt McRae, Chief Technology Officer, VIZIO. "We are excited to bring advancements like Full-Array LED backlighting that doubles the Active LED Zones for the E-Series line-up and are already receiving great consumer feedback." 

The 2014 E-Series collection provides value-conscious shoppers with a great step-up in picture quality not typically found in TVs in this price range. Active LED Zones offer purer black levels with higher contrast, created by the dynamic adjustment of the LED backlight in each Active LED Zone, based on the content displayed on screen. More zones allows for more discrete control of the LED backlight, resulting in improved contrast and a more beautiful picture. 

"Local dimming is a technology that allows LED LCDs to overcome one of their biggest picture quality problems – grayish, washed-out renditions of black – by selectively dimming and brightening different parts of the screen. Done right, it works wonders," said CNET, December 19, 2013. 

The new E-Series smart TV models include built-in Wi-Fi and VIZIO's latest generation smart TV platform, VIZIO Internet Apps Plus. Consumers can enjoy premium apps such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, iHeartRadio, HuluPlus, VUDU and YouTube as well as new apps like Spotify, Plex and AirCastLive which will roll out in the coming months. VIZIO Internet Apps Plus allows consumers to enjoy advanced features like second screen interactivity that enables users to surf for content on their smartphone or tablet and then from their mobile device, play the content on the TV. With initial support by YouTube and Netflix, the second screen functionality works with Android and Apple iOS smartphones and tablets when the TV and device are on the same Wi-Fi network. Playback control of content sent to the TV can also be managed from the corresponding app on the mobile device.

In addition to enhanced picture quality and VIZIO's latest smart TV platform, the updated E-Series collection sports an even sleeker design for 2014.  When compared to 2013 models, the latest offerings feature an up to 33% narrower frame and up to 30% thinner profile.  

Consumers can find the new E-Series collection both in-store and online through key retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam's Club, Target, VIZIO.com and Walmart.  Some major online stores allow Bitcoin payments due to the ease of transaction. Even if you are not a crypto user, you can use trading bots like bitsoft-360 to engage in crypto trading. See https://coincierge.de/bitsoft-360/ for more details about the site. For more information visit VIZIO's website here.

Polk's 4 Shot Headset Hits Retail Shelves March 6

Polk, a high-performance audio brand with 40 years of sound, engineering and design expertise, will release its 4 Shot Headset for Xbox One nationwide on March 6. The first Xbox One compatible headset to hit store shelves, 4 Shot was developed in collaboration with Microsoft Studios at 343 Industries and Turn 10 Studios – the creators of the "Halo" and "Forza Motorsport" franchises. These products are optimized to deliver immersive, game-changing audio to the Xbox One experience.

"Since unveiling the 4 Shot at last year's E3 Expo, the excitement has grown in response to its anticipated launch," said Mark Suskind, vice president of product line development at Polk. "We worked diligently with Microsoft to create a headset that combines complex audio found in the gaming world with rich, exhilarating sound typical of Polk's engineering. We know there's a substantial demand for Xbox One headsets, and we're proud to be the first company with retail availability of a headset specifically licensed for the console."

The 4 Shot for Xbox One was developed in collaboration with leading game sound designers to take listeners to the next level with real, balanced audio representative of the virtual world. Featuring proprietary Polk Optimized Electro-acoustic Tuning (POET), the headset envelopes users in immersive and realistic sound for a truly game-changing experience. In addition to delivering exhilarating audio, the 4 Shot connects to gamers' wireless Xbox One controllers, giving them the freedom to move around. Dynamic, loss-less wireless technology means fewer latency issues, so users can make the kind of split-second gaming decisions needed to play at their best.

As an additional feature, a retractable near-field microphone allows users to chat with other gamers or take calls, while remaining out of the way for those in-the-heat moments. Additionally, a spring steel headband with stitched leatherette padding, pivoting ear cups and plush over-ear pads provide gamers with comfort for long hours of gaming.

Available March 6 at select GameStop locations and polkaudio.com, 4 Shot comes in Ink Black, Desert White and Nova Blue finishes. The 4 Shot will also be available at Best Buy Canada beginning in March. For more information, visit Polk's website here.

About Polk
Polk (www.polkaudio.com) is an award-winning designer and manufacturer of high-performance audio products and the largest audio brand of Sound United. Founded in 1972, Polk is the market share leader in premium home theater speakers in North America, and is a leading manufacturer of sound bars, headphones, wireless speakers, mobile and marine speakers and amplifiers, and other high-performance audio products. For more information on Sound United and its brands, visit www.soundunited.com. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Planet Toulan Is The Newest Planet In Entropia Universe

Beladcom, the Jordan-based game developer and regional pioneer in the industry, and Entropia Universe AB, the largest Massively Multiplayer Online Real Cash Economy (or MMORCE) game, announced today the launch of Planet Toulan.  Planet Toulan is the largest-ever MMORPG inspired by rich Arabian mythology and culture. 

"Created by a Jordanian team, Planet Toulan marks a milestone of achievement in the emerging Arabic gaming industry," said Talal Asfoura, Beladcom's General Manager. "We've taken the mythology we grew up, mixed in new ideas from science fiction, and can now share it with the world."

Toulan is an ancient Arabic word that means extremely mystical and captivating. This MMO puts players in morbidly hot deserts, swamps teeming with unthinkable creatures, mountains blanketed with perilous sheets of snow and all 600 years after an apocalyptic war. Gamers will help colonize the inhospitable lands and rebuild the nation to its past magnificence. Along with a plethora of professions and skills to choose from, players will be able to follow quests, hunt mythical creatures and explore magnificent landscapes, all the while discovering Toulan's history. The amazing game soundtrack was created by international composer Tareq Al Nasser. For more details on Planet Toulan click here. This new world is the latest edition to the highly successful Entropia Universe platform created by MindArk.   

Entropia Universe is the largest Massively Multiplayer Online Real Cash Economy (MMORCE) game in the world. Players have no monthly costs, but deposit and withdraw real funds for their adventures on any planet in the Entropia Universe. For more information on Entropia Universe or to download the free game you can click here.

About Beladcom

Beladcom is a Jordanian game developer, committed to transforming the regional and international gaming landscape by utilizing its unique position in this ever-growing industry to develop sensational titles with global appeal. With the help and support of our strategic global gaming partners we are building a solid High-End game development house, that is able to sustain and adapt to current and future gaming trends and platforms. 

Trolls vs. Vikings Tower Defense Game Out Now On iOS

Clever Trolls and vicious Vikings invade the App Store today; Megapop is proud to release Trolls vs. Vikings on iOS!

This new take on tower defense lets players control a wacky world where humble green-skinned Trolls are taking a stand against the oppressive Vikings and divine intervention from Norse gods. Download Trolls vs. Vikings for free here!

Get trolled in the trailer!

Trolls vs. Vikings reimagines the tower defense formula by giving players more hands-on control of their green-skinned heroes, including movable and active units, a dynamic tile system, social features, and epic boss fights against Nordic gods like Thor, Odin and Loki. The game is designed for both casual and hardcore players alike with difficulty modes ranging from Normal to the relentless Hard mode. It truly doubles the game's content; each mode demands that players employ new tactics to overcome the puzzling challenge, revealing new gameplay strategies at each stage. The game boasts over 30 hours of gameplay with even more content to come in future updates, including multiplayer!

Get Trolls vs. Vikings for free on the App Store right now!

Android, Microsoft Surface, and browser versions are expected to launch later this year.

To learn more about Trolls vs. Vikings:

• Watch the trailer on YouTube
• Follow Megapop on Twitter or Facebook for the most up-to-date information
• Check out the Megapop Website
• Listen to a tune from the Thor boss fight @ SoundCloud

Trolls vs. Vikings Tower Defense Game Out Now On iOS

Clever Trolls and vicious Vikings invade the App Store today; Megapop is proud to announce that Trolls vs. Vikings is out now on iOS!

This new take on tower defense lets players control a wacky world where humble green-skinned Trolls are taking a stand against the oppressive Vikings and divine intervention from Norse gods. Download Trolls vs. Vikings for free here!

Get trolled in the trailer!

Trolls vs. Vikings reimagines the tower defense formula by giving players more hands-on control of their green-skinned heroes, including movable and active units, a dynamic tile system, social features, and epic boss fights against Nordic gods like Thor, Odin and Loki. The game is designed for both casual and hardcore players alike with difficulty modes ranging from Normal to the relentless Hard mode. It truly doubles the game's content; each mode demands that players employ new tactics to overcome the puzzling challenge, revealing new gameplay strategies at each stage. The game boasts over 30 hours of gameplay with even more content to come in future updates, including multiplayer!

Get Trolls vs. Vikings for free on the App Store right now!

Android, Microsoft Surface, and browser versions are expected to launch later this year.

To learn more about Trolls vs. Vikings:

• Watch the trailer on YouTube
• Follow Megapop on Twitter or Facebook for the most up-to-date information
• Check out the Megapop Website
• Listen to a tune from the Thor boss fight @ SoundCloud

Everyone's a Gamer - IEEE Experts Predict Gaming Will Be Integrated Into More than 85 Percent of Daily Tasks by 2020

Members of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, anticipate that 85 percent of our lives will have an integrated concept of gaming in the next six years.

While video games are seen mainly for their entertainment value in today's society, industries like healthcare, business and education will be integrating gaming elements into standard tasks and activities, making us all gamers. People will accrue points for regular tasks and each person's point cache will influence their position in society, and compliment their monetary wealth.

"Social networks that encourage check-ins and stores with loyalty point programs are already utilizing gamification to grow their customer bases. Soon, game-like activities similar to these will be part of almost everything we do," said Richard Garriott, IEEE member who coined the term "massively multiplayer online role-playing game."  "Our mobile devices will be the hub for all of the 'games' we'll be playing throughout a normal day by tracking the data we submit and using it to connect everything." 

Increasing our Hit Points
Video games are currently used in healthcare to teach some basic medical procedures, but as wearable and 3D surface technology improve, they will be used to practice complicated surgeries and medical methods. Gamification will also help patients in need of mental stimulation as well as physical therapies.

Aside from use in hospitals and by doctors, games are being used to teach basic modern medicine in countries where proper care is harder to access. Games that show the importance of flu vaccines and other medicines are already helping reduce the spread of infections globally.

"Right now, it is easier to demonstrate efficacy and monetize gaming in healthcare than in some other areas, which is helping it advance at a rapid rate," said Elena Bertozzi, IEEE member and Professor of Digital Game Design and Development atQuinnipiac University. "Doctors are using games to train as well as in patient care. Current games in medicine encourage pro-social behaviors with patients in recovery from some types of surgeries and/or injuries. With new technology, we will find even more ways to integrate games to promote healthy behavior and heal people mentally and physically."

Powering Up for Promotions
To a certain degree, in the coming years a person's business success will be measured in game points. Video games are already being used to teach human resources practices at large companies and will likely extend into helping benchmark business goals. Employees will receive points to measure their work targets alongside subjective measurements for things like workplace interactions and management ability.

"A lot of technologies start in other industries and slip their way into gaming, which makes sense for the future of businesses," says Tom Coughlin, IEEE Senior Member and technology consultant. "By 2020, however many points you have at work will help determine the kind of raise you get or which office you sit in. Outside factors will still be important, but those that can be quantified numerically will increasingly be tracked with 'game points'."

Gaming for Grades
Using a current vehicle for entertainment to teach job skills and STEM subjects has already been deemed successful and is expanding at a rapid pace. Governments, particularly in the United States, are encouraging the integration of video games in school curriculum for behavior modification as the positive reinforcement provides more encouragement than traditional correctional methods, like the dreaded red pen. Around the globe, gaming is being used to teach students of any age a range of subjects from basic life skills to midwifery to healthy grieving processes.

"Humans, as mammals, learn more efficiently through play in which they are rewarded rather than other tests in which they are given demerits for mistakes," says Bertozzi. "It is a natural fit to teach through gaming, especially in areas of the world where literacy levels vary and human instinct can help people learn."

VIZIO Wins 19 Stevie Awards At The 8th Annual Stevie Awards For Sales & Customer Service

VIZIO, America's #1 Smart TV company¹, announced it has won a total of nineteen Stevie® Awards; 1 gold, 3 silver, and 14 bronze and a Grand Stevie Award in the eight annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

In addition to being ranked  "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with HDTVs Less Than 50 Inches (Tied)" by J.D. Power² and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, VIZIO added to their customer service accolades with their 31^st Stevie Award, one of the highest honors for exceeding customer service expectations. 

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top sales awards, contact center awards, and customer service awards. The Stevie Awards organize several of the world's leading business awards shows including the prestigious American Business Awards^SM and International Business Awards^SM. Over 1,500 entries were submitted for this year's awards from prestigious companies in various industries. The international competition included companies from Canada, UK, Mexico, Panama, India, and others.

The winners of the Stevie Awards were honored during a gala banquet on Friday, February 21, 2014 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. More than 400 nominated customer service and sales executives from the U.S.A. and several other countries attended.

With 100% U.S. based support, VIZIO's customer service team of approximately 400 handled over two million contacts last year. VIZIO's support team covers TVs, PCs, sound bars, and other VIZIO flagship product lines. Three levels of support help to ensure that customers get their queries resolved on the first contact. The team is trained to communicate with customers via social media, chat, email, phones, and mail.    

VIZIO's Dakota Dunes Contact Center won Stevie Awards in the following categories and specifics:

Grand Stevie Awards were awarded to the top 10 submitters. VIZIO had the second highest score for overall body of work and was presented a Gold Stevie Award.

The VIZIO Executive Resolution Team also received a Gold Stevie Award:
Nomination: VIZIO Executive Resolution Team – Offering options to reach a resolution
Category: Customer Service Complaints Team of the Year
Status: Gold Stevie Winner

The following nominations are honored as Silver Stevie Awards:
Nomination: Troy Saunders
Category: Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year

Nomination: Leah Anderson
Category: Back-Office Customer Service Professional of the Year

Nomination: VIZIO Customer Service Leader of the Year - RJ Riemer
Category: Customer Service Leader of the Year

The following nominations are honored as Bronze Stevie Awards:
Nomination: VIZIO Dakota Dunes - Every Seat Has A Story
Category: Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats)

Nomination: VIZIO Dakota Dunes Contact Center
Category: Customer Service Department of the Year

Nomination: Maddy Hayes
Category: Young Customer Service Professional of the Year

Nomination: Ryan Aspleaf
Category: Customer Service Manager of the Year

Nomination: Larry Cale
Category: Contact Center Professional of the Year

Nomination: JB Pettiecord
Category: Contact Center Manager of the Year

Nomination: Scott Patten
Category: Contact Center Leader of the Year

Nomination: VIZIO Front-Line Customer Service Team – Nick's Team
Category: Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year

Nomination: VIZIO Back-Office Customer Service Team - VIZIO Project Team
Category: Back-Office Customer Service Team of the Year

Nomination: VIZIO Customer Service Management Team - Dakota Dunes Leadership Team
Category: Customer Service Management Team of the Year

Nomination: VIZIO Customer Service Training Team 
Category: Customer Service Training Team of the Year

Nomination: VIZIO e-Commerce Customer Service Award - support.vizio.com
Category: e-Commerce Customer Service Award

Nomination: VIZIO Award for Innovation in Customer Service - Operation May Day
Category: Award for Innovation in Customer Service

Nomination: VIZIO's Excellent Employee Program - VEEP
Category: Incentive Management Solution

"It is a great honor to be presented the Grand Stevie Award and 18 Stevie Awards and VIZIO is very proud of our outstanding team that made this possible," said Scott Patten, V.P. of Support at VIZIO. "The VIZIO Support Team has now been awarded 31 Stevie awards in three years. This validates VIZIO's dedication to helping people by understanding and meeting customer needs, delivering exceptional customer satisfaction and making a great customer experience possible. The 19 awards from this year combined with the twelve awards we have won in the past are a testament to VIZIO's consumer focus and to the dedication of VIZIO's customer service professionals."

More than 1,500 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year's competition, an increase of 36% over 2013. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 129 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 43 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 43 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year to Sales Department of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

In total, more than 260 executives around the world participated in the judging process for the 2014 awards, to determine the Finalists and then the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements.

"Entries to the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service awards have almost doubled over the past few years," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. "Not only have we seen a dramatic increase in the number of entries; but the judges have also seen a remarkable rise in the quality of the nominations submitted overall. We congratulate all of this year's Stevie winners for their outstanding work."

For more information on VIZIO's service and support or information on its products, visit www.VIZIO.com.

¹ The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service, 2013 Flat Panel TV units with Apps included.
² J.D. Power 2013 High Definition Television (HDTV) Satisfaction Report^SM. Report based on responses from 6,007 consumers measuring 8 brands and measures opinions of consumers who purchased an HDTV less than 50 inches in the last 12 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed May-June 2013. Your experience may vary.  Visit www.jdpower.com.

Flipp app now gives Android users all their favorite flyers at their fingertips

Flipp is transforming the way consumers shop and save money, as the app delivers an unmatched way to browse and search flyers, create shopping lists, and ultimately start the shopping experience from anywhere at any time on mobile. The Android launch expands Wishabi's consumer offering, which builds on the already popular iOS version of the app that was released in late 2013.

Wishabi, a leading technology company whose digital flyer platform is used by top retailers across North America, today launched Flipp on Android. Flipp is a free app available in Canada and the U.S. that aggregates retail flyers from local stores such as Target, Macy's, Sports Authority and Dollar General helping consumers find sales in their community and plan their shopping trips.

Flipp can be downloaded in Google Play, the Amazon Appstore and in iTunes US and iTunes Canada.

"Flipp is receiving exceptional reviews and users are telling us that Flipp is changing the way they shop.  Countless consumers have been asking for Flipp on Android, so this launch will only add to the great momentum we are seeing as we give people the innovative shopping experience they want," said Wehuns Tan, CEO of Wishabi. "We have seen very high levels of engagement on Flipp, which is great news for retailers. Flipp is an important part of a mobile-first approach, as retailers are looking to connect with consumers in a meaningful way in this digital age."

Flipp has a unique set of features and functionality, including:

Flip: Rapidly flip and browse between and within weekly flyers  
Search: Easily search for a store, item, or brand    
Clip: Clip items from any flyer straight to your shopping list  
Discount slider: Highlight items on sale to find the best deals and savings  
Favorites: Save your favorite store's flyers for easy reference and a personalized shopping experience every week

Wishabi has a deep expertise in the digital flyer industry with over 190 local store flyers in the U.S and 80 local store flyers inCanada on its industry leading technology platform. Flipp is an integral part of the Wishabi distribution network that connects retailers with over 220 million consumers monthly. Flipp especially connects retailers with a unique group of highly engaged consumers who actively consume flyer content every week and helps drive customers into stores as people are starting their shopping experience from anywhere on their mobile device.

For more information, please visit: www.flipp.com.