Tag: california

OpenTable launches mobile payments pilot project

| February 11, 2014

Pilot project seeks to make dining out more convenient for consumers

Mobile Payment Pilot Project - OpenTableOpenTable, an online restaurant reservation service, has launched a new pilot program focused on mobile payments. The pilot program is meant to test the viability of using mobile payments as a way to allow consumers to pay for their meals quickly while dining out. This would allow them to, essentially, “skip” the check, so to speak. OpenTable believes that leveraging mobile commerce could help make restaurants more convenient and attractive to consumers that have become very reliant on their smartphones and tablets.

Restaurants show strong interest in mobile payments

The pilot program is currently restricted to San Francisco, California, but OpenTable plans to expand the program in the coming weeks. In 2013, OpenTable successfully acquired Just Chalo, which had been working on a mobile commerce platform of its own before the acquisition. This move generated some hype concerning OpenTable’s potential interest in the mobile commerce space and how it might involve itself therein. The company intends to make mobile payments more accessible to consumers that enjoy dining out at their favorite restaurants.

Restaurants are beginning to grow more accommodating of mobile consumers

Mobile technology has been finding a great deal of acceptance in the restaurant business recently. Many restaurants are now making it a point to engage mobile consumers directly by using interactive technologies. QR codes are becoming a common feature on menus and some restaurants are leveraging the power of augmented reality in order to engage consumers more dynamically. As restaurants become more mobile-centric, mobile commerce is beginning to attract a great deal of attention.

OpenTable may be able to beat out the competition with its network of connections

OpenTable is not the only company that is working to introduce mobile commerce to the restaurant business. Cover and Dash are two startups that already have a significant head start in this endeavor as far as providing access to mobile commerce platforms is concerned. OpenTable does, however, have strong relationships with prominent restaurants that could provide it with an edge over whatever competition it may face in the field.

NASA sets sights on mobile games

| March 8, 2013

Mobile Games NASANASA looks to mobile games to promote space exploration

The game industry has long been considered a field of entertainment. Games offer people an escape from boredom and a chance to enjoy a virtual world that they would not get to experience normally. Mobile games have become very popular, as they can be played anywhere and at any time. They are also becoming increasingly important in the world of science, where the concept of gaming is having a profound impact on research.

Developers called upon by NASA

NASA has issued a call to hundreds of game developers, many of whom specialize in mobile games. These developers are being summoned to the agency’s Ames Research Center in California, where they will participate  in an initiative designed to combine games with science. Developers answering the call will be asked to create games that are designed to make real science and technology appeal to the general public. These games will highlight the advancements being made in aerospace exploration.

Mobile games may encourage people to get involved in exploration

NASA is eager to find new people that are interested in exploring space, and believes that gamers may be the ideal candidates. Mobile games will be used to reach out to these people, encouraging them to examine the prospects of space exploration and discovering the secrets of the universe. The games that will be developed at the Ames Research Center will touch upon a wide array of scientific theories, all of which are firmly rooted in actual science and not science-fiction.

NASA has a history with games

This is not the first time NASA has shown interest in mobile games. The agency is responsible for Moonbase Alpha, a lunar exploration game, and Mars Rover Landing, which mimicked the Curiosity’s recent arrival to Mars. Whether mobile games will make space exploration more appealing to gamers has yet to be seen, as many of these people have been steeped in games that depict a somewhat scientifically inaccurate representation of space for the sake of entertainment.