Tag: germany

German city attempts to prevent mobile users in Germany from accidentally walking out into traffic.

The German city of Augsburg has taken new measures to protect its smartphone-using residents from inadvertently ignoring red traffic lights and walking out onto a busy road by installing new traffic lights directly embedded into the pavement. The hope is that German smartphone users, who are constantly looking down at their phones, will take notice of these lights and pay more attention to their surroundings.

A growing number of pedestrians are risking their safety due to phone distraction.

According to The Washington Post, a survey that was recently conducted in several European cities, including Berlin, discovered that nearly 20% of pedestrians failed to observe the traffic signal change because they were distracted by their smartphones. The survey also found that younger mobile users who more likely to risk their safety to take a quick look at their Facebook or WhatsApp.

That being said, this is not only a problem in Europe. The United States Department of Transportation has found a clear link between smartphone users distracted by their device and an increase in pedestrian death. According to a University of Washington study, 1 in 3 Americans is either busy working or texting on a smartphone at dangerous road crossings.

Will installing these lights to protect German smartphone users be worth it?

Not everyone agrees that it is. The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that some commentators have said that they feel taxpayers’ money was wasted on the project. Another paper, Augsburger Allgemeine revealed that one young pedestrian who was asked about the lights by reporters said that he hadn’t even noticed them until the reporters had drawn his attention to them.

However, an Augsburg city spokesperson Stephanie Lermen said about the new traffic lights that they “create a whole new level of attention.” She believes the money used to install the lights was wisely spent.

What prompted the idea to install these traffic lights was the death of a teen girl, who was killed by a tram. Police reports stated that the 15-year-old had been distracted by her smartphone as she crossed the tracks.

The number of pedestrians putting their safety at risk because they’re distracted by their mobile phones appears to be a growing trend around the globe. It won’t be surprising if more measures, like the one Augsburg put into place for its German smartphone users, begin to pop up in other parts of the world to help solve this increasing problem.

Cinema operator has embraced mobile payments using QR codes

A German cinema operator has begun accepting mobile payments for tickets, drinks, and snacks. CinemaxX will begin rolling out its mobile payments initiative in the near future, hoping to provide more convenient services to theater goers. The company currently operates 29 cinemas in Germany, each of which will support mobile payments being made through QR codes. These codes can be used to pay for a variety of products offered at the cinemas.

QR codes continue to hold a strong position in the mobile commerce space

QR codes have become powerful mobile commerce tools. In the past, these codes had been used as a way to keep track of inventory, but then became an attractive solution for marketers trying to engage mobile consumers. QR codes are still used for marketing and sharing information, but now they are being used to facilitate mobile payments. They have also begun being used to produce “pop-up” stores, which can take place anywhere and sell a variety of products that can be purchased by scanned a QR code.

Yapital Financial will be providing the payment system that will be used by CinemaxX

The mobile payments system that CinemaxX will be using has been developed by Yapital Financial. Those scanning QR codes with their smartphones will be able to make payments using the Yapital mobile application. Once a transaction is confirmed, consumers will receive the products or tickets that they have purchased. The partnership between the two organizations may give them a strong position in the mobile space, which has become a priority for Yapital Financial considering the growing number of mobile consumers.

Mobile payments continue to attract the support of mobile-centric consumers

Mobile payments have become quite attractive to consumers. Many people are now using their mobile devices to shop online and purchase products, but they are also wanting to use these devices to purchase products in physical stores. Allow consumers to do so could open up new opportunities for businesses, including cinemas, and give companies a better way to connect with a new generation of mobile consumers.