Author: Denny

Mobile technology is used by most air travelers

| October 9, 2014

A new global survey has found that the vast majority of air travelers are tech-savvy.

The survey, which was conducted jointly by Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA) and Air Transport World, revealed that while almost all of the surveyed passengers use some form of mobile technology when travelling, 77 percent of the 6,277 passengers surveyed would be content using wearables such as smartwatches and smart glasses to make their journey more interesting or to help them during their travels.

The survey focused on consumers travelling through the 30 top airports across the globe.

The global survey carried out by the aviation communication and IT firm based in Geneva and the aviation journal, showed that nearly every passenger (97 percent) had a smartphone, tablet or laptop with them when they flew and that one in five passengers surveyed travelled with all three of these devices. This finding alone highlighted the increasing importance of passengers who are tech-savvy.

Passengers want to be able to use mobile technology at every point of their journey.

mobile technology news - travelThe survey also learned that air travelers want to stay connected at each part of their journey. The study found that 76 percent of respondents utilized airline apps and that of this same group, 43 percent said that the apps made a distinct improvement when planning their travels and during their travel experience.

In addition, 54 percent of participants wanted there to be a greater investment in technology to assist them in comparing airline fares. Furthermore, 52 percent wanted in-flight wireless service and improved real-time flight information. Also, the survey revealed that 57 percent would like airport directions and maps and 53 percent wanted personalized alerts sent directly to their phones to notify them about any delays.

The survey clearly reveals that mobile technology is important to air travelers. According to Francesco Violante, the CEO of SITA, passengers who are tech-savvy “expect more personalised apps and services consistently delivered on the web, to their phone or tablet. New technologies like smart watches and glasses have now become commonplace and “they present a great opportunity for airlines and airports to engage directly with their passengers to provide efficient services throughout the journey.”

Mobile banking with upgraded security rolled out by Tangerine

| October 7, 2014

This launch includes a new biometric ID system as well as the ability for the customer to use voice commands.

The Canadian online bank called Tangerine (formerly known as ING Direct) that offers services to customers in many countries around the world has now announced that its mobile banking apps will feature fingerprint recognition technology to enhance its security, as well as voice commands to improve the convenience of use over smartphones and tablets.

Tangerine believes that boosting their mobile security and ease of use will be greatly appealing to consumers.

According to the Tangerine president and chief executive officer, Peter Aceto, when it comes to mobile banking and their overall experience, the financial services company recognizes that people “want more control over their banking experience and our goal is to provide them with the ability to bank where they want, how they want and when they want.” He went on to add that “This is the future of banking, today.”

Over the coming weeks, these new features will be added to the Tangerine mobile banking app.

Mobile banking - fingerprint securityCustomers will be given the opportunity to use the Touch ID feature, which will allow them to take advantage of fingerprint recognition technology in conjunction with their password, in order to enhance the security of their smartphone banking experience. From there, the bank intends to watch the customer response to the use of this mobile security technology and to see how they feel about “sharing biometric information with us”

From that point, Tangerine will look into the degree to which current mobile security methods can be replaced by this type of technology. However, for the moment, Aceto says that “it’s just an additional level of security,” as opposed to one that would replace the traditional password or stand on its own.

The voice controlled mobile banking app will give consumers the ability to ask certain specific questions, such as requesting their account balance, or even issue commands with greater complexity, such as paying a bill or sending an email money transfer. While Aceto insisted that the service is being launched “with good functionality,” he also added that the bank will be listening to the feedback of its customers in order to continually improve it.