The first city was founded around 4 000 years b.c. As the word city can be defined as ”an area with enough people to form lines”, we can estimate the concept of queuing to be of roughly the same age, 6 000 years old.
The length and formation of lines can generally be managed by adjusting supply and demand. There are lines we can’t avoid, like the line to the late-night kebab place at 3 a.m. but there are lines we could shorten too. Like the queues to the cinema. Everyone arrives at last minute, either to buy or redeem reserved tickets, resulting in a queue.
How would I change this? I would like to get a simple web address included in movie posters and advertisements. With my mobile phone, I would enter the site, identify myself and reserve the needed number of best seats available. Later, when the actual sale of tickets starts, I would get a confirmation message about the tickets to my mobile phone. Then I could discard, reserve or buy the tickets, again directly with my mobile phone.
My calendar has a tendency to change. Therefore, I like to reserve tickets in advance, but leave the buying to the last minute. Nowadays, when I arrive to theater at the last minute, I have to queue to the counter and then dash sweating to my seat. One of the counters should be an express counter, which would just print out tickets I already bought on my way to theater, using my mobile phone. A non-printed mobile-ticket would of course be even better.
I could even accept ads of movies to my cell phone, but not just anything. I’d be happy to get notified of the new works of Pedro Almodovar or Quentin Tarantino, whereas ads of latest Dan Brown or Harry Potter screenplays fall into the other end of the spectrum.
Location-based advertising has been planned and pondered for a long time. Most of the scenarios have run into the same problem over and over again - how to get the permission to send the ads to the recipients. Few people wish to be bombarded with ads every time they are visiting downtown.
I’d be willing to accept current offers to my mobile phone for a certain period of time, for example for two hours, when I know where I’ll be and that I’ll have time to shop. When I´m going to movies and have a half an hour or fifteen minutes before the show, I´m not interested in strolling around looking for something interesting. However, I could visit one or two boutiques on the way, if I knew there’s something interesting for me. Anything that helps me avoid queues and get the right information at the right time is highly appreciated.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
A small step towards a more convenient life
Only few inventions that can make life easier, sound revolutionary when presented on paper. For example, Google was described as “a slightly better search engine”. Nowadays it is quite hard to find anyone who hasn’t used or learned something new just by googling.
Sometimes words just aren’t enough. One must experience to understand the new concept.
I believe that mobile ID will change the life for most of us like Google did. Mobile ID is a digital ID on your mobile device, which is usually with you all the time and ready for use. But why would we need a mobile ID if we already have debit and credit cards, smart cards and cash?
Let’s think about this a little and look at the world through the eyes of the young, who don’t know yet that everything worth inventing has already been done.
Let’s assume that your child is in a shopping mall and urgently needs some money. You will probably receive a call requesting some funds and if they are lucky, you agree. What would currently happen is that you go to a cash point, withdraw some money and your child will come and collect it from you. However, there would be a much more convenient way to go about. With mobile ID, you could authorise your child to get the cash from the nearest ATM without any hassle interrupting your day.
How about if you get sick and need to visit the doctor. Your prescription is delivered electronically to a pharmacy. Would you rather go home and stay in bed and ask someone else to fetch the medicines or queue with other feeble patients to get the medicines? I know what I would do. I would authorise someone else to pick up the prescription.
How would I do that, with mobile ID of course!
Our lives are becoming more digitalised and many of us want to be connected all the time. However the digital life could be so much easier, if we would not have to use different aliases and passwords to each service we use or to memorise various PIN codes for different websites every time we log on.
For years, the arrival of the convenient digital ID has been in the works. I believe that mobile ID can actually fulfil and exceed these promises. We are already using our mobile phones all the time, so what is stopping us turning them into mobile IDs? All that is needed is the four digit PIN code, regardless of its simplicity, it is highly secure.
Sometimes words just aren’t enough. One must experience to understand the new concept.
I believe that mobile ID will change the life for most of us like Google did. Mobile ID is a digital ID on your mobile device, which is usually with you all the time and ready for use. But why would we need a mobile ID if we already have debit and credit cards, smart cards and cash?
Let’s think about this a little and look at the world through the eyes of the young, who don’t know yet that everything worth inventing has already been done.
Let’s assume that your child is in a shopping mall and urgently needs some money. You will probably receive a call requesting some funds and if they are lucky, you agree. What would currently happen is that you go to a cash point, withdraw some money and your child will come and collect it from you. However, there would be a much more convenient way to go about. With mobile ID, you could authorise your child to get the cash from the nearest ATM without any hassle interrupting your day.
How about if you get sick and need to visit the doctor. Your prescription is delivered electronically to a pharmacy. Would you rather go home and stay in bed and ask someone else to fetch the medicines or queue with other feeble patients to get the medicines? I know what I would do. I would authorise someone else to pick up the prescription.
How would I do that, with mobile ID of course!
Our lives are becoming more digitalised and many of us want to be connected all the time. However the digital life could be so much easier, if we would not have to use different aliases and passwords to each service we use or to memorise various PIN codes for different websites every time we log on.
For years, the arrival of the convenient digital ID has been in the works. I believe that mobile ID can actually fulfil and exceed these promises. We are already using our mobile phones all the time, so what is stopping us turning them into mobile IDs? All that is needed is the four digit PIN code, regardless of its simplicity, it is highly secure.
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