Kozminski Techblog

How many of you hate to waste your time standing in the big lines in the supermarkets? I bet that everyone, even if shops have self-serve in many cases you stand or what makes me also angry there are some issues with them and then we need to wait for an employee to camo and fix it. So why not to invent such store without those issues?

Try to imagine walking to the shop taking what you want and just leaving? It seems like a magic, but there are some companies that are trying to make such ideas come true? Guess who’s that…. Of course, it’s Amazon

22 January 2018, Seattle and a lot of people steering and thinking if it is real or if it is a joke. The first store without checkout required, the world’s most advanced shopping technology, welcome to AMAZON GO.

Amazon Go Smart Shop

What can we buy there, literally everything as in a normal supermarket, meat, cheese, milk, bread or chef-designed Amazon Meal Kits (if we are too lazy, or just in rush)? Shopping here is very easy and what is more important very smart. All you need is to have Amazon account and free Amazon Go app. When you stand in front of the shop turn the app on and simply walk inside take whatever you need and walk away. Your Amazon account will be charged for the products you took. Isn’t it genius? For me sure it is.

Different products inside Amazon Go

How does it Work?

It is possible thankfully very advanced computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning technology. The cameras detect when you take the product and recognize your phone (that’s how the system knows how much to charge you, and if you decide that you don’t need the product you took you can easily put the product on the shelf and the system again without you touching even your phone will know that you put the product away. To check if the system of smart monitoring is solid and works properly with no mistakes Amazon did Pikachu test. One day (during the testing phase of the shop, From November 2017 only Amazon employees were allowed to use the shop a)  3 employees of Amazon dressed in the same yellow Pikachu costumes and just cruised around the store taking the products they needed and than checked their phones if the system did some mistake or not. The system didn’t do any mistake. What a solid test.

Is it the future of the supermarket or no? In my opinion, we will have to wait a couple of years but definitely, it is something very special and maybe one day all of the shops will look like that.

                                   Cooking gone wrong?Party at home? Unexpected Guests?

                                                       Game Night or Even Parents not home?

Ever wondered on a random day, when you just want to order food from different restaurants or café in one shot without much effort to step out? That is where Swiggy serves as a solution. We definitely know e- platforms that serve food through an App, but to order from different restaurants and all paid and delivered in one basket is that one drive that pulls it a little more front. Swiggy is a food ordering and Delivery Company based out of Bangalore, India. Swiggy was inspired by the thought of providing a complete food ordering and delivery solution from the best neighborhood restaurants to the urban foodie.

A single window for ordering from a wide range of restaurants, they have their own exclusive fleet of delivery personnel to pick up orders from restaurants and deliver it to customers. Having their own fleet gives them the flexibility to offer customers a no minimum order policy on any restaurant and accept online payments for all partner restaurants that they work with. The delivery personnel carries one order at a time which ensures them to be getting reliable and fast deliveries.”

Their platform is a mobile application for Android or Ios, which is definitely the best way to order food, as the majority of them prefers to order via Mobile. They also have an option of using without an app by ordering from the website, both with the feature of choosing location via your Location.

Their way of marketing is their reach in Social Media with a big presence in Facebook and proper campaign planning for each day to promote organically and paid.

Now to get more serious in terms of the company’s performance, they are booming in the chart and currently hold an upper hand competitive lead to Zomato. Swiggy was started with a motive to make sure, their customers get their food like an express train and to have their food as warm as possible. This is just not a description I have put across, but a pure word of review by experience. This makes life so easy.  Its business model is B2C, with segregations of Customer, Logistics and Restaurants and Hotels. The firm is highly noted in terms of its performance from around the world and they have highly favored in terms of funding that pulls them off as a leader this year compared to Zomato.

As per the latest news, Nasper their last funding firm is planning to invest Rs 2.5 Billion backing to Swiggy, as it seeks investment to replicate the success of Tencent. Africa’s biggest investment company is planning to tie up with China’s Tencent holdings to out a fresh round of financial backing. This came after Larry IIIg, the head of Nasper’s new investment unit, told investors in New York that Swiggy has more than doubled year-on-year and that global food delivery industry is still at an early stage of development.

Swiggy is currently the largest food delivery business in India, and they are planning to grow around in a big scale with their volumes up and their key card is played as a passive intangible asset plan which makes them a proper e-commerce platform for our generation to look upon.

Nowadays a lot of Tech companies are getting crazy in AI Technology, and that is the normal thing the AI is the future. Bad or good here the opinions are divided. The truth is that we are going to see more and more AI Technologies ( or the devices that are using the basics of AI, or similar technologies) in our homes. One and a half week ago Samsung introduced its new 85-inch 8K QLED TV which will be using the AI technology based on machine learning, which will analyze the content and automatically upscale the images into 8k quality.

During the CES another two companies LG and Sony also presented their idea of new smarter TV but their “new abilities” are much different than Samsung present. Their TV is going to have Google Assistant installed. What does it mean for the potential customer? Basically, it means that those TV will be fully remoted by the voice. What is more, we will have the ability to connect the TV to google disc, or to control another “smart devices” which are inside our home by giving the comments to the TV. The customer will also have the ability to ask the TV about the program which he/she will watch or ask the TV about the weather or game scores.

Score Game checking

The google assistant will all the time (even if it will be turned off) listen what we are saying. Is it ok to you? During the time of possible invigilation from all the sides it won’t help us to be more secure or to have the more private zone, moreover, such private zone might become a really rare thing. From the other side, such progress is needed to develop more and more advanced technologies.
Because such solution that Sony and LG did is very brave ( there will be a lot of bad opinions about such invigilation, in my opinion)

Samsung put a different smart solution which was mentioned above. How is it working? The graph below explains the whole process:

AI Technology converts the quality of pictures

Basically, this AI technology supports three features:

The TV-based on AI Technologies equipped with a database which explores and analyze millions of images to improve the quality of the pictures we are observing. So it converts the lower quality by optimizing with a lot of filters and converting the sources into a high-quality image.

It increases image processing 64 times which ables the TV to project very natural images with the highest quality

It categorizes elements of picture quality such as black/blooming/brightness in input sources to obtain pictures with richer and very detailed contrast.

As we can see the leaders of TV industry LG with Sony and Samsung made a different decision about how to use the AI technologies within their TV’s. I would rather choose the solution of Samsung due to the fact that I don’t really want also my TV to collect so many info about myself and I won’t feel so comfortable with the knowledge that even my TV is all the time carefully listening to me.

Sources:

https://news.samsung.com/global/samsungs-ai-technology-transforms-any-video-content-into-8k

https://businessinsider.com.pl/technologie/nowe-technologie/telewizor-ze-sztuczna-inteligencja-w-czym-pomoze/tj3wymg

https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/07/google-assistant-is-ready-to-help-on-your-sony-tv/

http://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-OLED65W8PUA-oled-4k-tv

Woo 1.0 is a little equipment which you attach to your kitesurfing board and it measures the parameters of your jumps. isn’t it interesting?

Well you downaload free app to connect woo with your phone and done, you have all your data of the jumps there. The price of the products is less than 250 EUR (or 250 USD on the US market), you get a thing that along with the free mobile application will help you to objectively assess how high you jumped and how long your swimming session last. Moreover it will also allow you to monitor your progress and compare results with other kitesurfers and even compete with them! Is it it fun?

Also there is Woo 2.0 which is also dedicated to the other sports that means that it can work in kitesurfing, wakeboarding or snowboarding modes. Woo 2.0 running in kitesurfing mode is the equivalent of version 1.0. Woo is in a form of little black-blue box, in the middle of which there are accelerometers, gyroscopes and other sensors. “According to the manufacturer’s information, these sensors monitor the movement of the device in 9 different planes. Based on the data they provide, the complex algorithm calculates the pitch, flight time – the so-called hangtime, and landing strength. This is not a simple matter, the device must not only monitor the parameters of the jump, but also, for example, distinguish the stroke from entering the wave (apparently the jump is detected on the basis of the difference in vibration of the board located on the water and in the air). As a result, we receive, for a session spent on water with Woo, a register of the number of strokes and the above-mentioned parameters for each of them.” as Tadek is saying in his post (http://zyciezwiatrem.pl/woo-gadzet-kitesurfing/).

I saw this gadget in use, my father and brother were using it durig their kitesurfing sessions on their vacaion, and they were so impressed with it and happy that such a small thing could give them so many informations. Sometimes they were sad and dissapointed becauase their expected high jump were shawn in the woo as the low one, woo were true they were suprised that how expetations differ than reality. But still it is fun!

I will leave you with the video how woo 2.0 now works.

Enjoy

Sources:

www.woosports.com

Woo, gadżet na kitesurfing

https://www.google.pl/search?q=woo+kite&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi_5qOF9dzYAhXFF5oKHYH-C7AQ_AUICygC&biw=1440&bih=826

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V-gXAZO-3c

We all have heard about different ways to deliver products that we order on the internet. Amazon wants to deliver your orders with drones, Google Express picks up your purchases in the store and uses route optimization to deliver it in the shortest time, or Starship technologies that makes a robot capable of delivering autonomously.

Those solutions have a big chance to appear in the next decade, but in Sweden, Volvo has its own idea of the future in delivery. Here is how it looks like.

The principle is simple, according to Johan Maresch, the manager of innovation at Volvo, once the order is placed, the buyer receives an SMS from the delivery company, which indicates for example: ‘We will deliver tomorrow, do you agree to give us access to the trunk of your car between 15h and 17h?’.

The customer accepts and Volvo generates a temporary virtual key that will only be active during this time slot and will allow the delivery person to open the trunk. When the time comes, the deliveryman looks for the car via his license plate in the dedicated application of his tablet. It locates it in real time on a map, as well as all other vehicles connected to the system. The application tells him the model and the color of the car, but the driver can also make the honk or operate his headlights to recognize it more easily when approaching.

He realizes the action that indicates the application to him: to pick up the linen to bring to the laundry, to deposit a package, to recover an order that the customer returns … It closes the box, the virtual key ceases exist and the system sends an SMS to the buyer to inform him that he has been delivered.

Thanks to this method, there is no more waste of time in queues to pick up your purchase, or to have to go to the warehouse of the delivering company that is always located on the other side of your city. Volvo is looking for more partners in order to develop this service. For the moment it is more based on Sweden where there are many Volvos.

I my opinion, this is a very good move from Volvo to improve the delivery’s user experience, nevertheless, I am not sure that I reassured about leaving my purchases in the trunk if the car is parked in a city. Imagine that someone sees the delivery man putting your purchase in the trunk, he will already know that there is something to steal. So it might work in some countries, but definitely not in all of them.

https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/10/vovlo-in-car-delivery/

https://www.computerworld.com/article/3126349/robotics/why-the-future-of-package-delivery-is-better-than-drones.html

https://www.media.volvocars.com/fr/fr-fr/media/pressreleases/190579/volvo-cars-lance-son-service-avant-gardiste-de-livraison-itinerante-en-deux-heures-en-partenariat-av

Volvo to Disrupt Package Delivery

If you, like many other binge TV show watchers, are tired of recent Netflix shenanigans with cutting down access through VPNs, and the main reason you invested in a VPN was to watch Netflix anyway, you may want to read about Trickbyte.

It is really a simple to configure system, not requiring much technical knowledge, and also quite affordable: for little over 2 USD per month, if you pay for two years in advance, it gets things done. Of course, it is better to test for yourself before you buy and luckily, Trickbyte offers a generous 14-day free trial (no credit card info is required to sign up for that). One thing to note: in the trial, the service will work perfectly fine from your computer, but it will not be possible to set it up for a router or Smart TV device (more on that later).

Trickbyte is, essentially, a simpler (and, admittedly, less protected) solution: it serves as a Smart DNS solution, and focuses on making streaming available in spite of blocks.

You can use it to stream content from the following countries: USA, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mena¸ Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

The whole array of streaming services is supported and includes: Netflix, Hulu, BBC Player, iTV, ABC, Amazon Video, AMC, CNBC, Disney, Fox, HBO Now, NBC, National Geographic, Showtime, Spotify, Syfy, UFC, Vudu, Youtube, Comedy Central, and many others. The full list of supported channels can be found here.

Obviously, for many of these you will need to have a paid subscription, and Trickbyte only solves the problem of these services blocking access from regions other than the one you are physically located in.

Other possible uses include e.g. checking the inventory or online shopping for apparel at stores such as Abercrombie (they prefer to block access to their online store for non-US located clients, as the prices in Europe are way higher).

A number of devices is supported: Your Standard Browser (Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Edge…), iPhone/iPad, Android, Playstation 3-4, Xbox 360-One, Wii-Wii U. Apple TV, Roku. WD TV, Samsung Smart TV/BD, LG TV/BD, Panasonic TV/BD, Sony TV/BD, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle Fire.

Now, to fully harness the convenience of Trickbyte subscription I set it up on a router. I bought an Asus router that has VPN options included (not a must for that, but useful, costs about 50-70 USD). On the router, I disabled the 2GHz network and only left the 5GHz network, with a different name (SSID) than my home wifi. As a result, I have a separate wifi network allowing me to browse as if I was in the US, and it does not interfere with my base network. Already neat, but I have taken it just a step further: I’ve connected my Smart TV (Samsung) directly to the router, which means that my TV streaming is fully kosher US now.

The described solution may just as well work for a VPN service, and I’ve even checked it briefly with NordVPN, but as it turns out their servers only operate with OpenVPN standard, and not PPTP or L2TP, and sadly my router is limited only to these two older ones.

Now, the next step I’m taking is buying an ultra-portable, pocket router that I’m also going to use for travel to secure my connections, and I’ll also set it up with Trickbyte and possibly a VPN. It is worth mentioning that Trickbyte itself also offers a VPN service, that can be used for security (rather than just region nuisance bypassing).

Marketers say that in order to anticipate what the customer wants , you will have to predict what they are thinking .With the voice apps becoming more and more commonplace – now customers can actually tell you .

Back in 2013 the Googles spoken word accuracy was below 80% and few years later it has been increased to 90% but everyone is aiming for 99% accuracy. Accuracy problem arises when you can notice significant differences in terms we type and how we speak . Amazon Echo understands that you want a “pepperoni pizza with extra cheese” from Dominos, and can have it delivered to your door. No typing necessary. Service providers like Uber ,Dominoes and Kayak have already made huge gain in setting themselves up for such a voice-based domination windfall.

In the meantime there’s rush from both Amazon and Google to dominate the automated home assistant maker With the release of the Amazon Echo and Google Home, there’s a definite face-off between the leader in e-commerce and the leader in search.What remains to be seen, however, is just how much of a role these apps actually play in promoting a purchase.

Much of the voice based search is centered around analytics. Goodnes, the Nestle app that uses Amazon Echo skills, lets you search recipes, see (or tell) what ingredients are needed, email you the recipe or show you nutritional information, among other things.

Although it seems like only big brands will be able to take advantage of the shift in voice-based searches and purchases, we’re only truly scratching the surface of the full potential of these types of apps.Both Amazon and Google know thats not in their best interest to simply become a hard pen for others. In my opinion small brands they should keep doing what they are doing  cultivating customer engagement, open discussion, problem-solving and an overall helpful experience. No matter what the underlying technology driving a customer’s inquiry, excelling at these skills will set you far ahead of yourcompetition. 

In a year or two, it’s possible we’ll look at text-based search the way we look at our old MySpace page — with a twinge of nostalgia and an overwhelming sense of relief over how much better, faster and more intuitive things are today.

People nowadays often want to get their shopping done from their sofa while watching Netflix instead of going to the supermarket and frustrate theselfs in the crowds. Instead they choose online shopping for grocery, clothes or many other things they need. They seek for the solution that is most suitable for them. They want to get their shopping done in the easiest and fastest way.

There are many delivery options offered by online retailers for their customers. They try to have a wide range of deliveries to choose from because their clients want that. They don’t want to be limited. But as the times are changing customers also want their deliveries to be more elastic than for example couriers or post. With courier delivery you have to be home when he comes with your package or instead wait another day or go to the parcel that the delivery company points you to pick it up. We as customers don’t like that. The parcels are not always in convenient places for us, we have to drive additional kilometers to pick up the package and that frustrates us. This way few year ago the click&collect services appeared on the market. In Poland the most popular are Paczkomaty, but they also operate abroad as InPost services. They are a network of parcel lockers located around the country in convenient places like by the gas stations or train stations for the customers to get their orders quickly and do not have to put too much effort in that. They operate 24/7 and usually are a cheaper option than a regular courier delivery. They are also very quick. You don’t have to wait in line on the post to get your package anymore, you also don’t have to fit your day schedule to the courier delivery.

Another way to get your shopping by click & collect services is to get it from the offline shop in your nearest shopping center but with certainty that the product you want will be waiting for your in your size, packed, paid online and ready to be picked up. You don’t have to wait in line for that but usually it is enough to just talk to any employee of the shop, show the order number and QR code and they will get it to you. Some people prefer this instead of going to the parcel locker because they have the shopping center on their way from work for example and this way the “delivery” is free of charge as well as possible return.

This pick up option is actually great for the retailers because it lowers the cost of deliveries by courier services, they may sell more products this way because if the consumer comes to pick up their package he or she might as well buy something additional while they are in the store and the package is faster ready for pick up than with the use of outside delivery service.

These kind of services are predicted to be used even more often by customers in coming years and to be even better suited for their needs.

From the moment I discovered Paczkomaty in Poland I use it every time there is this kind of delivery option. It is most suitable for me as I am at work during the day and the courier comes always during my working hours.

What about you Guys? Do you use this delivery services? Or maybe you stick with the classic courier deliveries? Let me knowJ

References:

https://inpost.co.uk/en/about-us

https://inpost.pl/en/about-the-company/integer-sa-group

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9785532/Click-and-collect-the-new-way-to-go-shopping.html

https://www.econsultancy.com/blog/68739-how-has-click-collect-evolved-and-is-it-still-in-high-demand

https://econsultancy.com/blog/66389-what-does-the-ideal-click-and-collect-service-look-like/

https://www.idealo.co.uk/press/660-5-click-collect-services-that-will-make-your-life-easier-in-2015.html

https://www.raconteur.net/business/the-uks-largest-click-and-collect-network