Starbucks payment pen to lunch in Japan

John Montgallo
Starbucks Payment Pen - Woman holding Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks is releasing a new NFC-enabled product in Japan. Starbucks is gearing up to launch another gadget in Japan that can be used in its stores. This time around it’s a Starbucks payment pen. Called “Starbucks Touch: The Pen,” the new hardware product is indeed a working pen. Not only can you write with it, but it has an NFC reader that connects to a digital wallet, allowing the user to pay for items at the coffee shop. The pen features brown gel ink and FeliCa technology. The Starbucks payment…

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Colorado becomes first U.S. state to enact QR code ballot ban

Jennifer Goula
QR code ballot ban - U.S. vote

Cybersecurity concerns were the reason given for the ban. On September 16, 2019, Colorado became the first American state to put a QR code ballot ban in place. The state once used the quick response codes to help tabulate votes. However, concerns of cybersecurity issues led to the decision to ban the use of the unique 2-D barcodes on ballots. Officials say that QR codes can potentially be changed by hackers. Prior to the QR code ballot ban, residents in Colorado made their selections on a ballot-marking device. This device…

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New augmented reality HMD helps revolutionize the AR experience

Jorge Gonzalez
Augmented Reality HMD - Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge - YouTube

Engineers from Cambridge University have developed a realistic 3D viewing experience. Cambridge engineers at the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE) have developed a new augmented reality HMD that not only provide a realistic 3D viewing experience, but manages to do so without the common side effects of eyestrain or nausea. The device displays images on the retina using pixel beam scanning. The AR (augmented reality) HMD (head mounted display) is equipped with an enlarged eye-box. The eye-box is scalable and features an increased field of view of 36…

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Japanese bank to roll out facial recognition ATMs to customers

L. Green
Facial recognition ATMs - ATM Machine

Seven Bank and NEC Corporation have teamed up to bring the identify verification tech to ATMs. Japanese bank Seven Bank is providing its customers with facial recognition ATMs, which will be enabled with the identity verification technology and a QR (quick response) code reader for document authentication and payments. NEC Corporation, the Japanese multinational provider of information technology services and products, has provided the tech that’s been integrated into the machines. The NEC technology is part of the company’s Bio-Idiom portfolio of biometric authentication technologies. The facial recognition ATMs will…

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Smartphone games could help give early indication of cognitive decline

Stephanie Beck
Smartphone games - cognitive health research - man with mobile phone

Popular mobile games could help in the detection of serious conditions like dementia. More than just a fun pastime, researchers are finding that smartphone games like Tetris, Candy Crush Saga and Fruit Ninja could provide doctors with the advantage of spotting early signs of cognitive decline in their patients, including signs indicating the onset of serious brain disorders like dementia. An individual’s motions while playing certain mobile games correlates with their brain function. The new research, which was led by the University of Kent, investigated the link between patterns of tap,…

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