Fotopedia, fingertips experience the world

Fotopedia Reporter, one of the many apps developed by the eponymous photo encyclopedia site founded by a group of former Apple employees, has just announced the release of a new app, “Fotopedia”, which upgrades to version 2.0 in 22 January 2014.

“Fotopedia”, the formerly Fotopedia Reporter, was launched in April 2013 for iPad and iPad mini only. Recently, for those running iOS 6.0 or later, the app has been made compatible with iPhone and iPod touch as well, which thanks to the updating to version 2.0. However, now, for the function of “travel story reporter”, is only exclusive to the app’s iPad edition (Fotopedia blog, 2014).

As one of the leading media consumption apps of tourism, Fotopedia, which focusing on photos and creating a photo-based online photo "encyclopedia", aiming at “ Travel the globe and discover the world best experiences”, are free available worldwide in nine languages(Fotopedia, 2014). Since April 2011, after the launch of the first application Fotopedia Paris, Fotopedia launched fifteen applications, for example Fotopedia Heritage, Fotopedia Japan, Fotopedia China, Fotopedia Wild Friends, Fotopedia Women of the World, Fotopedia North Korea, Fotopedia Dreams of Burma, Fotopedia Italy, Fotopedia National Parks, etc (Fotopedia blog, 2014). Rely on the exquisite pictures, the good travel interaction effect and tourism experience share, the attractive interface design, Fotopedia quickly captured a large number of fans, especially among tourism enthusiasts, photographers and educators. Just Fotopedia Reporter, has already racked up 300,000 downloads until June 2013, of which 60% came from iPad users (Fotopedia, 2014). 

The photos provide by Fotopedia are mainly from the photographs based on the Flickr CC protocol authorization. Opening the apps and moving the fingers, the user could experience a "virtual tour". In networking status, the user could view HD quality travel stories, and mark the interesting stories, edit, or collect them to the self-album, so that to re-look next time (TechCrunch, 2013). They can also now sign up or log in to Fotopedia using Facebook or Twitter, and link the travel experiences for easy sharing. Using GPS positioning, smart labels, search tools and interactive maps to provide a full range of navigation services, so that the users can clearly look through what and where the “travel stories” around them, picking a place or calling up their current location on Fotopedia geo-localized maps, geting the best local content and the hottest tips from residents and the previous tourists, even being a "Travel Creator", personalizing the travel all by their design and plan (Fotopedia, 2014). It is also a good media for the "travel stories reporters" to recall and share the "memorable" travel experience to the users and potential tourists. The feature of Open Graph Integrated with the Facebook could allows the travel reporters easily sharing their interesting travel findings. Using the photos taken by themselves and the actual personal feelings to share an memorable experience, even to make a "Must-see list" for the own repeat visit or provide the advices to other tourists. This kind of "visual virtual tour" and online interaction could directly and effectively motivate users to imagine the virtual travel, even promote the action to travel.

For instance, Fotopedia Paris could provide a visual feast of "virtual tour" for you. More than 4000 photos, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of Paris, while the depth feeling of Paris culture. Art, architecture, cafes, castles, fashion, history, shopping, street life,etc. 

Fingertips tapping, you are just under the Eiffel Tower, one second later you has been in Montmartre comic world, or the way to the Louvre. Traveling Freely in the city, you could not only enjoy the famous attractions, but also the unexpected landscape and monuments, which are hard to find in most travel guides.

In 2012, the company formally established a partnership to the world's largest online travel company Expedia (TechCrunch, 2012). When a Fotopedia user see the attractive pictures and want to travel to the destination, just clicking on the "Expedia" button next to the picture so that to enter Expedia applications to book the Hotel room. It is the most sensible choice to Fotopedia that has the cooperation to a travel company. Currently, the Expedia button just appear on the application of Fotopedia Paris and Japan, in the future the company will add the button in the previous applications and the some application of upcoming release. 

When the tourism experience economy gradually becomes the mainstream thinking and development trend of the tourism market economy, when the rapid development of IT industry and its sustained impacts on the development of the tourism, Fotopedia could have a place in numerous tourism applications? Let us wait and see.

Written by Pinyi LU & Yi ZHAO

Sources:

Fotopedia official website (2014): http://zh.fotopedia.com/products/fotopedia

Fotopedia official blog (2014): http://blog.fotopedia.com/

TechCrunch (2013): http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/10/fotopedias-reporter-app-focuses-on-creation-as-much-as-consumption-crosses-300k-downloads/

TechCrunch (2012): 

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/11/fotopedia-partners-with-expedia-introduces-in-app-hotel-reservations/

Tablette-Tactile (2014): 

http://www.tablette-tactile.net/application/ipad-application/fotopedia-decouvrez-partagez-le-monde-en-images-sur-votre-ipad-ou-votre-iphone-150324/

Images sources:

Image 1: http://blog.fotopedia.com/

Image 2: http://blog.fotopedia.com/

Image 3: http://zh.fotopedia.com/products/fotopedia

Image 4: http://zh.fotopedia.com/products/fotopedia

Image 5: http://iphone.tgbus.com/ruanjianheji/201211/20121106160150_5.shtml

Geo-fencing - how tourism and event companies can profit from its mobile usage

Tourism and event companies are looking to use today’s mobile technology to their advantage. As a large number of people are traveling with mobile devices, a company who uses this technology may find itself getting ahead of its competition. The fast-changing technology not only helps to speed up many processes in tourism and events, it also contributes to getting things done more efficiently. Furthermore, it is used to connect people, share information and knowledge, and spread travel experiences.

AT&T, the largest American telecommunications company, and Sabre, an American-based international travel technology company, recently announced a joint venture in geolocalization and personalization in travel. They plan to use AT&T’s Location Information Services (LIS)-Hybrid software to develop applications to help streamline the travel experience for travelers and travel companies, namely airports and airlines. This software allows the creation of so-called “geo-fences” which can be defined as “visual perimeter[s] within a geographic area” (Karantzavelou, 2014). Whenever a traveler’s mobile device passes into or out of a geo-fence, mobile applications can alert either the traveler or a company to important information based on his or her location. For events, geo-fencing can be very beneficial as it quickens registration processes, connects attendees and facilitates networking and the sharing of information, and can be used to create “added event intelligence” (Aubespin, 2013).

Image courtesy of suphakit73/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The example given in the Travel Daily News article is of a traveler passing through an airport. Based on his or her location given by the GPS, cellular, or Wifi signals of his or her device, various services can be personalized. For example, as he approaches a boutique in the terminal, the traveler can receive notifications of sales or special deals valid in said boutique directly on his smartphone. Or a passenger arriving on one flight could receive pop-up information on her iPad on where to find her connecting flight in reference to where she is currently.

Sabre’s research department, Sabre Labs, is looking to combine their data and research on travel with AT&T’s technology to develop applications that can work on all mobile devices in order to better serve travelers. The two companies hope to finish the first part of their project by this summer.

In today’s increasingly connected world, tourism and event companies are looking for ideas to set them apart from the competition. Additionally, customers are coming to expect more from their travel and event experiences than just the cookie-cutter basics.  As more and more companies make use of technology to enhance their products and services in order to provide added value to their customers, it is will not be a question of setting yourself apart, but rather of not getting left behind.

This is an interesting endeavor and a logical starting point, however, to maximize the efficiency of such technology in the travel and event industries, AT&T will have to open up its LIS-Hybrid to use by rival American and international telecommunications companies.

Sources:

Aubespin, D. (2013, October 17). 5 benefits of geofencing at events. ReJuvenate. Retrieved from 

http://www.rejuvenatemeetings.com/2013/10/17/5-benefits-of-geofencing-at-events/

Karantzavelou, V. (2014, January 20). AT&T and Sabre to test and develop new mobile services for travel industry companies. Travel Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.traveldailynews.com/news/article/58611/at-amp-t-and-sabre-to-test

Image source:

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Telecommuncations_g177-Handsets_With_Applications_p55509.html

Aline Biber & Caitlin Richardson 

The iPad and other tablets- how new technology revolutionizes the event industry

The mobile industry has changed the way how people are communicating, trading and doing businesses with each other. This industry constantly adapts to or triggers new trends in the market. It brought many innovations that (amongst others) facilitated traditional operations at Events and Trade shows. The time where attendees and exhibitors brought notepads and pens to the event has long gone. Even heavy notebooks have been left behind at offices in the last years as more convenient solutions appeared on the market.

The company Apple with it´ s innovative products such as the iPhone, the iPod and the iPad has contributed to the fast development of this industry.

The iPad for example enjoys great popularity in the event industry since its release in April 2010. A new version of it, the iPad3, is going to be released in only a week (March 7). Therefore we dedicate this month´s blog to the iPad and discuss its usefulness for the events industry.

As commonly known the iPad is a small tablet computer with a touch screen (24.5 cm). Compared to the iPhone no phone calls can be made with it but it has a larger screen with a high resolution (even double as high for the iPad3!) and thus offers great opportunities for event planners, speakers, visitors and other members of the industry. Its lightness invites users to take it with them wherever they go. The examples listed below explain in which way the iPad can facilitate operations in the events industry:

The problem	The solution
The conference program is being updated regularly. So it happens quite often that people print out the program on one day and have to throw it away the next day when it is already outdated. Considering the fact that it is a big document and will be thrown away after the event at latest one might consider it a waste of natural resources (wood, paper) and money. Besides, the conference program is quite heavy so that no one is keen on carrying it round during the event.	Attempts to solve this problem via the use of smart phones have been successful: Nowadays the conference program can be downloaded with the help of applications. However, the small screen of the iPhone limits its usefulness. With the iPad you can not only get access to the conference program but you can also benefit from links (to handouts or  information about the speakers, issues, other events) and videos (of speeches and slides) (www.quickmobile.com)
Handouts and course notes help attendees to remember what they learned during the event. To preserve the environment, however, they are no longer used for events or are only distributed in form of a pdf.	With the iPad participants can download these handouts to their iPads before the event starts. During the events they can take notes with it and store or share the files. The annotation tool iAnnotate enables this function (http://www.ajidev.com/iannotate).
Those of you who have already conducted a survey know that it can be quite annoying to run around with a clipboard and a pen hunting for people who are willing to give their opinion. Usually a large pile of questionnaires has to be completed and some papers fall off your hand when you´re busy. Besides, it takes for ages until you put all the data onto your computer where it is finally processed and interpreted.	Clipboards and questionnaires can be replaced by the iPad. The screen is almost as big as an ordinary page of a questionnaire and you can conduct as many surveys as you want without having to deal with a large pile of paper. The data will be stored at the same time it is entered. With the appropriate software it can be analyzed right after the survey was conducted. (http://surveyanalytics.com)
In former times attendees were bound to the booth of the exhibitor to get information and see demonstrations no matter how crowded or uncomfortable it was. Apart from that lead tracking (getting information about other participants) was less convenient. You had to queue up to get the barcode equipment and the barcode scanner was also bound to the relevant booth.	Using the iPad the attendees can profit from self- service information demos no matter where they are at the exhibition. As the light iPad can be carried around easily exhibitors can show their presentations to prospects independent of where they meet. An app can be downloaded to get further information independent of the location of the attendee. The same appears for the lead tracking: The exhibitors can download an app and type the badge number of the relevant prospect into the tablet to receive information about him/her. The screen of the iPad has an optimal size for this purpose and it can be used anywhere at the exhibition.
Exhibition guides are heavy and expensive documents that are often updated after they have been print out.	With the iPad and a relevant application people are able to find a certain exhibitor or a product category at the event just by entering a keyword into their iPad. Via the GPS function of the iPad they can find out where they are at the event and where they want to go next- to another booth or even to the neighborhood around the venue.

Another benefit of the iPad is (as we already know from the iPhone) that it can be used by delegates to post questions to speakers during their presentations. Using the iPad delegates can benefit from several applications of Web 2.0 as for example blogging, tweeting or other social networking.

In our opinion the iPad can indeed facilitate the work of event planners and attendees but there are also other alternatives on the market that should be considered. A tablet from another brand could be just as useful and might have other features but cost less. A tablet of the brand Samsung (Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1) for example allows the user to take notes with a special pen and thus might seem more appealing to some industry professionals. Besides, despite the many qualities of the iPad people still may prefer to use their smart phone for events as it is smaller and lighter. Other people may wish technology had never progressed and wish themselves back to former times where no system error could delete all their work in only one second.

What do you think?

Sources:

http://www.corbinball.com/articles_technology/index.cfm?fuseaction=cor_av&artID=8502

http://www.macwelt.de/artikel/_News/380433/das_kann_mit_ipad_3_kommen/1

Pictures: http://www.ipadshouse.com/apple-media-event-in-february-expected-to-introduce-the-ipad-3/

http://strobefun.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html