Dial M for Mobile Shopping

A senior citizen discovers the shopper’s new companion in the retail world – the mobile.

AD: Guess what, there's a new mall coming up in the neighbourhood!

BC: Really? Wonder if it’ll see crowds - you don't need to go to a mall to shop these days...

AD: You are referring to online shopping...

BC: Isn’t that the rage now?

AD: Well, 2013 is set to experience new technologies in retail. For starters, your mobile could be the key to your shopping. You could use it to scan a product and get all the details you need, like discounts and ingredients... You could even use it to scan the barcode, purchase it, pay for it with your mobile, and get a receipt for the transaction…

BC: Sounds incredible…

AD: Absolutely! There will also be several apps and technologies like Near Field Communication (NFC) and Quick Response (QR) Codes that will help the retailers in their mission.

BC: I really can't imagine holding my mobile in front of a product and…

AD: That’s technology for you - the mobile can make shopping a lot more interesting. For instance, you could enter key information about what you are looking for and the store could send focussed responses and updates on deals, discounts and relevant product information, even as you shop.

BC: But I forget to carry my mobile quite often...

AD: You are perhaps amongst the minority... There was a time when the tagline 'Don't leave home without it' applied to a brand of credit cards. Today, it applies as much to your smartphone, which you can use to make your payments...

BC: ...so you can actually leave home without your credit card.

AD: Right! E-commerce is almost two decades old. Mobile commerce is what everyone's talking about. Stores are even offering apps that will keep updating the price of a product you are interested in through alerts in your smartphone. So when there's a huge price-off, you immediately get to hear about it instead of checking the website or visiting the store time and again...

BC: For once, I'm glad I don't carry a smartphone regularly. If people are going to be bombarded with deals, there’s no getting away from them…

AD: A London-based store has the answer to that as well. They’ve come up with the concept of a Silence Room, where customers can take a break from the non-top marketing buzz. Shoppers can rest there, meditate and basically get away from the shopping frenzy...

BC: Amazing, isn't it, how retailers create a problem and then come up with a solution themselves?

AD: Well, some of us think that shopping is therapeutic... So you really can't blame the industry for...

BC: But the bottom line is that thanks to technology, brick and mortar stores will never shut down.

AD: Look, it's always the trend to expect the old to make way for the new. In this case, technology is supporting both the conventional and the contemporary.

BC: So smartphones can help you shop from home or wherever you are - and they can help you shop even when you physically go to the store...

AD: That's right! In other words, the mobile is going to be your friend, philosopher and guide in the retail arena...

BC: If it were a friend, it would have stopped me from going there and blowing up my money in the first place. If it were a philosopher, it would have told me about the futility of material pursuit. But you're right in calling it a guide - it would systematically guide me towards bankruptcy...

Busting crime with technology

There are two facets to technology – one that aids crime and the other that helps fight it, says a tech fan. 

AD: Hi, you said that you were going to invite your nephew over this month. What happened?

BC: No, he's away on some work, but his auto reply offered me the complete details of his whereabouts, how long he would be away, his mobile number – right down to the fact that he would be locked up in day-long meetings...

AD: That’s typically how any auto reply mail would read...

BC: What if the information falls into the wrong hands – someone could break in and...

AD: Oh, c’mon, all this fuss over…

BC: Today’s professionals are forever travelling - and if you know their name and the organization they are working for, finding out their official mail id isn’t exactly rocket science. Once you send them a mail, an auto response would reveal all the details you would want to know. Imagine, someone could actually be outside the apartment, sending a mail from their mobile phone to find out if the person is in town...

AD: You are paranoid, but I agree with you on one point - technology is making crime more daring and more difficult to solve.

BC: If you’re referring to cybercrime...

AD: Not just that. I'm also talking about the steps taken by criminals to stay undetected, like using online telephonic and chat services, and encryption technology...

BC: The scary part is that these gizmos, apps and software are commonplace and can be bought or downloaded from anywhere...

AD: That's right. Apparently, the US is pioneering predictive technology, like the Omega Group’s CrimeView Dashboard, to identify and prevent crime from occurring in a particular place.

BC: How does this work?

AD: Information fed into the system helps create a snapshot of the activities in the area. If anything suspicious is detected, the security gets beefed up in that area.

BC: But can it work in large cities and in remote areas? How can they be constantly monitored?

AD: As always, you are underestimating technology – if a burglar can be caught through his DNA samples, then...

BC: How did they get his sample?

AD: That was the easy part - he left it behind when he cut himself in the place of crime...

BC: And as they say in the crime novels, the trail of blood led straight back to him. While technology is being used by the law and the lawless, shouldn't the common man have access to it to save himself?

AD: He sure should, and Life360 can help him in this task...

BC: What is it?

AD: It's an app for families to keep track of one another, in terms of their location. It also helps them stay in touch with one another, thereby ensuring everyone's safety.

BC: So each member of the family carries a mobile phone with this app - and technology provides the safety net.

AD: Right! The app sends alerts when a family member is moving from one place to another, and also offers useful information, like the location of the nearest police station or hospital...

BC: Sounds reassuring, especially in these testing times...

AD: But technology has moved beyond DNA tests - right now, scientists are experimenting with biometric techniques that study a person's feet and the way he walks, to help identify him.

BC: This will put the law in a win-win situation.

AD: How?

BC: If the criminals take to their heels, the law can catch them using this technology – and if they don’t move, they’ll get caught anyway.