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Hi there,
All eyes are on New Zealand pulling off some big rugby wins in Japan, but there's already been a notable success there with a recent deal done in tech startup land.
Auckland-based Imagr, creator of the SmartCart shopping trolley, has landed its first "sales partnership", with a major Japanese retailer. Laden with four cameras coupled with an AI vision recognition and a connected app, the shopping trolleys enable a checkout-free shopping experience, albeit a pack-your-own one.
If Imagr can prove the technology to move beyond partnership to customership at scale, it will be on the cusp of a very large market indeed. One that, it no doubt hopes, investors will queue to get on board with.
In other news this week:
- You can lead a council to self-service, but will it take the hint?
- Deepfakes biggest threat: And it's slightly seedier than political interference
- Microsoft's top Kiwi partners take centre stage
- Twitter apologises for data laundering whoopsie
And while rugby soaks up the attention, we turn the focus on to New Zealand Cricket, not on streaming rights, but on the way they are using data and analytics to help the Black Caps and White Ferns get an edge over their competition.
If you want to get an edge over your competition, a better crystal ball might help. To find out what that looks like, register for Modernise Your Planning & Budgeting – an expert panel will be live online Oct 30.
As for Japan: Go the All Blacks!
Enjoy the read,
Heather Wright
Editor
editor@istart.co.nz
p.s. As well as the ABs, we’re supporting the #AltTextForAll movement. For the vision-impaired, it's worth more than a passing thought.
RETAILING
Kiwi smart trolley wins big in Japan
Desperately seeking shopping trolley smarts…
It could be the holy grail of grocery shopping for many of us: Smart shopping trolleys that do all the checkout work and payments for us so we can avoid the queues and the small talk.
Despite all the hype and expectation, smart trolley’s remain for the most part a shopper’s dream.
[Read more]
PUBLIC SECTOR
Councils under pump to deliver self service. Now.
New studies track a rapidly-changing local government tech landscape…
The pressure is on local councils for better digital engagement with its citizenry, at least according to the latest round of papers on the subject.
“The push for greater citizen engagement is one of the key reasons for the procurement of new cloud-based enterprise solutions.”
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DIGITAL IDENTITY
Double trouble as deepfakes surge
But forget politics, deepfakes remain true to their roots with 96 percent being porn…
While there’s plenty of concern around deepfakes and their possible impact on elections, including the 2020 US presidential elections, new research shows the majority of doctored videos are for a more base purpose – yup, they’re porn.
Deepfakes are a numbers game.
[Read more]
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Microsoft Partners shine light on technology excellence
Business, staff and environment among the winners…
Intergen has continued its stellar run at the Microsoft NZ Partner Awards, claiming three of the 11 awards up for grabs last night, with Enlighten Designs a double award winner.
“Some of the examples we’ve seen have created an impact that reaches far beyond one organisation.”
[Read more]
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DATA SECURITY
Sorry! Twitter’s data laundering sparks grovelling apology
Twitter ‘inadvertently’ uses 2FA phone numbers, email for marketing…
It’s meant to help keep us safe, but Twitter’s fessed up that they’ve actually – ‘inadvertently’ – been exploiting security information for advertising purposes.
“We’re very sorry this happened.”
[Read more]
DATA & ANALYTICS
A game-changing data solution for New Zealand Cricket
Implementation of an innovative data and analytics solution to improve player performance and gain an edge over the competition…
New Zealand’s national cricket teams are among the top performing in the world, consistently proving themselves against rivals such as Australia, India and England.
Analysts are able to spend more time analysing – and that’s what adds value
#AltTextForAll
Three cute puppies in training as guide dogs play follow the leader with the lead puppy wearing a Blind & Low Vision New Zealand red jacket.
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