The Use Of Biometric Technology In The Car Rental Industry (internet marketing)
No commentsBy Thomas Pretty
The car rental industry has rarely been renowned for its forward thinking attitude and embracement of new technology. However in the UK this is rapidly changing with the improvements in biometric technology. The reason car rental companies are so inclined to take advantage of biometric advances is because they can help to secure their assets and hence improve profitability. Biometric technology however does raise fundamental issues with privacy and data protection; hence it is understandable that many people have concerns with human rights and the protection of their own personal data. This issue goes beyond the car rental sphere, and instead enters a large number of other industries and business sectors.
Fingerprints form an important part of biometric recording and are especially important in the rental sphere. Companies now record customer’s fingerprints in order to create a biometric ID. One of the pilot schemes for this technology took place in Essex’s Stansted Airport. The scheme made it compulsory to submit an electronic thumbprint for any person who wished to hire a car. The forced nature of the scheme however led to many customers feeling besmirched and critical of why they should have to submit personal data.
Companies are quick to assert that this biometric data will only ever be used if the car is stolen; this will take the form of handing it over to the law enforcement bodies so that they can crosscheck their own files with the fingerprints taken at the hire desk. Police were quick to highlight the plaudits of the scheme, claiming that it was a response to the large numbers of thefts carried out by organised criminals.
This situation is becoming prevalent all across the United Kingdom; with many businesses stating that the data recorded is purely a fall back should a vehicle be stolen. These firms argue that the data will not be used for any other purpose, or passed to a third party. The ‘invasion of big brother’ claims are quickly discounted, instead the argument that the recording of biometric data will in fact act towards protecting identities is presented.
Naturally the reaction of customers was mixed. One startled customer at Stansted Airport felt that the staff members of the rental company were joking when they asked for a thumbprint. On finding out that they were serious this particular customer was dumfounded. The rather articulate response was that companies had no right to employ such an arbitrary and disproportionate tactic to fight car crime. However, the companies have such a right, after all it is their assets they are protecting.
One of the issues causing the encroachment of biometric recording has been the increasing numbers of false passports. This touted reason however did not hold sway with many customers; their argument being that if it is possible to board a plane with a passport, then why should an additional form of identity be needed to hire a car? In addition customers were understandably worried about how this data would be stored, seemingly if the government cannot hold personal data securely, then what chance do a car rental company have?
Whatever the arguments surrounding the implementation of biometric technologies it is certain that in the car rental industry they are here to stay. It is a case of put up or shut up for customers. These schemes however have not yet been rolled out all over the country; the success of these trials will undoubtedly give an indication not only of how biometrics will affect the rental industry, but will given an insight into how these technologies are likely to encroach on everyday life.
Travel expert Thomas Pretty looks into new technologies being utilised in the car rental industry.
How Barcode Scanner Technology Has Made A Difference
By Rick Hendershot
The use of barcode technology has revolutionized the process of inventory control. Barcodes are used virtually everywhere to keep track of product information and inventory levels. These days barcodes are even used to add products to gift registries. No one gives a second thought any more to the use of barcode technology.
They’re so common that barcodes and scanners rarely get a second thought as to how or why they work. It’s rare that one thinks about how dragging items across the checkout scanner suddenly makes it register a price and a name which are identical to the label. We simply take barcode scanners and barcode readers for granted.
So how exactly does a barcode scanner operate? To grasp how barcode technology works one first has to understand how bar codes themselves are generated and how they work to identify products. The barcode contains information about the item that has been “barcoded”. This information is coded using a special type of barcode language. The barcode scanner then translates the language of bar codes into information that humans can understand and decipher.
The barcode language is actually quite simple. All barcodes contain specific symbols which equal a series of bars. These bars are made up of short and long bars, along with varying spacing between the bars. Every part of the series denotes a number of characters, depending upon the date originally entered into the barcode software.
In other words, barcode software is the beginning point for all barcodes and barcode scanning systems. It is what makes the system work. Programmer are able to use barcode software to inventory their products by inputting the product’s name and assigning it a barcode generated by the computer. This is all accomplished by using a sophisticated database system, where data from each product is stored. This makes keeping track of the inventory easy and it also helps to speed up the updating of pricing. New information about products is entered into the database. Then whenever the barcode scanner reads a barcode that identifies a specific product it is connected directly to the database where it finds the most current information about the product.
The barcode scanner itself uses technology that “reads” the barcode label. It does this with photo sensors located within the barcode scanner that have the ability to read and decipher each barcode as it is scanned. All of these photo sensors work together to recognize spacing, length, and alignment of different bars, then match them with corresponding product information found in the database. This ingenious technology is really quite simple when you understand how it works.
Barcode scanning technology has made a huge difference in offices, factories, warehouses, hospitals, restaurants, government facilities - anywhere where it is necessary to keep track of inventoried items. Of course the most visible place where this technology has made a big difference is at the checkout line of your friendly neighborhood variety or grocery store. The next time you are there in one of those lines, think about how barcode technology gets you out of the door just that much faster.
Learn how Wasp barcode scanners can benefit your firm. Take charge of business assets with the most productive stock control systems designed especially for small to medium-sized businesses - Article marketing services.
Smartphones and Internet Tablets the New Wave of Me Media
By john mce
The new breed of mobile phone is thriving at the moment and the market is starting to flourish with models being introduced from all angles. Previously the iPhone dominated this sector but since everyone’s familiar with the smooth touch screen and slick cover flow it’s just so last year.
Now consumers expect more from their multimedia devices and the Finnish king of mobile phones is adding to the competition. Nokia has just released the 5800 XpressMusic, the touch screen handset that’s an answer to the challenges fronted by Apples iPhone which has hogged much of the market attention since its release last year. In addition Google recently launched its G1 device running on its new Android platform which had stirred up a lot of interest in the tech community. The Blackberry is well established as the smartphone for business for those who don’t want to leave the office, and Research in Motion have announced that a touch screen is in production with the title of the Blackberry Storm.
So Nokia, after concerns were raised about its slipping grip over the mobile market, has got its foot in the smartphone door with a mobile capable of all the usual; web browsing, push emails, digital camera and video playback facilities. But the real crux of the 5800 XpressMusic launch is the Comes With Music part of the promotion where users get unlimited access for a year to the 5million strong database of tracks Nokia has managed to amass with the major labels of the music industry. Amid the fears and hysteria surrounding illegal downloads and file sharing via the web Nokia are hoping this package offers a viable and affordable alternative for children and parents over the Christmas period.
This is a positive step for consumers. Not only is the new smartphone offering a fresh and alternative business model for downloading music rather than just from iTunes, but also with an influx of portable media devices there will be more choice for consumers therefore prompting makers and service providers to be more competitive with their rates. In addition the new Archos 5 media tablet has been released. It’s an excellent digital content device letting you watch video in formats MP4, AVI and WMV as well music formats MP3, WMA and AAC. You can play Flash based games that look striking on the clear as crystal 5-inch screen. You can browse the web and check your emails as well as listen to digital radio. Of course it’s not technically a phone but it is an impressive piece of equipment nonetheless.
With Microsoft penned to enter the fray as well the smartphone market may soon be saturated with quality mobile kit all at competitive prices, good news for the electronics consumers.
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John McE writes articles on a number of subjects including business technology and VoIP services. For more about these services see G3 Communications.
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Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 3:55 pm and is filed under technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.