Postal Service Targets Mobile Holiday Shopping: Continues Barcode Promotion Program

by Holly Shoemaker

The U.S. Postal Service continues to target the smartphone and tablet markets as part of its 2011 Mobile Barcode Promotion, a program designed to enhance direct mailing efforts. The agency is now offering the USPS Holiday Mobile Shopping Promotion geared to spur online holiday shopping.

Promotion Overview

The Post Office created the promotion to complement Black-Friday and Cyber-Monday shopping deals. The agency hopes that by using mobile promotion offers, coupons and catalogs customers will have needed discounts to maximize online holiday shopping efforts.

The promotion will run from November 7, 2012 to November 21, 2012. Registration opened in the middle of September and continues until November 21, 2012. Businesses that register will receive the following:

• A two-percent postage discount on Standard Mail and First-Class Mail pieces that include a barcode or other image users may scan on a smartphone or other mobile device like a tablet. The barcode must lead a user to the advertised product on a mobile device or the sale will not qualify. 
• The agency will offer an additional one-percent rebate on qualified mailings fulfilled by Priority Mail between November 9, 2012 and December 31, 2012.

Concluding Thoughts

In July and August 2012, the U.S. Postal Service offered a postage discount for direct mailers that included QR codes. The latest promotion shows a continued effort to ensure that direct mail remains a relevant marketing tool. By combining mobile technology with a more traditional marketing approach, consumers have another way to accomplish their holiday shopping.

Google Chrome Overtakes IE, Yahoo! Launches Axis Twice

by Holly Shoemaker

This week Google Chrome overtook Internet Explorer (IE) to become the world's most-used browser.

This is not the only update in browser wars, a nice change from discussing tablet wars.

On Wednesday, May 23, 2012, Yahoo! released Axis, a tool that can be used as a stand-alone device app on mobile devices like the iPad. Users may also use Axis as an add-on to desktops for Firefox, IE, Google Chrome and Safari. Axis in not currently available for Android.

Yahoo! hopes Axis turns the searching and browsing experience into one. However, the company encountered a problem with the launch. On Friday, May 25, 2012, the company re-leased Axis with a fix to the Chrome extension by omitting the key. The company accidentally included a private PGP key that digitally signs the code. Because of that, any user could confirm the legitimacy of the source and write an app that said it came from Yahoo. In fact, that is what Nik Cubrilovic, an Australian researcher, did. He also discovered the error. He cloned the extension, resigned it with the key and installed it into Chrome.

Fixes Made

Yahoo! took quick action and users should be aware of the following:

• The re-leased version does not contain the private key.

• The company issued a new certificate to revoke the old one.

Concluding Thoughts

Yahoo! integrates some nice features into Axis, including thumbnail descriptions. However, for my laptop, I am staying with Firefox. Google Chrome and IE have not worked well for me and after Yahoo's release, I am not taking any chances until I purchase a new laptop.

Tablets Useful as Secondary Screens for Radiologists

by Holly Shoemaker

A study conducted by Dr. Mark McEntee of the University of Sydney shows that iPads and other tablets make useful secondary screens for radiologists. He presented his findings at a recent medical imaging conference in San Diego, Calif.

Overview of Findings

Dr. McEntee had eight U.S. board-certified radiologists identify specific conditions such as fractures and intracranial bleeding using iPads and secondary screens. He found the following:

• Secondary screens like iPads performed just as well as traditional LCD monitors. He also discussed how using the images when talking with patients will make for more productive visits.
  
• He cautioned that secondary monitors are not always a good substitute for high-resolution radiology ones. This is attributed to the resolution of the displays. Radiology displays have a resolution of 508 to 708 dots per inch (dpi). In contrast, iPads have a 130 dpi. Therefore, in some cases, radiologists will not obtain all the needed views to properly diagnose a patient.
  
• The study raised concerns regarding hospital theft. As the use of tablets in hospitals increase, so does the chance of theft. Dr. McEntee recommends that medical professionals do not store patient data on tablets.

Concluding Thoughts

The study is relatively small, but it does reinforce the importance of testing to ensure all mobile devices meet necessary guidelines. The study also stresses the need for hospitals to have defined policies on when it is appropriate to use a primary or secondary screen. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will likely have oversight as it continues to seek ways to monitor mobile devices.