Tap-to-pay and self-checkouts have felt critically under-utilized for years, so I’m extremely happy that a new concept from the NFC Forum is looking to change that.

The concept is simply called ‘Multi-purpose Tap’ and, in theory, it would allow you to tap your card, phone or smartwatch to a payment terminal, and then it would transfer money, loyalty points, check the ID and share the receipt all at once. This means you no longer need to navigate through endless screens on a self-checkout machine, and you could tap once to get all the information you’d want from a normal transaction.

There are worries that this could cause unwanted marketing spam to appear on your device and it could make opting out of a company’s email communications more difficult, according to The Verge. That being said, maybe there will be some kind of ‘Hide my email’ feature implemented that allows you to use a fake email address to help avoid some of these unwanted communications.

Overall, there’s a lot that can go right and wrong with this idea, but I think it’s worth it since it’s a concrete step towards making our phones arguably smarter in everyday use.

Header image credit: Shutterstock

Distributed also on: NFC Forum Via: The Verge

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

Nintendo is dubious about the use of generative AI in video games.

In a recent Japanese Q&A with investors, as translated by TweakTown, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said the company has no plans to incorporate generative AI in its first-party game development.

“In the game industry, AI-like technology has long been used to control enemy character movements, so game development and AI technology have always been closely related. Generative AI, which has been a hot topic in recent years, can be more creative, but we also recognize that it has issues with intellectual property rights,” he said.

“We have decades of know-how in creating optimal gaming experiences for our customers, and while we remain flexible in responding to technological developments, we hope to continue to deliver value that is unique to us and cannot be achieved through technology alone.”

As Furukawa notes, AI is intrinsically linked with video games, especially when it comes to the behaviour of non-player characters (NPCs). It can also be used to tighten up elements like lip-syncing in cutscenes to free up artists to polish other areas of the game.

On the flip side, there are understandable concerns regarding companies using AI to take away jobs from people, especially in the gaming industry. Recent examples of controversy include Ubisoft and Nvidia’s respective tech demos for AI-powered NPCs.

On top of these characters just looking and sounding incredibly robotic, developers have noted that using generative AI even for so-called “smaller” writing tasks for minor NPCs or character “barks” (brief lines of incidental dialogue, like battle cries) like this could take away valuable experience for entry-level writers who cut their teeth on such material. There are also situations like AI stealing art or manipulating real images of criminals, which also have to be carefully considered.

Of course, Furukawa’s words don’t completely rule out Nintendo turning to generative AI down the line, but it’s at least reassuring to see the company being more hesitant with the technology. For now, the company is focusing on its successor to its massively popular Switch system. The Japanese gaming giant has confirmed a full reveal of its new console will come sometime before April 2025, but that’s all we know officially for now.

Distributed also on: Nintendo Via: TweakTown

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

The pink-coloured Pixel 9 has leaked once again in a new video.

This may not be the exact handset from yesterday’s pictures, but it’s now turned on in this new video showcasing the handset’s home screen.

The video shows the handset from all angles, including its flat iPhone-like frame, large camera visor with two sensors and a 6.34-inch display.

There isn’t much to see from the handset’s screen, but it continues to feature a lovely Pixel UI.

Google will officially unveil the Pixel 9 series on August 13th, alongside the Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The event will probably showcase Google AI and its artificial intelligence features.

Distributed also on: GSMArena

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

For a limited time, the iPhone 13 mini will be available for $499 at Walmart Canada — an $860 drop from its regular $1,359 price tag.

While the phone is a little under three years old, this is still a pretty low-cost way to get an unlocked and relatively modern iPhone. (At least it’s not considered “vintage” like 2017’s iPhone X!) Note that the deal only applies to the 512GB model and it’s exclusive to Walmart.ca.

The deal is part of Walmart Canada’s ‘Big Save’ promotion, which runs from July 4th to 10th. Other notable tech deals include:

Walmart’s full ‘Big Save’ flyer can be found here.

Via: RedFlagDeals — 22GDealdone

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

Google revealed in its 2024 Environmental Report released this week that the company’s greenhouse gas emissions jumped nearly 50 percent in the last five years. The culprit? Energy-hungry artificial intelligence (AI).

The annual report details Google’s progress (or, in this case, lack thereof) toward its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. This year’s report revealed that Google released 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2023. That’s up 48 percent from 2019 and 13 percent higher than 2022.

“This result is primarily due to increases in data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions. As we further integrate AI into our products, reducing emissions may be challenging due to increasing energy demands associated with the expected increases in our technical infrastructure investment,” the report said.

Of course, Google isn’t alone in this. Microsoft recently revealed that its greenhouse gas emissions had increased almost 30 percent since 2020 due to the construction of data centres. And other tech giants, including Apple, Meta and Amazon, are investing heavily in AI, which will likely see further emissions increases from those companies too. It’s not just training AI or operating data centres — using AI also consumes significant amounts of energy. As pointed out by Engadget, researchers at AI startup Hugging Face and Carnegie Mellon University found that generating a single image with AI could use as much power as charging a smartphone.

Water use is also of concern, with Google’s report highlighting that its data centres and offices used 24 billion litres of water in 2023, up 14 percent from 2022, “primarily due to water cooling needs at our data centres.”

All this raises some serious questions about the proliferation of AI. Is it really worth all this just so Google Search can tell people to put glue on their pizza or for Google’s Gemini to generate images of ethnically diverse Nazis?

Google’s report says the company expects emissions to rise (no surprise, given it plans to incorporate Google AI into the Pixel 9 series) “before dropping toward our absolute emissions reduction target.” But the company doesn’t explain why it will drop.

Distributed also on: Google Via: Engadget

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

Nintendo of Canada and Boston Pizza are partnering up again for a slew of video game centric promotions.

The strangest element of this crossover will only happen at select Boston Pizza locations in Ontario, B.C., Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec. On Sundays in September, some of these stores will allow patrons to order a Nintendo Switch from the menu that they can use while in the restaurant. The Boston Pizza press release doesn’t mention anything beyond the fact that this console will come pre-loaded with Mario games. I’d expect Mario Kart, Mario Party and maybe the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

At all Boston Pizza locations, there will be a new kids menu item featuring a pepperoni and mushroom pizza to celebrate Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom. Some locations will also have a draw that people can enter to win a Switch prize pack or some Nintendo merch.

Distributed also on: Boston Pizza

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

CMF by Nothing is the Nothing company’s more affordable brand, which is now offering a smartphone. This handset, called the Phone 1, is supposed to provide a more customizable and functional experience.

The engineer’s aesthetic.

CMF Phone 1 celebrates technical craftsmanship with its uniquely adaptable nature. Customisable. Functional. Yours.

Learn everything at the next Nothing Community Update on 8 July 2024, 10:00 BST. pic.twitter.com/0fqYkaf4OX

— CMF by Nothing (@cmfbynothing) July 3, 2024

CMF will show off Phone 1 on July 8th, and you can watch the reveal on YouTube.

According to leaker Ishan Agarwal, the handset will offer four swappable back plates in Black, Light Green, Orange and Blue. The Orange and Blue backings also have a vegan leather layer and come with a lanyard.

Rumours indicate the CMF Phone 1 will feature a Dimensity 7300 chipset, a 50-megapixel primary shooter, a 6.7-inch 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED panel, a microSD card slot, a 5,000mAh battery and more.

CMF will introduce the Phone 1 on July 8th alongside the Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2.

Distributed also on: CMF, Android Authority 

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

A strong brand identity can quite literally make or break a company’s success. Branding goes far beyond just a logo or catchy slogan. It embodies the entire experience and perception customers have when interacting with your business. Get it right, and you’ve laid the foundation for scalable growth. Get it wrong, and you risk becoming just another forgettable fish in a vast ocean. 

Let’s find out some ways through which strategic branding can accelerate your business to a whole new level.

Differentiate your offering

Think about industry giants like Apple, Nike, and Coca-Cola. What instantly comes to mind? Simplicity, innovation, refreshment? These associations don’t just manifest by chance – they’re the result of decisive branding that separates them from a sea of competitors. 

With branding, you define what makes your products/services unique and craft an unmistakable identity around that differentiator. Maybe you prioritize the latest technology, sustainability, or unparalleled customer care. Whatever it is, branding allows you to stake your claim and own that space in consumer minds. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do it alone. There are specialists you can collaborate with to make it happen. 

For example, if you own a diamond and gold jewelry showroom in dubai, why not work with a luxury PR agency in dubai. A PR agency will not only make your brand memorable, but will give you enough exposure and help build reputation, so that customers would want to come again. 

Command premium pricing

It’s simple economics – the more brand equity and recognition you command, the more perceived value your products carry. This allows you to justify premium pricing in the minds of consumers who have grown to trust and even admire what you represent.  

Just look at brands like Tiffany’s, Rolex, or Louis Vuitton. Their affluent customers willingly pay exorbitant markups because the brand acts as a status symbol worth the higher cost. It signals a level of quality, exclusivity, and luxury respected worldwide.

So, your branding efforts quite literally pay dividends by allowing you to drive higher profit margins.

Attract top talent

A strong employment brand is often overshadowed but represents a key component of any successful branding strategy. In this era of “The Great Resignation,” skilled talent has the pick of the litter – so why should the cream of the crop pick you?

Beyond competitive compensation, today’s top professionals seek a corporate culture they can buy into wholeheartedly. They want to feel impassioned about your mission and values. Your external branding shapes those perceptions of what it means to be a part of your organization.

If what you represent resonates, you’ll have a hiring advantage to attract the best and brightest. These engaged employees then amplify and reinforce the brand experience you want to cultivate

Fuel business partnerships

Branding extends even beyond your internal workforce. It influences whether other businesses see you as a desirable partner worth aligning their reputation alongside. After all, their credibility is partially tied to the brands they associate with.

A luxury hotel chain, for instance, will carefully consider branding before allowing retail partners to operate boutiques on their property. They need those brands to complement the premium experience rather than detract from it.

Similarly, a strong brand indicates your stability and profitability – key things investors, lenders, distributors, and vendors evaluate. That can be the make-or-break factor for securing vital business deals propelling your growth.

Cultivate brand evangelists  

Having a personality and maintaining relevance are growing challenges in our hyper-connected environment. It’s no longer enough just to exist – you need advocates actively promoting your brand through word-of-mouth and social sharing.

Well-executed branding accomplishes precisely that by fostering communities of die-hard superfans who simply can’t get enough of what you represent. It inspires user-generated content that extends your brand’s reach exponentially through peer endorsements that are vastly more influential than traditional advertising.

Brand evangelists don’t just buy your products – they proudly become an extension of your brand. And that type of organic, widespread advocacy is absolutely invaluable when it comes to rapidly scaling your business.

Conclusion

From increasing perceived value to igniting loyalty to opening doors for future success, it’s evident that branding sits at the core of any organization’s exponential growth. It forges the foundations for scaling and allows you to maximize revenue potential while expanding reach and influence.

Sure, developing that unified, resonant brand identity requires an upfront investment of strategy and resources. But it pays eternal dividends that continue compounding over time to keep propelling your business skyward. So isn’t it worth it to get branding right from the start?

Author: Mark Sanborn

Mark is recognized globally as an expert on leadership, customer service and organizational performance.

A member of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame, he is the author of 8 books including the international bestseller, The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary
Into the Extraordinary.

Mark teaches his clients to BE EXTRAORDINARY.

Post navigation

I recently interacted with a senior business leader of a large organization. During our conversation he mentioned, “Our biggest enemy is not our competitors but our own complexity as an organization in form of organizational design, structures, processes, culture, systems, tools, scale and metrics.”

Throughout my career, I have consistently seen increasing level of internal pushback as an organization scales and grows. I have also seen leaders at both ends of the spectrum – ones who worked their way through complexity to create alignment and the ones whose grand strategies failed because of internal forces holding back. 

This complexity creates what Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao call Friction – forces that hamper workplace efficiency. In their new book, The Friction Project: How Smart Leaders Make The Right Things Easier and The Wrong Things Harder, the authors explore what creates these operational obstacles in the workplace end what leaders can do about it.

The book delves into “friction fixing” and how leaders can eliminate bad friction that makes doing the right things easy and use good friction to make the wrong things harder to do. The book underlines the role of leader as a “friction fixers” and offers useful strategies for leaders to create and less miserable and more productive workplace.

Here is a short visual summary of how leaders can approach friction fixing:

Related Reading at QAspire.com

Updated: Visual Leadership Pack HD Sketchnotes

If you liked the sketchnote summary above, check out the Visual Leadership Pack of HD Sketchnotes – a compilation of high-resolution sketchnotes with 88+ powerful (and timeless) ideas to elevate your leadership and learning game.