With smartphone ownership up almost 34% Y-o-Y and a 10X rise for near field communication (NFC) smartphones, you wouldn’t expect only a 2% increase in NFC awareness by consumers (from 6% to 8%). 

This big gap reinforces the need for the industry to further educate consumers on the benefits of the interactive advertising technologies available. 

“People now have the technology to interact, if not necessarily the understanding and the awareness,” says CBS Outdoor International after completing its latest Interactive Europe report, a pan-European survey covering nearly 5300 urban consumers in six countries.

“Creative should be explicit in communicating the core message and in showing people if and how they can interact with the ad,” advises the report’s author. Their research into the way European consumers interact with outdoor advertising suggest some “golden rules” for the medium. (See link at bottom).

Sharp Corporation of Japan says it is selling off its 9.2% shareholdings in Pioneer Corp.

Currently Sharp is the largest shareholder on record in Pioneer with 30 million shares of Pioneer valued at 6.3 billion yen or US$63.80 million.

Back in 2007, the two firms made a partnership to jointly develop consumer electronics products. Now that seems like a luxury to Sharp, a luxury they can’t afford. So Sharp is looking for a buyer. The proceeds of the sale would help pay off Sharp’s corporate debt of $2.14 billion which is the equivalent to a Mt. Everest of LCDs.

Pioneer would continue to retain ten million shares or 0.8% shareholdings in Sharp.

Even with the divestment, the two companies would continue to partner on a smaller scale in fields such as optical discs.

Go Sharp Wants to Sell Pioneer Stake

The 10th annual Digital Signage Expo (DSE) in USA show was held last month in Las Vegas and rAVe USA covered it via their rAVe NOW Microsite -- more than 350 videos, 20 blogs and over 350 tweets..

Show management has just confirmed the new benchmarks established at DSE 2013 last month include:

• 4080 qualified attendees (excluding exhibitors)
• Record conference attendance
• Record international attendance from a total of 77 countries
• Record 211 exhibitors
• A record show floor space

rAVe USA has put all the DSE stats together in an easy-to-read infographic. By the photo you can hardly tell it was held in Vegas…

Go DSE Infographic

Go All the News and Best Products from DSE in USA

The new Medialine Totem 4-series are designed for 24/7 operation with DID panels of Samsung and AUO—and built with industrial metal housing and tempered glass.

It also features a built-in network media player capable playing almost all formats of Full HD multimedia files.

This unit can also play as stand-alone device.

Two models (46”/730mm and 55”/840mm) offer different brightness levels: 400cd/m2 (46” ) and 450cd/m2 (55”).

Viewing angle is 178-degrees and contrast ratio 5000:1.

Go Medialine Totem 4-series