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we said that Verizon and Redbox were teaming up to release a new video service that could rival Netflix. We also said that the yet to be announced service will be introduced sometime in the second half of this year. But it looks like the time is ripe for Verizon to unveil the said service. Finally it's got a name - Redbox Instant.

"Sony has announced that it will be launching the first 4K video distribution service for consumers, giving 4K TV buyers their first real source of content. We don't have much information about the service, but it will be launching in the US this summer, both potentially creating a 4K market and giving Sony an edge. It's something Sony originally tried with 3D, trying to handle all facets of the feature from content creation to distribution and playback. "We intend to expand the world of 4K content from beyond the cinema to TV dramas and commercials," Sony's Kaz Hirai said during the conference at CES. Sony has already announced a series of remastered 4K Blu-rays, and as with 3D, the company is trying to sell studios on the benefits of 4K. Meanwhile, it's announced the first-ever 4K OLED prototype TV and new models of its consumer-ready 4K TVs. In the US, though, super high-def digital distribution could be hampered by ISPs, which aren't likely to look kindly on the stress this will cause their pipes."

Amazon's same-day delivery service Prime Now, which is today available in more than a couple of dozen U.S. metros, is experimenting with another type of service that goes beyond traditional purchases: it's offering consumers the ability to test drive cars. Specifically, Amazon has partnered with Hyundai to offer test drives of the 2017 Elantra through a new program called "Prime Now. Drive Now."

ZipList (Igrocery list and recipe service) not only had to face off against a growing number of recipe aggregation and shopping services, like Paprika, Yummly and Grocery IQ, but also found it couldn't compete for attention against entrenched cooking brands on the Web, such as the Food Network and Epicurious. So ZipList changed tack. Last summer it began partnering with big food brands MarthaStewart.com and the Daily Meal, as well as small food blogs that began integrating the ZipList recipe box directly into their sites. The results were impressive: In nine months it signed up 120 big-name food sites and 6,500 small blogs, which in turn generated 1 million customer accounts for its digital recipe and shopping list service.

Chevrolet is making a radical departure from its approach to turn-by-turn navigation services. After using parent company's General Motors' OnStar service since its inception, Chevy is offering a competing alternative in its Sonic and Spark automobile lines. Called BringGo, it's an integrated smartphone-dashboard system - Chevy's first attempt at a bring-your-own-maps nav service to any of its vehicles.

Almost 60 percent of people worldwide say they expect brands to respond to social media comments regarding service at least most of the time. Nearly 60 percent of people globally have posted either a positive or negative social media comment about a brand regarding a service experience, said Arnold. Nearly three quarters (74 percent) of the respondents from China stated that they have posted comments regarding a service experience with a brand. Brazilian respondents were just behind China with 68 percent. U.S. and U.K. respondents both fell in with less than half saying they posted comments to social media platforms at 48 percent and 45 percent respectively.

"McDonalds beacon case study (retail) 26 McDonald's franchises in Columbus, Georgia tested out iBeacon technology with its customers. Over the four week trial, the franchises were pushing special deals for McChicken Sandwiches and 10 piece Chicken McNuggets. The iBeacon powered promotions pushed McChicken Sandwich sales up 8 percent and Chicken McNugget sales up 7.5 percent. Based on the initial results of the pilot it looks as though McDonald's will continue to explore the technology for an additional 263 retail stores in the southeast. "Everyone is looking at their phones, millennials especially, and that's where we've decided to engage," Jack Pezold, a McDonald's franchisee of 40 years, said in a statement. Spotless beacon case study (enterprise) Spotless is an Australian owned and managed provider of integrated facilities management services. In 2014, Spotless partnered with Lighthouse to build and deploy a custom workforce management solution with the goal of reducing litigation claims in the commercial cleaning service line. The solution allowed Spotless to understand when cleaning KPI's are missed in real-time and produce employee location reports that can be used as legal defense against slip and fall litigation claims in shopping malls. Spotless has also been able to optimise their workforce and reduce operating costs by analyzing Lighthouse powered heat mapping of employee movements. The solution has been so successful that Spotless are extending the capability across other service lines including facilities management, security and maintenance. Read the full case study here. Pause Fest beacon case study (events) Pause Fest is Australia's premier digital event, aimed at supporting and showcasing the best in creative and tech from Australia and all over the world. In 2015, Pause Fest partnered with Lighthouse to deploy a network of beacons that delivered proximity based content and experiences to attendees, while enabling real-time event analyt

Music service designed specifically for phones on pre-paid services

Microsoft will roll out the new music streaming service to many customers on Tuesday as part of an update to the Xbox gaming console he service will let users stream more than 30 million tracks worldwide across Microsoft's ecosystem of Windows 8 mobile devices and PCs, as well as the Xbox. Think of it as Microsoft's in-house version of Spotify.

"This is a story about devices: NPD figures that 10 percent of homes now have at least one Internet-enabled TV (though I bet that only a minority of them are actually plugged into the Web), and we're seeing a steady increase in the use of Web-video peripherals, like Blu-ray players, Apple TVs, Microsoft Xbox 360s. And it's also about content: NPD says the most popular service for Web on TV viewers is Netflix, with 40 percent of connected TV watchers using the service."

Zappix aims to replace voice menus with a web-based visual option that determines the best department to connect them to before initiating the call.

Amazon is hoping to extend its reach and integration beyond its own properties with yesterday's launch of Login with Amazon. The new service lets Amazon's 200+ million users to sign into websites, games and apps with their Amazon logins. Third-party developers can implement Login with Amazon on their web and mobile properties in the same way they integrate social logins like Facebook, Twitter and Google.

Both Sony and Disney are among the first studios testing this new service, which makes its debut in South Korea, reports the Wall Street Journal. The move is being done to help curb piracy overseas by allowing people to rent movies a few weeks after they're released in theaters. For example, Django Unchained was released just three weeks after its debut in theaters across the country. Disney's Wreck-it Ralph, and Brave are also part of this new trial service.

BSkyB's upcoming over-the-top internet TV service could create a new post-subscription ecosystem for pay-per-view and pay-as-you-go TV shows.

Comcast considering a wifi powered mobile service that would work using a combination of Comcast's million+ wifi hotspots and leased cellular capacity from other operators.

Burger King -- quick-service restaurant joins Google, eBay and others in leveraging mobile to support home-delivery or same-day delivery strategies. Following footsteps of amazon and walmart's same day delivery

Sonic Solutions said today that its movie services will be available on consumer electronics gear sold at Sears and Kmart stores. Novato, Calif.-based Sonic provides the RoxioNow platform, which can deliver digital movies over Internet connections to home devices such as PCs, TVs, Blu-ray players and mobile phones. In a multi-year deal with Sears Holdings, owner of 3,000 Sears and Kmart stores, Sonic will offer movies and TV shows for rent or purchase. The new services are expected to launch later this year and will be broadly promoted at retail stores. used in daily 6.22