Retailers & Virtual Worlds – Retailers must make the move now and establish a presence -itsReal

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Virtual worlds, mobile coupons and bar-code readers on cell phones are the next technology wave that U.S. chain stores must ride if they hope to stay competitive in the fast-changing world of global retail.

While some retailers have started building stores in these virtual worlds, others should consider doing the same, Constable said, to extend their brands and eventually, boost sales. via sites like Second Life & Twinity

Retailers, gathered in New York this week for the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) annual convention, were urged to go high-tech to stand out in the crowd and improve sales, especially amid a flagging U.S. economy.

“The cell phone is shifting the way consumers shop, and U.S. retailers need to get ready,” said Pat Conroy, vice chairman at Deloitte & Touche USA, in a keynote speech at the convention.

More at Reuters

Giorgio Armani finds out how to be Immortal with Second Life – itsReal

MILAN (Reuters) – Fashion designer Giorgio Armani has opened up shop in virtual world Second Life, with a store modeled on his flagship location in Milan, his company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The silver-haired Armani will send an avatar of himself to the celebrate the opening of the store.

“Finally, I can really be in two places at once,” the ever-busy stylist who launched a mobile phone on Monday, said in the statement.

Second Life residents will be able to buy items virtually with Linden Dollars — the currency of the virtual world — or they can connect directly from there to his recently-launched online store at www.emporioarmani.com for non-virtual vestments.

Armani, known worldwide for his elegant fashions for women, has already diversified into a range of other sectors, including home furnishings and hotels.

He announced on Sunday a joint venture with Samsung Electronics for a sleek, black mobile phone and eventually other home electronics, including a liquid crystal display television designed with the South Korean firm.

 Reuters

Rescuing search in ‘Second Life’ – A need for certain – itsReal

On every occassion that APLINK has heard Cory Onedrejka of Linden Labs speak he allows appealed for someone who could create an effective search engine…maybe his wish has come true withou the need for Lind Labs investment.

I was in a Second Life Store the other day and whilst it was cool having my avatar stroll the mega mall and see what was on offer, I was really there to get a new look for myself. Besides Second life’s need to achieve a universal search engine, site owners also need a search function (or should there be Avatar SalesPeople) within their own spaces to help avatars find what they need, as like the real world, time is money inworld. Maybe my client Recruit.net could come up with a search solution- itsReal

With at least a couple hundred thousand users, hundreds of stores, endless commerce and millions of objects, virtual world Second Life is begging for a top-notch search tool.

Yet search is one of the systems most in need of help in Second Life. The latest evidence is the recent selection of a team working on such a system as a finalist in the Second Life business plan contest.

High Impact

What’s new:

More than three years after its launch, Second Life is still suffering from a subpar search engine–and other virtual worlds have the same limited tools.

Bottom line:

Now significant attempts are being made by third parties to come up with better search systems for virtual worlds.

Rescuing search in ‘Second Life’

“There’s a lot to be desired in the current (Second Life) search, quite a lot,” said Tony Walsh, the editor of Clickable Culture, a blog about virtual worlds and other online cultures. “We need a Google for Second Life, something that works quickly and produces intelligent results.”

Some might wonder how important search needs to be in a virtual world. But as the number of Second Life stores, places and objects explodes, it is becoming crucial that users be able to find what they need without trying keyword after keyword. And while that dynamic is more true today than ever, many people believe the search system has been insufficient for years.

Read More: C|Net News.com

Virtual Worlds – A Positive Report from the Chicago Tribune

Cutting edge tech makes the virtual world your oyster
by Stevenson Swanson
Chicago Tribune (MCT)
31 March 2007

From being a flat presence on a computer screen, the Web is rapidly morphing into a three-dimensional virtual world.

Powered by such popular social-networking sites as Second Life and There.com, where users represent themselves with animated figures called avatars, virtual technology is finding a host of new applications that are likely to prove as revolutionary as the rapid rise of the Internet a decade ago.

From holding virtual training meetings with employees to visiting your doctor for a 3-D check-up or spending time in a virtual Elizabethan world to learn about Shakespeare’s plays, the possibilities for virtual technology are unpredictable but almost limitless, according to business executives, tech-savvy designers, and marketing consultants.

“This is going to be one freaky-deaky 21st century,” said Jerry Paffendorf, the “resident futurist” at the Electric Sheep Co., which designs virtual world projects for businesses. “The amount of technological change in the next 10 years is going to equal the entire last century. We’re not going to use that technology to send e-mail faster. We’re going to use it to build virtual worlds.”

As one measure of the recent explosive growth of these online worlds, Second Life has grown to more than 5 million registered users, up from 1.4 million in November. In that virtual adult playground, avatars chat, attend concerts, buy virtual cars and clothes with virtual money called Linden dollars, and even have simulated sex.

But such activities barely scratch the surface of the three-dimensional Web, according to speakers and some of the 600 attendees at the first-of-its-kind Virtual Worlds Conference, held last week at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in lower Manhattan.

Robert Gehorsam, president of Forterra Systems Inc., said that with improvements in technology, virtual worlds could be used to train new employees and allow them to practice job skills. Nurses need several hundred hours of on-the-job training after they graduate from nursing school, but working such trainees into the hectic operations of a hospital can be difficult, he said.

“If you can train nurses on shift-change communication, or the right drug, you’re going to reduce the number of preventable deaths,” said Gehorsam, whose company adapts commercial game technology for the government and medical and corporate clients.

One nonprofit group that has started to tap the potential of virtual worlds is the American Cancer Society, which has held two “Relay for Life” fundraising events “in world,” as denizens of the 3-D Web refer to events in the virtual world. Second Life users made pledges for their avatars, who took part in the runs. At a cost of only $1,200 to rent space on the site, the cancer society raised more than $46,000. It hopes to realize $75,000 at this year’s relay.

SOMETHING new on the web…www.like.com

I read about like.com recently in a CFO Magazine (truth) and I think it has potential, huge potential…

below are details about what the site offers you…

Like.com is the first true visual search engine, where the contents of photos are used to search and retrieve similar items.

We believe that there are literally millions of items that are difficult to describe via text-based search and where individual tastes are all over the map — think of your favorite pair of earrings or shoes and what an ordeal it can be to find something new but in a similar style.

We created Like.com to solve the challenge of finding “the perfect you” for a broad range of aesthetic and soft goods.

Like.com utilizes our Likeness Technology™ to create a digital signature that describes the photo’s contents and enables a more accurate search for similar looking items and products.
Our initial launch focuses on handbags, jewelry, shoes, and watches – allowing users to search and purchase items from thousands of leading and boutique brands. We will very quickly add clothing and a number of other aesthetically oriented product categories.

Key features of Like.com include:

* Likeness Search™ – the ability to search by image instead of text;
* Like Detail™ – finds items that have a specific feature you like (such as a buckle, straps, bezel, etc);
* Like Color™ – find color variants of the item you desire;
* Like Celebrity™ – find clothing, shoes and accessories similar to those worn by your favorite celebrities;
* Like Upload™ – the ability to upload your own photo of your favorite item and find the same or similar products, coming soon.
* To learn more about Like.com and the great ways to use the product make sure to visit our blog . Happy shopping!

About Riya
Riya was founded in August 2004 and has assembled one of the largest visual computing research teams in the world. Its mission is to simplify search and ecommerce by harnessing the latest breakthroughs in visual computing. It has almost one dozen patents pending in the areas of visual recognition and search. Riya has raised $19.5 million from venture and private equity investors, including Bay Partners, BlueRun Ventures, and Leapfrog Ventures.

Introducing…BlurbMe.com – itSreal

It is amazing how a simple question can uncover so much…

…after being speed around Senotosa on Todd Murray’s (founder of activedeals.com) pride and joy BOAT I asked someone what they did, and proudly the revealed they are behind the blurbme.com website.

Upon arriving home I checked out blurbme.com and what an awesum site. Upon registering you are able to login and review a restaurant, nitelife venue or spa & beauty salon. Currently only available for Singapore but wow how it makes life easier deciding where you want to go and live it up a little. The reviews are done by you or me so they are REAL reviews. I did a quick test and found a restaurant which I think is a cool idea but falls badly on service and most important of all – the food. As with my opinion the reviewer also thinks the place should take a close look at what they are offering. Can you guess which restaurant I am bloggin about, check out www.blurbme.com and send me your answer. (Hint, I am an Australian)

Well Done to the founders of BLURBME …you have an awesum site !!!

New SINGAPORE Portal: Want to KNOW anything about Singapore ?

Yesterday I picked up a Zocard, they often advertise GEMS of information not easily sourced elsewhere, enough plugging of ZOCARD‘s awesum services, anyway if you check out www.sg – there you will find anything that you might need to know about this small but massively commerce and technology driven island called SINGAPORE.

Do check out www.sg if you need to find something out that might help you as they have business, visitor and event happenings and listings.

The information is FREE

BTW – Nowhere else in the world have a found like SINGAPORE for Best Buy Branded Technology and Gadgets that you can TRUST when you arrive home will be supported by international warranties.

SINGAPORE is the place for SHOPPING

The current IT Show here at Suntec City (see an earlier post) is proof of my advice above.

Singapore News: Launch of No Fuss, Easy to Use Online Payment Structure, BuyButtonz

Next Generation Payment Structure to Set Benchmark for Online Purchasing Options

Singapore’s largest online payment gateway, eNETS, today announced a strategic alliance with online payment services provider, Chain Fusion, to launch BuyButtonz. This new service will be Singapore’s most affordable, most flexible and fastest payment platform for those wanting to conduct any online, e-commerce transactions over the Internet.

The new BuyButtonz service is powered and managed by Chain Fusion and will tap on eNETS to provide a safe and efficient online payment gateway. This initiative is in line with Singapore Government’s iN2015 master plan for the next decade, where electronic payments will play a vital role in transforming the nation into an intelligent society

Through BuyButtonz, prospective sellers can easily register themselves and attach a transaction button at any HTML website or email, creating new opportunities for small-time users who are selling any number of items. This is a stark difference from existing solutions which require sellers to be at least 18 years old and have a registered organisation to conduct business.

“eNETS is about innovative, smart and savvy solutions and our strategic alliance with Chain Fusion is one of the ways we exemplify this. We can now provide users with a convenient and efficient way of doing business online, no matter how small the transaction,” said eNETS General Manager, Raj Lorenz.

CEO of Chain Fusion, Mr Wong Wei Tuck said, “Our strategic alliance with eNETS allows us to tap on their payment gateway to create synergy with our services. Together, we have created a safe and convenient platform for online transactions. Singaporeans should try using BuyButtonz to find out how easy it is!”
21 year old Amanda Lin, owner of website http://www.koshinaka.blogspot.com and who started selling wigs from the pilot phase of BuyButtonz, said: “BuyButtonz helps me to document sales and saves me the trouble of constantly giving out my bank account number to customers.”

Since the pilot of this system, more than 250 users have registered at http://www.buybuttonz.com. Most of the transactions have an average selling price of between $20 and $60.

BuyButtonz offers the users unprecedented benefits of affordability, convenience, security and speed. The registration is straight-forward and a user can set up an account in just 10 minutes.

The system runs on an SSL2 platform, which is equivalent to most existing secured payment platforms. Further, the system employs a mobile phone 2-factor authentication tool such that buyers receive a security PIN via an automated telephone call every time they use the system to make payment. This means that the merchants are protected against fraudsters who may make the purchase and claim later that they had not approved the payment. As the system requires locally registered mobile numbers, overseas payment is not applicable.

To get started, online sellers need to log on to http://www.buybuttonz.com to register an account. They will then be required to submit their mobile phone number, particulars and bank account details. Subsequently, an HTML code will be presented to the seller and the seller can copy the code and paste it at any HTML website or email for the button to work.

###

Step by step guide to registering a BuyButtonz
To sell items online using BuyButtonz, users must create an account in advance.

Account registration takes only 3 simple steps:
1. Go to BuyButtonz login screen and click on “Register” button.
2. Specify Referrer ID and mobile number.
3. Filling in business information for the purpose of payment to items sold.

The registration process is described in detail with screen shots below:
Step 1: To subscribe a seller account, click on “Register” button at login screen.

Step 2: Choose a referrer from the dropdown list and key in the mobile number. The mobile phone must be access-able as an activation pin will be sent to the user upon completion of registration.

Read the terms and conditions by clicking “I accept the terms and conditions” link. Tick the checkbox if the terms and conditions are agreeable, and click on “Next” button to proceed.

Step 3: Key in the required information, which is marked with * sign(Mandatory Fields). Review and once confirm, click on “Next” button to proceed. The ID will be shown at registration confirmation page. In a short while, the user will receive a call with an account activation pin.

All new sellers must activate their accounts at their first login, to ensure the correct person is registering the account.

There are 2 steps to proceed, as described below:

Step 1: Login with the login name and password chosen during registration. Click on “Login” button to proceed.

Step 2:
Key in the activation pin given and click on “Activate” button to proceed. The user will be redirected to login screen if activation is successful. If the user has forgotten the pin or has activation problem with the pin, he/she can click on “Forgot/Resend Activation Pin” button to receive the pin again.

My very GOOD mate, a veteran of IT Switches to Health Tea – itSreal

Ang Ah Sin, a veteran in I.T. for over 20 years joins BioLife Marketing, a local SME specialising in health products

BioLife Marketing, the sole distributor of the Good Image Tea™ today announced that Mr. Ang Ah Sin, a local I.T. professional of more than 20 years has joined the SME as one of its partners as well as its General Manager.

“The call into entrepreneurship was never so strong until recently. With the invitation by 2 good and trusted friends reinforced with the support from my family and other friends, I decided to take the plunge into this different but exciting industry,” said Ang.

Ang’s experience spanned across from technical support to sales and marketing; and spent more than 5 years with a key system integrator in the ’80s, more than 10 years with major distributors such as Tech Pacific in the ’90s and until recently with major manufacturers such as Trend Micro Inc. He was highly sought by the media for his views on Infocomm Security.

Ang holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Business and Management Studies (Marketing).

As its General Manager, Ang will be handling the day to day business, develop and execute strategic growth plans. This will include increasing the product range under the Good Image Tea™ brand, create new product lines and recruit related agencies; developing the channel in Singapore as well as internationally.

“Any new venture will face plenty of uncertainties and challenges. I am confident because the consumers around the world are getting more and more health conscious; tea consumption in the world was reported to rank second only to water consumption; and one of the greatest competitive advantages of BioLife Marketing is that we have an associated GMP-certified manufacturing plant in Malaysia. It has been manufacturing health products for other brands in the region for more than 10 years now and is also manufacturing for our own brand, Good Image Tea™,” said Ang.

“Good Image Tea™ was uniquely formulated by Dr. Aoyama Kanahiro from the University of Tokyo and Professor of ShengYang Medicine University of China. The detoxification green tea which also eliminates excessive fats in the body was launched in Malaysia five years ago and three years ago in Singapore. Our success indicated that we are on the right track in this industry and Ang will bring to the group a whole new perspective and drive the growth,” said Mr. Lai Liew Min, Managing Director of Comfort Herbal Manufacturing Sdn Bdn

# # #

About BioLife Marketing
BioLife Marketing (S) Pte Ltd is a Singapore-grown SME that focused on providing well formulated health products that aims at enhancing the total well-being of today’s hyper-active community. By harnessing the goodness from nature which provides the secrets in balancing the biological system of the individuals, BioLife’s vision of “Healthy Indulgence” set the goals for our current and future products to support the consumers in staying in the pink of health while continuing to enjoy their respective diet.

Good Image Tea™, a popular label of innovative green tea was launched in Malaysia in 2001 and debuted in Singapore in 2003. It is manufactured by BioLife’s associated GMP-certified factory in Malaysia which has more than 10 years of manufacturing herbal and health-related products for other organisations in the region.

For more information, visit www.biolifemarketing.com.sg.

secondlife has a new dedicated newspaper The AvaSTAR- itSreal

A German media company called Bild.T-Online AG & Co. KG is hoping to draw in some ad dollars for its New secondlife Newspaper, currently it is free but they hope to put it on sale after the launch period for L$150 (SGD 0.83), they also promote that-they will pay Linden dollars for actually BIG Linden dollars for your stories. With Reuters as a permanent resident they have competition but I think they are on a winner if they stay the distance.

My review of AvaStar

Have just read almost from front cover to back of Issue 3…its an interesting read but it needs something more….for me maybe a true Business Section instead of play-land SL, needs to be introduced…especially to get the BIG BUCKS from corporate advertisers, there must also be NEW recruitment (recruit.net) opportunities and business collaborations available with secondlife’s growing importance that could be reported on in detail, AvaStar has enormous potential if it has more real world reporting on secondlife activities – itSreal