Apple's iBeacon Technology Featured in CES Scavenger Hunt
Thursday January 2, 2014 3:34 pm PST by Juli Clover
Next week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will feature a promotional iBeacon-based scavenger hunt, according to a press release issued today by the Consumer Electronics Association.
Attendees to the conference will be able to use the CES Mobile apps for iOS and Android to explore various areas of the show, collecting badges for each iBeacon that is encountered. The first three players to collect all of the iBeacon badges will be rewarded with prizes that include tablets, fitness bands, and more.
For the CES scavenger hunt, the Consumer Electronics Association is teaming up with several companies, including Radius Networks, which provides an iBeacon platform for mobile apps.
"This is one of the coolest proximity-aware apps we have worked on," said Marc Wallace, CEO and cofounder of Radius Networks. "This is also one of the first, tangible applications that leverages iBeacon technology. And it is a great example of how iBeacon technology is not just about advertising as it is about bringing new and innovative solutions to the marketplace. We are very excited to be a part of it."
First introduced in mid–2013 at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, iBeacons are low-energy transmitters designed to interact with iOS devices that support Bluetooth LE. Physical beacons are able to send notifications to iPhones and iPads when within 100 feet of a device, offering up an array of location-based information like product details, maps, and more.
Thus far, iBeacon technology has been implemented in Apple retail locations to provide additional product information to visiting customers with the Apple Store app installed. It's also been used in a collaboration between Macy's and Shopkick, installed in a cafe to provide on-site Newsstand publications, and Major League Baseball has plans to integrate the technology into various stadiums in the future.
Theclamshell
Who else read iBacon? :o
Michael Scrip
This is pretty funny considering Apple don't even demonstrate at CES, but plenty of Android OEMs do (and Microsoft used to keynote it).
Apple doesn't need a booth at CES to be the talk of the town. :)
LOL! I think you meant to say "Passbook"?
Passbook was never really used as method of payment, except perhaps indirectly (i.e., plane tickets already purchased). They certainly were referring to NFC.
derbladerunner
It's just an advertising tool trying to masquerade as something cool. Regular users will want to turn bluetooth off in the end because of iBeacon. I can see Congress adding new laws in the same category of the audio volume limits on TV ads.
I don't see this problem. Users in the iBeacon range have to have the specific app installed as well, otherwise they will not get any messages.
Not everyone with Bluetooth enabled will get coupons or other messages when walking into a GAP store or McD restaurant.
If companies get too agressive or send too many messages, people will delete the specific app or change the settings so it's in the developer's best interest to add real value.
I see a lot of added value in hotels, airports, museums, sports venues, stores and for transactions of all kind over time.
iBeacons could also be used for payments in the future, especially for recurring payments like beverages at Starbucks, instead of NFC.
springsup