Want to catch up with what happened in the digital world this week? Our weekly Cheat Sheet fills you in on everything you missed while you scrambled to meet deadlines and put out fires.
Read about Coin introducing a new way to pay, Flipboard launching shoppable catalogs, Netflix getting a new look, Mango Premiere teaching languages using film and Isis finally rolling out its mobile payment service.
1. Coin offers an all-in-one credit card
The idea of mobile payment continues to be an up-and-coming trend that is gaining more consumer attention every day, but what about the people who still want to pay with a card? Coin is a tangible card that can store all of a person’s credit, debit and loyalty card information on one Coin card, which can then be used to purchase products at a store. The Coin card uses Bluetooth low-energy technology to stay connected to a user’s smartphone for swapping cards and can hold up to 8 cards at once. Consumers can pre-order Coin today for $50, but it will cost $100 for new buyers when it rolls out in summer 2014.
2. Flipboard debuts shoppable magazines
This week Flipboard introduced a new feature in order to drive its platform into the e-commerce space — shoppable catalogs. Flipboard is allowing brands and individual users to curate their favorite products in their magazines with the option of purchasing directly through the catalogs. The current brands leverage this service include companies such as Banana Republic, Fab, eBay and Birchbox. With curated catalogs, Flipboard encourages brands to advertise through the social application to drive readers over to their catalogs to browse through hundreds of magazines and find the things that they want.
3. Netflix revamps its TV service
Netflix redesigned its interface this week for a whole new browsing experience on a number of devices — from game consoles to smart TVs. The new look is designed to display 3 large slide-show images, a teaser summary and one tailored detail chosen by Netflix. With this being the biggest update to Netflix’s TV experience, the company also launched predictive and visual search along with the new design. These new features allow users to look for a show or movie by typing in the title of what they are looking for in order to connect people with more content that they can enjoy. With the new feature appearing simultaneously across platforms, brands will be able to enhance the user experience by offering more engaging content.
4. Mango Premiere teaches language through film
Learning a new language can be quite difficult at times, given how complex a language can be, as well as how much time and motivation a person would need when learning a new dialect. Mango Premiere is a great language-learning tool for people who love watching movies. This unique platform is an online language resource that teaches a user a multitude of lessons, including language, grammar, vocabulary and culture through the storylines and dialogue of each film. Currently, there are only 6 films available on Mango Premiere, but the company is aiming to add 20 more movies to its catalog by the end of the year.
5. Isis is now available nationwide
After announcing plans for Isis to launch nationwide back in July, the mobile wallet system is finally available for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile users in the U.S. To promote its rollout, Isis is providing new users with 3 free drinks that he or she can get from select vending machines by using Isis and My Coke Rewards. In order to use this service, users would need an Android smartphone that’s compatible with Isis. Once that’s ready, users simply need to download the Isis Mobile Wallet app to start using the service. Isis has several nationwide partners, including Radio Shack, Walgreens, Macy’s, CVS and more.
