Will Shaw, director of production and marketing for Oblate Media, says the technology will help the organization reach young people more effectively:

We are hoping to plant a seed — the idea that the priesthood may be their calling. (Candidates for priesthood) start thinking about serving the church at a young age. Many teens who visit our centers are in Catholic schools, and some of them are already kicking the idea of entering the priesthood around. The assumption is that these young people are interested in technology. We are trying to cast the bread out as far as we can.

The United States Army has deployed 10 "OneStop Army" kiosks at high-personnel-traffic locations at Fort Lewis in Washington state.

According to an article on the Army's Web site, www.army.mil, the kiosks, made by DynaTouch, feature an Interactive Customer Evaluation, or ICE, system, as well as payroll information, on- and off-post housing details, recreational information and more. The machines are equipped with touchscreens, keyboards, printers and volume and text-size controls.

DiAnn Sanders, management and program analyst with the Plans, Analysis and Integration Office of the Army, says the kiosks were designed to be user-friendly for all Fort Lewis residents:

We wanted to make sure the kiosk machines (are) able to service everybody on the installation. So if you're a retiree and want to know the services available, this kiosk is loaded with information that covers every service on Fort Lewis. It helps you make appointments … for example.

Sanders also says the deployment is meant to help Fort Lewis soldiers make an impact in their community:

We want to tell every customer, you're the proponent for this machine on Fort Lewis. We want your feedback. We want to (tell) soldiers … that this is the information that will be helpful to you and your family.

MIDRAND, South Africa — IBM, supplier of the IBM AnyPlace Kiosk, has confirmed that it will be the sole platinum sponsor of South Africa’s first definitive kiosk conference, JusTTouchIT 2009. IBM joins a growing list of top IT companies and vendors already committed to the conference. JusTouchIT 2009 will take place July 29-30 at the Eskom Convention Centre in Midrand, a municipality in Johannesburg, South Africa.
 
Kevin Kitchin, IBM Retail Store Solutions brand specialist, said IBM is committed to the growth of the kiosk industry in South Africa and will throw its weight behind such initiatives whenever possible.
 
“The organizers of JusTTouchIT 2009 have assembled an impressive list of international speakers, including one of our own international experts on self-service and kiosks,” said Kitchin.
 
IT integration and support giant GijimaAST is a silver sponsor of the conference and will present a paper on the importance of maintenance and support for an industry that needs to have 24/7 availability.
 
The conference’s keynote speaker will be Robert Porter, CEO of Euro Kiosks Network, an alliance of more than 100 kiosk companies across Europe.
 
“We have every confidence that JusTTouchit will deliver a highly professional conference focused on educating attendees on the latest trends in self-service technologies,” Porter said.

Porter’s keynote address will look at global trends and success stories in the industry, and he also will make an in-depth presentation on photo kiosks, the fastest growing kiosk segment in the world. Porter recently was one of the judges for the photo kiosk software awards at PMA ’09, the Photo Marketing Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas. Porter’s photo kiosk presentation at JusTTouchIT is sponsored by the PMA.
 
“We are pleased to offer our full support and endorsement for the upcoming JusTTouchIT South African kiosk conference,” said Porter.
 
David Ives, director, developer and platform strategy group for Microsoft South Africa, will be the second-day keynote speaker and will address innovations in touch-based computing, such as Microsoft Surface and Active Walls.
 
“This and many other innovations will change the way we interact with technology, with an intention that we make a difference in people’s lives,” said Ives. “This presentation will share what innovation is being researched locally and abroad and the impact this is likely to have on people and the world of service management.”
 
Other speakers at the conference include:
 
• Marcelo Hermida of Wincor Nixdorf, who will present the history of financial services kiosks in South Africa, and a look at their future
• Graham Roebuck, also of Wincor Nixdorf, who will present a joint SAP/Wincor Nixdorf paper on kiosks in an employee self-service environment
• Matshepo Kekana, of the Guateng (South Africa) Shared Services Centre (GSSC), who will present a paper on kiosks as a means of e-government service delivery
• Richard McIntyre, CEO of Crystal Touch, who will speak on kiosk network management, monitoring and content deployment
• Fred Scherf, founder and former executive of Deposita, who will speak on cash in a self-service environment
• Cornel Van Lingen, CEO of Public Display Technologies South Africa, who will speak on interactivity and digital signage
 
There will be additional international input from John Anderson of Yeahpoint Australia, a well-established kiosk company with extensive deployments in Australia and underdeveloped environments in Southeast Asia. Yeahpoint has recently opened offices in South Africa.
 
In addition to the above partners and speakers, exhibitors at the conference will include Epson Printers, Custom Printers, Nomad Electronic Fund Transfer systems, kiosk enclosure builder Heartwood Craft and major South African I.T. company Business Connexion.

Before the doors to the KioskCom Self Service Expo and The Digital Signage Show even open, organizers and members of the Self-Service and Kiosk Association will take advantage of the networking opportunities central to attending an industry tradeshow.
 
The SSKA will hold an Advisory Board meeting the morning of Tuesday, May 5. Following the meeting, the association will host a luncheon for members and for nonmember deployers and vendors who may interested in joining the association.
 
“Not only will you enjoy a great lunch and the opportunity to network with other professionals, you'll also hear a brief update on SSKA activities,” said David Drain, SSKA executive director.
 
Both events will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, the same venue that hosts the show May 6-7. Registration for the luncheon is $30. Register online at www.networldalliance.com/sskaluncheon.

www.gov.tw: This June, tourists in Taiwan won't need to mess with all sorts of agritourism information or worry about not being able to find someone who knows where they can find the farm products they have been looking for. The Council of Agriculture's EZcall added Kaohsiung and Pingtung to its network, giving people a chance to access information by Internet telephony either from their home or while on the go.

Internet telephony (an inter-computer communication system using Voice over Internet Protocal, VoIP) is a tool that allows people to use a business or home phone to make calls. It also costs less. The Council of Agriculture has set up the EZcall kiosks at selected train stations and tourist centers. People can use these platforms to look up local agritourism information. They can also use free Internet phones to make calls, place orders, make reservations, order tickets or call a taxi.

Burnaby, BC — Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) and TIO Networks Corp. (TSX-V: TNC), a leading automated bill pay and financial kiosk network, announced an agreement to roll out self-serve automated bill payment and financial services kiosks at more than 30 of Valero's Diamond Shamrock Corner Stores in the greater Denver, Colo. area.