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www.euroslot-online.comTECHNOLOGY FOCUSNot dead yetThe rise of the digital camera, particularly thedigital SLR, meant the end for film cameras;similarly, camera phones with resolution ofeight megapixels or more have brought abouta decline in the popularity of point-and-clickdigital cameras. So how has the photo boothnot only endured this competition, butthrived?Warren Friss, president at Apple Industries(and featured in this month’s EuroslotProfile on p34), says his firm’s products –such as FacePlace – have benefited becausepeople are more interested in takingphotographs: “Camera phones have actuallyhad a positive impact on our industry. One ofthe things we’ve seen is an increase over thelast four or five years in the usage of ourphoto booths.“You would think it would be going in theother direction because it’s so easy to take apicture with your cellphone but the truth ofthe matter is, people – and specifically teens,kids, 20- and 30-somethings – are moreinterested in photos these days than they everwere in the past. They love to take photoswith their iPhones, in photo booths, to haveother people take photos of them, then sharethem and show them to friends, post them onFacebook, show other people what they’redoing.“My daughter is 12 years old and she usesInstagram constantly; wherever she is,whatever she’s doing, she takes a picture andshows it to her friends.”But Friss acknowledges that a photobooth is still a different experience, and thiscould be its strength: “One thing about photobooths you don’t get with your iPhone isgetting into the booth with your friend orgirlfriend, closing the curtain, pulling funnyfaces and having a great time. With yourcamera phone, you’re just smiling and sayinghi. Because our booths are fully digital, we cansee how they are being used by customers;and that’s teens with friends, pulling faces,smiling, hugging – very different to if youwere snapping a shot with your cameraphone.”the innovators behind modern photo booths willsurely also have an impact on the popularity ofphoto-merchandise.A bigger jukeboxJukeboxes have also benefited from Internet ornetwork connectivity; although PPL rules restrictjukes in the UK to holding just 40,000 tracks, aconnected device can draw on alarger online library to offer extra songs at a premiumat the same time as adapting its locally-stored tracklist to customer tastes.NSM’s Alex Kirby explains: “A networked jukeboxcan increase cash box by charging more credits for adownload track. It’s another way of creating a fullercash box. The hard drive can hold 40,000 tracks, butwe have over 100,000 on our server.“Charts began in 1952, but if you hadevery single Top 40 on thejukebox that wouldactually only be about35,000 tracks. Sohaving millions andmillions of tracks onyour jukebox is largelypointless, it’s quantitynot quality, as you endup with customershaving to work throughthousands of tracks orartists that are just notrelevant to them. You stillneed a mix of music,though.“As soon as the jukeboxgoes online, the customercan see everything on ourserver; because thejukebox only contains40,000 tracks, the chancesare they’re going to seesomething on our serverthey want, and it will say‘download’ next to it. Theyselect the track, they’re toldit will cost, say, two credits;the track downloads to thejukebox but in order to makesure it does not exceed itsallotted 40,000, it knocksthe bottom track off. Ascustomers ‘profile’ thejukebox to tracks they like, itwill earn the venue greater cash box.“Of course, you don’t have to do it that way, theredoesn’t have to be a premium on a download track,it’s just another means of increasing revenue.”NSM’s Apollo and Fusion jukeboxes also use RSSfeeds to attract customers. Says Kirby: “Customerscan see time, date, weather, sports results and it’sfree to the customer; the idea is for the customer toTHE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE AMUSEMENT AND STREET GAMING INDUSTRY JULY/AUGUST 2012 29