NEW YORK At the eTravelWorld conference, held here April 2-4, Bob Offutt, svp, Sabre Labs, unveiled some of the latest wireless applications being developed by the company.
One of the new technologies, which is expected to hit the market within the next year, is a new wireless check-in service for airlines and hotels that uses an electronic barcode to verify, and expedite, the check-in process.
The new mobile-phone technology uses voice recognition to check-in consumers before arriving at a hotel or airport. Consumers can scan a barcode which will appear on the screen of their mobile phones after completing the electronic check-in process into a scanner at the hotel s front desk or at the airline s gate, according to Offutt.
He also noted that Sabre is developing a “third-generation mobile phone,” which is currently three years from hitting the market. It will offer a color screen with enough memory to not only book hotel rooms, but to also view multimedia videos and pictures of the properties. (4/4/01) Diana M. Rodriguez