QR codes will be used in the restaurant business at The Melt, a new grilled cheese restaurant.

Jonathan Kaplan, co-founder of Pure Digital, the company behind the Flip cam, recently started a new venture, but this time, it’s in the restaurant biz. His new restaurant, The Melt, will open early next week in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. The appropriately named restaurant will feature everyone’s childhood favorite—grilled cheese. Ultimately, he hopes to open 25-50 restaurants within the next year, and 500 across the country within the next five years. This ambitious plan will take proper execution, but with Kaplan’s extensive technology background, combined with our nation’s love of this staple sandwich, there’s no telling what’s possible.

Despite overwhelmingly positive feedback from his market research, Kaplan still had some concerns. How would the grilled cheese sandwiches maintain the same level of deliciousness between hourly employees who weren’t professional chefs across shifts and eventually, the entire chain? Kaplan consulted with Electrolux, the Swedish home appliance maker about making a device that would create perfectly uniform, equally tasty grilled cheese sandwiches all the time, every time. They devised a machine combining two induction burners, a microwave, and non-stick pads, allowing the bread to toast simultaneously while the cheese melts. Unlike with typical panini makers, this new device would prevent the delicate cheese from becoming squished.

Once the custom device was ready, Kaplan couldn’t help bur resist using technology to set his restaurant apart from others. When ordering a grilled cheese, customers won’t have to wait in line if they don’t want to—orders can be placed directly from a smartphone via The Melt’s mobile site. Once an order is placed, a QR code will appear. When customers arrive to the restaurant, they can simply take their mobile device with their newly acquired QR code and have it scanned.

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MobilePayUSA offers a mobile payment solution that doesn’t require NFC

Mobile payment has gotten a lot of buzz lately—whether it be through NFC, QR codes, or both. Now, MobliePayUSA is exploring a Point-Of-Sale (POS) payment system that would not require NFC enabled mobile devices. Their solution to mobile payment would be more secure than existing solutions. Since credit card data would be stored with a trusted 3rd party rather than on the phone itself or merchant’s servers, it would prevent hackers from stealing personal data off of smartphones.

In addition to serving as a mobile payment application, MobilePayUSA will go beyond credit cards and store debit cards, store credits, gift cards and virtual currency. Even coupons and loyalty cards will be made a part of the mobile payment application.

Currently, MobilePayUSA is working with providers to pilot their system at select Flippin’ Pizza and Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt locations in California.

I’m excited to see more non-NFC mobile payments being explored. The time for mobile payment is now, not in a few years when everyone has an NFC enabled phone. Do you think mobile payment systems like MobilePayUSA will catch on, or will the big move toward mobile payment only come with NFC? Share your thoughts by commenting below, or on our Facebook or twitter pages.

Intermec recently announced a partnership with Sonrai Systems, a provider of waste management solutions that helped to create an RFID-based recycling solution in Charleston County, SC.

By using RFID, Charleston County was able to achieve premium levels of accuracy in its environmental management program, increasing productivity rates by 83%. Charleston County has an ambitious solid waste diversion goal of 40%. In order to achieve this, the county needed to shift from curb-sorted manual bin collection to a wheeled cart program.

Recycle carts are a part of single-stream recycling, meaning paper, plastics, glass, aluminum and steel are recycled together rather than having to be separated into two bins, making recycling more convenient and easier to understand for residents.

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Duncan Hines uses QR Codes to create a whole new kind of advertising campaign

QR codes have been printed on just about anything these days–they’ve even been constructed out of candy such as chocolates and m&ms, and now, they’ve even been made out of cupcakes.

Duncan Hines recently launched their “Bake On” campaign, featuring a different take on their tradition advertising campaigns. Rather than showing their usual mom baking in the kitchen, Duncan Hines took a different approach–featuring decadent recipes and no children.

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What does Steve Jobs stepping down mean for Apple, smart phones and the tech industry?

Throughout the summer, we’ve discussed the widespread usage of NFC technology being based off of the iPhone 5’s NFC features. While this question is yet to be answered, the resignation of Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, has investors, techies, mac-elitists and the blogosphere all aflutter. The release of the iPhone 5 has still yet to be given an exact date, and has already been delayed a month. Will Jobs’ resignation further slow the process?

In his resignation letter, Jobs states, “I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.” Assumptions cannot help but look to his declining health due to pancreatic cancer. In his letter, Jobs also states who will replace him: “As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.” But, who exactly is Tim Cook? And can anyone really replace Steve Jobs? In response to this question, Cook himself stated, “No. He’s irreplaceable.”

While the news of Steve Jobs’ resignation has shocked the world, many are left wondering about not only the long-term, but also the short term–how will this affect the launch of the iPhone 5? Some say the launch won’t be changed at all, but seeing as how it’s already been delayed, no one can be too sure. And, when the iPhone 5 is released, will it use NFC technology?

Share your thoughts on the iPhone 5, NFC, Steve Jobs’ resignation and/or Apple’s future by commenting below, or on our Facebook ot twitter pages.

Watch the video below to learn more: