Americans rank below 71 other nations in their level of cell phone penetration, even though they lead in other areas of connectivity. Some Americans are not connected at all. Millions of others are beyond the phone, so to speak: though they own one and use it, they also own other devices, and the phone is not be-all-end-all.
But in other countries, texting is the be-all-end-alll. In Africa, money is easily converted to “cell phone currency,” which can be wired from phone to phone and used in retail locations. In Bangalore, India, job seekers can find jobs tailor-made for them via text message.
While texting seems to be prolific in this country, especially among teens, we seem to be using it mostly for social means. When will the United States’ texting habits catch up? Or is it that the the United States’ proliferation of smart phones rocketed us past the savvy texting bandwagon?
Attention, all you movie and TV buffs! Netflix today released an app that puts its instant streaming service on Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch…and it’s free! (Well, almost — you still need to be a Netflix subscriber to access the vast streaming library.)
While the app was already available on the iPad, many Netflix fans are rejoicing over the fact that they can now carry Netflix around in their pockets. Initial reaction to the app’s performance seems positive, although many are recommending you watch over Wi-Fi rather than 3G wireless connections to avoid that pesky buffering nonsense.
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m totally psyched about being able to watch old episodes of Boy Meets Worldduring my commute (I heart Topanga).
The latest 1.1 version of Google Earth for Android now allows consumers to experience the mystifying terrain of the world’s oceans, creating a “Street View of the seas.” With its Ocean Showcase feature, it allows people to find cool new surf spots, underwater shipwrecks, marine research and diving to the ocean’s deepest trenches. This edition also includes an “Explore the Ocean” feature that allows people the ability to view hundreds of images and videos from Google’s content partners.
Check out the underwater Google Earth view of the Monterey Canyon above, which is larger than the Grand Canyon. You can navigate around with the “Look Around” button to explore the multiple angles and views of this underwater phenomenon.
The Straddler: Take a look at this bus concept introduced at the Beijing International High-tech Expo back in May. Designed for high traffic, this public buscan hold up to 1,400 passengers and has a hollow undersection, allowing cars and other low-to-the-ground vehicles to drive underneath it.
Snow Stamp: Last winter, when the U.K. was covered in a blanket of snow, a team from Polo Mints hit the streets to make their mark – using a large branded stamp to replicate their iconic white mint, they left Polo Mint imprints in the fresh snow.
Virtual Insanity: We love the premise of this iPhone game that marries physical and virtual worlds – iPawn uses the iPhone touchscreen as a board and each player is given a small pawn (which is matter-of-factly better than Life and Monopoly pieces…combined) to participate in a role-playing conversation.
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Yesterday afternoon, SafetyWeb, an online service that helps parents guard their children’s online safety, released an app for iPhone and Android that allows parents to monitor the online and mobile internet activity of their children from their smartphones.
The below commercial from T-Mobile says it all in terms of the way children are using their phones today, and with unlimited data plans and advanced smartphones, monitoring the desktop or laptop use of a child simply doesn’t cut it.
From bullying to online predators, children are exposed to a lot more than they they were in the past because of technology, including mobile. SafetyWeb gives parents the chance to monitor and manage their kids’ online and mobile experiences from the palm of their hand, so they’re able to protect and advise their kids about online behavior from anywhere.
The pricing of the service ranges from $10/month or $100/year, which seems cheap in comparison to some of the cyberbullying stories we’ve heard over the past year or so.
Do you monitor the online activity of your children?
If 18-month-olds understand how to operate an iPhone, I can only imagine how far we will go when it comes to advancing technology and the way we interact with technology. From app development to the way technology interfaces will appear in years to come, tech companies and marketers should start studying the next generation of tech users now.
Thanks to BuzzFeed’s Jon Steinberg for the link to the video. If you had to name the next generational group, including Jon’s daughter in the above video, what would you call it?
We’ve come a long way since the Zack Morris cell phone. Today, more and more business is being conducted through mobile devices, and has been found to be quite the profitable approach. Mashable recently reported on Samsung’s top mobile commerce trends for 2010. The top five include:
Bargain Hunting: Including the apps that let you scan bar codes to compare prices at other retailers
Mobile Ticketing - Which surely helped moviegoers snag the last few cramped seats for recent sold-out movies, including Inceptionand Avatar
Banking - Who doesn’t have to check their balance while shopping to ensure they don’t overdraw?
Tangible Goods - Ordering items from sites like eBay
Marketing - For the amount of time people spend on their mobile phones, it’s no wonder marketers have tapped into this opportunity
If you are like me and have dogs in your family, you may have encountered a time where you wanted to bring your pup with you to a meal or to a store, but you weren’t sure if the store allowed them inside. After all, the last thing you want to do is leave Rover outside or in a hot car, right?
According to the Springwise blog, “Fido Factor is a US directory of dog-friendly restaurants, venues, bookstores and other establishments. The site encourages user-generated content through its iPhone app, Facebook integration, and with the promise of a donation to San Francisco SPCA when new content gets added for that city.”
This is a great idea because it addresses a huge pain point for dog owners who want to take their dogs everywhere, but really has the chance to take off because of the charity tie-in, which could be expanded on a local level, nationally.
And on that note, meet the Longert family pups, Fitzy and Hendrix!
Milk seems like a a weird thing to be thinking about on a 100 degree day, but I thought this story from Mediapost on the digital rebranding of the white stuff was interesting to all of us who have grown up with the campaign.
After 15-years of celebrity “Got Milk” print ads, the iconic campaign from the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) is finally going digital.
A text messaging component to the campaign will allow MilkPEP to give teens access to an exclusive video of celeb spokesperson Lauren Conrad. Users will snap a photo of the print ad with their smartphones and texting to be granted access to view the video, in which Conrad talks about why she loves milk.
In addition to SMS, another digital marketing effort by MilkPEP will feature St. Louis Cardinals star player in Sports Illustrated’s new iPad edition.
Although most of the messaging about mobile devices these days is about convenience on the go, it turns out that 60% of mobile Web usage actually takes place right at home.
Come on, who doesn’t reach for their cell phone first thing in the morning? According to the study, 30% of smartphone users start their day with mobile Internet. My BlackBerry is my alarm clock, so I kind of have to use my mobile at home (to hit the snooze button, of course). Then I check my Weather.com app so I know what to wear, and if I’m procrastinating about getting out of bed, I might check my e-mail and Twitter, too.
Sometimes I use my phone to access the Internet at home just because I want to avoid opening my laptop. Once I do that, I usually get sucked in and before I know it, an hour has gone by.
App Localizer: Apple has filed an application for a newly-published patent that involves temporary location-based apps. An example: Upon walking into a restaurant, temp icons specific to that establishment would pop up on your iPhone, telling you the “Wait Time” and asking you to “Place Order.”
My Ex-Wife’s Wedding Dress: When “man and wife” became just “man,” he didn’t know what to do with his time. His ex-wife took virtually everything (including the kids) but the one thing she left was her wedding dress. In an attempt to fill the void, he created this blog – My Ex-Wife’s Wedding Dress – and is documenting all the different uses for one, including Grill Cover and Dental Floss.
Twitter to the Rescue: A man in Japan tweeted that he needed toilet paper and 20 minutes later, he got some. That’s a long time but still, Internet: 2, Humans: 0.
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It’s really interesting to see brands figuring out how they can best leverage the newest buzzworthy social media tool, and in this case it’s Foursquare. This partnership with the History Channel, to promote the new miniseries America: The Story of Us, is one of the best I’ve seen. When you check in to specific spots, Foursquare will tell you a fun historical fact about the very place you’re standing and award you a special History Channel badge. Great for history buffs and trivia nerds alike, plus it will likely inspire users to check out the miniseries for even more fun facts.
I’m also a big fan of the way the Financial Times is leveraging the platform, by giving limited-time free subscriptions to the online version of the newspaper to Foursquare users that are “mayors” of certain spots. That’s one way to break through the paywall!
Has the time really come for me to join Foursquare? I know that mobile is where it’s going, but do you all really need to know where I am at every moment? I’ve been grappling with this for a long time. My esteemed colleague Alyssa just joined, after much protest.
Today, Foursquare launched its Blackberry app. I just may have to try it.
Also…on the topic of mobile, a great read today in Ad Age around 5 mobile trends for 2010.
I don’t know how I missed this viral ad from Samsung, but it is one of the best ones I have ever seen and I’m so jealous I didn’t think of it. Tapping into our cultural obsession with cuteness, the video shows various adorable baby animals and how they creatively use the Samsung Ultratouch cellphone (hint: not as an actual phone). This ad combines two of my favorite things: cute animals and miniature dioramas. What could be better?
As a dedicated BlackBerry fan I’ve often felt that the iPhone — and to some degree, its cultish following — was somewhat full of hot air about the greatness of the gadget. Turns out, now it literally is.
There’s a new app out now called Blower, which developers claim can be used to “blow out candles, herbs, and refresh your skin during hot summer nights.” Um, wow. How lazy can you be?! Basically, Blower just moves air through the speakers of your iPhone to create, which is exactly how the speakers work when playing music. Sorry, but this sounds like the most superfluous app ever created. I’ll stick to my BlackBerry — and to breathing myself, for that matter.
