Technology

Samsung and Toshiba unveil tablets to challenge iPad

More technology leaders have unveiled tablet computers to rival Apple’s iPad at this week’s IFA tech show in Berlin. Samsung and Toshiba demonstrated their tablet computers at the event, which both run on the Android 2.2 operating system, after Android developer Google previewed its own tablet design earlier this year. BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones explained that both the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Toshiba Folio 100 could provide effective competition to Apple due to their ability to play Flash video and their more compact size, with Samsung’s model measuring just seven inches. Samsung unveiled its new product on Thursday, dubbed “the first of the company’s tablet devices” - suggesting more will be forthcoming. The company’s head of mobile communications, JK Shin, stated: “Samsung recognises the tremendous growth potential in this newly-created market and we believe that the Samsung Galaxy Tab brings a unique and open proposition to market.

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Samsung and Toshiba unveil tablets to challenge iPad

Web Video Content Considerations

You’ve got this hot new product that you’re sure will take the market by storm, all you have to do is get the word out, and you know the best way to make the biggest, most memorable impact is with a knock-your-socks-off viral video campaign published on your website and repurposed on YouTube. If for some reason you doubt the value of video or its increasing impact on commercial presentation, and you need some statistical evidence to satisfy your skepticism, consult Paul Verna’s article “Companies Throw Their Weight Behind Online Video” . You know you’ll need to support the video with a public relations blitz, and you’re investigating companies like Viral Ad Network and AlphaBird for seeding your videos so that they go viral. But how (there’s always a but) do you present your product or service so that viewers won’t dismiss your video campaign as just another sales pitch from a company that’s claiming to sell the greatest thing since Ron Popeil’s spray-on hair. The answer is both simple and difficult: simple to understand but hard to execute, and for most small and medium enterprises even harder to accept. Start At The Beginning Once you’ve made the decision to use Web video as a means to promote your company you have to decide if this is a project you are going to take-on in-house or outsource to professionals. Decisions. Decisions. Producing an in-house video campaign would, of course, be the cheapest solution assuming you have all the hardware and software, plus the technical, production, and marketing communication expertise to complete the task

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Web Video Content Considerations

The Singularity, Google and the new civilisation

Imagine, if you will, Arthur C. Clarke’s third law that states: “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” and that Harry Potter’s “magic” will soon be realised through advanced technologies that are nearing a “Singularity”, the dawn of a new civilisation. For over three decades, futurist Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected advocates of the role of technology in defining our intelligence. He presents the concept of technological change in which computers will surpass human intelligence in an inexorable evolutionary transformation, where man and machine will be merged. Extrapolated exponentially into the 21st century, he foretells of the growth of intelligence that will become “increasingly non-biological” and “trillions of times more powerful” than it is today. This is the essence of the Singularity. This technological Singularity is a hypothetical event whereby technological progress is due to become exponential due to positive feedback. In this brave new world, the distinction between reality and virtual reality, or human and machine, by means of nanotechnology, will be indistinguishable. Kurzweil argues that human ageing and illness will be reversed, pollution will be stopped and world hunger and poverty will be solved

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The Singularity, Google and the new civilisation

AOL, Google to team up for five more years

As AOL continues to rejig its strategies and corporate structure - which has already facilitated cutting the cord with social networking dud Bebo - it’s signed on for another tour with search seraph Google , the far-and-away market leader. The deal is of great importance to AOL, as one of its last vestiges of profitability falls within ad sales, and the ISP and web portal owed some $209 million in revenue to its partnership with Mountain View. Though neither AOL nor Google disclosed financial agreements between the two companies, it has been revealed that the new terms will include bringing AOL to the mobile search market, which has been exploding in popularity since the advent of smartphone technology. “Today is another important step in the turnaround of AOL,” said CEO Tim Armstrong, who’s been in charge of reversing the fortunes of the web outfit, once synonymous with the internet some 15 years ago. “AOL users will be getting a better search and search ads experience from the best search company in the world - Google,” Armstrong said. “After nearly a decade-long partnership in search, we’re looking forward to expanding our global relationship to mobile search and YouTube. All aspects of our partnership will be improved by this deal.” AOL’s deal rolls out their ad services to YouTube, the number one video-sharing website, where profits on display ads will be split with Google, who’s also the parent company of the site specialising in piano-playing cats and other internet memes

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AOL, Google to team up for five more years

Apple unveils Ping - a social network for iTunes customers

Apple caused a new stir in the technology world at its San Francisco press conference yesterday, when CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the company’s new music-based social network, Ping. Jobs made no secret of the product’s intended competition to social networking leaders Facebook and Twitter, even going as far as to call it “Facebook meets Twitter meets iTunes.” The Apple boss also made sure to differentiate the new iTunes-centred service, however, calling it “a social network all about music.” Jobs explained that Ping allows all 160 million iTunes customers to connect and discover new music more easily. “With Ping you can follow your favourite artists and friends and join a worldwide conversation with music’s most passionate fans,” he said. The Belfast Telegraph reports that the site’s social networking features will extend to microblogging, in the vein of Twitter, while users can also create a Facebook-style circle of friends. The service may come under scrutiny from privacy watchdogs, however, due to its less customisable options than those of Facebook. While Ping may have been the main talking point of the conference, Apple also took the opportunity to unveil its latest line of iPods, including the new mid-range product with a small touchscreen. Prices will reportedly vary from

Online Brand Management – 5 Benefits of Viral Videos

Viral video is simultaneously the most entertaining and the most infuriating element of online marketing. Let’s clear the air quickly: No one can promise you a viral video success. Ever. Viral videos succeed because the audience likes them and spreads them on to other people. If the audience doesn’t get it, the video doesn’t go viral, and there is nothing that can guarantee the response you want. That said, there is every reason to continue developing video content with the aim of going viral. In terms of investment-to-value ratio, viral videos remain some of the most economical efforts a brand can put out for itself. If even one video you produce hits the entertainment nerve and goes viral, you’ve done your brand a world of good. Let us consider the success of one particular viral series to see some of the benefits available from this branding tactic.

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Online Brand Management – 5 Benefits of Viral Videos

Sony set to launch iTunes rival

Japanese technology giant Sony is reportedly planning to launch a new music and video subscription service that could challenge the dominance of Apple’s iTunes. According to a report in the Financial Times, Sony will unveil its new service at a conference in Berlin today, shortly before competitor Apple hosts its own media event in San Francisco to showcase its latest advances. Details are scarce about the new service, but according to the report: “Sony would use its [Web-connected] PlayStation games consoles as the starting point for a new service that users will be able to use across a range of other Internet-connected devices. “That could include Walkman music players, Vaio computers, Bravia TVs, Blu-ray players and Sony Ericsson mobile phones.” This would not be Sony’s first attempt to break into the lucrative music subscription market. Its previous music service, Sony Connect, launched in 2004 and proved less than successful - the service itself was riddled with software malfunctions, and also suffered from a lack of consumer interest in Sony’s own branded music players, compared to Apple’s ubiquitous iPod. The service was withdrawn two years ago. Sony previously launched a social media platform for PlayStation 3 users, PlayStation Home , in 2007, as well as a video sharing site to rival YouTube in Japan, eyeVio . However, neither of these services made the impact the company hoped.

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Sony set to launch iTunes rival

Small Business Video Marketing For 2010

There are still debates going on about how business owners can use social media marketing, however the actual number of CEOs engaging in social media is surprisingly low. In 2010 it seems that businesses have either grown comfortable, or have been forced to accept sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare.. For instance, there are many impressive CEOs using Twitter to reach out to consumers by creating a personalized touch to their business. Tweeting CEOs like Tony Hsieh of Zappos and Guy Kawasaki of Alltop are well-known for their successful social presences and large followings as a result. There is more to the buzz than just Twitter and Facebook, and you can see this in action by watching how business owners are using video marketing

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Small Business Video Marketing For 2010

Computer Support Tips For Silver Surfers

As much as we like to think that we know all that we need about the computers that we use everyday, the new operating systems, software and even hardware can cause unforeseen problems for people and even companies that rely heavily on their computers for work and entertainment. Like a lot of other things on the Internet, computers have come a long way and the need for computer support services that deal with hardware issues is not as in demand as it once was. Today’s issues tend to be more software centric rather than hardware although it’s good to have an expert on your side that can deal with all the issues that you might face. Whilst youngsters who have been bought up with computers generally have a very firm foundation of knowledge about operating systems and other computer programs the older generations (or silver surfers as they are affectionately known) often just want to switch on their Pc and do what they need to do, so if they hit a snag it can prove difficult for them. Computer companies are not all about hardware repairs and some even specialize in computer help and computer skills for silver surfers so if this is you you’ll want to make sure that the local expert you look to has several core service offering including: => Great customer service

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Computer Support Tips For Silver Surfers

Social Networking and the Overshare Generation

There have been a lot of stories in the media lately about cyber-stalking and privacy issues on the Internet. It seems to be a knee jerk reaction to the tsunami of social networking that has occurred in the past few years. Or is it? Are the media over-reacting? Or have we forgotten what privacy is in the age of the World Wide Web? The Rise of Oversharing Back in the late 1990’s, many people didn’t even use their real names on the Internet. Email addresses were usually aliases or nicknames in an attempt to retain as much privacy as possible. But with the rise in popularity of social media services such as Twitter , Facebook and MySpace has come a rise in online confidence. The new Internet generation doesn’t seem to have the privacy hang ups or suspicions their parents had about sharing information with strangers over the net.

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Social Networking and the Overshare Generation

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