Wolf Tracking

If you’re the type of person who is immersed in tech culture news, then I’m sure you’ve at least heard about Android. But for the rest of the planet who may not visit Gizmodo or Engadget (or the millions of other blog and online news sources) on a daily basis, then Android may sound like a distant relative of R2D2. This blog post is intended to explain what Android is and get you “geekd” up about it!

According to Wikipedia (one of the most reliable sources of information – head shaking no), Android is a software platform and operating system for mobile devices, based on the Linux kernel (a free open source operating system), developed by Google. It allows developers to write free, managed code in a Java-like language.

Even to a semi-tech smart cookie like me, this definition looks like binary code. To put it in “Smarter Than A Fifth Grader” language, Android is an opportunity to make a phone PERFECT for you.  It’s an open platform that allows personalized functionality and applications on your phone (think bigger than Apple, think Apple Orchard).

We can all agree that Apple technology and gadgets slapped us in the gut and made us want to emulate those dancing shadows on their commercials. The iPhone and app store took mobile possibility and functionality one step further. But, the iPhone and App Store was merely the first step, albeit an important and necessary first step, but a first step nonetheless in changing the mobile world.

The smarty-pants’ at Google took the Android concept and initiated the Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together “they” developed Android.

Last week, brilliance continued to be unveiled with the publishing Google’s 2007 patent about taking over the mobile industry. This patent could eliminate the need of long-term contracts with wireless carriers, putting the users in control of each call and data transfer they make. PC World opens up the realm of possibility here.

CE companies, HTC, Samsung, LG, SonyEricsson and Motorola have all hopped on the Android bandwagon and will begin selling Android-enabled phones starting in 2009. You may have even seen the HTC G1, as the first Android device hitting the market in late October. My advice would be to let early adopters do their early adopting jobs and look to purchase next year. You can check out some of the most anticipated features on video here.

If all of the promises and hype actually come to fruition, mobile will rule. Android will change your life.

Be excited about this.

A few weeks ago my good friend Greg wrote about NBC’s plans to broadcast virtually the entire 2008 Summer Olympics.  His gripe – no one wants to watch each and every event, most of which are sports that seem to only exist during Olympics season.  Instead, consumers just want to see the crème de la crop – those truly special moments in sports history (think 400m relay).

I couldn’t agree with Greg more, but apparently we’re alone.

An estimated 107 million people tuned in to experience at least a few minutes of the Olympics on Sunday (whoa!), 95 percent of whom watched the games on TV.

Impressive as that number may be, the real story here is how the other 5 percent accessed NBC’s video content.

Greg recommended that NBC leverage interactivity and new media to bring this year’s games into the modern day.

While I wouldn’t go as far as to say NBC has pulled out all the tricks (still don’t see much Web 2.0 gadgetry available on NBC’s dedicated Olympics site), they’ve accomplished something amazing: driven millions of people to give new consumption methods, like mobile video, a shot.

Although the number of people accessing Olympic content over mobile devices is relatively small compared to via TV — 494,506 on Sunday – roughly half of these folks have never before accessed video on their phones.

NBC is using the Olympics as a research lab of sorts to track the adoption of new media technology, making the content available online, through video on demand and via cell phones, in addition to traditional TV.

My hope is that NBC’s research reveals what Greg suggested: consumers are ready for interactive experiences that unleash the true potential of broadband.  And just halfway through this year’s games it’s looking good.

Last week, I found myself prodding along with a myriad of other proud parents in an attempt to get good shots of my son singing in his school Valentine’s Day play. Slightly frustrated, I paced back and forth, circling the stage to catch the right frame. And guess what? I never got a good shot.

At that moment, I realized that my bright idea to buy a relatively inexpensive digital camera was a pretty dumb one. In fact, I began envisioning all of the other school functions to come – plays, recitals, soccer games, karate tournaments. Becoming even more frustrated by the thought of it, I then turned to my husband and said, “This camera is a piece of crap, it doesn’t work for me, the zoom function is limited and the picture isn’t clear, I need a better camera.”

Needless to say, I’m now on the prowl for a quality camera – one that will enable me to bypass other cute kids and get good shots of mine, whether it’s video or photos. So I’m doing what any other chief memory officer (MOM) would do. I’m spending time perusing product reviews sites to determine which camera will best suit our family’s needs.

According to a stat I found from the Consumer Electronics Association, sales of digital cameras, especially the higher-end SLRs, have skyrocketed and high-resolution cameras with more than six mega-pixels are the fastest-growing segment of the camera industry.

But in all honesty, I’m just looking forward to finding a camera that works for me.

Each year, I vow to myself that I’m going to turn over a new leaf. But this time, I mean it.

I’m starting my holiday shopping early. In fact, I’ve already mapped out my master plan all starting with this weekend, when I’ve committed myself to spending a couple of hours on Friday night (yes, I have an exciting life) perusing online shopping sites such as Overstock, BestBuy, ThinkGeek, Shopzilla, PriceGrabber, Home Depot and Wow-Coupons to scout out deals. And guess what? I’ll be one among millions who turn to the Internet for holiday gift shopping and ideas.

According to Forrester Research, US online retail sales this holiday season will reach $33 billion, a 21 percent increase over last year. Apparel and accessories will top holiday shopping lists and another projected big winner this year will be gift cards. I, personally, have warmed up to gift cards.

Being the Geekmom in the family, I plan to purchase lots of cool, fun tech toys - most of which will be consumer devices.

Here’s my tech holiday wish list.

Note: I’m just giving you my top three. However, if you want to send gifts my way, shoot me an e-mail at dacrie_brooks@cohnwolfe.com and I’ll be more than happy to send you my entire list.

1. E-Starling E-Mail Enabled Wi-Fi Digital Photo Frame

I’ve been eyeing this one for a while on ThinkGeek.com and it’s pretty cool. It can connect to my wireless network, be integrated with FlickR RSS photo feeds and I can e-mail it my photos and organize slideshows. As far as I’m concerned, this is a must-have item for any one who has tons of digital pics that they want to display in the home or office.

2. Toshiba HD-DVD Player

I don’t care about the HD- DVD vs. Blu-Ray DVD format wars anymore, I have to get this before Thanksgiving. With family coming to visit, I have to ensure that we ALL enjoy our digital living room experience so I’ll be purchasing a Toshiba HD-DVD player (why Toshiba? I have a Toshiba Plasma TV, and it’s important to coordinate brands) probably next Tuesday.

3. LeapFrog’s FLY Fusion Pentop Computer

As a mom, I’m a firm believer in using technology to help the kids enhance their educational experiences and I like them to also have cool tech toys so I’m buying my 8 year-old a LeapFrog FLY Fusion Pentop Computer and corresponding 4th grade programs to help prepare her for next year.

Ok, I guess now’s the time to leave you with a compelling, final thought of why this is ALL relevant.

While I certainly enjoy shopping, it’s important to remember that getting your hands on the latest and greatest consumer device just to be cool isn’t really the point. It’s about making life easier and more enjoyable.

Thus, I’ll end with a quote by Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google,

“As we go forward, I hope we’re going to continue to use technology to make really big differences in how people live and work.”

Last week, Apple’s mandatory software update for the iPhone may have unwittingly touched off an arms race between their in-house genius software designers, and their formidably geeky loyal fanbase. And really, they should have seen this coming…

In March 2005 Sony launched the PlayStation Portable (PSP) to terrific fanfare and midnight madness launches nationwide. Shortly after launch, Sony started issuing regular updates to the PSP as downloadable patches to the systems firmware – a light-duty operating system that drives a consumer device in the background. In the beginning, they delivered new functionality to PlayStation’s slick little brother like custom wallpapers, better controls for music and movie playback, and compatibility with PlayStation 3 and other devices.

Before too long, however, Sony’s firmware updates became the front line defense for their war against the indie game “homebrew” community and modders. True, some of these modders were getting their PSP to play pirated games, and Sony has a right (and a critical business need) to put a stop to that. But a lot of them were just trying to install Linux, use it to control a Roomba, and basically have fun screwing around with their really cool toy. When the PSP’s most anticipated titles, like Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories required new firmware to run, a vocal minority railed against Sony in forums and the blogosphere.

Game sites were littered with vitriol about how Sony was putting a limit on what gamers could and couldn’t do with hardware they already owned. And to a certain degree, it’s hard to blame them. Until very recently, the precedent with consumer electronics has been “the box does what it does. It’s YOUR responsibility to use it legally, properly and safely.” After all, everyone’s DVD player is capable of showing Gigli, and no one’s gone to court for it… yet.

Fast forward to earlier this year. Hordes of Apple disciples waited in ridiculous lines around the country to get their very own iPhone. You might have heard a thing or two about it. Enterprising young programmers quickly found out how to unlock the uberphone, and load it with homemade programs, videogames, and the ability to work with phone providers other than AT&T, much to Apple’s chagrin. Apple responded with last week’s firmware update, and the iPhone’s early adopters, predictably, reacted with rancor. Apple’s legions of fans are no doubt working on a solution to open up the iPhone again, and undo the latest firmware update. Assuming they figure it out, Apple will have to issue yet another firmware upgrade to regain control of the iPhone.

No sooner had Steve Jobs shown us the dirty little trick hidden in his black turtleneck sleeve than a shining beacon of hope, and goodness, and all things customer service came from… Microsoft!? The undisputed king of needless, forced upgrades (I know a guy that had to upgrade Word so he could spell things with umlauts) made the new Zune software available to first generation Zune owners this week. The Generation 2 firmware adds wifi syncing and music rental, two of the biggest selling points for the new Zune, to all the Generation 1 Models. In short, Microsoft figured out a way to upgrade the Zune, without making early adopters feel left out.

Here’s hoping Apple, and every other consumer electronics producer took note – this is how you treat customers. Our always-on, connected devices (including everything from cell phones, to TiVo, to all 3 of this generation’s videogame consoles) give manufacturers more power than ever before to modify their device when it’s already in the consumers’ hands. But with that power comes a set of complex responsibilities to protect their consumers, their partners, and their reputation.

While I typically LOVE anything new, especially mobile phones, I won’t be one of the millions of people who are expected to switch from current cell phone providers to AT&T (I’m a Sprint customer), trade in their current mobile devices (I have a Blackberry 8703e) and plop down more than $499 for a new Apple iPhone – today.

According to Apple and AT&T, the iPhone is expected to be a “revolutionary new mobile phone that allows you to make a call by simply pointing your finger at a name or number in your address book, a favorites list, or a call log. It also automatically syncs all your contacts from a PC, Mac, or Internet service. And it lets you select and listen to voicemail messages in whatever order you want - just like email.

Personally, I don’t feel the need to be that cool AND I’m not going to spend such an insane amount of money customizing my service plan. I mean, who wants a basic iPhone without all the bells and whistles. It’s like buying a Cadillac Escalade without the rims!

I’ve also heard that there are very slow Internet speeds and some issues with the keyboards. Of course, to be expected with the first-generation release of this product.

But let’s switch gears on the product aspects to talk about the sheer media frenzy of it all.

Talk about dominating the news, media and pop culture. This iPhone is being written about, blogged about, talked about and Googled more than when news hit that Paris Hilton was prematurely released from jail and then sent back to the slammer crying.

Case in point, when I Googled Paris Hilton there were approximately 71,200,000 and when I Googled the Apple iPhone, it took the lead with 72,900,000 results in 0.9 seconds. Ok, granted this is not a true numerical calculation since we’re off by fractions of a second – but I know you get my drift.

My advice to anyone considering buying the iPhone on Friday is this:

• Read the product reviews; just check out this Reuters article in InformationWeek.
• If you’re not a current AT&T/Cingular customer, contact your mobile provider to ask about early termination fees (my early termination fee through Sprint is $250).

After years of widespread rumors, we watched as Steve Jobs unveiled Apple’s iPhone during his Macworld keynote in January, an announcement that took the mobile and consumer electronics industries by storm.

While the infamous Consumer Electronics Show was underway, in a brilliant marketing ploy, Jobs completely swept the thunder from all of his competitors (who at the time were undoubtedly clamoring for the attention of David Pogue, Walter Mossberg, and the like) as his announcement incited “iPhone-mania.”

As Jobs promised, the iPhone should be ready to ship later this month, and six months since his speech, Jobs’ wonder-phone is still making headlines as fever builds for the big debut.

So what’s all the hype? We all have a cell phone, a music device, access to the Web, right?

Apple’s marketing muscle.

Jobs has driven one of the most impactful marketing campaigns in modern history, successfully building expectations for what some have called “the God machine” as iPhone hysteria is beginning to reach levels usually reserved for the newest video game system at Christmas time.

Despite the device’s lofty price tag – $600 – both Apple and AT&T (exclusive service provider) have received more than one million inquiries about the product’s availability.

Well, for all those eager consumers, the answer’s here. Continuing its aggressive marketing strategy, Apple confirmed it will release the iPhone on June 29 through a series of commercials on Sunday promoting the combination mobile phone and iPod music player.

The company’s promotional strategy has employed a clever mix of traditional television ads (such as those we saw this weekend), well-timed announcements (any recollection of a CES product announcement?) and stunts only the elite few playing in Jobs’ sandbox can pull off. During a recent appearance at a technology industry conference in Southern California, Jobs teased the audience by pulling an iPhone out of his pocket and quickly slipping it back in.

Typical of Jobs’ impressive track record of executing ingenious marketing programs (iPod did pretty well, huh?), his timing again seems perfect this time around. Apple appears to have entered the mobile market at precisely the right moment in technology and consumerism to merge computers with phones.

Most analysts believe that Apple will easily exceed its initial goal of selling 10 million phones by the end of next year. Investors seem to agree – Apple’s stock has skyrocketed due to speculation and excitement over the iPhone in recent months.

But how well has Apple managed the public’s expectations of the iPhone’s performance?

First generation iPods had a host of problems and bugs that were quickly fixed in subsequent generations, but excitement for the music player at the time was nowhere near that of the iPhone today.

It will be interesting to watch how Apple rolls out the product and harnesses its marketing prowess to circumnavigate the bumpy road that will surely follow.

Over the past week, baseball fans in all markets thrilled to Interleague matchups that are designed to bring teams together that would only play each other in the World Series under normal circumstances. It exposes up-and-coming players to a larger audience, and gives the fans more action to follow throughout the season. Earlier this year, it looked like Interleague series might be the only way a lot of fans could see their favorite teams, especially if they play in a different media market.

Just as Spring Training was drawing to a close in March, the nation’s cable operators, the office of the Commissioner of Baseball, and even Congress were all involved in a bitter standoff over which carriers could broadcast out-of-market games. In a nutshell, MLB would only allow operators to carry baseball’s complete games package, Extra Innings, if they agreed to deliver the year-round MLB Channel (a long-delayed project that could be described as a glimmer in Bud Selig’s eye, at best) to all of their subscribers.

To the dismay of many fans, DirecTV agreed to a 7-year, $700 million deal that would give them exclusive rights to Extra Innings, so any fans that follow an out-of-market team would be forced to get a dish and subscribe. At the 11^th hour, MLB went back to negotiations, and finally struck a deal with all the major cable providers. While I understand the league’s need to maintain the value of its property, the fans that they fought so hard to win back after the 1994 players’ strike might get fed up if squabbles over TV rights become the norm.

One factor that went surprisingly under the radar during the whole affair is the relative shelf life of the product – in this case, region-free live sports broadcasts. With a host of exciting new distribution technologies on the horizon, Major League Baseball and other content providers would be wise to pull down the walls surrounding their content, and concentrate on driving revenue by advertising to a much larger audience.

Affordable, novel hardware like the Slingbox and Apple’s iTV makes moving online content across multiple devices a snap. Convenient living room access to a world of entertainment, sports and news broadcasts means content disputes, like the one baseball fans got mired in, will go the way of the dodo.

It doesn’t end with hardware, either. The rapidly-evolving IPTV space will deliver an unprecedented amount of content to a global audience – so the national pastime can find new fans in South Korea, while viewers in South Dakota can check out this “cricket” they’ve heard so much about. Smarter ad models that match out-of-market program with local advertising, and incorporating sharper demographics targeting, will ensure that programming remains valuable in its appeal to a broader, global audience.

When content is free of bonds like subscriber-only access and territorial lockout, everybody wins. Play ball!

When he’s not busy giving away piles of money, Bill Gates likes to pop his head into the technology press once in a while to make a few predictions and remind everyone that there’s someone out there even more loaded than Warren Buffet. The latest instance came at this week’s Strategic Account Summit, a gathering of Microsoft’s advertising partners.

In his keynote speech, Gates outlined a future in which digital media pervades every aspect of our lives - with music, video, news, phone calls and presumably eternal bliss being delivered to everyone through an all-in-one wireless device.

All this digital excitement won’t leave room for the printing press, Gates claims - all reading will be conducted “completely online” in the future, supported by targeted advertising. Sounds like a hoot - pretty soon we’ll be wondering how people ever read George Orwell’s 1984 without the iconic Apple ad to keep them company! Hey kids, this Civil War chapter in your history book is brought to you by Cap’n Crunch!

It’s no accident that the Strategic Account Summit was deemed worthy of an appearance by Microsoft’s patriarch. As Windows Live matures and Microsoft customers get more of their services for free on the Web instead of buying expensive software, advertisers will be responsible for keeping Microsoft’s $50 billion revenue stream from disappearing. That’s why Google is giving Steve Ballmer sleepless nights - in the world of online advertising, Google is Bill Clinton and MSN is Roger Clinton. Even adding Yahoo! to their stable wouldn’t change that fact.

So before you start throwing away your book collection and awaiting the inevitable, it’s worth noting that Bill Gates also predicted in 2004 that the email spam problem would be “solved” in two years. That hasn’t quite panned out.

Yes, Bill Gates is insanely rich. Yes, Bill Gates is insanely smart. And yes, Bill Gates is correct that digital media will change the way we live in years to come. But will Microsoft have the foresight to lead the charge?

Now might be a good time for Bill Gates to borrow the Oracle of Omaha’s crystal ball for a few years.

Regardless of how you feel about the music of Nine Inch Nails or its front man Trent Reznor, last week marked the end of an aggressive ad and marketing campaign to promote the Nine Inch Nails critically acclaimed sixth studio album, Year Zero. The buzz started with secret messages in Nine Inch Nails tour t-shirts and morphed into leaked songs, strategically placed USB drives and numerous websites devoted to the futuristic concept album.

Despite being a band that has been signed to a major label for nearly it’s entirely career, something about the guerilla marketing tactics for Year Zero manages to give the project an organic, underground feeling. Reznor’s embrace of social media and his creative marketing decisions have made fans of all musical genres open their eyes to the wave of a new era of musical promotion. The marketing for Year Zero has pushed the boundaries of how an album can be marketed and Reznor proves that it doesn’t have to come at the expense of the music or the art.

The name of the album itself seems to suggest a sort of leveling out of current life, of perceptions, an erasure of common truths and judgments. The irony of this title however, or perhaps a better statement would be, the genius of the album, is that instead of starting over or leveling the current trend of early music leaks driven by the ever shifting fan controlled music industry, Reznor in his very rock star way clung to these trends without fear. Instead of resisting and fighting the early release of his music, the explosion was decidedly controlled, Pandora was let out of its box, but it was Reznor’s hand lifting the lid.

The marketing for the new album had somewhat of a snowball effect and turned into a veritable scavenger hunt for clues. In February a fan noticed a Nine Inch Nails tour T-shirt with the letters that spelled the words “I am trying to believe” and people seemed to believe there was more behind the message, and there was. This secret code lead fans to the internet, and what they found was a website that had been registered as iamtryingtobelieve.com, as well as dozens of other websites associated with the album, all with closely related IP address some as simple as the promotional art (a bombed out Hollywood sign, circa Year Zero) that visitors can erase with their mouse and others with short video clips. Around this time secret telephone numbers related to the album appeared, and when fans called there were pre recorded messages of clips from the “future”.

Then in mid February USB drives started appearing on Nine Inch Nails tour spots in Europe. Around the time the first secret message was decoded from a tour shirt, a USB drive was found in a bathroom stall during a Nine Inch Nails concert in Lisbon with an MP3 track from the new album. Others were to follow in Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester complete with the promotional art. It was rumored, and largely accepted, that Reznor himself was responsible for the drives, and after a listening party that turned into a leak of a poor recording of the album on April 1st, the album was made available for streaming on April 4th.

In a Guardian article Reznor was quoted as saying, “The USB drive was simply a mechanism of leaking the music and data we wanted out there. The medium of the CD is outdated and irrelevant. It’s really painfully obvious what people want — DRM-free music they can do what they want with. If the greedy record industry would embrace that concept I truly think people would pay for music and consume more of it.”

In spite of his alleged involvement in the leaks, it is Reznor himself that resists the term marketing or advertising at all, especially in response to Rolling Stones‘ statement that the album’s fan involvement and subsequent promotion is a “marketing team’s dream.” In his own words, Reznor imagines the album free of all market influence “…what you are now starting to experience IS ‘year zero’. It’s not some kind of gimmick to get you to buy a record - it IS the art form.” But we know better. Regardless of what you call it or how much you like the music or the new album, it is clear that Reznor stared into the fear of artists, large record labels, and studios alike, embracing a future of music that pushes and embraces artistic concepts, but also expands the avenues that can be used to market and consume music.

Reznor’s campaign teaches us that it is still possible to give the consumer or the fan what they want, but creatively control the way in which they receive the information. For Reznor this project is a concept album of the future, an imaginary musical space that began with a laptop on tour, but for those of us watching, the campaign is a perfect synthesis of art, marketing and technology. And after the promotion is complete, there is still more mystery to uncover, and it is this that will keep a true fan or interested newcomer buying the album and coming back for more. The CD’s color changing, thermo-chrome heat sensitive CD face doesn’t hurt either, because who could pass up an opportunity to see that?

To uncover the mystery yourself, below are just a handful of websites associated with Year Zero:

• http://yearzero.nin.com
• http://www.iamtryingtobelieve.com
• http://anotherversionofthetruth.com
• http://uswiretap.com/case_number_required
• http://cedocore.com