The Onion nicely parodies the often irrational (but highly predictable) drivers behind the constant treadmill of electronic gizmo introductions and the unrelenting consumer interest in each new launch:
With the holiday shopping season officially under way, millions of consumers proceeded to their nearest commercial centers this week in hopes of acquiring the latest, and therefore most desirable, personal device.
The device, which is never named, retails for $395.
"Its higher price indicates to me that it is superior, and that not everyone will be able to afford it, which only makes me want to possess it more," said Tim Sturges, owner of the old device, which he obtained 18 months ago when it was still the new device. "I feel a strong urge to purchase the new device. Owning the new device will please me and improve my daily life."
"It's difficult to remember how I ever found enjoyment in my old device," Sturges continued. "It is no longer appealing to the eye."
(Credit:
Forbes)
One of the great things about working at a creative firm is that there's so much creativity around that it sometimes takes non-client-related work to fully channel it. From time to time, my colleagues at frog design embark on concept work for magazines to explore new territory and flex their skills.
The latest piece is a special project for Forbes' Special Report on Identity: The Troika card, a concept for a smarter Social Security card with a multifunctional screen that turns your identity card into a gadget. "Of the three forms of identification we have in the States--the other two being the passport and driver's license--the Social Security card is the one that unlocks your life," says my colleague Laura Richardson.
Made of lightweight aluminum, the Troika card is durable but also flexible. A multifunctional screen allows users to switch between driver's license, passport, and Social Security card. Thumbprint identification serves as protection against identity theft. "By combining the familiarity and proportions of a standard ID card with the durability of a water-resistant, flexible screen and the security of biometrics, [a card like this] could revolutionize the future of identification," Richardson says.
Here are the features in detail:
1. Thanks to the thumbprint reader, only the owner of the card is able to activate it.
2. The material of the Color E Ink display scanner is thin film used in electronic displays.
3. Buttons allow the user to select between Social Security, driver's license, and passport information.
4. The sturdy yet light aluminum body will last much longer than a typical plastic card.
5. The water-resistant cover keeps the card shiny and protects it from the elements.
Does a loved one suffer from infomania? Do you have an incorrigible number-cruncher on your gift list? Whether your favorite data-tracker is a runner or a gardener, here are five devices that could be a hit at home this year.
(Credit:
Fitbit)
About the size of a thumb drive, this fitness and sleep tracker discretely clips to your clothes. At home, it auto-syncs with its base station and uploads information (such as how many calories you burned that day or how many hours you actually slept) to a website where you can track data for yourself, or collaborate on goals with fitness-minded friends. It may be a good New Year's resolution gift: As of now, they're not guaranteeing it will deliver by Dec. 25 (although when we pre-ordered in October they were more optimistic).
For anyone who has found joy in a label-maker, this product takes it many steps further: The portable scanner keeps track of items in your home through their barcodes. Recommendations for use include card-cataloguing all of your books, magazines, and movies—or better yet—your wine cellar. It’s compatible with PCs and Macs, including the iPhone. You can even carry it in-store, as it’s small enough to fit on a keychain. Perfect for the organization obsessed, or anyone who has nightmares about insurance claims.
3. Zoombak Personal GPS locaters
These GPS-trackers come in both human (from backpacks and bicycles to cars) and canine versions that provide real-time info and email alerts based on your specifications. Provided your teenager doesn’t ditch it in the high school parking lot, it’s a good way for parents to have peace of mind with a 16-year-old on the road. For dogs, it’s an improvement over micro-chipping, which is only effective if the pet is recovered by a facility with a scanner. It may also be an effective way to figure out which neighbor has the tastiest compost.
4. EasyBloom Plant Sensor
At first glance, this falls into the realm of “you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it!” infomercials, but this gardener’s helper has gotten positive reviews all fall from the likes of CNET and the New York Times. Not only does the probe measure light, soil temperature and humidity, it provides recommendations from its database, and it has a fun design that’s exciting for the little green thumbs in your life. It’s simple to connect to your computer through a USB port, but the website could use some work. All-in-all an interesting attempt to bridge web and garden.
The EasyBloom
Despite the vaguely technical title, the latest James Bond installment, Quantum of Solace, is almost completely devoid of gadgets.
Gee-whiz gadgets have been a mainstay of the Bond oeuvre, from car ejection seats to lighters that convert into pistols, from watches with lasers to personal jetpacks. But with the "reboot" of the series starting with the last movie, Casino Royale, the filmmakers have dramatically downplayed the use of devices as deus-ex-machina methods of getting Bond out of a jam.
I saw QoS on Sunday night, and the only gadgets of significance that I noted were:
• A Minority Report/iPhone/Microsoft Surface type large-scale interface featuring multitouch, gesture control, and magical-connection-with-every-database-and-communication-system-on-Earth. In a world where getting a smartphone to seamlessly hand off between GSM and Wi-Fi is fraught with difficulty, this is potentially boffo in a nerdy kind of way. But the whole touchscreen interface thing has already passed into cliche. Gee-whiz factor is 2 out of 5: Doesn't cause dismemberment, seen it before.
• Digital cameras: I know, stretching here to find a gadget. There are only two reasons these are notable: The magical way in which they transmit photos and voice instantly back to MI6 in England (Eye-Fi card on steroids) and because they are made by Sony. Sony owns Columbia pictures...which made the movie.
• Facial recognition software: MI6 demo'd some software for taking the photos off the Sony digital cameras and recognizing the faces on them despite the fact that they were in a poorly lit avant garde stadium opera. Gee-whiz factor: 1 out of 5: MI6 needs to talk to a certain Crime Scene Investigation department in Las Vegas, Nev., because it's got better stuff.
• Ford Edges showed up in several scenes. (Ford was the official automotive supplier for the movie. It owns Aston Martin and used to own Land Rover, whose vehicles also appeared prominently until it was sold to India's Tata Motors last year). However, the filmmakers missed a gadget opportunity by not getting the Edge to dial up a suitable soundtrack using its Sync system while tearing down the narrow streets of an exotic city while being pursued by villains.
The filmmakers have seemingly confined Bond gadget plot devices to the dustbin of history. Or perhaps they've just decided that it's become impossible to out-wow real-life technology and that they will instead rely on mundane technology and impossible action sequences.
The gadget that I want? The titanium skeletal structure and self-healing epidermis that James Bond obviously has been upgraded with. Or how else could he survive the incredible beatings that he receives without so much as a slightly tussled hair and a few specks of blood above his eye? The Italian construction site fight scene is insane: I counted at least 47 points at which one or more bones should have been broken. Yet he walks out of it like the Robert Patrick T-1000 in Terminator 2, completely unscathed and not even breathing hard.
With widgets hailed as the "next small thing" for advertising, and newspapers going "widget-happy", it was about time Google expanded the beta release of its new Google Gadget Ads to advertisers worldwide. Google Gadget Ads are interactive ads that contain rich media capabilities. They can contain data feeds, images and videos, plus they can be developed in Flash and HTML. The Gadget Ads will run on Google's content network, and the pricing model will be both cost-per-click and cost-per-impression.
John Battelle, author of the seminal book on "search," welcomes Google's embracing of rich media and is "particularly pleased with the use of 'conversations' in the release, as well as a step toward what I've termed 'sell-side advertising'--the idea of putting your ads out there and letting the publishers/people drive them."
(Credit:
Hardmac Blog)
However, in the midst of the buzz around the new ad format, a new McKinsey & Co. report (via Publishing 2.0) draws some unexpected conclusions about "How Companies Are Marketing Online:" Advertisers are still reluctant to shift dollars online--despite the massive shift of consumer attention online--because of the "absence of meaningful metrics and adequate capabilities." McKinsey polled 410 marketing executives in five sectors, and among those already advertising online, 52 percent said "insufficient metrics to measure impact" was the biggest barrier, followed by insufficient in-house capabilities (41 percent), the difficulty of convincing management (33 percent), limited reach of digital tools (24 percent), and insufficient capabilities at agency (18 percent).
I find this astonishing: no one can seriously claim that the metrics for the good old TV commercial, billboard or print ad are more accountable than cost-per-click or cost-per-impression, and I would agree with Publishing 2.0's verdict that traditional advertising models are simply more "comfortable, more familiar" for advertisers who obviously struggle with adapting to a more dynamic ad model.
Steve Rubel has his own take, arguing that "some Web 2.0 sites will never attract big ad dollars." He believes that "many online communities, bloggers, social networks will never attract a critical mass of advertisers because they are not set up properly to attract visitors who have a commercial intent to buy products and services." (...) "Today, most advertisers size up community sites, blogs and social networks using traditional media buying models--namely, reach and frequency. Unfortunately, the reality is that many Web 2.0 sites, can't deliver marketers the numbers they want because of the effect of Long Tail. It's simple supply and demand economics at work."
Small thing, big ad dollars; long tail, short reach--what do you think?
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