Friday, July 25, 2014
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
OK, so DON'T do the right thing...
I posted earlier about RadioHead's leaving it up to consumers to pay what they think they should for music downloads. Turns out most users don't pay anything. So either people are not inherently trustworthy, or they just don't value Radiohead ;-)
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/media_agencies/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003668181
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/media_agencies/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003668181
Friday, October 12, 2007
Credit Card Anti-Marketing
From BusinessWeek - an article on "anti-credit card" marketing being done on college campuses.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2007/db20071010_959752.htm?campaign_id=nws_insdr_oct12&link_position=link5
Amen to that. Marketers do have an obligation to their clients to help them sell as many widgets, doodads and whatnots as possible as long as the product or service is not inherently dangerous. But very few marketers are willing to be (or can be) honest about the risks of over-consumption of the products they tout. And in the case of credit card companies they make their best profits on customers who can't control their spending.
So, since I feel that Marketers are protected by fee speech, the only thing left is to counter marketing with marketing, and let the most effective creative win.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2007/db20071010_959752.htm?campaign_id=nws_insdr_oct12&link_position=link5
Amen to that. Marketers do have an obligation to their clients to help them sell as many widgets, doodads and whatnots as possible as long as the product or service is not inherently dangerous. But very few marketers are willing to be (or can be) honest about the risks of over-consumption of the products they tout. And in the case of credit card companies they make their best profits on customers who can't control their spending.
So, since I feel that Marketers are protected by fee speech, the only thing left is to counter marketing with marketing, and let the most effective creative win.
Monday, October 8, 2007
gPhone platform
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/business/media/08googlephone.html
According to this piece on NYTimes.com Google's "gPhone" is not targeting the iPhone, its targeting Windows Mobile OS. Google is working on a "mobile computing platform" that will bring the Google experience to a smartphone near you.
I've been using my new HTC Mogul for about two weeks now. I find I'm using the browser and email clients a LOT - the large landscape display and generous keyboard make it an almost pleasant experience ;-) I do kind of hate having to synch the calendar and to do lists though. I love the freedom I get with gmail and google calendar to hop on any machine I happen to be at and just have at my data. With the Mogul I decided to bring my personal productivity system (yes, I'm a GTD wannabe) back into Outlook and I've already experienced instances of not remembering what tasks/docs I've updated on the phone vs my laptop. And of course we have a couple of other computers in the house that I could theoretically be tapping away at when I suddenly want to check my todo list.
So while I like the smartphone, it definitely feels like yesterday's news. What I'd really really REALLY like is to have access to a phone-based browser on my Mogul that is as robust as Safari is on the iPhone, coupled with a phone-based version of Google Gears. That would let me update my stuff only once but still let me have my data even when I don't have a clear signal (aka pulling into Grand Central Station on the train ;-)
According to this piece on NYTimes.com Google's "gPhone" is not targeting the iPhone, its targeting Windows Mobile OS. Google is working on a "mobile computing platform" that will bring the Google experience to a smartphone near you.
I've been using my new HTC Mogul for about two weeks now. I find I'm using the browser and email clients a LOT - the large landscape display and generous keyboard make it an almost pleasant experience ;-) I do kind of hate having to synch the calendar and to do lists though. I love the freedom I get with gmail and google calendar to hop on any machine I happen to be at and just have at my data. With the Mogul I decided to bring my personal productivity system (yes, I'm a GTD wannabe) back into Outlook and I've already experienced instances of not remembering what tasks/docs I've updated on the phone vs my laptop. And of course we have a couple of other computers in the house that I could theoretically be tapping away at when I suddenly want to check my todo list.
So while I like the smartphone, it definitely feels like yesterday's news. What I'd really really REALLY like is to have access to a phone-based browser on my Mogul that is as robust as Safari is on the iPhone, coupled with a phone-based version of Google Gears. That would let me update my stuff only once but still let me have my data even when I don't have a clear signal (aka pulling into Grand Central Station on the train ;-)
Radiohead lets users set their own prices
From Adage an article about how Radiohead is letting users set their own prices for downloaded music.
I remember seeing a company called Magnatunes do this at least 3 years ago. Nothing new under the sun bro.
(Wow. I'm nowhere near hip enough to pull of a "bro" reference, am I?)
I remember seeing a company called Magnatunes do this at least 3 years ago. Nothing new under the sun bro.
(Wow. I'm nowhere near hip enough to pull of a "bro" reference, am I?)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
More on Apple's "iPhone bricking"
From ZDNet, an "against" - http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=838&tag=nl.e622
From AdAge, a lukewarm "it's not that bad" - http://adage.com/adages/article?article_id=120858
From AdAge, a lukewarm "it's not that bad" - http://adage.com/adages/article?article_id=120858
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Apple is not amused...
Just read this article from the NYTimes describing how Apple's latest update for the iPhone has disabled those that have been unlocked to work on other networks, and those who have "unauthorized" software loaded - thus rendering them "iBricks". Read it here.
I've been pining for an iPhone, but opted for an htc Mogul instead (Sprint gave me a great deal after I suggested I might cancel my account). The Mogul is nowhere near as engaging a machine as the iPhone, but at least I can load any damn software on it I please. While I can see trying to enforce the exclusive AT&T relationship (kind of, I actually think it sucks) I absolutely can't see trying to maintain control over what software can and can't be loaded. To me, it's an ugly continuation in the trend towards seeing technology and media purchases as things consumers don't actually own - but use with the permission (and under the limitations of) the companies who produce them.
I've been pining for an iPhone, but opted for an htc Mogul instead (Sprint gave me a great deal after I suggested I might cancel my account). The Mogul is nowhere near as engaging a machine as the iPhone, but at least I can load any damn software on it I please. While I can see trying to enforce the exclusive AT&T relationship (kind of, I actually think it sucks) I absolutely can't see trying to maintain control over what software can and can't be loaded. To me, it's an ugly continuation in the trend towards seeing technology and media purchases as things consumers don't actually own - but use with the permission (and under the limitations of) the companies who produce them.
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