Tag: IPG-Emerging-Media-Lab

CES: The power of the printed word

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CES: The power of the printed word (ThePlan8 Podcast)The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas is crammed with the latest gadgets, all blasting out light and noise and motion in high definition goodness. Much of the news this week will be about 3D TV, motion controlled video games, and the blending of Internet and broadcast on traditional television platforms.

There will also be a lot of press around e-readers. They are everywhere – CES has an entire section of the show floor dedicated to e-reader developers; most major CE manufactures will also have branded e-readers. And of course, the rumor mills churn with the news of an Apple iSlate, though there have been no formal announcements yet.

These little flat, grey-scale tablets seem to have little to compete with the walls of flat screen monitors in every booth. Although e-readers offer lots of consumer benefits, the actual experience is not as exciting as 3D, not as immersive as new gaming technology. It is just reading, after all, right? Continue reading “CES: The power of the printed word”

2010 will be a transformative year for technology

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IPG Emerging Media Lab's 2010 Trends We believe 2010 will be a transformative year for technology that will likely impact the consumer experience dramatically for the next decade. Not since 1999 have consumers, techies, and marketers had so many reasons to celebrate. That was the year we began to see unprecedented broadband growth, the year the first mobile data network hit (in Japan), and we saw Google take its first steps (founded just four months before start of 1999 – VC funding came in 1999), not to mention the introduction of P2P (with the founding of Napster).

2010 promises to be even more explosive: The products and solutions coming to market in 2010 will impact the way we interact with our mobile, PC, and content devices for years to come.  Here are seven reasons to believe: Continue reading “2010 will be a transformative year for technology”

Welcome to CES: Utility now trumps gadgets

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CES 2010: Utility trumps gadgets On the first day of CES, I took a preliminary walk around the show floor as the booths were getting set up. I threw out my jaw yawning (no joke). It’s not that there wasn’t pretty neat stuff – it’s that the show as a whole was broken this year.

The killer feature across many big brand consumer electronics this year, from car to TV to toaster, is utility. “What can this device do for me?” As devices become connected, they increasingly compete on licenses, partnerships, and “the could” – not on the physical hardware. This was the elephant in the room this year. Netflix or Yahoo! widgets will sit on nearly every device, and yet neither company has their own presence at the show. Google revolutionized the mobile industry, and while Android makes a very strong presence, the big G isn’t around (even now that they have become a mobile retailer). Continue reading “Welcome to CES: Utility now trumps gadgets”

3D hits critical mass…at least in our minds

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Future of 3D at CESStill high off the heels of watching Avatar, we at the Lab are eager to see some of the 3D products to be featured this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Yes, everyone knows Avatar probably changed the future of filmmaking (with a good old fashion love story to boot). James Cameron’s dedication to pushing the bounds of filmmaking have paid off with over a billion dollars in revenue since the film opened on December 18th. And filmmakers and audiences will thank the director for years to come.

Now that Cameron proved it is possible in theaters, it’s time to see what is 3D’s future on the small screen, and in digital out of home. At CES this week, we’ll be checking out all the latest in 3D solutions for televisions. Meanwhile, Next3DTV has unveiled its broadband 3D service launching in Q1 of 2010. For consumers with the dough to spend on upgrading to a 3D set, Next3D TV will deliver all 3D content all the time. Even ESPN has announced a new 3D sports network set to kickoff with the first FIFA World Cup match in June. The push to 3D is moving faster than we expected. Still, as CNET blogger John Falcone, notes there are three challenges for the future of 3D on the small screen.  Continue reading “3D hits critical mass…at least in our minds”

Best of ’09: How social media can save books

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Best blogs of 2009 From our 2009 best-of the IPG Lab blog series:

Social media has infiltrated the hemispheres of today’s society by embedding itself into the framework of business interactions, personal relationships, mobile distractions, television and other elements that shape our culture. While some situations and technologies adapt quickly to the transparency and hyper-connectedness of social media, other avenues take time to get used to the idea. One such avenue is books.

The publishing industry in general is threatened by the disruptive advancements that social media generates because it changes the structure of writing from a speech to a discussion. But, this doesn’t have to be a negative attribute – this could be what actually saves the publishing industry from a meager future on the new media sidelines. Read more.

Best of ’09: How brands can use augmented reality

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Best blogs of 2009 From our 2009 best-of the IPG Lab blog series:

Augmented reality is everywhere right now. Some are questioning whether it is a fad, or could it be a viable tool for marketers. Yes, there are some technical bugs to be worked out and some ill conceived campaigns but used strategically and creatively AR can be a powerful experience. Here is a list of some of the best ways brands have been using AR:

Enhancing Traditional Print Campaigns
Instead of just having a small “www” invitation to a brand website on a magazine ad, entice them with a teaser for additional content or even an exclusive offer they can only see using the printed piece to unlock the information online.

One of the first brands to use AR, Mini Cooper enhanced their campaign across multiple German auto magazines with a detailed 3D model of the MINI convertible.

Read more.

Best of ’09: Facebook’s creepy friend suggestions

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Best blogs of 2009 From our 2009 best-of the IPG Lab blog series:

Recently, I began to notice that Facebook’s friend suggestions were increasingly accurate, and increasingly far-fetched.

At first, it seemed innocent enough. My husband’s aunt appeared on my “Suggestions/Add as a Friend” sidebar. While I like Patty and was happy to friend her, I thought it was strange given 1) I’ve never uploaded my email list to Facebook, or given it permission to do so, 2) I’m not connected to any of my husband’s family or friends on any social network, and my husband has refused to join any social network except for one, and there he uses a fake identity and is not connected to anyone remotely connected to his aunt 3) My privacy settings are tight and in theory, I can’t be found if you’re not my friend.

At first I thought, well, we do share the same last name, so I figured perhaps Facebook was suggesting her for that reason. Over the next few days though, I began to mull this logic. Facebook had never suggested a friend based on last name before, and how would Facebook know which person with that last name to suggest? And what about people with the last name “Smith” – that wouldn’t be very effective.

Then, it happened again. This time, Facebook suggested my mother’s former boss. Read more. 

Three reasons Android could terminate Apple

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Best blogs of 2009 The smartphone market seems to be shoe-in: Apple has got momentum in the space reminiscent of their takeover of the MP3 player market years prior with the iPod. Despite this momentum, the discerning media planner working on mobile for six months out should take note – Google’s Android is poised to crash Apple’s party.

Android Clones: While the iPhone had Chinese imitation devices, Android will literally have a clone army. The open source system will live on a handful of devices by the end of this year, and dozens of devices by the end of 2010. So while the system seemed to languish when the only Android device was the G1, with phones like the HTC Hero and myTouch 3G, Android will traverse carrier networks and handset manufactures. Continue reading “Three reasons Android could terminate Apple”

Best of ’09: Yoostar is Guitar Hero for movies

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Best blogs of 2009 From our 2009 best-of the IPG Lab blog series (update, Yoostar is now for sale in stores and makes a great holiday gift!):

What if you could star in famous movies, without ever leaving your home? That is what Yoostar Entertainment Group hopes to deliver to consumers with their recently unveiled Yoostar product. Using green screen technology, the system allows users to star in their favorite movie scenes along with famous actors (and their friends)–then share their performances with friends.

I got an exclusive demo  and was impressed with the concept:  A small red and black camera device (its ingenius design makes it look a bit like Wall-E), a 6’x6′ piece of green screen fabric, and a software disc that allows for recording onto PC and Macs.  The Yoostar system comes with about 12 clips, and each month users can add to their collection of clips (for a nominal price), choosing from Yoostar’s library such movies as “The Godfather,” “Psycho” and more recent flicks, too.  Using Yoostar’s prototype camera, I got the opportunity to play Barbara Stanwyk ‘s femme-fatal character in “Double Indemnity and Grace Kelly’s role in “High Noon.” Don’t try to be a hero. You don’t have to be a hero, not for me!

Mobile visual search – GetFugu or get Google?

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Visual search on mobile phones - GetFugu or get Google?As mobile continues to develop, the world of search on mobiles is heating up. Recently, Google launched Google Goggles, an experiment from the search giant in visual search. The Lab reached out to their partner GetFugu to find out how Google’s release changes the landscape in respect to GetFugu’s visual and audio search product. Rich Jenkins, EVP of Biz Dev and Co-founder got back to us with these answers.

The Lab: To what extent does GetFugu see Google Goggles as a threat?

GetFugu: Frankly, we don’t see them as a threat but more as an affirmation of the value of our platform and the consumer-appropriateness of our technology.  The Google environment is really the same old search results environment simply reached another way.

Brands still have to fight through all the clutter just differently.  Getfugu gives brands and consumers a direct link to each other and circumvents the noise inherent in search results.  We like to call it “Direct Connect”.  Our technology is unique in the way we help brands and consumers share in a fun, dynamic and interesting environment. I suppose if you want an antiseptic consumer experience then they are a threat.

The Lab: What are the key differentiators between GetFugu’s solution and Google Goggles in terms of the underlying technology? Continue reading “Mobile visual search – GetFugu or get Google?”