STIF – Frances’ Public Transport Authority – are trialling the use of NFC enabled smartphones as travel cards on the Metro and on buses in Paris.

Bravo Les Francais…Boris, pay attention!

NFC (near field communication) has been a hot topic in the mobile industry for a while now; we use the technology every day in our Oyster Cards. Without going into unnecessary detail it’s a short-range wireless technology that involves an active chip (like the one in your oyster card or smartphone) and a passive receiver to transfer data. Its potential is huge with wide ranging applications, however, it’s been rather slow to get off the ground. The main reason for this is, with payment as its focus, there are currently far too many stakeholders making far too much money out of the current credit card system. Banks, credit card companies, transaction handling companies, data companies and so on…and on…and on…

This is why launching mobile payment in a controlled environment like city travel, where the technology already exists, is a great idea. I love my Oyster card, I think it’s great. What massively frustrates me is that I rarely ever know when it needs topping up, not too bad when you’re using the tube and you can top up round the corner from the gate but getting on the bus, having waited an age, only to find that you’re out of credit and with no change in your pocket? Rubbish! Being able to glance at your phone on the way to the bus to see what your ‘mobile oyster’ balance is, or even better not having to worry about a balance at all because it gets charged straight to your phone bill? Yes please!

Think how much easier we could make travel in London; no more hunting for coins, cursing the person ahead when their Oyster doesn’t work or fiddling around with cards and PIN’s when topping up. Want to hop on the tube? Touch your mobile. Want a Boris bike? Touch your mobile. A Bus or train? Yup, touch your mobile. Even taxis could benefit hugely, no more stopping at cash points, waiting for change etc, even your receipts could be digital and sent straight to your inbox ready to go on an expenses form!

Outside of paying for stuff, smart posters are the other use of NFC that people, especially OOH media owners are raving about. With the poster acting as a receiver, touching your phone against a 6-sheet at the bus stop will deliver all matter of extra info instantaneously, making QR Codes look, well, a touch prehistoric.

Granted that we need all our phones to be NFC enabled and that’s happening at the moment. Most smartphones already have NFC functionality, they just aren’t activated. So outside of mobile payment and smart posters, what other cool/useful functions can you see for NFC? How about instant customer feedback? Touching your phone against a smiley face or frowning face as you leave a shop depending on your experience. What about transferring content from different media devices? Putting your phone on top of telly when you get home to transfer the web page/video you were viewing onto the big screen for example. How about from a marketing perspective? What are your thoughts?

A hot topic that has always been debated when it comes to the world of Facebook pages is the value of a ‘Like’, and in the advertising space there are more than enough blogs, tweets and discussions about the cost associated with this seemingly innocent measure to brand favourability.

This year we have seen a dramatic increase on Facebook’s take of their ‘Like’ ASU ads, with networks offering cost per ‘like’ models and even now sites offering nothing else but ‘fake fans’ such as buyrealfacebookfans.com (a site offering 10,000 likes for $297)!!

Personally I think there is something pretty questionable when you get into the realm of buying likes and brands are at risk of entering a very murky world if not careful.  Now I am not completely discounting the network offerings, but I do think it is crucial we are asking how these ‘Likes’ will be aquired and where they are coming from (a fan is for life, not just for a post campaign analysis).

I think that we as agency folk need to consider a ‘like’ in a similar way to any other brand measure, and realise that fans are earnt and not bought.  What are your thoughts?

A recent survey in the US, conducted by TeleNav, has shown that a third of all Americans would rather give up sex than give up their mobile phone!  An alarming 70% would prefer to give up alcohol and a rather grubby 22% would give up their toothbrush – see image below.

I’m convinced that us Brits are less attached to our handset devices so I’m throwing the question out there – What would you be more willing to give up so you could still have your mobile phone?  

Quite a lot has happened since this seemingly visionary product was first announced in May 2010. The vision was to create an interactive television overlay on top of existing internet television and WebTV sites. The possibilities of such a system were endless, and so the excitement that grew around this product was not difficult to stimulate. Essentially anything online could be integrated with your TV experience; blog posts alongside the latest episodes of your favourite show, twitter alongside political debates or general elections or sporting events, or responses to ads to play online games between viewing. The software is fully compatible with android, meaning it’s open to developers to build or adapt relevant apps, such an integrating voice recognition to change channel. Google TV officially launched October 6 last year in the US with devices from Sony and Logitech.

Google TV: can run on multiple TV connected devices

The outcome of this excitement and endless list of possibilities for our television based media consumption? Nothing short of a flop. In May last year it was estimated that Logitech sales of Google TV boxes had come a shocking 72% under target, resulting in a drop to less than half original price in July just to shift the stock. Rumoured to have cost Logitech $34 million in losses, the product was dropped unceremoniously.

But after the pre launch possibilities, why such failure? Many have blamed the “desktop” based reliance on a mouse pointer and text input. Wall Street Journal labelled it “an over-complicated geek product”. Not only this but the product has actually been heavily criticised for its search functionality, in that it is text based and cannot deal with the complexity and huge volumes of web video. For me this is an example of convergence between channels, platforms and devices going wrong. Convergence should only be driven to benefit users, taking the best features of one thing and combining them for ease of use, convenience or to open up brand new possibilities. Users comfortable with web TV are comfortable using their desktops or laptops. Those users are skilled in the nuances of finding this content. When we consume television, it is very much part of our routine and as such we expect the same comforts – notably that of scheduled and regular programming controlled by the trusty TV remote. The fact that this Google product got search wrong just highlights how far out of their comfort zone Google have ventured with this product and it shows.

Anyway, you can all judge for yourselves as Eric Schmidt, rather than withdraw completely from this market as expected, announced a few days ago that the product will be released in the UK shortly. I for one expect a similar failure but something must be keeping Google optimistic that we can’t yet see.

It’s obvious that more and more companies are pushing for all our data to be in The Cloud. Let’s take Google for instance: Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Maps and more recently Chrome OS just to name a few. Every software that Google creates is created with one purpose in mind: to allow their users to access it from pretty much anywhere. There is however a major problem: Try to search all the data you have stored in Google’s Cloud from one single place: It’s impossible. That’s where Greplin comes in!

Greplin’s idea is Uber simple: Once you’ve created your account, you can connect most of your cloud based services for Greplin to index allowing easy search. Let’s say you want to search your Gmail messages, Dropbox data, as well as your Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter Stream at the same time, it’s now possible at a click of a button with Greplin. I have been using it for a few months now and I can say is that It’s lightning fast and Uber smart.

Now on the iPhone.

You can now search your life on the go too as Greplin launched its long awaited iPhone App yesterday. After a quick test, I am convinced that Greplin has the potential to become really huge as there’s simply no competition. And all assumption apart, it is definitely one of the must have iPhone Apps of 2011.

You can download the app here, see it for yourself and let us know your thoughts.

And yes, Android users must be really, really grumpy…

I’m not a fan of Apple, and certainly not a fan of Steve Jobs, however there is no doubting that what he has achieved with the company is nothing short of incredible. Apple is now, give or take, the most valuable company on the planet and has more money on hand than the US Government ($80 billion in the bank). Add to this an incredible position within each market that they compete and it’s very much Job done for Steve and he can concentrate on getting his health sorted safe in the knowledge that he really couldn’t have done much more. Good luck and good health to him.

Ok, so the interesting thing is that his successor, Tim Clark, is going to have make some moves; Apple shareholders are getting restless and by the end of the year the company will probably have $100 billion in the bank and the pressure is on to do something with it, either give it back to the shareholders or sink it into R&D or manufacturing, or distribution channels….whatever, just use it!

From a mobile perspective, Apple could have dropped the price of the iPhone a couple of years ago and flooded the market with half a million handset activations a day; they didn’t and the latent demand for iPhones globally is still huge. But what now?

Ewan at Mobile Industry Review makes the point that Apple now has the ability to completely change the face of the mobile industry, not by product, design or marketing but actually through economics. HP has just canned investment in Web OS, sparking a mad rush for hugely discounted (£89) HP Touchpads, imagine what a £99 ipad would do? How about an Apple subscription plan? £100 per month for 2 years and you get an Apple desktop, laptop, ipad and iPhone, price plan included, and after those 2 years you get to upgrade. Scale that down across different price points and it’s pretty compelling huh? Game changing in fact.

Apple’s steadfast insistence on remaining premium under Jobs has generated so much cash that it’s laid the foundations for a push at mass market dominance. Personally I hope they don’t wipe the floor with everyone, as competition in the mobile market can only be good because it breeds progress. Mind you, with Google’s recent purchase of Motorola it might just get messy!

At the age of 56, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has announced his resignation from the role of CEO, after an extended period of medical leave. Although the technological visionary will still play a significant role in the development of the company, as chairman, this still marks a poignant time in the history of this innovative brand.

It’s impossible to overstate the contribution Jobs has made to the modern world. It seems ridiculous that anyone would be unable to recognise the Apple brand today, but it wasn’t so long ago that The Simpsons, at the height of its popularity, poked a satirical jibe at the company’s decline. Ironically, it was around the time of this episode (‘Homerpalooza’) that Jobs returned to Apple to spearhead their return, not only to prominence, but towards a technological revolution. The iconic first incarnation of the iMac lead the way, and since then iSomethings have gone on to change the way we buy and listen to music, the way we create art, the way movies are made (also, let’s not forget Jobs’ work turning Pixar from a failing hardware firm into the world’s most forward-thinking film company), but most significantly; the way we communicate. The iPhone and iPad have also gained significant ground in the war against paper and buttons, as well as lighting the touch-paper of inspiration for numerous other companies to step-up and compete.

BBC reports that Apple’s stock has dropped 5% since Jobs’ announcement, with Samsung and HTC seeing rises of 3% and 4% respectively. It remains to be seen whether this is a catalyst for a more level technological playing field, but if ever there were a time for Apple’s rivals to gain ground it is now. It all depends who will be next to be first.

According to researchers writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, watching TV could take more of a toll on your health than smoking.
Every hour of TV viewed after the age of 25 can on average reduce life expectancy by 22 minutes. This compares to 11 minutes off your life for every cigarette smoked.
The research into sedentary life styles warned that watching TV is a “public health problem” comparable to smoking and obesity.
Bearing in mind we spend circa 6 hours staring at a screen albeit the content isn’t mysteries or comedies (although some of Benny’s schedules…….) but data and spread sheets we are losing 2 hours and 12 mins off our life expectancy for this sedentary activity.
If however, we were to get up and go for a cigarette every hour we would lose 1 hour 6 mins for the smoking but save 2 hours and 12 mins for not sitting still a net saving of 1 hour and 6 mins on our life expectancy per day.
Pass the fags

In a somewhat ironic bow to pressure applied via a Facebook petition, the Government is currently reviewing the rights of rioters to receive public benefits. Though a potentially extreme move, this does call in to question what may be deemed the ‘positive’ use of social media to start a movement (such as the glorious ‘brooms-up’ restoration work) and what may be deemed ‘negative’.

There is no doubt the looting and violence of the past few days has been abhorrent, however, a careful path must be trod when considering what restrictions may be applied to social media connections, and by whom they may be applied. The house has called in representatives of the major social networks with a view to revising Government access to private messaging platforms (such as BBN) and the restriction of access for those seen to be ‘abusing’ those platforms to organise criminal activity. Certainly, in recent online history, should a user have been seen to be demonstrating aggressive or unwelcome behaviour on internet chat forums, that user would swiftly find themselves ejected from said forum. Similarly, the file sharing services that enable illegal music downloads have seen not only themselves, but their users, receive punishments ranging from copyright infringement court battles, to removal of personal subscription to an IP.

However, where do we draw the line at ‘abuse’? In Egypt, protesters circumvented the communication restrictions applied by their Government by organising themselves via Facebook et al. Though this behaviour may have formed the template for the, frankly apolitical behaviour we have subsequently suffered in the UK, the protests in Egypt have been viewed, by some external parties, as a move to overthrow an oppressive regime. Naturally any individuals found to be breaking the law should be correctly prosecuted, however, does that mean being informed is the same as making the choice to act? The best course of action might be to wait for fires to die down and the dust to settle on the cities of Britain before we move forward.

The country has seen devastation this week as youths run riot in the cities looting and destroying high streets. For what reason? No one is entirely sure… what started off as a peaceful protest regarding the shooting of a man in Tottenham has escalated into anarchy!

Social media has been credited for playing a huge part in the story for both the organisation of the riots and also the reporting of it. As events happened, trending occurred on Twitter giving users second by second updates of where the rioting was taking place and also what was happening from all perspectives. Clapham residents even organised a clean-up meeting via it, 7 hours after the riots finished!

Social media has changed the news reporting landscape, making news stories emerge as they happen. The problem being though – which bits are true? As Twitter is totally unpoliced and gives everyone, rioters and your average blogger alike, the freedom to say exactly what they wish. So on the positive side the public have access to up-to-the minute news, changing the way we consume and respond to news stories. However, negatively, there is no proof as to which information is true or false!

Should this be allowed? Twitter thinks so “Our goal is to instantly connect people everywhere to what is most meaningful to them. For this to happen, freedom of expression is essential. “ So like it or not, the use of Twitter for both good and evil is here to stay. How you choose to use it is down to you…