The Future of Shopping Pt. 2

The future of shopping this year will look more like this:



You'll be able to try things on before you buy them via your webcam or your iphone.

Trying on bow ties will also prove to be different. My company, OoOTie.com is currently using this technology but it is quickly becoming outdated.



With the iPhone going to Verizon this will only make the M-commerce world more app-centric and companies will look to innovate wherever possible.

Facebook Phone: Rumors Run Amok

Read the full Gizmodo post

Or, if you enjoy more "credible" sites. Check out the information at MSNBC.

WIRED: Where High Speed Internet Meets Smart Grid

Advanced internet technologies, energy management and the smart grid are coming together in an unlikely location: a mid-sized city in the South.

Chattanooga, Tennessee, utility EPB hit two milestones in the last two weeks of 2010: It completed the final touches on one of the fastest internet pipelines in the world, and it activated the first automated switches on its electricity network. The combination constitutes the backbone for a Department of Energy–funded smart grid networkthat’s expected to save the utility and area businesses tens of millions of dollars annually.

Read the full WIRED report here!

Alan Mulally declared, "Ford is more than a car company. We are also a technology company. "

In unveiling the electric Ford Focus at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Ford CEO and President Alan Mulally declared, "Ford is more than a car company. We are also a technology company. "
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/hall/ford-too-seeks-software-engineers/?cs=45172

Interactive Learning - Intelligent Projector

Professor talked about intelligent projector during our course. See link below which does small portion that.


http://www.agent4change.net/bett-week/news/779-welcome-to-the-greatest-ict-show-on-earth-bett.html

Google: Your new phone carrier?

I wonder if Google might be stumbling into anti-trust law ... it seems to be monopolizing a lot of things or being some sort of conglomerate

In 2008, Google put in a bid to buy wireless spectrum to provide mobile Internet access -- spectrum that ultimately went to Verizon (VZ, Fortune 500) for its new 4G network. Rumors that Google is buying up "dark fiber," broadband cables that have been laid but are not in use, have been widely circulated, though never confirmed.

Connecting customers: In February, the company announced that it will become an Internet provider of "ultra high-speed broadband" for up to 500,000 customers for a U.S. city. That project is still under development, but Google is about to start testing its service out at Stanford University.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/30/technology/google_wireless_carrier/index.htm?iid=EAL

Living Social - the next Groupon?

as we learned Amazon invested in Living Social... a site like Groupon

LivingSocial is an international social buying company based in Washington, D.C..[1] They specialize in daily deals offered in cities across the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe (at present only the UK and Ireland), and Australia. LivingSocial is a deal-of-the-day website notable for being a key competitor to market leader Groupon.

Do you think they are trying to build their user base with today's deal of $10 for $20 of Amazaon Gift card?

you can check out the deal today here:
https://livingsocial.com/redeem_invite/21549729-eyleun?ref=lnk

Read more about it here:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/livingsocial-gets-attention-for-amazon-discount/?src=mv

The daily deal sites Groupon and LivingSocial say they are all about local businesses. They say they can bring mom-and-pop shops new customers in exchange for shifting their advertising budgets online.

Yet both Groupon and LivingSocial have catapulted into the mainstream with two decidedly un-local deals. Groupon’s most high-profile deal was with the Gap. And on Wednesday LivingSocial is making waves with a deal for another major, national retailer; it is selling $20 Amazon.com gift cards for $10.

Starbucks in the News

Once again our favorite $4 coffee is in the news, this time Starbucks is making it easy to pay by using our Smart Phones. New apps available for black berry and iPhone.




Has anyone had experience paying for goods with their cell phones? Do you think this new app will catch on?

Goldman's Facebook Valuation

As we discussed Facebooks Valuation in class, here is an interesting blog from Damodaran (prof. for finance at NYU) about the dangers of extrapolating Goldman's valuation. Interesting for those, who are into valuations etc

http://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.com/2011/01/facebook-valuation.html

Home Energy Management

Perfectly matched to our energy-team, smart metering is coming into your homes (slowly, but steadily)

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20027935-283.html?tag=mncol%3btxt
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20028174-54.html?tag=mncol;1n

Investment bankers have been making proposals to online deals site Groupon Inc. about a proposed initial public offering

Groupon, which turned down a $6 billion takeover offer from Google Inc. last year and said it would raise $950 million in funding, has been planning its public debut for later this year....

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703959104576081553310431910.html

Linguists vote 'app' Word of the Year

The tech slang "app" was voted the 2010 "Word of the Year" Friday by the American Dialect Society, beating out Cookie Monster's "nom, nom, nom, nom."

The shortened slang term for a computer or smart phone application was picked by the linguists group as the word that best sums up the country's preoccupation last year.



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gO_3DHeXRb-b1CJCbGjRCUK1vVgQ?docId=1635c27d508b451396e873660a279cd6

Facebook, Texting, and OnStar?

"Texting while driving is deadly. But letting someone else read to you is rather less risky..." Check out the latest offerings from OnStar in this Engadget article.

Hot Social Networking Site Cools as Facebook Grows

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/technology/internet/12myspace.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Yes, people are fickle and trends come and go. Seems like MySpace was badly mismanaged and just lost its way. It will be interesting to see if its new strategy to focus on music takes off.

Facebook on the other hand is enjoying its heyday, but we'll see how long it lasts until the next big thing comes around in the social networking space. I don't think Mark Zuckerberg will lose its focus as quickly as MySpace did.

Congrats on Poster Presentation!

Verizon iPhone - Pre order it!

"On February 3rd our existing customers will have an opportunity to pre-order... on February 10th, everyone will be able to order online, in stores, or in Apple stores."

$199 for the 16GB, $299 for 32GB -- mobile hotspot included! Up to 5 devices

Connected TV

Timely piece about connected TV in 2011. Especially for the Media & Entertainment Group.

Verizon big winner from having iPhone? Not so fast

By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer Peter Svensson, Ap Technology Writer – 1 hr 13 mins ago
NEW YORK – Verizon Wireless would seem to be a big winner after its expected announcement Tuesday that it will start selling the iPhone and break Apple Inc.'s monogamous relationship with AT&T Inc. in the U.S.
But for several reasons, the iPhone's arrival to Verizon would be poorly timed, and Verizon's gains won't be as clearcut.
There's no doubt a Verizon iPhone would attract millions of buyers, and it would give the country's largest wireless carrier a chance to catch up with AT&T in attracting high-paying smart-phone customers.
Since the iPhone's debut in 2007, AT&T has been its exclusive distributor in the U.S. Many people held back because they already had service with a carrier they liked or were apprehensive about congestion on AT&T's network, particularly in New York and San Francisco.
Rumors about a Verizon iPhone have swirled for years and have risen in recent months. The Wall Street Journal has reported that an event Verizon is holding Tuesday is to announce a deal with Apple to start selling iPhones at the end of the month.

3D is bad for your kids

My group is doing Media and Entertainment and I'm focusing on Nintendo within the sector.

I was happy to see Nintendo innovate ahead of the curve once again (first with motion on its wii and now with their portable DS going 3D).

I came across this article: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/11/3d-is-dangerous-not-dangerous-optometrist-group-defends-ninte/

Since Nintendo DS is targeted at young children, it looks like their is concern over their visual system developing normally if they are exposed to this device constantly.

Since TVs are moving to 3D and not requiring glasses, it will be interesting to see the validity of this claim and whether there will be a lot of backlash with 3D TVs.

Smart Appliances are cool, but can they save?

Interesting video about smart Appliances.

http://online.wsj.com/video/ces-smart-appliances-are-cool-but-can-they-save/2D13938A-AF7A-42C1-8BF7-FDD321346672.html

Twitter's New Strategy

http://mashable.com/2011/01/10/twitters-new-ceo-finally-nails-down-the-companys-long-term-vision/

Interesting to note that Twitter is attempting to re-brand itself as an Information Network, not just focused on Social Connections.

Changes in how you'll be reading in 2011

Article in the Metro this morning about the rise of e-readers:
http://www.metro.us/boston/entertainment/article/739734--changes-to-how-you-ll-be-reading-in-2011

Social Networking to Dominate Mobile Communication by 2015

94 percent of mobile operators believe social networking will be a more popular form of mobile communication than either voice or texting by 2015

http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/11/report-social-networking-to-dominate-mobile-communication-by-2015/

http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2010/11/social-networking-more-popular.php

Digital Newspapers

The future may be closer than we thought! A Taiwanese company is working to perfect processing techniques to create high volumes of flexible display screens which could be folded like a print newspaper.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703470904575500342513725972.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_Below_Video

Steve Jobs and Ruport Murdoch will unveil an iPad newspaper later this month.

There has been much talk of The Daily lately as it is one of the first iPad only newspapers and has many big names behind it.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20110110/ts_yblog_thecutline/steve-jobs-to-join-murdoch-to-unveil-ipad-paper

Google entry in to Online Travel Industry

Interesting to see the implications of Google's entry in to the online Travel industry .

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20027733-36.html

-Narender

How Wireless Power Works

something to read up on..

For these reasons, scientists have tried to develop methods of wireless power transmission that could cut the clutter or lead to clean sources of electricity. While the idea may sound futuristic, it isn't particularly new. Nicola Tesla proposed theories of wireless power transmission in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of his more spectacular displays involved remotely powering lights in the ground at his Colorado Springs experiment station.

Read on at: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/wireless-power.htm

Amazon Opens Android Application Store to Developers Monday 10th January 2011

Amazon Opens Android Application Store to Developers Monday 10th January 2011 - 19:28
US-based online retailer Amazon has opened its mobile application store to submissions from developers. The Amazon "Appstore" is due to launch in the US during 2011 and will be available for Android devices that run versions 1.6 of the operating system and above.Developers will be able to set a list price for their applications for which they will receive the industry standard 70 per cent share of revenues. Amazon, however, reserves the right to discount applications and will guarantee to give developers at least 20 per cent of the list price.Amazon will take a more hands-on role with its store than Google, with a stricter approval process than for the official Android Market; a move which will likely see Amazon's store focus on high quality premium applications. Unlike the official Android Market, which comes preinstalled on all Google-approved devices, users will have to download the Amazon Appstore.

A look at BPG Motors amazing, transforming, self-balancing Uno

Check out the Uno from BPG Motors, a tricycle that transforms into a self-balancing, two-wheeled... thing. It's gained a wheel since the last time we saw it, a front fork that folds in between the rear wheels and the whole thing starts balancing when you need to go through some tight spaces and then, when it's time to go faster (up to around 30 or 35mph) that wheel pivots out, the whole thing lowers, and away it goes.

Disney, Yahoo Look at Internet TV

Interesting alliances continue in the delivery of the content.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703419104576068351674875680.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_tech

Following up on MySpace..

Further to the demise of MySpace. It looks like News Corp is looking to off load employees and the struggling business unit.

http://mashable.com/2011/01/10/myspace-layoff/

Group buying: Fad or Future Facebook?

Group buying websites enjoyed massive growth in 2010 grabbing new customers and the headlines as the sector's biggest player, Groupon turned down a reported $6 billion offer from Google in early December.

But how will Groupon and its rivals fare in 2011? Is this a recession-led fad, driven by cash-strapped consumers desperate for a bargain? Or will the sector spawn a Facebook of the future and revolutionize our buying habits the same way social media has transformed communications?

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/01/06/group.buying.2011.prospects/

10 Things Facebook Won't Say

Short somewhat critical article that touches upon the topics of security (or lack there of), what facebook knows about you, competition, apps and valuation.
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/technology/10-things-facebook-wont-say-1294414171193/?page=2

Facebook hype will fade

An interesting article about a comment for CNN by book-author Douglas Rushkoff.
His thesis is that the Goldman Sachs - Facebook deal is not the beginning of a new star but the first phase of a "cash-out" - to make as much profit as possible from a hype.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/07/rushkoff.facebook.myspace/?hpt=Sbin

Tablets That Could Take Down the iPad

Nice to see some of the tablets can compete with IPAD

http://www.techtree.com/India/Features/Tablets_That_Could_Take_Down_the_iPad_2/551-114105-899.html

How important is Intel to Microsoft now?

At the CES this year, Microsoft demonstrated its next generation Windows 8 OS that would run on ARM processors. This has been aimed at netbooks, a category Intel is not strong in. Microsoft's decision to focus on netbooks threatens the x86 architecture developed by Intel and Intel's desktop and laptops are not that important for Microsoft anymore. So while Intel thinks of netbooks as media devices, Microsoft thinks it is the computer of the future. Read on!

http://hothardware.com/News/The-Strain-Is-Showing-MS-Intel-Trade-Potshots-At-CES/

Search warrant to view someone's online data?

Here's a timely article from the NYT about how a 1986 law still governs the way a person's information is protected. Basically, a piece of paper in your desk is more protected than anything you have online (they didn't see the online thing coming in 1986!). Basically, you need a warrant for paper-based things, but you only need to subpeona to get things that are online. Google and others think the law should be updated.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/technology/10privacy.html?hp

AT&T bashing Verizon's network in response to rumors of Verizon Iphone

AT&T not going down without a fight, speaking disparigingly about Verizon's network in response to the foregone conclusion that Apple will release a Verizon version of the Iphone 4

http://www.businessinsider.com/att-verizon-iphone-1

Is mobile television ever going to hit the mainstream?

It hasn’t caught on yet in the U.S., but device makers and broadcasters keep trying — and it looks like they’re continuing their efforts in 2011. I think the screen size is a major deterrent in enjoying video content on mobiles. However, I think Ipad or a similar device with a larger screen could very well be the next TV viewing gadget..... Any thoughts ?

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/01/09/another-ces-another-try-at-mobile-tv/?mod=rss_WSJBlog&mod=

Looks like all the automobile companies are transforming dashboards into mini-computers running Internet-connected programs to find new ways to differentiate their vehicles from the competition's.

Ford Motor Co. debuted an app that will allow owners of its new Focus electric car to schedule charging times from a smartphone. Toyota Motor Co. unveiled a program that lets motorists make reservations via booking site OpenTable.com.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576068193757130036.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

Future of Screen Technology?

some of the scenes looks do-able. Looks like something that Apple would come out with...

And the CES winner is...

...a tablet computer of course that Motorola hopes will rival the iPad. Worthy also to note that Motorola won the top spot in the smartphone category. Can they truly take on Apple in these categories?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110108/ts_alt_afp/usitinternettelecommotorolaces

Facebook could become one stop shop for everything

After reading this article, I can say Goldman has undervalued Facebook. Facebook could become central hub for all e-commerce in future.

http://www.internetretailer.com/2010/10/01/procter-gamble-sells-facebook-help-amazon

Is technology making us more short-sighted?

As technology continues to evolve and make things more convenient to its users, I wonder if it is also making people more short-sighted when it comes to living life.

For example, prior to having a GPS-enabled smartphone, anytime I was going to go to a new place, I would have to look up the directions on a map and figure out the route. Now, I can just punch in the address and the directions popup in my Google Maps application. No planning needed.

Or take a look at the cellphone... if I forgot something at the house I can just call my roommate, wife, or whoever to just pick it up and bring it with them to the party.

Planning and foresight no longer seem necessary because almost everything can be accessed instantly. Technology clearly has its advantages, but I wonder what the long-term reprecussions that technology will have upon us as a society.

What are your thoughts?

Home appliances get 'smart' at CES

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110109/ts_alt_afp/usitelectronicsinternetces

As more of our home appliances get connected to the Internet, I can see that there are added benefits that can be recognized, such as convenience, connectivity, and efficiency; but I think the biggest hurdle to recognizing the full benefits of having our appliances connected to the Internet is if the user is least involved and more things are done automatically.

Take for example the refrigerator: it is nice that you are able to access your smartphone and know what's inside your refrigerator and see if you need to buy some more milk all while shopping at the grocery store. However, the biggest hurdle is the data entry. According to the article the user will still have to tell the refrigerator what contents you are adding to the fridge. Ideally, the fridge would know what is inside, when you are getting low on a particular item, how long it's been in the fridge, etc.

Until things are more stream-lined for the users (with minimal or no user involvement), I have a hard time seeing adoption of Internet-enabled appliances really taking off.

Electric Car Rentals

I hate not even thought of this:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/09/enterprise-to-offer-chevy-volt-in-california-probably-ding-you/

With the influx of electric cars coming out, what charges are rental companies going to enforce on customers that bring cars back with hardly any charge left?

Not only will they have to worry about the cost of energy to recharge the car, but I'm sure it will take a significant amount of time as well, which may leave the next customer waiting for the car for hours.

Tune your car from your Ipad

I came across this article:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/09/sct-itsx-lets-you-tune-your-car-from-your-ipad-video/

From our discussion about cars these days, it's amazing to see how much computers have control over them. This app will let you tune your car wirelessly from your ipad, pretty neat for someone that's into a lot of car modifications.

$99 Dell Laptop

If we say that people will consume more from cloud, that means everyone will have data-card built into their laptop. Here is Dell $99 laptop with 2 yrs subscription plan to AT&T.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op47kVeA5xc

Google takes on Amazon, Apple in e-books market

I found this line very interesting from this article.

Google said its digital books are compatible with a number of reading devices, including the Barnes and Noble Nook and Sony e-reader, but are not compatible with the Kindle.


http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B52X320101206

Electric Version of Ford Focus Coming This Year

Here's an interesting article. Starting at the end of 2011, Ford will start selling an electric Ford Focus and claims the car will deliver a better mile-per-gallon equivalent (mpg-e) than the Chevrolet Volt, and will be rechargeable in half the time required to recharge the electric Nissan Leaf. Microsoft will be providing software help owners charge their vehicles when electricity rates are low. Ford has invested in a new version of its MyFord Touch driver connect technology to provide information that's specifically relevant to electric vehicles, such as the distance to the nearest charge point and the car's expect range. The company is working with Best Buy's Geek Squad to provide service for in-home charging stations.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229000347&subSection=News

iPhone to Verizon WSJ Video

CES: Samsung eyes Smart TV as center of 'digital hub' as it takes on Apple

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/01/07/ces_samsung_eyes_smart_tv_as_center_of_digital_hub_as_it_takes_on_apple.html

Looks like Samsung is trying to place the TV at the center of the 'digital hub', calling it 'Smart TV'. They are trying to take a commoditized product and differentiate it by adding Internet capabilities and then try to make it a sort of digital hub that can connect with Samsung's Galaxy tablet and music player. It will also be able to display Flash-based apps and access content from the cloud.

Nothing really innovative in my mind, and it seems it will be really easy for Vizio and other TV makers to easily copy these concepts.

Finally Verizon lands the IPhone

It seems that the wait is over for verizon customers:)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704739504576068170230339348.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTTopStories

On a lighter note..

Wirelessly Powered Tesla Car

Micro-endorsing

Ad.ly is an agency that connects companies with celebrities for endorsements via twitter, allowing for brands/products to gain credibility and exposure.
article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_03/b4211032107717.htm
company: http://ad.ly/

Twitter's Most Dramatic Change in 2010

AdAge reported today about the number one most dramatic change in Twitter-user behavior.

"In essence, Twitterers seem more and more interested in entertaining themselves and each other with hashtag musings than tweeting about commercially-produced entertainment."

Read the full AdAge post here.

In 2010 Twitter introduced Promoted Tweets. I think we can expect Promoted Hash Tags in the coming future. I'm coining the phrase first! Make royalties payable to @richjgriffin.

Garmin announces the ecoRoute hd

Garmin is working to make your GPS do more for you... like save money. With the new ecoRoute HD, Garmin Nuvi users can tap into the diagnostic data from their OBD 2 ports and monitor braking and MPG.

Can new devices like this turn driving into a game of who gets the best MPG?

http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2010/01/06/garmin-ecoroute-hd/

Futuristic Bubble Car Takes Us for a Ride at CES

Ride along with us inside GM’s EN-V (Electric Networked Vehicle), a tiny two-seater with a 40-mile range that whisked us around a hotel ballroom in smooth, quiet comfort. Uses some of the same technology used with the Segway

The Apple Mac app store is finally here

Even as the CES is underway in Las Vegas, Apple, which is not attending the event unveiled the Apple Mac app store yesterday. The store has more than 1000 apps as of now.

This goes to show that Apple is trying to align the Mac to its mobile devices in terms of user experience and is also potentially looking at a new source of revenue.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576065862587775294.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews

Official Honeycomb/Android 3.0 Preview (1080p)

Rakuten

http://en.rakuten.co.jp/

Rakuten, Inc. is the biggest online shopping mall operator in Japan with over 50 million registered users. The chief executive officer is Hiroshi Mikitani.

The company was founded in February 1997 as MDM, Inc. Rakuten Shopping Mall started operations in May the same year. In June 1999 MDM, Inc. changed name to Rakuten, Inc. By June 2004 it was the second ranking site in Japan, as measured by unique audience, with only Yahoo! having more monthly visits.

Rakuten's 2005 revenues exceeded US$1.1 billion with operating profits of approximately $320M. The company is publicly-traded (JASDAQ: 4755) with a market capitalization ranging from $5B+ and more than 3,700 employees. Rakuten is among the top 10 largest Internet companies in the world (along with Amazon.com, InterActive Corporation (IAC), Expedia, etc.).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakuten

Using YouTube for advertising

Here is an interesting idea for generating interest and traffic for your product/service using YouTube. It sounds like he is recommending that you pay the owners of high traffic videos that relate to your product to associate your product with their video.

http://www.productlaunchvault.com/678/great-tip-on-getting-traffic-from-youtube/

New York Times Reader 2.0

Interesting to see new New York Times 2.0

http://timesreader.nytimes.com/webapp/TimesReader.do?promoCode=T9179XQW1&campaignId=3737U

Health Insurance Premiums on the basis of your Body Mass Ratio

The day is not far i guess when most of the employees in US will have their health insurance premium gets charged on the basis of their personal lifestyle like smoking etc and Body Mass ratio.With the use of technology it will not be hard for healthcare providers to figure out your personal lifestyle and charge you on that basis.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/workplace-smoking-bans-meant-to-cut-insurance-costs-1147694.html

-Narender

Facebook IPO 2012 target?

Rumors are swirling that the social media giant may go public next year...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40955000/ns/business-us_business/

Facebook: $1 Billion in Profit This Year?

Based on the growth in revenue and in the bottom line, Facebook could stand to pull in close to $1 billion in profit this year. While that may not justify the $50 billion market value that Goldman's investment ascribes to the network, it is another sign of just how huge the company has become, and how much further it could grow as it gobbles up an even larger share of online advertising.

Both The Wall Street Journal (NWS) and The New York Times (NYT) appear to have gotten their hands on some of Facebook's internal financial results as part of the offering documents that Goldman has been giving to high-net-worth investors in its new fund. The Journal says Facebook had net income (i.e. profit) of $200 million in 2009 and revenue of $777 million. While figures for last year weren't disclosed, the Journal adds, "analysts have said the company's revenue last year could be as much as $2 billion, fueled by advertising growth."

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2011/tc2011016_998330.htm

Mac App Store reaches 1 million downloads in first 24 hours

Apple has announced that the new Mac App store has already reached 1 million downloads.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110107005272/en/Mac-App-Store-Downloads-Top-Million-Day

Facebook potentially to be forced to go public due to SEC regs.

After the latest round of financing, Facebook may be forced to go public given that their shareholder base could cross the 499 person threshold.

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/facebook-on-track-for-i-p-o-questions-for-goldman/?ref=business

Facebook's Business Model That Would Kill Any Other Startup

There has been a couple of blogging regarding Facebook and its value. Here's an article that is skeptical about Facebook's Business Model and wanted to put up a sign that says “Don’t try this at home” disclaimer on their business model

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/4-problems-with-facebooks-business-model-that-would-kill-any-other-startu-2010-10##ixzz1AMQVALim

Microsoft Surface 2.0

Microsoft has shown its Surface 2.0 at CES. Microsoft Surface sees and responds to touch and real world objects.

Microsoft Surface

Scan for Privacy: Facebook is Scary

Head to ReclaimPrivacy.org and follow their directions. You're only a few clicks away from privacy.

Good luck!

"10 Ways to Get the Most out of Technology"

A great article in the NYT I saw this morning:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/technology/personaltech/30basics.html?src=me&ref=general

The first points are about the cloud, so quite relevant to what we've been talking about.

Facebook Valuation: Bloomberg Video

This video is timely.

--
Enjoy..

10 Business Models that Rocked 2010

I found this article/presentation to be very interesting given our conversations in class of where to place the cash register.

http://www.boardofinnovation.com/2011/01/04/10-business-models-that-rocked-2010/

Four Reasons why Netflix chose Amazon’s Cloud as Computing Platform

Nice article, describing how Netflix is using Amazon's cloud computing for the content delivery. They have built and deployed search engines in AWS, recommendation systems, A|B testing infrastructure, streaming servers, encoding software, huge data stores, caching architectures, various SQL and NoSQL solutions, all in 2010 for the first time.

http://techblog.netflix.com/2010/12/four-reasons-we-choose-amazons-cloud-as.html

Future Shopping

Yesterday I conceived an idea and I thought I can patent it but when I Googled the prior art already exists. How nice it would be to have a "buy" button on remote/mobile so that while watching the infomercials we can just press a button and the shipment is delivered to our home. Here is the link for:
http://www.creativitypool.com/viewtopic.php?t=2253

An extension to this idea would be to have a technology that can verify the user without having him to enter his credit card information. Lets say a "finger print scanner" on a remote/phone along with the "buy" button. User presses the "Buy" button and places his finger on the scanner. And voila!! The order is placed and shipment is made.

Android Passes iPhone in Total U.S. Subscribers

The most recent comScore data is now available and guess what? Android has passed iPhone in total U.S. subscribers.

Here is a link to the TechCrunch report.

In brief, "Comscore estimates there are 61.5 million smartphone subscribers in the U.S., and 26 percent of them own an Android phone versus 25 percent with an iPhone."

Way to go Google. Now, iPhone has to open up to additional mobile service providers. So long at&t exclusivity! It's about time someone pushed Apple. (Image courtesy of TechCrunch)

Tablet Wars

Interesting article on the sheer quantity of tablet PC's debuted at this year's CES following the Ipad's successes. However, it appears that the only real competition will come from Google and their Android OS.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12136503

Google's Netbook Capabilities and 25 Netbook destroyed in making of this video

Google recently launched the new Chrome Cr-48 notebook, which is part of a pilot program for their new Chrome OS. Google’s Chrome OS stores everything online, rather than on your computer.
So what better to demonstrate their new Chrome OS, and its online capabilities than to create a video showing them destroying a total of 25 Chrome notebooks.
As you can see in the video Google managed to get the whole point of the Chrome OS over pretty well, although the notebooks were destroyed no data was lost.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm-Vnx58UYo

Is Facebook really overvalued ?

The Golman Sachs valuation of facebook may seem high to many analysts now. However, the potential for facebook in realizing the revenues from its ever increasing user base is immense. And facebook seems to be moving towards this in not too distant future.

Facebook: $1 Billion profit this year?

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2011/tc2011016_998330.htm

Facebook recently beat google in terms of time spent. With the huge repository of knowledge that facebook has, it can easily overshadow google by profiling users better. This will make facebook more appealing to advertisers and enable facebook to continue eroding into google's advertisement revenue as it's user base continues to increase.

Facebook Ramps up big E-commerce drive

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2010/tc20101217_877527.htm

Facebook is ramping up efforts to entice companies such as Delta Air Lines and J.C. Penney to sell wares on its pages and convert more of its 500 million users into online shoppers.Facebook is adding e-commerce features to attract users, keep them logged-on longer, and generate higher advertising sales. The effort may turn the company into an online shopping alternative to retailers such as eBay.

Google's translator - beaten to the punch?

Yesterday in class we saw Apple's vision for the future of real-time translation/interpretation. And today Google's translator came up as a possible value-add to the publishing sector where text has to be rendered in many other languages.

But there's another force that may beat these advances to the punch: People around the world are converging around one language -- English -- with incredible zeal and dedication.

Check out this YouTube video about how the Chinese are learning English - it truly is "English mania". The video is almost 7 minutes long, but it's fascinating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIf8Jbc1kNA&feature=player_embedded

Cloud Computing and Publishing

Ok, so this may be selfishly posted to my fellow publishing sector group members… I think I was approaching the project looking way further into the future than 5 years but this article has some good ways publishing can use cloud computing to cut costs (among other things) now and into the near future.

http://emediavitals.com/content/10-ways-publishers-can-leverage-cloud-computing

CES 2011: RealNetworks Steps Past Apple & Google to Offer Cloud-Based Music

http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2011/01/06/06readwriteweb-ces-2011-realnetworks-step-past-apple-goog91313.html

Looks like RealNetworks is going to beat Apple and Google to the punch by offering cloud-based music sometime in the early part of this year. This service will allow users to purchase their music and keep it stored in the cloud so that they can access their music from anywhere--mobile phones, PCs, tablets, etc.

People have been waiting for Apple or Google to offer this service and there have been lots of rumors that Apple was going to announce a cloud-based music service last year especially after the purchase of LaLa, a company that provided services to users by taking the music on their PCs and putting it on the cloud so that they could access their music from anywhere.

We'll see if Apple and/or Google can finally deliver this service sometime this year. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple finally was able to deliver such a service, but it will be another round of tough negotiations with the music labels before this becomes a reality.

Mobile Phone Banking System in Kenya

Here is an interesting article that is an excellent example of innovating from the bottom of the pyramid. In Kenya, people are using mobile phones as a banking system. In less than four years, the system has more than 13 million users and 23,000 agents.

If you’re tired of reading, you can also just listen to the story.

http://www.wbur.org/npr/132679772/mobile-money-revolution-aids-kenyas-poor-economy

About Facebook Privacy

Using the Timeline feature of Google search, I tried to search the changes made to the Facebook privacy settings across time:
Before ~April 2010: Users had the option to allow each separate application access to your data.

April 2010: The 'Instant Personalization' feature was launched. This was enabled by using the Open Graph API set (Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaWSvkd37TQ)
Mark Zuckerberg's argument was that these changes had no effect on the then current privacy status. This is true. But, it allowed your details to be actively displayed to your friends rather than they having to browse to your profile to gather this data.

Late May 2010: After more than a month of intense criticism, Facebook allowed simpler privacy controls. (Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_o4MvgiMHg). This enabled a user to opt out of the Instant Personalization' feature. This continues to date.

The reason this feature got so powerful was that relevant information about your friends were put up at places where they made the sense most (rather than remain static in their profile pages). Also, for the website, all it involved was a single code snippet and suddenly it was Facebook-enabled. Each 'like' translated into a post on a profile which was further liked by others. Content providers totally 'liked' this idea.

Also another bit of news, Facebook Connect was something that was launched in Late 2008. It allowed a unified login to websites. The Open Graph API superseded the Connect. Though, I guess, there are still a few websites that havent migrated from FB Connect to Open Graph.

People who use social media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) frequently display symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addicts

Hi guys,

I blog about publishing and new media on a daily basis and here are links to some of my latest posts that you may find of interest considering what was discussed in the class yesterday and today:

Study: People who use social media frequently display symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addicts.

Nielsen's most recent report on the state of digital and mobile media. (Published today during the class :-)

Facebook and Twitter feed have led to information overload.

65% of internet users are willing to pay for accessing paid online content.

I also run my blog on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/NewMediaBlogg

and on Facebook here.

All best,
Sebastian Aulich

Facebook Deals

Facebook Deals allows businesses to offer discounts to Facebook users who "check in" to a retail location on their smart phones via Facebook Places. For companies this provides a simple, low cost, fast way to reach consumers and for Facebook even more detail on users habits, preferences and lives. http://promomagazine.com/viralmarketing/news/macys-mcdonalds-facebook-deals-app-1109/

Internet to replace TV as top news source?

News Media is recognizing threat from internet. Jack Caffery CNN contributor recently asked people this question and there were interesting answers
Television still tops the list as the main news source at 66%, but that number is down significantly from 82% as recently as 2002.
Today 6p.m. they did broadcast of some replies and there were wide range of answers. Lot of other people recognized that they read and watch more on laptop than TV. Interesting answer was there is no policing on internet connects, so you cannot verify validity of the news. http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/

Google's shopping tool

Google's new online clothes/accessories shopping forum is veering off the "geeky nerd" path and heading onto the runway:

http://www.boutiques.com/

Read the NY Times announcement:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/fashion/18googlefashion.html

Is Facebook worth $50 Billion?

First time I heard about the $50 billion valuation for Facebook, I wondered how investors have valued this company (as it had approx. $2 billion revenue for 2010). The following article talks about this and has very good analysis for the investors.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Analysis-Facebook-ignites-rb-805224137.html;_ylt=AmH5rqFRqUErHFqrLTAFLra7YWsA;_ylu=X3oDMTE1dDZ0MTd0BHBvcwMzBHNlYwN0b3BTdG9yaWVzBHNsawNmYWNlYm9va2lzaXQ-?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=

Priceline: What does Priceline have to do with Microsoft, Apple, Google and Facebook?

My research company is on Priceline. I have been using Priceline for a while on my travellings, mostly on hotels. I did some research on how to do better and more efficient bidding. It takes a bit of time, but it was a fun process and I feel that I am always making a deal - most of the time.
I might post some tips on how to do some better bidding if there are any interests.

Anyways, below are some information on what does Priceline have to do with Microsoft, Apple, Google and Facebook?


Microsoft and Priceline Partnering

Microsoft® Advertising worked with Priceline to create Bing™ travel campaigns focused on budget-conscious consumers who still needed or wanted to travel. Priceline had a brand awareness advantage in the name-your-price budget market based on its commercials featuring William Shatner as “The Negotiator.” Microsoft Advertising search specialists helped Priceline optimize for Bing Travel by launching campaigns that featured top travel search destinations on the decision engine.

http://advertising.microsoft.com/priceline-case-study

Apple has a PriceLine Widget

PriceLine Widget allows you to find a hotel via your Dashboard on PriceLine.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/travel/pricelinewidget.html

but some apps may be better than others...
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/priceline-helper-bidding/id405143884?mt=8

Google: Google acquisition of ITA Software, Jeffery Boyd of Priceline sees “opportunity

the Priceline president and CEO said if Google buys ITA Software and leverages the technology to deliver better-qualified customers to Priceline and other online travel agencies, then Google’s foray into vertical, travel search would represent an opportunity for Priceline.

Boyd said Priceline would be willing to pay more to Google for such better-qualified leads.

http://www.tnooz.com/2010/05/18/news/priceline-no-fear-and-loathing-about-google-ita-software/


Facebook - Apps for Priceline in Facebook but also being sued for Patent infridgement Priceline is currently have facebook apps and also is suing facebook for patent infridgement. There could be complication in partnership where you share too much information. There may be some gray area in this type of relationships when technology/algorithm is key to ones business.

http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=16289913689

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-24/facebook-sued-by-inventor-behind-priceline-com.html

Digital Mall Ad

the digital mall ad was also featured in the movie Minority Report...



as discuss in class, the one at copley may be a prototype? I don't know, but in Japan they are starting to introduce the digital billboard that scans passer-by

http://www.physorg.com/news198392688.html

Advertising efficiency - Google vs Facebook

Here are a couple of links that talk about Google and Facebook advertising.

The first one indicates that typically search advertisements result in more clicks:

http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/6371-facebook-vs-google-does-size-matter

The second one shows that Facebook tends to be the cheaper option per click:

http://www.adhustler.com/local-online-advertising-case-study-facebook-vs-google-adwords/

New Starbucks logo for 2011

My $4 coffee just got a new logo.



Read the full story here: Starbucks Logo

Google Dashboard

This is a good starting point.

Also visit Google Dashboard for those with Google account.

An Electronics Show That Media Companies Dare Not Miss

Interesting article regarding how the media companies are going to distribute the content in next 5 years. They are talking to Verizon and Google on how to partner and stream the content, these companies are also trying to figure out how they can maintain the control over it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/business/media/05media.html?hpw

Privacy Issues with Apple Products

Apple is tracking the location of users if they are using any of apple products and sharing it with other agenicies.I wonder to what information we have private now which Apple, google,Facebook etc does not know and share it with other people,companies etc.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/06/apple-location-privacy-iphone-ipad.html

-Narender

Boston as Smart Grid City

This is how Boston will look like in 2015:) All of this will be based on IP, standardization/dominant process is going on now. Basically as we learnt today, innovation is going on this industry.

(http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/03/31/smart_grid_city/)

Charging Station

Although there is no current standard for charging devices - you can charge all your devices using this pretty neat station.



It's called Idapt's i2+ universal charging dock

Lenovo offers 3D Video Conferencing

Lenovo L2363d is a 3d monitor with 3D webcam and 3D glasses...



NVIDIA blew what's left of our minds with its Project Denver announcement yesterday, so today it's back to the more familiar world of 3D to soothe our souls. The company's 3D Vision technology has been installed on the above Lenovo L2363d, which touts both three-dimensional output and input, courtesy of a pair of webcam lenses embedded in its top bezel. This 1920 x 1080 display spans 23 inches diagonally and requires the usual active shutter glasses to enjoy its content. So, if you buy one for yourself and your nearest and dearest, you can get your 3D videoconferencing action on in proper Blues Brothers style.

Google's Self-Driving Car

Per our conversation in class today, the following article introduces and explains Google's successful project to create a car that operates with minimal human intervention.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/science/10google.html

Verizon's 4G

LAS VEGAS – The first portable devices announced for Verizon Wireless' new, high-speed wireless data network are a smart phone and a tablet from Motorola, both designed to take advantage of network's speed with cameras for videoconferencing.
More devices for Verizon's "4G" network, which went live for laptop modems in December, are expected to be announced Thursday by the CEO of Verizon Communications Inc. at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
For the moment, Verizon has the fastest wireless network in the country, and it's hoping to capitalize on it by selling data-hungry tablets and smart phones. There are unconfirmed reports that Verizon will also get to sell version of the iPhone, breaking AT&T Inc.'s exclusive hold, but analysts don't expect Verizon to reveal one at the show.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110106/ap_on_re_us/us_tec_gadget_show

iPad before iPhone

some readings regarding what was discussed in class on iPad before iphone

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/06/02/jobs-says-ipad-idea-came-iphone/
http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/06/02/steve-jobs-the-ipad-concept-came-before-the-iphone/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2364498,00.asp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anEouIbCX2c

there's also a lot of products from the 2011 CES that looks like an iPad look-alike. Check out the boston.com pictures.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/specials/ces2011/gadgetsces2011/

Comcast Throttling Netflix Service

On continuting the Net Neutrality Discussion here is another news where Netflix is blaming Comcast for disruption/slowness of their service.As per Comcast ,Netflix users are using around 60-70% of bandwidth in the evening making a heavy load on their infrastrure and that's why they wanted to charge this toll on Netflix.It will be interesting to see how comcast will treat other Big players like google and apple when they will enter in to Media Streaming industry.

http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2010/11/30/comcast-demands-toll-netflix/

-Narender

Consumer Electronics Show begins today

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/specials/ces2011/gadgetsces2011/?p1=News_links

From Boston.com

By Hiawatha Bray
Globe Staff / January 6, 2011

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LAS VEGAS — Television began as a wireless technology that snatched pictures and sound out of thin air. Cable TV and the Internet changed that, but new technology is bringing back its wireless ways, judging by products being showcased here at the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES. At the mammoth technology trade show, which opens today, tech product makers are demonstrating ways to beam digital entertainment into our TV sets without the use of wires.
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In early previews yesterday, Intel Corp. showed off its new generation of personal computer processor chips, code-named “Sandy Bridge.’’ Among their advanced features is Wireless Display, or WiDi, which allows a home computer to beam high-definition video directly to any compatible TV.
WiDi actually made its debut as a soft ware program in Intel-powered laptops last year, but the technology only supported lower-grade HD video, the standard known as 720p. The Sandy Bridge chip features a powerful new graphics processor, which allows WiDi to transmit video at the higher 1080p standard.
To enable TV sets to pick up the WiDi signal, wireless device maker Netgear Inc. unveiled its new Push2TV, a $120 device that can receive video from a WiDi laptop and feed it to HDTV sets. “You can now play a Blu-ray and stream it directly to the TV,’’ said Samshubhra Choudhury, Netgear’s director of product marketing.
Choudhury said that WiDi-equipped laptops will provide a superior viewing experience compared to other methods of displaying Internet content on TV sets. For example, Google Inc.’s highly touted Google TV device cannot show Internet videos from the four major broadcast TV networks, but the same videos can be viewed on a WiDi laptop, then beamed to the TV set.
Intel worked with several major film studios to build security features into the chip to make it harder to create illicit copies of popular films streamed over the Internet. Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, said that his company will now stream high-definition versions of its latest movies through his company’s website, for viewing only on computers using Intel’s new processor.
Meanwhile, a number of home electronics companies are clashing over a pair of rival technologies that could clear up a lot of cable clutter. WirelessHD and the Wireless Home Digital Interface are two different technical standards that aim to eliminate the common HDMI cable used to connect high-definition TVs, home audio gear, set-top boxes, game consoles, and Blu-ray players. Despite technical differences between the two standards, they are both designed to allow wireless HDMI connections between multiple devices. For example, a single Blu-ray player could transmit its video wirelessly to any TV set in the house.
CES is expected to draw 120,000 attendees from all over the world, according to a show release. Some 2,500 exhibitors are taking part.

Where is it "Made In"

Following on our class discussion around "Made In" definitions and regulations... the NY Times ran this article a few months ago regarding Italy's new "Made In" laws that will govern textiles and clothing.

"Is Italy Too Italian? From Taxis to Textiles"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/business/global/01italy.html?scp=1&sq=Is%20Italy%20Too%20Italian&st=Search

Fair competition in Web world with Net Neutrality

Here is my first entry on this blogpost .I wanted to shed some light on the recent FCC voting on Net Neutrality and how it can shape the future Mobile internet application and App industry.Below are couple of links which can give you some more background on Net neutality but the most important thing i wonder about is if Mobile service providers in conjunction with other big companies like Google , apple can control the access of applications on the mobile phone.So if i have an adroid phone with Verizon ,Google and Verizon can choose to have an app from someone who is willing to share more revenue with them comparing to somebody else who is not and they can block or slow their application .So in a way there will be no fair competition and it will be a monopoly in the market.Imagine if you want to use Google GPS or Map functionality on Apple iPhone over AT&T and you are being told by your phone to use an app from apple.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/21/verizon-google-fcc-net-neutrality/#
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/09/google-and-verizons-net-neutrality-proposal-explained/

-Narender Aeron

Goldman Sachs investment in Facebook

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/01/02/goldman-invests-in-facebook-at-50-billion-valuation/

Further to the Microsoft investment at a $15 Billion valuation; Facebook has received a round of Equity funding from Goldman Sachs at a $50 Billion valuation.

The War over Tablet Operating Systems

http://www.pehub.com/92259/the-war-over-the-tablet-operating-system-and-the-opportunities-for-startups/

In the same vein as our conversation yesterday about how new entrants could enter the market with Ford & GM could capture value I thought this was an interesting quick read about short term plays for small start-ups that could potentially capture short term value, potentially be acquired by either google or apple and then potentially do it all over again in the future with new technologies.

Why people might not want smart fridges

Humor piece from the Boston Globe this morning about why people don't want smart fridges:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2011/01/06/refrigerators_should_be_seen_and_not_heard/

Google Car

Here's the car we are discussing:

http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/googles-self-driving-car/5445/

Google's Self Driving Car

http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/blog/thinking-tech/googles-self-driving-car/5445/

Who gives a Tweet ?

The project "Who gives a Tweet?" should examine the use of tweets.
Ppl from MIT, University Southampton and Georgia Tech started a project that analyzes the
"quality" of tweets.

The goal ist to provide feedback which posted messages are considered useful by followers - and which ones are seen as useless. One of the founders of this initiative, Michael Bernstein, argues that massmedia regularly complains that twitter is overloaded with rubbish.
At this point of time, enough users support this initiative by rating anonymous tweets so that meaningful analysis can be conducted.

The exact date when study results are presented is not set, yet.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/30/who-gives-a-tweet/

In-Flight Wifi

Here is an article about airlines and wifi:

http://www.bnet.com/article/which-airlines-have-internet-on-flights-and-why-they-took-so-long/410633

Since a lot of teams discussed offering internet access in cars, I decided to look around and see how it was provided in planes. From the article, we can see that the majority of airlines actually receive their internet signal from ground towers. Using towers located on the ground is cheaper but has limitations of no a access when traveling internationally as well as over remote locations. There is a company that offers satellite coverage, but at a higher cost.

When driving, there are times that we're going to be driving through remote areas that don't have any coverage - I'm sure we've all experienced this with having no cell phone service. In order to make this work for your car and effective, we'd have to move towards the satellite approach.

Microsoft CEO Says Windows Phone 7 Gets 100+ Apps Each Day

http://mashable.com/2011/01/05/windows-phone-7-ces/

As we've seen in the Morgan Stanley Internet Trends presentation, Microsoft has yet to be a player in the Mobile App space despite their monoply in the desktop with Window OS and their Office application. With the launch of Windows 7 Mobile OS phones in the last couple of months, Microsoft is saying that more than 100 apps are being added each day to the platform. Considering the built-in base of desktop application developers already in Microsoft's stable, it would seem that applications will more quickly be developed for the Windows 7 Mobile OS platform than they did for the other mobile platforms (iOS, Android, etc.).

Although Microsoft is late to the smartphone OS party, they are not going away anytime soon. They have too much to lose and as is the custom at Microsoft, they will use their huge cash pile to make themselves relevant again... just look at Bing.

Is GM Onstar answer to foreign auto maker?

For lower and mid range car very first thing everyone wants in a car is reliability and then comes all other features like opening car from phone and other cool features which Onstar package provides. Safety is one the big factor in selection of car, and GM onstar provides reactive answer to that, but other companies are developing proactive accident avoidance technologies. So which car will you buy -the one which is reliable and doesn’t break after 50,000 miles and which can help you to avoid accident or the one which breaks after 50K miles and provide reactive support.
Onstar doesn’t come cheap – it’s approx. $20 without turn by turn direction and $30 with GPS functionality. Can GM lower price? My answer is no. U.S. 911 operates at capacity utilization of 16% to provide under 30 second response time, I think GM has to provide similar within 30 second response time to Onstar users, that means more number of people on node will not help company. Can they outsource it to countries like India/China? My guess is not.
I feel Onstar provides value proposition for higher model car. Question is how much time will it take to provide Onstar kind of service on Mercedes / Lexus / BMW/ Acura/ Infinity etc.

Is GM Onstar answer to foreign auto maker?

For lower and mid range car very first thing everyone wants in a car is reliability and then comes all other features like opening car from phone and other cool features which Onstar package provides. Safety is one the big factor in selection of car, and GM onstar provides reactive answer to that, but other companies are developing proactive accident avoidance technologies. So which car will you buy -the one which is reliable and doesn’t break after 50,000 miles and which can help you to avoid accident or the one which breaks after 50K miles and provide reactive support.
Onstar doesn’t come cheap – it’s approx. $20 without turn by turn direction and $30 with GPS functionality. Can GM lower price? My answer is no. U.S. 911 operates at capacity utilization of 16% to provide under 30 second response time, I think GM has to provide similar within 30 second response time to Onstar users, that means more number of people on node will not help company. Can they outsource it to countries like India/China? My guess is not.
I feel Onstar provides value proposition for higher model car. Question is how much time will it take to provide Onstar kind of service on Mercedes / Lexus / BMW/ Acura/ Infinity etc.

Sponsorship set to bring telematics prices down

Here's a new twist to the story. We discussed how in-car telematics prices were high and prohibitive to car owners. Sponsorship could be an interesting way out for car makers to provide in-car telematics at a low cost or even free.

Consider this example - A consortium of corporate biggies sponsor the system at the outset so that you get the system at a low price or even for free. Then, you choose your favored company list from an exhaustive list of sponsors. This list could include Burger King, Starbucks, Holiday Inn, Netflix etc. Now, when you're on your roadtrip you get to see only these companies on your in-car telematics location-based navigation system. So you get to know where your favorite shopping outlets are and these companies get to advertize via your car's telematics systems.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/price-of-in-car-telematics-set-to-decrease-thanks-to-corporate-sponsors.html

While you might think this list could restrict you only to certain companies and will not show other outlets that you may want to try out, the system could also give you the opportunity to update your list periodically. Of course, impulses, urges and sudden cravings cannot be taken care of through this system and this is a potential disadvantage.