Nokia N97

We were talking recently about convergent technologies - one of the things we were debating were would users want to have both laptop and mobile or would they merge into one device.

The latest offering from Nokia which seems to be getting an effective internet buzz is the N97.



It's the phone they are saying will be able to compete with the iPhone and it really does seem like a handheld laptop to me:

"Details are in, Nokia has a new flagship phone. The N97 packs a 3.5-inch, 640 x 360 pixel (that's a 16:9 aspect ratio) resistive touchscreen display with tactile feedback and QWERTY keyboard into this sliding communicator with an "always open" window to favorite internet or social networking sites. Nokia calls it the "world's most advanced mobile computer." To back up the claim they've dropped in HSDPA, WiFi, and Bluetooth radios, A-GPS, a 3.5-mm headjack, 32GB of onboard memory with microSD expansion (for up to 48GB total capacity), and a battery capable of up to 1.5 days of continuous audio playback or 4.5-hours video. 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss glass and "DVD quality" video capture at 30fps, too" source: http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/02/nokia-unveils-flagship-n97-phone/

It seems very likely that phones like this, the iPhone, the SE-X1, etc are really going to change how we in Western society are accessing the web (with LEDC's already accessing the web primarily via mobile).

microsoft maps

Has anyone ever seen http://maps.live.com/ before?

Basically Microsoft is trying to do a Google. In some respects they've done it better, in other they've shot themselves in the face, taken a picture of the bloody remains, posted it onto the internet, added the functionality to click random elements, and somehow formed an online application that is supposed to do what Googlemaps does.

Where they've done well is they've taken the maps and added a 3D perspective; so now not only can you look at your house from above, but from an angle too. It's rather good.

When it works - it keeps asking me to download the special beta app, the equivalent of google earth. I've tried this and it's now asking me if I want to make MSN my default homepage and MSN live my default search (NO I DON'T, I pray to the google).

Still - it's good to see how someone else with millions of pounds of budget attempts this.

One thing that has often puzzled me. Why do these free map apps make so much money? I've a mate who's a map specialist, he's worked for a few companies dotted round the country. It seems to be big business. I can understand the TomTom model, but where do googlemaps and microsoft maps make the money? Surely mapping the whole nation, taking photos from air, land, sea, undergrond, at a slight right angle, from space, in UV, IR, Full-colour, hybrid, sepia, with all houses painted pink, etc - it must cost a lot. Do they really earn this money back?

Economy

So VAT has been slashed to 15% today. Now my understanding of economics is not advanced; however I understand enough to know that here is a proposal that could really help save the economy at least within the UK.

Essentially I'm asking all patriots to buy me presents; in doing so you'll be spending, which will profit the companies, who will be able to spend in industry, salaries, and allow more spending, people will be able to buy houses, food, cars - and all because of me, who will have lots of presents.

Remember the slogan. Save the economy, buy me presents

Win a Speedo LZR Racer

The Speedo LZR Racer games have a competition attached to win a LZR Racer suit. This is being drawn on Sunday so why not enter yourself and send to your friends and get the chance to win? http://speedo80.com/lzrtrials/ Just think, you could be the next Michael Phelps, or you could sell it on Ebay and buy a Playstation 3.



If you miss out - don't worry, there is a second draw in December.

Good luck!

Designer router

I was so impressed by this router design that I thought it was worth a post.



It's a router, it's also a vase, it looks good! Of course I'm not sure mixing water and electronics is such a hot idea. But finding ways to double up on devices has to be a good thing. Like BT's all-in-one router which is phone dock, router, and modem.

Check it out : http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/wireless-router-vase.php

I wonder what else your router could be?

I'll be back... on your screen this wednesday evening

A very interesting comment from here http://www.cultureby.com/trilogy/2008/11/when-bad-things-happen-on-good-tv.html

TV is traditionally a protected domain. It is governed by the convention that governs much of children's literature: bad things do not happen here.
When bad things does happen on TV, it is merely to give the protagonistic the occasion to triumph over an antagonist. In this case, bad things exist only so that good things may flourish.
This means TV can't ever entertain tragic knowledge. TV can't ever entertain the possibility that some part of the human condition as flawed beyond the possibility of redemption or amieloration. TV Land is benign.
But on theThe Sarah Conner Chronicles, life's a nightmare, then you die. There is something fantastically dour about this show. The characters know they are doomed in the short term or the long. Even if good wins out over evil, the world will still be reduced to rubble. But the hope of triumph is slender at the best of times, and incredible all the rest of the time.
I don't remember this tone in the originalTerminatorfilms. And this might be proof of Robert Thompson's argument that TV, once the bastard child of film, is able to take on bigger question. It would also be an interesting study in Henry Jenkins' notion of transmedia.
In a recent episode ofHouse, Dr. Eric Foreman (Omar Epps) kills a patient in his effort to save her. There is a horrible scene in which he begs her forgiveness and she refuses it. Normally, of course, this is an opportunity for the exercise of "human understanding and redemption." On TV, generally this means quite a lot of string work and tears as we all take a moment to reflect on how much fundamental goodness there is in the human spirit. Not this time. In this episode, the patient says something like "You fucked up. You killed me."
In general, this sort of thing says that not only is popular culture getting more complicated. (See the argument of Steven Johnson here.) But that it is now prepared to take up seriousness and even darkness that generally speaking never made it into any of the many episodes ofMurder, She Wroteor those B movies that end with a monkey doing something comical while everyone laughs a rather too heartily.
This would argue for the argument that says that popular culture is getting more like culture.
Post script. In a recent Conner Chronicles there was a reference to a tortoise that sounds very like the reference to the tortoise that appears in Blade Runner. Can anyone confirm or elicidate?
Post post script: The Sarah Connor Chonicles is on today at 8:00. Please do check in out. It's numbers are down and, as I say, it's really just tremendously good fun.
Post post script: Anyone interested in what feminism means for popular culture must watch this show.

Coal Finger

It's the latest offering from Greenpeace in their give coal the boot campaign.

It's nothing to do with my agency, boo, but still fun:



Sign up and show your support at at: http://www.coalfinger.com/

Speedo

It's Speedo's 80th year, and they've marked it with a number of micro-sites my agency has been working on: http://www.speedo80.com/hub/

And I've just launched a whole bunch of games I've been project managing for them as one of these microsites: http://speedo80.com/lzrtrials/