CTIA WIRELESS: "Cool" Stuff

Regardless of the trade show, you'll always find "cool stuff" that makes you say "now that's a great idea!" CTIA WIRELESS was no exception when it came to cool factor.

First, Yahoo! is launching its new onesearch 2.0 for mobile phones that promises to offer easier search, better results, and voice integration. The latter point is the most interesting, in my view. With this feature, you can not only type in your desired search words, but also dictate them orally. Say the requested search term, like "restaurants, las vegas" or "ctia show", and Yahoo! will search its server, while also sending back a confirmation note to double check that it heard you correctly. If you want to try it out, the service is already available in trial for owners of select Blackberry devices at www.m.yahoo.com/voice. I haven't been able to try it out just yet (since I don't own a Blackberry), but it'll be interesting to hear some feedback on how well it works.

Did you ever think a mobile phone could be used as a medical alert device? If not, you'd be surprised to hear about MyRapidMD, which provides an application that can be sent to your mobile phone, and includes all of your pertinent medical information in case of an emergency, like blood type, known allergies, and serious medical conditions. The company is working with mobile phone carriers and manufacturers, as well as first responders, in an effort to deploy the technology globally. Here's how it works: sign up for an account online: a lifetime subscription is US$19.95 and there's a US$5.95 renewal fee every year. Enter all of your details, and upload a recent photo. Then enter your mobile phone number, and send to any Java or Web-enabled phone. The information arrives in the form of a Web link as a text message: click the link, download the app, and away you go! It will either appear as an icon right on the home screen (it looks like a little asterisk); or may end up in the "games and applications" folder, depending on the particular phone. In the event of an emergency, first responders can find this information on your phone and use it to both identify and treat you accordingly. How will they know that you're a subscriber? When you sign up, you receive a slew of items, including a sticker that can be adhered to the back of your phone, a wallet card, keychain, car window sticker, and 'fridge magnet. If you're weary about leaving your private information "out in the open", so to speak, you can set the details to "private", at which point a first responder will be given a 1-800 phone number to call. Once he provides your subscriber number to the call centre rep, he'll gain access to the pertinent information. If this system saves even one life, it makes sense.

Another neat product that caught my eye is the backup pal (US$49.99), a little circular doo-hickey that, as the company's signgage indicated, is so simple, "even a monkey can use it". What does it do? Backs up up to 4,000 contacts from a mobile phone so that, if you switch phones, or your mobile gets lost or stolen, you can easily import the information back into a new phone. The device comes with six adapters, including ones for Samsung, Nokia, and Motorola phones, as well as a mini USB connector, which lets you connect other popular handsets, like the BlackBerry. All you need to do is connect your phone, hit the large "back-up" button, and wait. When you get a new phone, connect it and hit "restore to phone" to upload all the contacts from the device. backup pal is powered by 3 "AAA" batteries, and uses flash memory so that the information always remains safely stored, even when the batteries have depleted. $50 for peace of mind makes sense!

Finally, I was strangely drawn to a display called PetsMobility, which claims to be the first cell phone for your dog. Huh? What it really is is a waterproof GPS collar that uses the CDMA network to provide tracking information on your pet's whereabouts. Using computer software, you can establish a "geo-fence", i.e. a perimeter in which your beloved creature is not permitted to go beyond. If it does, you can be notified via your mobile phone, then use the PawTrax tracking system to find the animal. As strange as this device sounds, I can somehow manage it flying off store shelves.

As for the image above, it really has nothing to do with anything written here, but I had to give the company kudos for finding a unique way to get people's attention at the show. Yeehaw for wireless!

Should Microsoft Buy Yahoo!?

Last week, Microsoft placed a whopping US$44.6 billion offer to purchase shares of Yahoo!, which has been struggling as of late due to stiff competition from companies like Google and YouTube. In December 2006, Yahoo! underwent a major reorganization, and recently, it has been rumoured that hundreds (or even thousands!) of jobs could be cut from the company. So when Microsoft swoops in with a major bid that likely no one else could (or would!) attempt to beat, is this the Golden Ticket Yahoo! has been looking for? More important: will this spell disaster for consumers everywhere?

It's no secret that takeovers are essential in this industry for a number of reasons. Sometimes, it's to build capital in order to invest in things like R&D to create the amazing products we see today. Other times, it's to help effectively compete against major powerhouses: two (or more) heads are better than one, right? Other times, it might be a mutually beneficial relationship, where each company can compensate for a particular weakness by utilizing the strengths of the other. But many times, the reason is the sheer need to be number-one, and take out anyone in your path.

Before you jump to conclusions, I'm not saying this is Microsoft's intention nor motivation. But the bid wasn't exactly a "hey, we'll throw a bone out there and see the reaction." It was a move that would almost definitely obliterate all other bidders, and dangle a carrot in front of Yahoo!'s eyes that might just be far too tempting to resist.

Microsoft already owns plenty in the online arena; and we all know about its dominance in computing. The company recently made sure it had a major foot in the door of the growing social networking world by securing a US$240 million stake in popular Website Facebook.com. If Microsoft combines forces with Yahoo! as well, what sort of "competition" will be left?

Sure, Google isn't an "innocent" party in this equation, owning major properties like YouTube, and online advertising behemoth DoubleClick. But at what point will it become absolutely impossible for any company to get their foot in the door, and the power be placed in the hands of too few?

Many argue that we see the same sort of problems in the cellular phone industry in Canada, where three main carriers dominate, only one of which operates on the worldwide standard of GSM. However, the opening of the wireless spectrum to new entrants this coming May could change this. Meanwhile, the ongoing debates about a potential merger between satellite radio providers Sirius and XM in the U.S. lead to the same antitrust-like issues.

Bottom line: acquisitions and combining forces certainly help to advance technologies in ways that one company might not be able to accomplish. But we have to draw a line somewhere.

On that note, I always laugh at friends or family that want to "boycott" a particular brand because of a bad experience. Half the time, the brand they decide to go for instead is actually owned by the same parent company, showing that their efforts are, quite frankly, futile. The sad truth is that there are so many conglomerates out there, that the company that makes your socks probably also owns the place where you had dinner last night, along with your favourite shampoo. Business is business, of course. But competition is what adds to the excitement, and leads to continual innovation.

Online Content Distribution Issues Slowly Smoothing Out

Since the Internet has become a major means of obtaining content of all kinds, it has been rife with issues relating to unauthorized content distribution. We still have a long way to go for these issues to fully smooth themselves out: after all, it's incredibly easy to get whatever information one wants onto the Internet for literally the entire world to see! But we're definitely on the right track.

Just today, music studio Sony BMG made a deal with Yahoo with regards to the use of its music and videos in user-generated content that's uploaded to the site. Yahoo will give Sony a cut of its advertising revenue, and Sony BMG will permit its artist's material to be used in content that appears on the site. Finally a deal that makes sense and is working toward the consumer's interests, not against them.

Encouragingly, this isn't the first of such deals to come down the pike: Sony BMG has already made a similar deal with Google and its popular YouTube property; while NBC Universal and News Corp. said earlierthis year that it would create its own Internet video distribution network that would feature thousands of hours of full-length programming, movies and clips from at least a dozen networks and two major film studios.

Meanwhile, popular sites that feature user-generated content, like Yahoo and YouTube, are working vigorously to employ content filtering technologies that would weed out anything that uses unlicensed copyright material. And music downloading Websites and music studios, like iTunes and EMI, are finally beginning to embrace DRM-free content. In terms of the current Hollywood Writer's Guild strike, which is fueled by the writer's feelings that they aren't being appropriately compensated for content distributed online, rumour has it that the parties are back into negotiations. This is the kind of progress that is very encouraging: don't try to hinder technological development; work with it.

On another note, there are still naysayers that simply won't embrace the changing way we consume content. Famed record producer Jermaine Dupri is one of them, having gone on a rant in the Huffington Post about the state of the music industry. He feels that consumers should buy an entire album if they want one song: that's the way it always has been, and that's the way it should remain. I understand his point that an album is created to tell a story as a whole, and a lot of work goes into creating the "work of art", but to say that sites like iTunes are "helping customers destroy their canvas" is a bit of a stretch. I guess the "random play" option on any CD player or music system should be squashed as well, because this often leads to only a few tracks off each inserted CD playing within a set.

I digress...

Strike While the Social Networking Iron is Hot!

It's no secret that sites like MySpace and Facebook lead the online social networking world, the latter of which finds much of its appeal in the level of control each member has over how much of his information is made public, and to whom. The latest service to enter the foray is from Yahoo!: a site called Mash that will supposedly allow friends to alter each other's profiles.

Yahoo! is certainly making a concerted effort to differentiate itself from the pack, but I can't imagine why on earth I'd ever want to give someone free reign to update my information. In Yahoo!'s defense, the site is reportedly geared at the younger generation (so is Facebook and MySpace, although both appear to have picked up steam by the 25+ crowd). I would argue this target audience is actually worse for such a feature. Here's why:

Kids today change BFFs ("best friends forever", for those who aren't hip to the lingo) like they do socks. Imagine permitting your "BFF Sally" to update your profile. A fight ensues one day, and by the next, all your dirty laundry, embarassing pics, and nicknames are aired on your Mash profile. Thanks, but no thanks.

I don't blame companies for wanting to strike an iron that's hot: if they didn't do so, we wouldn't see half as many iPod accessories as we do today. But sometimes the ideas seem a little "out there". Mind you, consumers have been known to take to strangest ideas and concepts, so I might be out in left field on this one. I guess we'll just wait and see.

comScore Reports June’s Top 50 Websites

comScore Media Metrix has released its list of the top 50 visited Websites in the U.S. for the month of June. Although much of the list is easily predictable given recent and upcoming events, it’s interesting nonetheless to see where Web traffic is going on a daily basis.

The upcoming World Series of Poker shot traffic to online gambling sites up 13% to 12.5 visitors; while the beginning of summer vacation resulted in traffic to online gaming sites increasing 8% to 64 million visitors (kids need to occupy their time somehow, right?) As adults begin planning summer getaways, hotel/resort Websites saw an 8% gain to 34.6 million visitors.

“Hollywood-type” entertainment news has a very significant effect on Web traffic: such Websites saw 7% growth to 42.1 million visitors. This was due largely to “breaking” news stories (and I use that term lightly) like Paris Hilton’s “unexpected” early release from jail. The alleged murder/suicide saga with WWE member Chris Benoit and his family led to a whopping 117% increase to the WWE Website, which reached 8.4 million visitors during the month. Pride month resulted in a 23% jump in visitors to gay/lesbian sites, which rose to 3 million for the month.

Not surprisingly, topping the overall list for the month of June was Yahoo! sites, with more than 133 million visitors; followed closely by Google sites and Time Warner network, both at upwards of 123 million visitors.

Rounding out the top 10 are (in this order): Microsoft sites (116 million); Fox Interactive Media (83 million); eBay (81 million); Amazon sites (53 million); Ask Network (52 million); Wikipedia sites (47 million); and Apple Inc. (44 million). Apple’s position in the ranking is expected, given the tremendous buzz surrounding the iPhone launch last month.

Other interesting entrants include The Weather Channel (No. 13); Facebook (20); and Wal-Mart (21). It’s intriguing that a social networking Website beat out the world’s largest retailer, albeit not by much: Facebook narrowly inched Wal-Mart out for the 20th spot by a mere 43,000 visitors. It will be interesting see how the numbers fall for the month of July.

Click here to view the full top 50 list.

Split Screen Web Searching

A company called SearchBoth.ca has developed a Website that presents search word/term results in split screen format: one side showing Google results, and the other showing Yahoo!

The first thought when I read the announcement was: “Why the heck would anyone need to search both at the same time?" But the more I pondered the idea, the more I realized that the simplistic nature of this new Website is exactly what makes it so appealing.

Think about it: you’re essentially doubling search results in one click. Sure, there’s likely a lot of overlap. But it’s all about ranking: sometimes the result you’re looking for is higher ranked on Google than it is Yahoo!, and therefore shows up on the first page instead of the second, or third, or fourth, for example.

This site could also serve as a useful tool in helping users determine which search engine works best for their particular needs. You might realize over time that Google produces more relevant results; or that Yahoo! has a better handle on your specific topic interests.

I gave SearchBoth a quick test run, and it is exactly what it promises to be. Search results are presented instantaneously (I’m on a high-speed Rogers connection and using IE6). Place the cursor inside either the Google or Yahoo! results, and that selected side shifts to take up the majority of the screen. Move the cursor out of the window and it flips back to a 50/50 split. It can get annoying because, as you move the cursor (likely by force of habit), the screen toggles side to side in turn. But you’ll easily get used to it.

My quick searches didn’t determine a definite “winner” of the search engine race. The results were actually pretty evenly skewed, with everything I wanted either first on the list, or somewhere on the first page of results. As it stands, I only use Google for web searches. But I’m willing to give SearchBoth.ca a try to see if it yields better, faster, or more relevant results over the long run.

SearchBoth has also launched similar sites in the U.S. (SearchBoth.com), UK (SearckBoth.co.uk), and Australia (SearchBoth.com.au), each of which searches Google and Yahoo! in the respective countries.

You might be reading this and thinking “what a stupid idea”. But don’t forget that some of the greatest inventions probably sounded really stupid at first inception: especially when it comes to the ‘net. YouTube, anyone? I thought so. Who’s laughing now.