McDonald's has launched a fun approach to interactive marketing in the UK. The following video shows passers-by interacting with the content of a large digital billboard in Piccadilly Circus. Watch all of the poses!
Harry Brignull, who blogs at 90% of Everything, has an interesting video taken at what looks like an electronic music festival - "Ever wondered what it's like to be trapped in a crowd of 600,00 Dutch clubbers?"
THIS IS JUST THE PICTURE
You will need to visit Harry's blog to explore and pan around the video.
“By using a Google Streetview-like camera, a system with six lenses, not as a photo but as a video camera, an all-encompassing picture is captured. [...] From the point where the images were recorded, the viewer can look in any direction, let his eyes wander through the crowd, or stare at the ground or the air, which makes viewing a video an experience without boundaries.” - Yellow Bird press release
The Gear in Action
If I can find additional examples of Yellowbird videos, I will post them here. They are easy to work with a touch-screen. I bet these videos would be great on SmartBoards or other interactive displays.
By the way, Harry Brignull blogs about "Experience Design, User Research & Good Old Fashioned Usability"
I have a growing interest in the emerging "web of things", and figuring out how computers and gadgets can inter-operate more smoothly. This summer, I'm planning on playing with my RFID toys and learning more about wireless sensor networks. I can't wait until waiting for my MIR:ROR and Nabaztag arrive. I'm also looking forward to exploring the Pachube concept.
So what is Pachube? Pachube: "A web service that enables people to tag and share real time sensor data from objects, devices and spaces around the world, facilitating interaction between remote environments, both physical and virtual."
You can sign up for Pachube on the web, and learn more about it by exploring the following links:
"The domain of architecture has been transformed by developments in interaction research, wearable computing, mobile connectivity, people-centered design, contextual awareness, RFID systems and ubiquitous computing. These technologies alter our understanding of space and change the way we relate to each other. We no longer think of architecture as static and immutable; instead we see it as dynamic, responsive and conversant. Our projects explore some of this territory."
The Internet of Things Europe 2009 conference, focusing on emerging technologies for the future, will be held on May 7th and 8th in Brussels at the Sofitel Brussels Europe hotel.
Rafi Haladjian, a co-founder of Violet, will be presenting at the conference during the following session on Thursday, May 7th.
Session 2: Innovation and emerging technologies and business models "This session will explore what emerging innovations, technologies and market trends are being seen now, and which are likely to emerge in the future. What are the research requirements and obstacles in terms of affordability, usability or accessibility that need to be addressed? How will economic, technological and application trends drive the evolution of architectures for the ‘Internet of Things’? What successful business models are already being seen today, and how can these be adapted with future technological developments?" In a previous post, "The Internet of Things can be Cute: MIR:ROR by Violet", I discussed how RFID is being used in a variety of playful ways to trigger a link to information.The following video from the Violet website explains how MIR:ROR uses little RFID stamps to interact with the Internet and activate things through the MIR:ROR. Each stamp has an e-mail address.
The rabbit in the picture below is called Nabaztag, from Violet, the first Internet-connected Rabbit. He hears, he reads, and he speaks. He can wake you up, give the weather forecast, update you on your friends face-book and twitter status. He can also send music, e-mail messages, and read stories.
The little rabbits have been around for quite a while. Below is an opera composed by Antoine Schmitt and Jean-Jacques Birge, following an idea by Guylaine Monnier:
90 of the rabbits were brought to the performance by their owners, and ten were supplied by Violet. You can purchase books from the Violet website for 3 to 7 year old children. These books feature Ztamps, that are recognized by the MIR:ROR and the Nabaztag rabbit, and will read the book to the child.
On a more serious note, here are a few other sessions that I'd be interested in attending at the Internet of Things conference:
Session 5: Privacy, Security & Data Protection "Although privacy and data protection policy has become increasingly sophisticated since the emergence of the Internet, controversies are likely to accelerate with the new applications likely to be encountered in the Internet of Things. Security issues, particularly surrounding unauthorised access to and unintended disclosure of data are becoming more prevalent. What qualitatively new challenges are presented by the Internet of Things? How can the rights of citizens or businesses in one country be safeguarded on global networks? Whatrights pertain to Things on the Internet of Things?"
Session 6: Service Architecture and Communication "The range of connectivity options available is bewildering - but the challenges of scalability, interoperability and ensuring return on investment for network operators remain. How will communication needs change as a result of the Internet of Things? What new service architectures will be required to cater for the connectivity demands of emerging devices? How will spectrum rights holders participate in the Internet of Things"
When I was a little girl, I was into science fiction, and one of the things I always wanted was my very own video phone. Long after I grew up, along came broadband Internet. I was disappointed. Skype was not exactly what I hoped for, and the newest "innovations", apparently designed to counter the decline in land-line phones, do not match my sci-fi dreams.
The following article provides a history about the video phone, and some insight about why this concept was never adopted by the masses:
Below are a few examples of the current state of affairs regarding the world of video phones:
i2eye, from D-Link, is a videophone that looks like it would be easy to use for a grandparent who doesn't have a computer.
The thing is, most grandparents of young babies are probably in their 50's, or maybe in their early 60's. According to study by Scarborough Research, conducted in 2006-07, about 74% of adults 55 years and older own a computer. All a grandparent needs to do is download something like Skype, plug in a $40.00 webcam, and things are good to go.
The ASUS Eee Videophone uses Skype. (For the uninitiated,Skype is available for free and is adequate for my video phone needs.) The following demonstration video provides information about the ways it can be used and how users interact with the interface. Please excuse the rather boring music looping in the background of the demo.
The ACN Videophone was recently featured on Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice. Below is a videoclip of the phone in action, along with it's advanced features that allow you to project audio and video to a larger screen.
I found the promo video for the ACN video phone, featuring Donald Trump, a bit amusing. Apparently the ACN video phone is distributed through multi-level marketing.
If you are a Verizon subscriber, you probably have heard of the "Hub". Verizon came out with the VerizonHub a couple of months ago, and I was hoping to get my hands on one before writing a review. When I learned that it had a touch-screen interface, but did not provide direct access to the web, I was not in a hurry. My dream version of the "hub" would have this feature.
Here is something I found that was a bit puzzling:
The above pictures are of the Amstrad videophone, which I think debuted in 2004. The touchscreen offers a variety of options. This phone looks like it was designed by a committee that decided to incorporate ALL the ideas that were brainstormed by the team. There is the traditional phone button interface, a set of qwerty buttons that mimic what you would find on a text-messaging teen's cell phone, and a slide-out qwerty keyboard for the elders and others who have pudgier fingers. Of course, you can always use the touch screen interface!
