I could see a whole new era of news presentation coming out of this. Suppose a news agency has a subscription base that is allowed to view live video when a reporter on the scene sends out a share post. That would be a whole new level of reality “TV”.

According to a recent article in VentureBeat Google will be offering a free GPS system on any phone that uses their Android 2.0 operating system. Just think, the money you save by not having to buy a discreet GPS unit will probably get you a smart phone that can do the same thing plus everything else a smart phone does. This is appealing, and should convert a lot of people to the Google products. I know if I was planning to purchase a GPS, I would scrap that plan now and buy a phone. What a great marketing tool this will be. Apparently the GPS request is downloaded to your phone so even if you lose your connection, the downloaded directions will still be available for the particular route you inquired about. Since this is actually a version of Google Maps, you can switch views and even go to street view to see the actual intersection.

Since there aren’t any Android phones available yet, here is a video from Google that shows what we can expect:

I think the ability to do such things functions as a release for people who are stressed or depressed in real life. Oh, and I guess I could just call that fun. Instead of anaesthetizing themselves with alchohol, or turn their brain to mush in front of the TV, some people choose to go into a virtual world and be creative and social and have a good time.  I see nothing wrong with that. I think Second Life should advertise itself that way: “Come and escape the drudgery of your life. Have a second  life that is fun and interesting”.

I read an article in ADWEEK about Microsoft’s announcement of a new smart phone that is intended to replace Blackberry and iPhones. This is an ambitious attempt by Microsoft, and an outrageous claim. They proclaim there should be: “One phone for work and play.” Actually, I like the idea of this. Why should I use an iPhone for social contacts and entertainment, and then pick up a Blackberry to handle my work tasks? It seems that the holy grail of media, the Black Box, the one device that will run all things electronic for us, is still the quest that directs new technology.

Unfortunately, although I have nothing against Microsoft per say, these are the people who spent years developing Vista and cast that upon us as a fantastic new operating system. I hope they can do better with this device. I don’t think they actually have a chance, but I applaud them for at least identifying what is probably the next integration of mobile devices. Most likely Apple and RIM are already looking at this type of integration. One advantage that Microsoft does have though is that their new phone will run MS Office apps. That should be a good counter to the competition. Who knows, they may be first in with an integrated purpose phone and do well with it.

I notice from the picture that there seems to be an included keypad. I like that concept instead of trying to use a primarily numeric keypad. Unfortunately, neither is designed to be functional for those with “over 50 eyesight” meaning we can’t see those tiny numbers and letters without resorting to magnifiers and such. I know this has some effect on why I don’t text message from my phone. I think a nice addition to these devices would be one of those portable fold-up, flexible keyboards. Then I could actually use one of these.

I found this clip on YouTube where Kevin Spacey and David Letterman talk about Twitter. Spacey is a Tweeter, and Dave is clueless. I think Dave’s final impression of Twitter says it just the way I would want to:

This all fits in very nicely with their attempts to move us into “cloud” computing, where apps are web-based instead of based on your CPU at your home or office. This makes everything available anywhere you have internet access, and speeds up using and sharing considerably. But not everyone agrees that this is all good. But I’m not sure all is well with this new direction in computing. After reading an article in Slate,  the situation appers to be more foggy. It points out that many of the programs we use everyday at work and at home, will not run on a cloud-based OS, and if you are a gamer, good luck finding games written for anything but windows. I believe he has a very valid point here. While Google is serving up a lot of free programs, they do tend to not be as robust as the desktop versions we use. Unless Google figures out a way to make the internet more powerful, I’m afraid their OS won’t revolutionize computing so much. What they will revolutionize is how we use the internet. Who wouldn’t want to be online from shut off in a matter of seconds. A PC with Vista, takes quite a few minutes just to start, then you have to get your browser up and deal with all the updates as you go, and Vista permissions. The Chrome OS promises to eliminate the need for anti-virus and updates. That is welcome news.

Whether or not Google Chrome OS provides us net relief remains to be seen. If nothing else, it will serve as a challenge to Microsoft to get out of their rut and re-think how computers should work.

By now we all know that the  iPhones, etc., are impressive and feature-loaded. SPRXmobile in Holland is taking Android-enabled phones a step further in utility. Their Layar augmented reality browser adds, well, another dimension to the phones. Augmented reality provides an overlay over currently viewed areas. It is like a GPS on steroids. Not only does it know it’s location, but also where the local restaurants, ATM’s, jobs, and soon, available real estate, are. It provides a radar-like screen that shows the location of things around you and updates as you move the phone around. Part of the graphical interface helps you see which places are closest. By clicking on an item you can get photos, reviews, and generally more information about the item.

I have to admit, I don’t have an iPhone, and am not particularly aching for one. I’m one of those holdouts who still uses my cell phone primarily for phone calls. While I find GPS and internet intriguing, I haven’t had much use for this yet. But the new browser by SPRXmobile does interest me. It isn’t just about “fun” information, but seems to be on track to provide truly useful information whenever you need it.

Now, if we could just convince the makers of these phones that those of us over 50 can’t read all that small print, and that we are a viable market…

Here is a video I found on engadget that is a good live introduction and showcase of this browser’s abilities:

I think that the newspapers, or newsmedia, since they need to move to the online world, need to reconsider what news is. I realize they have been able to gain revenue in the past by having a classified ads section in their newspapers. But times have changed, the model doesn’t work any longer. Unless they become online powerhouses and can go up against the organization and utility of Craigslist, they should consider just dropping classified ads. What do newspapers provide for us? Personally, I expect to find news; stories of events local, national and world. I don’t consider classified ads to be news. Maybe they need to get back to their core business and concentrate on hiring good reporters who will present compelling stories that we want to read. All of the news I need can be found on TV or the internet, but it still comes down to readability for newsmedia. If one source has better writers than the other, I will gravitate to reading their version of the news. Most sources have the same information, and, just as in sales, we “buy” from who we like.

I think anytime you ask for comments on what you are offering, something useful is likely to be gleaned from it. I suggest that all of the newspapers start some sort of dialog with their users and with those who don’t use them, to try to develop a strategy and a vision of what news presentation of the future should look like. Those that don’t won’t be in business in the next couple of years.

The newspapers have gone to online content, which for the most part, was a mirror of what went out in print.That seems to be working at some level, but not the revenue stream. They can’t sell advertising like they used to in print production. That doesn’t mean they can’t sell advertising, they just haven’t figured out how to profit from it.

I think part of the problem is that they are thinking printed newspaper online. That is a mistake. It reminds me of how things change when a movie is produced that is based on a popular novel. People will complain that it deviates from the book. Well, of course it does. One is an item you hold in your hand and read quietly, the other is a public production with sound and visuals. You also have characters that have been interpreted by someone other than your own imagination. I think newspapers that go online need to think in the same direction.

There has been some suggestion that micropayments may be the way to monetize online content. Personally I find that irritating. There are two online headline versions of print magazines that I read regularly. I always hate it when I find an article I find fascinating but then get a message that I have to be a subscriber to the magazine to read the rest of the article. If they offered that I can finish the article for five cents, I may consider it, but would still find it obnoxious. You could have a system where you deposit a certain amount in an account with the publisher, then draw on it as you read articles. That would be more palatable to me.

What I would really like to see the newsmedia do is translate what they do now to online. That is: offer online subscriptions. Just as people have been accustomed to paying to have a newspaper delivered daily or weekly, we could pay for the online version say, monthly. That would give me access to all of the content without interruption to verify a micropayment for an article I want to read.

If the newspapers feel a need to transition, I would suggest they go with the online model, but still produce a weekly printed “magazine” section that is mailed to people’s homes. Truthfully, I’m so busy now, even on my non-work days, that if I have a Sunday paper, I tend to pretty much just read those magazine sections and toss the paper. By mailing it they would save the cost of distribution. I have to believe that postage would cost a lot less than all the handling and distribution that occurs with current newspaper delivery.

To further revolutionize news dissemination, I think the online versions of newspapers need to think of their product more as a website rather than an online version of their newspaper. It would have to be interactive and multimedia to hold the interest of modern viewers.

This is for me, a new and unexpected turn in the world of media convergence. Here we have an artist working on an electronic phone device creating something that will end up in print that I am watching in video form on the internet. Nice! I like to see useful convergences that have real world applications.

Watch him at work: