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Next generation of barcode technology
A replacement for the black and white stripes of the traditional barcode has been outlined by US researchers.
Bokodes, as they are known, can hold thousands of times more information than their striped cousins and can be read by a standard mobile phone camera.
The 3mm-diameter (0.1 inches), powered tags could be used to encode nutrition information on food packaging or create new devices for playing video games.
The work will be shown off at Siggraph, a conference in New Orleans next week.
“We think that our technology will create a new way of tagging,” Dr Ankit Mohan, one of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers behind the work, told BBC News.
July 2009
IAB releases interactive mobile ad guide
IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) released a simple guide to interactive mobile marketing. It can serve as a base for a very simple introduction for first-time mobile advertisers. Some compelling stats that highlight importance of interactive mobile marketing are mentioned (most are based on U.S.mobile marketplace):
- Mobile phone penetration is upwards of 4 out of 5 people in the United States and more people now have a mobile phone than have PC-based Internet access. This is especially true for older adults and lower-income individuals.
- Mobile Internet usage continues to grow. Over the last three years usage has grown approximately 25% per year. With smartphones becoming more affordable, advanced, and widely adopted, we’ll likely see a greater increase in 2009. Currently, 40-45 million mobile subscribers use the mobile Internet regularly.
- Minorities are significant mobile data users across all features and applications.
- Mobile is not just youth-focused – texting behaviour may skew a bit younger, but the bulk of the mobile Internet usage comes from 25-44 year olds.
As any stats, these are more likely skewed to reflect IAB views on the topic – it would be nice to see some true number-based stats of mobile Internet users in North America as opposed to rates of regular mobile users who might be accessing online content. And I am sure that these stats are lower in Canada (and a lot of other parts of the world), but the rate of growth in mobile Internet usage provokes some thought. My take on it – the usage numbers and rates of growth are astounding. No wonder lower-income and minority groups are adopting mobile Internet at a great rate – there is not much need anymore for a bulky hardware investment to access data and information.
I foresee a greater investment in corporate web infrastructure and content compatibility for mobile in the next few years coming from some of the more progressive brands out there. However, much more needs to be done in Canada to allow for more transparency in mobile Internet penetration. Canadian mobile industry is driven by a few telecommunication giants like Rogers (Fido), Bell (Solo) and Telus (Koodo). Canadian mobile Internet access costs are still pretty steep, considering the lack of truly competitive mobile market – so this change in medium habits will most likely be staggered in Canada.
You can find the complete downloadable guide on IAB website.
July 2009
Best interactive work of 2009 – Communication Arts
Communication Arts released its annual list of best interactive work from all over the world. There are a lot of great winning entries, ranging from social media initiatives to experimental installations. You can see all winners on the Communication Arts website. Follow Your Instinct is one of my favourites, created by my friends at Cossette last year.
July 2009
15 free online video learning resources
A list of some of the best online educational resources. Attend lectures at Yale, learn how to build a robot, see talks by Noam Chomsky, Bill Clinton and Guy Kawasaki. All free.
- FORA.tv – Social issues and changing the planet.
- Big Think – Global forum ideas and talks by experts.
- Google Talks – Prominent politicians, musicians, artists and authors giving talks at Google.
- The Science Network – Feed your inner science geek.
- Open Culture – Cultural and educational media aggregator.
- YouTube EDU – Universities on YouTube.
- MIT OpenCourseWare – Build a robot and launch it into space.
- Open Yale Courses – Intro courses at Yale. Now you can become one of these folks.
- Stanford Entrepreneurship Corner – Talks with famous entrepreneurs.
- UC Berkeley Online Lectures – UC Berkeley podcasts and video lectures.
- Conversations with History – A series of talks with the distinguished.
- VideoLectures – Free online lectures.
- TED – The granddaddy of online lectures.
- Academic Earth – Lectures by world’s top scholars.
- WGBH – Online lectures galore.
For more great resources, see 50 ways to get inspired on a Friday afternoon.
Do you have any favorites? Share them in the comments below.
June 2009