Google Goes Mobile

It finally happened.

Google has given us web search, maps, GPS, email, and now, a mobile phone. Should we expect to be mesmerized by this new product like we have by other Google applications?

The branded smartphone, lovingly called the "Superphone", is the width of a number two pencil. For the public announcement, Google brought out Peter Chou, the CEO of HTC and creator of Nexus One hardware, to explain the genius behind the phone's new technology.

Complete with five home screens with which to customize your interface, the Google "Superphone" had updated a number of applications on current smartphones, including the audio, with a noise cancellation feature. The text field is even speech sensitive, processing your voice into text every time you speak. Pretty nifty.

How popular can we expect this phone to actually be? Last week, a leak informed us that Google will launch a web store where consumers can purchase the phone with a two-year T-mobile contract. The iPhone competitor will also be available on Verizon in Spring 2010, combining two cellular superpowers. We'll have to see if this strategy overturns Apple's dogma on the android phone.

ImPREZI Your Audience

Recently, a friend of mine introduced me to a new way to present slide shows, minus the slides. PowerPoint and SlideShare were great...in 1990. Now that we're approaching 2010, perhaps it's time to reinvent the wheel.

Prezi.com is a "canvas" approach to keeping the attention of your audience compared to the monotony of flipping through slides that all look identical. Instead of "sliding" from one slide to the next, Prezi is a "zooming" approach from one concept to the next. With Prezi, the audience has no idea what is coming. Eager anticipation can be the magic words when creating a successful presentation. All you need is the right tools to deliver that result:



The Prezi Blog discusses further techniques that can be learned for this program. Everything from wordles, to imbedded links, to video, Prezi has all the capability of Powerpoint plus the "wow" factor we are missing with the slide show. (Don't worry-if you're too nervous to completely let go of the slide show world, you can upload it into Prezi. No more excuses)And, whether you're giving that presentation to students or a boardroom, keeping your audience engaged is the most chanellenging part. The ripple affects of this program can also extend to a buisness. The last thing customers want is to wade through endless web pages. Why not give them something they can actually learn from? This concept that be applied in many areas of business and education alike.

So, who do you need to imPREZI? Give it a shot. You have nothing to lose but those boring slides!

Are You in the "Loopt?"

How connected are you to your mobile device? One important characteristic that separates our computer from our cell phone is the intelligence factor: your phone knows where you at any given time. What happens when social media utilizes this intelligence function? It invades your privacy.

Does your cell phone have the capability of telling your friends where you are at any given time? Some might find this type of application a turn-off, but programs such as Loopt are interactive programs on mobile phones that help people connect to other people, places, and events.

Often I will see a "tweet" on Twitter with a link from Loopt, showing me exactly where they are, what they might be doing, and any deals or information I can get from the event they may be attending. This is a revolutionary social mapping service. Through Loopt, people can discover the best places and events in town and how your friends rate them. Uploading this feature to Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites could be the next "big thing" in social media and its platforms.

If you don't like the idea of your friends or your public followers on Twitter knowing where you are, chances are, any location platform may be a turn off to you. Foursquare, for example, gives you and your friends a new way to explore the city in which you live. Much like Loopt, Foursquare works best on your mobile device and lets the user "check in" to places around the city. Through this application, you can recommend places to your friends and get recommendations from them. Foursquare describes this as an "urban mix tape". The site helps make the list and you can in turn share them with friends. The catch? Every check-in earns points. Before you know it, you just knocked your friend out of position and took over as Mayor of Banana Republic.

Before we know it, this technology might become the next Twitter or Facebook. Better get in the Loopt!

Become More "Linked"

Linked In is probably the most comprehensive social networking site for professionals. Free of the public photos that could present embaressing circumstances on sites such as Facebook, Linked In brings a professionalism to social media that is despretely needed.

I recently read an article on Mashable that listed some efficent ways to stay connected on Linked In and utilize the site to its fullest potential. I'm sure most of us feel we could always network better, but don't have the time or may be overwhelmed with the surge of new social media tactics. The truth is, we can always become better at networking, no matter what the technology. It should not be something we run from, but instead, learn more about.

Sharlyn Lauby, President of Internal Talent Management, gives some great advice on creating a Linked In profile that gives the job seekers an advantage over someone who ignores the networking possibilities of the Internet. Linked In is not just another social media site; it's a potential market.

For example, utilizing the status update lets other people know what you are potentially involved in, outside of what the resume explains. If someone has 20-50+ connections, we can guess they probably check their Linked-In profile about once a week. If someone has less than 19 connections, we can probably guess they haven't passed the network of friends and family. These connections will say a lot about how agressive and interested someone is in building their network.

Lauby also speaks about the importance of content on a Linked In profile. Providing a simple online version of your resume is something anyone can do. Go above and beyond what is typical and post portfolio items, links to your blog, or other initiatives you may be involved in. Something this simple could make your profile stand out among your collegues or in a search on your profile. You never know how a connection may help you in the future.

Read Lauby's full article here.

The Online Sticky Note

Nothing can ever replace it. The age-old yellow sticky pad that faithfully sits on our desks-ready to be used at any moment. Nothing could ever replace that cute, endearing notepad. And its matching pen. But, something can come dangerously close. So close, it can take the "post-it" name.

Posterous is an online vehicle where we can post anything. No account needed. Just like the paper sticky pad-just write it down and go.

This inventive site uploads documents, MP3 files, audio, photos, and more. By emailing posterous whatever you need to upload, posterous emails you back with your own site to use in the future. So-need to share a photo, but don't want to show Mom your Facebook? Send it to posterous-and they'll send you a link back that is safe to share.

Posterous even has its own blog, where new ideas of how to use posterous are posted (no pun intended). Maybe I'm getting a little carried away. But this is the type of tool to keep in your back pocket when you need to upload something in a new, safe place.

Your sticky pad might feel threatened. So, pick it up and write this website down.

Have You Caught The Wave?

It seems Google has finally caught on to the social networking phenomenon.

Google Wave, Google's new online community site, is a collaboration of email, social networking, and instant messaging. It may be surprising that the giant search engine has not caught the social media "wave" sooner, however, now that it has, the question is what will it over-take with it's potentially giant tide.

The hope for Google is that this site will replace sites such as Twitter and Facebook, since all of those tools will be located in one place. Wave is Google's attempt at an "app store", which would give outside programmers a share in Wave's success. While Apple sells "apps" for Apple products, Google's apps would have the potential to work on all devices. Could this take over the iPhone specific apps that Apple prides itself from? Could PC users suddenly have the same, if not better, applications that Mac users currently enjoy?

This site certainly has the power to create another "wave" in social media, and with competitors such as Yahoo, this might just be the beginning of new media tools for the online community.