Craigslist Kills Free Market Traders

In a stealth move, Craigslist has flagged (removed) all Ads by traders that have an HTML link, without any warning, cutting of income for legitimate sellers.  Sellers in all categories from home based businesses to auto dealers and real estate brokers have found their pipeline of leads just stopped dead and their business seriously affected.  You can post plain old vanilla Ads, but no links.  Consumers actually benefitted from being able to click on a link in an Ad to see the sellers's storefront and legitimacy, weeding out many fraudulent posters.

What is wrong with that simple Free Trade Model?

Why has Craigslist suddenly sought to use power and control in such an arrogant manner?  It doesn't bode well for them to kill off legitimate trade.  It doesn't even affect their business model because this is or was a FREE Classified site.  Craigslist could have adopted an Ad revenue model to generate income.    Instead of  capitalizing on it's real-estate, it has sought to sue sites such as Padmapper and 3Taps claiming it owns the intellectual property of content - it's Ads.  The case was dismissed.

What are the Alternatives?

Sites such as Ebay Classified are too rigid in their format for those looking to create brands and increase awareness by pushing their viewers to their own websites.  Oodle and especially Backpage, are ripe alternatives to steal this traffic away, but lack branding.

Craigslist is reasserting its authority in what appears to be a panic move.  But this is the beginning of a downward spiral as it reduces the value of its services to Advertisers and drives away business to the competition.  It's only a matter of time before alternatives steal the show.  Wake up Craigslist!

Baby Boomers Adopting Smartphones Faster Than Younger Age Groups

According to a recent Neilsen survey, Americans in the age group of 55 to 64 are adopting smartphones at a faster rate than any other age group.  While only 30 percent of this age group are using a smartphone, it is the rate of adoption that jumped in Q2 this year over last year. 

So what is driving this trend?  Is it the iPad ease of use that takes the fear away from using a smartphone?   

Many news reports talk about seniors who have never used a computer before, have now entered the world of technology through the iPad.  It's simplicity and ease of use is allowing seniors to stay in touch with family and grandchildren. They don't have to fear about screwing it up.  It's point and click. But we also know that more seniors are now using social media. Social networking provides boomers and seniors with plenty of benefits such as joining groups, keeping up with current events and sharing photos with friends and family members.

According to a recent report by Pew Research, 32 percent of Baby Boomers aged 50 to 64, said they use a social networking site on a typical day. That's up sharply from 20 percent a year ago.  So it's logical that this trend is now transferring to the smartphone platform so they can stay in touch.  Those seniors using an iPad are likely to adopt an iPhone simply because there really is no new learning curve.  And Siri on the iPhone just makes it a whole lot easier to use for technology challenged individuals as well as those that might have certain disabilities making it difficult to use the touchscreen. 

Some reports show baby boomers will have an estimated $4.6 trillion in buying power by 2015, which could shakeup the smartphone market.  It's time for marketers to recognize that smartphones and Apps connected to Facebook are a valuable way to target baby boomers.  And there are some 80 Million in the U.S.!

Apple Will Leave Google Maps In The Dust

Apple acquired C3 Technologies recently for $240 million, a Swedish technology that uses quasi-artificial intelligence to create incredible 3-dimensional maps.  What you see in this video demo below, blows away Google Maps.  I would not say this is Google on steroids just as Siri is not Google's voice technology on steroids.  Expect this new technology to be an incredible leap into the future. 

Back in February 2010, I wrote about Siri the Personal Assistant App on this very Blog. Three months later, Apple acquired the company and the rest is history as they say. Everyone's heard about Siri by now.  So, with C3 Technologies I expect a similar revolution to take place on the iOS platform, integrating this technology completely into iOS 6 perhaps and thus booting out Google Maps from its dominant position. With Siri commands and C3 spatial technology, well that's light years ahead of Google Maps. We'll see the world in a whole new light. 

You can bet that this acquisition was a result of the brilliant vision of the late and great Steve Jobs, who continues to affect our lives for some time to come.

Should Apple Pull Out Of China?

Yep, the land of counterfeit is doing it again, only this time with the world's most famous and successful brand.  Fake Apple stores are opening up all over China.  Apparently even some of the employees truly believe they are working for Apple.

How can Apple protect it's brand?  In any other country this would be an outrage with dire legal consequences.  But not in China, where no one thinks twice about counterfeiting brands or disregarding patents.  Isn't it time that we took a stand to protect our intellectual property?

The consumer is addicted to low priced everything made in China, but at what expense?  Corporations are making more profits to satisfy Wall Street by lower manufacturing costs in China, but our anemic economies and persistent high unemployment in the West are the consequence of this type of strategy.  Perhaps the ultimate has happened when fake stores open on the streets of China that are so good in every detail, that the public actually believe it to be the original brand.  And the owner of the brand can't do a thing about it.

It's time for US and other Western companies to take a stand.  We can produce all those iPads and iPhones right here in America.  If Apple keeps producing results like it has in this last quarter ($28.7 billion in revenue and $7.31 billion net profits), imagine what keeping manufacturing here could to the nation's debt, exports and unemployment.  All politicians need to do is create some incentives for a couple of years, reduce the bizarre amount of regulations and get out of the way. We could become the strongest economy in the world - again.

As consumers, we might all have to pay a bit more for our hi-tech products, but I think most people might be happy to do so if they knew it kept the dollar within the US and created thousands of jobs.  It's time for 'Made in America'!  As a marketer, I could have a field day with this slogan; perhaps even form a consortium that would be proud to promote American brands and American jobs.

Are Smartphones Killing Your Life?

There's no doubt that smartphones have changed our lives mostly for the better, but when is it time to switch off? We are in a 24/7 world in terms of communication access, but we don't have to work 24/7 and we need to learn to disconnect. Take the holidays for example, there are people who are compelled to write emails, send texts or even call. And since your smartphone device is your connection to your family and friends as well, it's not practical to switch it completely off. So what do you do?

A simple solution is to learn to use Google Voice as your business number. Sign up for a free account, choose your number and have it be your virtual telephone system. When on vacation or out of business hours, check the "Do Not Disturb" and all your calls will go to voicemail and even be transcribed to email. If you use this Google Voice number as your outgoing specified number, you can even text from this number on your cell phone app. 

One other useful tool for online businesses or anyone with an online presence, is to use your Google Voice number on your website. If you get unwanted calls, it is very easy to block that caller forever. 

The time we are spending on our devices while out of work has become almost a compulsion than a necessity, and ultimately it does affect our productivity. In fact some employers have become concerned especially since the Fair Labor Standards Act has strict rules on overtime for American workers who are paid by the hour. If such workers are specifically asked to attend to emails after hours, then the employer owes that employee the overtime.

So is it the fault of technology or just bad managers who don't know how to delegate, or are afraid to lose their control?

Has Apple And Android Killed Nokia?

It certainly looks like Nokia has missed this generation of smartphone technology. A company that was once a pioneer in mobile phones producing stylish handsets, an OS (Symbian) that was ahead of its time a decade ago, has simply just failed to innovate. We've seen Palm, a once great company, drop by the wayside too (acquired by HP), because product development was too slow. Microsoft's attempt in the mobile sector with Windows Mobile Phone 7 hasn't been all that exciting either. In fact Microsoft's previous relationship with LG was not successful. So why would a struggling company like Nokia attach itself to Microsoft? It's a last ditch desperate attempt before an acquisition and Nokia's CEO, Elop, came from Microsoft.

CNET reports: "The companies plan to build products and services together as well as share strategic plans. The vision is to create a "third ecosystem" that can compete directly against Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms."

Well, if Microsoft's attempts in the mobile sector are anything to go by, this marriage is likely to be unspectacular. While Nokia is (or was) the world's largest handset manufacturer, partnering with a PC software company doesn't give it the leverage it needs to compete against Apple, which controls the entire product design and OS. (Apple's success has been that control over its hardware and OS throughout its product lines.) So why not go with Android? Elop believes that would have resulted in Nokia becoming just another commodity with no control over the OS. But Android is an established OS and Microsoft Windows 7 trails far behind.

When you are looking at a rescue strategy to turn a product or company around, it makes more sense to pick an established partner in that sector. Even if Nokia and Microsoft merged (more likely Microsoft acquires Nokia), that does not automatically mean success. Two slow moving dinosaurs become one big slow moving dinosaur. Add to the mix that Zuckerberg intends to launch Facebook on lots of Android smartphones, and one wonders what is Nokia thinking?

Could Apple Be On The Verge Of Another Revolution?

The smartphone and tablet revolution created by Apple has changed the way we work and live.  More people are now accessing data not at the office or the desktop, but on the move or in more relaxed environments.  In fact Apple has just reported selling over 16 million iPhones and over 7 million iPads in just the last quarter of 2010.  We all love these devices and can't leave home without them, but the major problem has been battery power. While Apple has unquestionably revolutionized mobile computing, we are still left with pretty appalling battery life for these hungry devices.

But that's about to change in a big way.

It's recently been reported that Apple has secured its first patent for a Liquidmetal, a new innovation in space-age metal alloy technology.  The liquid metal (amorphous alloy), is the main component of small fuel cells. The new patent describes a container plate of amorphous alloys for fuel cells, an electrochemical battery that uses hydrogen to generate electricity. Utilizing this technology Apple could create mobile devices with battery power lasting 30 days or more, and MacBooks with battery life of 20 hours or more. That's hard to imagine and sounds like science fiction, but it's real. NASA says this technology is “poised to redefine materials science as we know it in the 21st century.”

While there are those that talk about Apple's market share being eroded by Android phones or other tablet device manufacturers, let's not forget that this company created these sectors and all the others are now having to follow to stay in the game.  Such a prolific leap in battery usage time (the holy grail), will give Apple yet another leap ahead of its nearest rivals for years to come. And this technology is cheap, efficient and environmentally friendly too!

Just as the competition comes up with a competitive product, Apple is already preparing its next big move. We certainly hope Steve Jobs is back soon.  It is his unique vision of the future that is the powerhouse of Apple's product development. Could Apple be on the verge of the next revolution in technology?  I think so.

Ford Launches Sync Destinations

The Ford Motor Company has launched a new App called Sync Destinations. This is not just another navigation App, and there are many free Apps for both iPhone and Android smartphones already available. Sync Destinations is special because it is designed to work not just on the handset but also with its Synch in-vehicle operating system, providing seamless synchronization between the smartphone app and the car’s onboard navigation system.

On the phone, the user can search locations and map routes and save those destinations for future reference. Once the user enters their car, the app instantly links with Ford’s on-board navigation system. The system not only uploads the saved destinations but extends the nav system’s more sophisticated functionality to the app. Now the user can access the destinations through voice commands and receive turn-by-turn directions. The app also uses real-time traffic and weather data to adjust routes which is really useful in major city centers. It will even give you a suggested time of departure to make your destination on time.  Now that's really useful.

Ford has really thought about the consumer in developing this technology.  It's perhaps one of the reasons why this car manufacturer has survived the auto industry downturn without needing a bail out.  Sync Destinations is available on all the major smartphone platforms including iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Ford will be showing off its Sync platform at CES, Las Vegas next week.  

Hard to imagine this kind of technology would be at our fingertips 10 years ago!

Is Social Media Marketing Worth The Effort?

A lot of business owners I talk to have the misconception that social media marketing is the only thing they need to do, and that sets them up for unrealistic expectations leading to abandoning their online presence.  It is vital to understand that social media marketing is part of your overall marketing strategy and online presence.  It does not replace every marketing tool and it's not the Holy Grail!

Social media is most effective when it is incorporated into your entire online presence. Just setting up accounts on Facebook, Twitter and even Linkedin, don't magically drive traffic or business.  Setting up a Blog sitting independently in cyberspace also has little effect. You need to attach your Blog to your business site and use this mechanism as a P.R. tool to disseminate information about your company, products and customers on a regular basis not just now and then. And it doesn't stop there.  You need to make sure that your Blog postings are searchable via the social networks and bookmarks. It all needs to link and mesh. This has become the new SEO.

Many social networks enable you to consolidate your posts, so you can write and make one post on your Facebook page’s wall, and that post will then automatically be “tweeted” via your Twitter account, which will automatically post to your LinkedIn profile. These features save you time and money but not all postings are appropriate for each medium.  Twitter is great for alerting people to an event for example, or a special one day offer with a coupon code, but don't expect to engage in conversation with customers. Facebook is better suited for that.

You have to build your online presence on Facebook and Twitter.  Again, many business owners think this can happen in the space of a few weeks or a month.  It's a long term, ongoing function of your marketing department or outside consultant and requires commitment. Don't start this process unless you have the commitment for an annual budget.  Maintenance is required daily and maintenance means someone has to do it.  The biggest mistakenly held notion is that marketing is suddenly going to cost nothing because social networks are free compared to advertising space which costs money. Both cost money and both need to be incorporated into your marketing strategy, but use each medium and tool properly and you will see traffic go up, brand image improve and ultimately sales also increase. And along the way you will learn about your customer base, your competitors and the market.

For more on how to build a social media marketing campaign, you can purchase "Social Media Marketing For Small Business" by Audrey Peters in the iBookstore or Amazon Kindle.

Christmas Shoppers Are Going Mobile

The smartphone has now become a must have for Christmas shopping, helping consumers find where the best deals are. About a decade ago it was the Internet that changed how people shopped.  Now it is the smartphone that's enabling consumers to find the deals before leaving home and then comparing prices while in the malls.  A European survey by the Mobile Marketing Association claims 67 per cent of shoppers (in UK, France and Germany combined) will use their phones for shopping this Christmas, up 23 percent from last year.  Among the highest users are the French, at 82 percent. In fact, Europeans have already embraced payment by smartphone or the smartphone wallet.

Apps like BarCode scanner and ShopSavvy seem to be among the most popular and helped one shopper in Greensboro save $100 in one trip. But it's not just about looking for the best deals.  Shoppers are using their smartphones to find product information and reviews while they are in the store.  A Study by Accenture found that 73% of shoppers with a smartphone favor using it to handle small tasks and product information, rather than interact with an employee in the store. Getting information about a product is easier online where shoppers can also see customer opinions.  If you are a retailer, it has become vital to offer social media interaction with shoppers, whether they are browsing at home or, actually engaged in the shopping trip.  Larger retailers need to take this further with a specific mobile App to make the user experience easier. Overall, the Accenture survey suggests 56% of shoppers with smartphones believe smartphones will make the shopping experience more enjoyable.

There's no question that smartphones are replacing traditional mobile phones and this Christmas is seeing even more sales of actual smartphones.  BestBuy is using social media to offer special deals daily, especially via Facebook. So if you haven't yet purchased a smartphone, you might actually get one for free with a 2 year contract right now.  

Live Dish TV And DVR on Your iPad

The iPad is certainly becoming the must have electronic product these days. Dish Network has launched a new App for the iPad bringing live TV and DVR access. Now your iPad turns from an ereader to your TV anywhere. If you have a SlingLoaded DVR, the ViP 922 as well as the new sling adaptor, you'll be able to watch live and recorded television programming. Users will also be able to browse and search through up to nine days of programming, schedule DVR recordings, manage conflicts, and delete content on multiple receivers.

And if that isn't enough, you can also use your iPad just like a large remote control right from your sofa. The application, called Remote App, is free from the iTunes store and also works with the iPhone unlike the App from Sling which costs $30. The Dish TV "Everywhere" service is the only pay-TV provider to offer a true TV everywhere solution that's now on the iPad. 

Holiday Shopping On Your Smartphone

The holiday season is upon us again, but this time it looks like smartphones will be ringing up about 28 percent of holiday shopping sales or, $127 billion of the $447 billion the National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts that U.S. consumers will spend this season.  There are lots of Apps, ranging from those that provide direction and maps, to credits and coupons, and others that combine the social networking aspect.

As people are looking for more deals, they'll be using their iPhones, Android and Blackberry devices to not only search for deals online, but to also find deals in their local shopping malls, where comparison shopping can be done on the spot. There are various shopping Apps that will you help you do this, such as the Micello Indoor Map for malls. It does for malls what Google maps does for the world. Micello provides an interactive map that allows you to locate products inside a mall and get walking directions to the store.  It's available on Android, iPad, iPhone, but as yet it is only available for about 15 shopping centers.  Another App, Shopkick, combines rewards or "kickbucks'' (redeemable credits), the moment you walk past a sensor at the door of one of its partners. You can also earn kickbucks by scanning the product barcode with your iPhone camera at participating retailers.  Some of the deals are as high as $75 kicbucks at BestBuy for example.

MyShopanion combines social networking with shopping.  You can bring your closest friends with you by snapping a shot of the product or the barcode, broadcast it on Facebook or Twitter, or even email your community of friends.  Since two-thirds of the largest purchases in a household are influenced by family and friends, you really are bringing them along with you.  This App allows you to push the information right to all your social networks at once.

Check out the iTunes store to get these Apps.

Facebook Takes Top Spot For Online Ads

With so many choices and such limited budgets especially for small business, it seems like a bewildering task to decide where to advertise. But not anymore.  Facebook has taken the top slot when it comes to online advertising producing 297 billion online display ad impressions last quarter alone. According to Comscore, Facebook delivered almost 1.3 trillion display Ads during this period.

Yahoo took the second spot, with 140 billion impressions and 11% of the market, while Microsoft ranked third, with 64 billion hits and a 5% share. It seems everyone is chasing Facebook's success.  So if you haven't launched a Facebook Page, then you are missing some serious opportunities in the online space. And if you already have a Facebook Page, it's time to start experimenting with some Ads.  You don't need huge budgets.

A small business can experiment with just a few hundred dollars by being very selective and targeting relevant demographic groups.  For example, you can target by location, age, interests and various other target filters. When you consider that your audience is likely to have a smartphone, Facebook offers you mobile advertising that can really be effective for capturing potential customers in your neighborhood at precisely the moment they are seeking to buy a product or service. This is a much less crowded space for advertisers than traditional forms of advertising.

For more on how to create a social media campaign strategy, read "Social Media Marketing For Small Business", a step by step guide, by Audrey Peters.  Available on Amazon Kindle and iPad in the iBookstore. Post a comment or question here or, contact me directly.

Slide-out Keyboard For Your iPhone?

Ever wished you could have a slide-out keyboard for your smartphone but were not attracted to the Android platform? Well now there is a solution for Apple iPhone fans who just don't like the virtual keyboard. To be really productive when typing text whether an email or accessing Twitter or Facebook, it can be really slow without a real keyboard. (As for women with nails, it's nearly impossible to type accurately on a virtual keyboard.)

The KeyBoard Buddy iPhone Case clips onto your iPhone and connects via Bluetooth. It sells for $69.99 The low-profile keyboard slides out smoothly allowing you to easily transition between the Apple iPhone 4’s touch screen and a physical keyboard.  It is conveniently designed to provide quick access to all of the iPhone 4's controls such as the camera at the back and the ports and it comes with a USB cable for charging.  

While other bluetooth solutions have existed for some time, like the foldable wireless keyboard, nothing is quite as portable and convenient as a slide-out keyboard attached to your iPhone.  All in all a great solution for an already super smartphone. Now if only Apple would take note and provide an iPhone with this option already built-in?

Turn Your iPad Into Your Laptop

For those of you who have purchased an iPad and are loving it but miss the usability of your laptop, a great solution can turn your iPad into your laptop.  Well almost and at a cheaper price than a MacBook Air (no matter how beautiful that product is).  For around $60, you can get an iPad Bluetooth Keyboard and case that transforms your iPad into a much more productive mobile device, especially if you've been frustrated with touchscreen typing.

By using this case, the iPad rests on a built in stand (with various comfortable angles) in a horizontal position resembling a netbook. The keyboard has a silicone cover thus providing protection against occasional spills while you're working in a coffee shop.  The keyboard itself has a noticeable tactile feedback so it feels just like you are typing again instead of tapping, and it's a fully functional keyboard with home, volume and search buttons. The case is made of soft leather and closes with a magnetic clasp. Now you are truly mobile and the whole thing weighs just 2.75lbs, which is less than the new 13" MacBook Air.  The fully charged lithium battery will give you about 90 hours of continuous use and has a USB charger. It's easy to carry and great to work on. Who needs a netbook?

iPhone Challenging Blackberry In Corporate Sector

With consumer sales so strong for the iPhone, it's inevitable that business people are steering away from the ubiquitous corporate preferred mobile device, the Blackberry.  Blackberries have long been the preferred smartphone device for business people, politicians and even bankers, due to its secure mail server capabilities.  But the use of smartphones for personal (consumer use) and business use are merging, and no one wants to carry two devices.

For the iPhone to really compete against Blackberry, security needs to increase and in fact the banks are testing software designed to make the iPhone secure enough for corporates.  The other factor that is accelerating the use of iPhones is cost; Blackberries cost more to run due to their monthly service charges.  Dell has said it is dropping Blackberry smartphones and will replace it with its own new line of smartphones, citing the Company would save 25% on communications costs alone.

A recent survey by Bernstein Research found 83 percent of U.S. businesses allow employees to use non-BlackBerry alternatives to access corporate email. With Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and UBS, all saying they are considering allowing employees to use iPhones or other alternatives to the standard-issue BlackBerry, things are not looking too good for RIM's market share.  Of course, RIM has stated otherwise, that it is adding corporate subscribers. According to IDC, RIM's market share has fallen by 4 percent in the last third quarter compared to a year ago.

The surging popularity of consumer smartphones such as the iPhone allow corporate email access for business users, and if companies no longer need to supply the device, this could add up to a major I.T. cost saving. Bank of America has around 290,000 employees, while Citi employs some 258,000 and the British bank Standard Chartered already allows its employs the choice of using their iPhones.

Adding to this trend is the capability of wi-fi and FaceTime, and you can see how more productive the iPhone is for business users both at the office and while traveling.  With FaceTime soon to be available on the desktop and of course the iPad, it's really difficult for RIM to compete with this tight integration.

Ski Resorts Launch iPhone, Android App

Going skiing this season?  There an App for that.  With 28 percent of the U.S. mobile market now using a smartphone,  it makes sense that ski resorts should be looking at mobile marketing and social media as the focus of their marketing strategy. And that is exactly what Colorado resorts are doing, from Facebook presence to geo-tagging on Twitter, all designed to inform and make the trip more engaging for the visitor.

Vail Resorts, Inc. for example, will launch EpicMix for iPhone and Android in December, an App that allows skiers and snowboarders to share their ski experience on Facebook as well as publish information on snowfall, slopes etc. If visitors link their Facebook account to EpicMix, they will be able to get alerts about when their friends are on the mountain too and send them messages.

Vail Resorts is also using Facebook for exclusive deals that won't be available anywhere else. They are even taking geo-tagging one step further by utilizing radio frequency identification tags (RFID) on lift tickets and season passes. The RFID tags and new scanners on lift towers let EpicMix track customers' ski days and vertical feet logged, both at resorts in Colorado and California.

RTP, the ski software company, is beefing up the Realski iPhone application that acts as an interactive trail map for dozens of North American resorts. Users hold up a newer iPhone to see a video image of whatever a skier is viewing on the mountain, and tags of nearby trails, restaurants and restrooms digitally pop up on the screen.

Even if you don't ski, it's still a useful App for the visitor who wants to connect with friends both at the resort and back home.  There's also a kid friendly version too.

Mobile iPhone App For Public Libraries

Public libraries might seem to be very 20th century, but they still provide a service to many communities everywhere.  They have provided free wi-fi and computer access for sometime, but apart from that nothing much has changed to bring libraries into the 21st century, until now.  Vancouver public library (Canada), is probably one of the first to really embrace new technology, by launching a mobile App for the iPhone.

Now you can browse the library's catalog on your Apple mobile device in a very user friendly format and find the location of the book .  The App has a GPS functionality map to locate exactly where the nearest library is to you, with the book you selected. Basic website access to library catalogs has been available for a while, but it is hardly attractive nor user friendly.

What has also been a missed opportunity, are reader reviews.  Why not encourage your borrowers to write reviews on the books they have loaned?  Well now you can write and review books with this new App.  If we're going to pay for a public service, it makes sense to make it as functional, accessible and enjoyable as possible.  Maybe such an App might encourage other community interaction on a very local level, whether it's to announce children's reading events, or book review meet-ups or any other special events the Library could host.  Just by making such an App available, let social interaction naturally bring people together.

The next feature to add would be the ability to read electronic books, with a mechanism of expiration that automatically deleted the download from your device after the permitted loan period.  Now that would bring libraries into the mobile digital age.

The App is free in the iTunes store.

Wi-Fi Access For London Commuters - Great for The iPad

Wi-fi access for commuters seems like a no brainer.  Britain is beginning a six month trial in London that is sure to please daily commuters, especially if you have an iPad.  The days of printed newspapers, as we already know,  is dwindling rapidly everywhere.  The iPad has however given new life to print media and as recently reported, the The Financial Times has turned a profit from advertising on its iPad format.  The next piece of the puzzle was accessibility on a train with a reliable wi-fi system. The London trial is funded by British Telecom but access will be available to other cell providers and customers.

Fast forward to 2012 and the Olympic Games in London and now it starts to get really interesting. We know from the Vancouver, Canada, Winter Olympics as to how successful the Internet was globally. (More than 1.25 million downloads recorded for the official mobile spectator guide.) But with so many people carrying wi-fi enabled smartphones these days and growing, the next Olympic Games is likely to break even more new ground in terms of online accessibility and social network interactivity - live.

Glasgow, Scotland, has actually launched wi-fi access on the rail network today, providing free travel information but also enabling free access to Skype for calls.  Now the business traveler can truly be more productive and utilize that previously wasted time (or was it catch up sleep time?).

Many cities throughout the UK will provide participating venues for the Olympics. It certainly looks like a gear up for wi-fi and mobile access to the games, which will open up massive opportunities for advertisers in 2012.

The Paperless Office?

Are we becoming a paperless society now that we have such advanced digital technology?  No, in fact we are using more paper than ever before. There is no such thing as a paperless office since we must keep hard copies of important documents for legal purposes, but we are also obsessed with that hard copy.

What is most fascinating are the figures reported in The Independent (UK), that mobile devices will generate 12 billion printed pages!  Eighty five percent of smartphone users want to print from their device. Now we begin to comprehend why HP acquired Palm Inc. for WebOS and why it plans to use this operating system throughout its printer range of products, to connect seamlessly to the Palm Pre and other devices.

Maybe the iPad and cloud computing will make us a little less dependent on printing hard copies, especially when it comes to those photos, which are so vivid on an iPad or iPhone screen? If we are trying to be green, perhaps we should just stop and think about World Paper Free Day.  Watch the video.