I always feel like, somebody’s watching ME!

2008 saw the release of one of Marvel’s lower list characters, but one who has recently risen to the top and become really well known by the world. The, now, A-list character is called Iron Man. In the first movie there is a scene where Tony Stark, the creator of the Iron Man suit, is testing out his new suit by attacking a terrorist organization called The Ten Rings. He uses a HUD (heads up display) to target the terrorists and then eliminate them with his weaponry without harming their hostages. For the scene in question, see below (starts at 0:16):

 

 

While we are probably not near Tony Stark’s technology yet, the invention of Google Glass has put us a step closer. What’s worrying is how Google Glass will be used. Ethics is a huge concern for anyone and has come into question with the varying plethora of electronics that we use daily. The smartphone is the leader of anti-privacy since they can capture sound, video, pictures, use geo-location, instant upload, instant access to social media, and more.

Google glass has taken this a step further since you no longer have to pull your phone out, unlock the screen, open the app, and use it. The wearer always has the functions ready to go at a moment’s notice and in the blink of an eye, literally.

There is now an app (short for application) which is called NameTag. It’s real-time facial recognition software. It “can detect a face using Google Glass camera, send it wireless to a server, compare it to millions of records, and in seconds return a match complete with a name, additional photos and social media profiles” (Boone, 2014).

What does this mean for us all? Even partial anonymity in public could become a thing of the past. Over “two million entries have already been uploaded to FacialNetwork.com” (Boone, 2014). To put that in perspective, Chicago has about 2.7 million people living in the city. This is just the beginning for this app.

For anyone who wanted to stalk someone, it may have just gotten easier. The worst part about this is you may have already been added to the database without even knowing. The app’s creators claim that it’s not about invading privacy (Boone, 2014). Good news though! You can opt out. All it takes is signing up with the app, when it goes live, and then opting out (Boone, 2014). Yeah, sounds a little more involved and invasive to me as well.

In a world where we are all concerned about the NSA, anonymity, and having some sort of privacy, our options are quickly becoming limited. There are some potentially good things that come with use of the app such as the transparency of criminal records for those who are skeptical of everyone around us or even using it to find out more about that cute girl or guy at the bar you’re afraid to approach because you don’t know what to talk about. The effects remain to be seen, but it’s easier to see more negative than positive aspects.

Curious about how it works in action while in beta?

 

References

 

Boone, J. (2014, February 04). Just when you thought google glass couldn’t get creepier: New app allows strangers to id you just by looking at you. E Online, Retrieved from http://www.eonline.com/news/507361/just-when-you-thought-google-glass-couldn-t-get-creepier-new-app-allows-strangers-to-id-you-just-by-looking-at-you

 

FacialNetwork. (Producer) (2014). Nametag – google glass facial recognition beta app demo [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVwBXr_nU9Q

 

Marvel Studios. (Producer), & The Movie Geek, (Editor) (2013). Iron man’s first fight (hd) [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nepj_3Am9E&feature=youtu.be&t=16s

Dress, Click N Pose!

Dress, Click N Pose

 

Who knew snapping pictures could become such a fad? Mobile technology has taken the industry of photography by a storm with user-friendly applications like Instagram, Pinterest,Vine and now Pose!

This new app, which was, launched on the Apple iPhone nearly two and half ago recently reported with more than 2 million registered users.

 

Pose is essentially an online and mobile community that allows users to swap photos and videos of their outfits, makeup and shopping accessories. Some call it the future of fashion photography or Instagram for fashion. It surely has a lot to offer.

 

More than the fashion itself, there is a greater audience of people who are interested in what people wear and how they wear it. Users find Pose as an accessible platform to search the latest trends. Many of the clothes are often tagged in the pictures, which makes it easier to track down and or directly purchase the item. The app also features a pinterest-like clipboard where you can save your favorite styles. Another reason why Pose has been so successful is due to the fact that it brings fashion bloggers to it’s site further attracting mass of followers. Unlike many other fashion apps like Fashism and Lucky at your service, Pose is available on several platforms including apple and android devices both online and mobile. Pose uses the concept of geolocation to target consumers that live specific urban markets where the product is readily available.

 Pose founder and CEO, Dustin Rosen describe the app as “a fashion magazine but on a phone, a great way for women to spend five minutes on their commutes.”

 This app is actually quite beneficial to the creator and the angel investors involved in the project. Every time a user purchases an item from the app a small fee is included in purchase. Pose serves as an online monetizing merchant. The app continuously seeks for creative ways to attract advertisers to better serve its community. They want to refrain from traditional advertising techniques as they feel they are often ineffective. In an Interview with Mashable, CEO Dustin explained that, “the vision was to build advertising into the stream, to make them more integrated and actionable.”

 It was only recently that Pose landed their first successful ad campaign with Juicy Couture Fragrances to promote its Viva La Juicy Noir fragrance. The advertising technique is unique because of product placement with users.  The product can be seen in use as users post pictures posing.

 References

Indvik, L. (2011, 01 112011, 01 11). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/01/18/pose/

Indvik, L. (2013, 06 29). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2013/07/29/pose-advertising-revenue-model/

[Web log message]. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pose/id402272154?mt=8

http://pose.com/

Poking at Apple

Microsoft’s Windows Phone crew posted a long advertisement on YouTube that takes a punch at Apple and the two new types of iPhones that the company released last week. The video is called “a fly on the wall in Cuptertino.” If you watch the interesting video above, it shows two fake Apple employees (that are rumored to depict look-a-likes of the real Apple CEO and vice President, Tim Cook and Jony Ive).
This commercial is different from the commercials that Windows usually makes when poking fun at iOS and Android cell phones. In the video, the person who the two employees are pitching their ideas to looks just like Steve Jobs. In the video, it shows the two workers calling the iPhone 5c phones fancy colored names (saying “vermillion,” when it is just pink and “chartreuse” for green). The commercial makes fun of the fact that it took Apple 6 months to create the idea of coming out multi-colored phones.
The commercial then moves on to attack Apple yet again after saying that they created the newer phones out of plastic to save money. The man jokes and says that the company will not tell the customers that they are actually made out of plastic.
Another memorable joke that they use against Apple is regarding the fact that the new iPhone 5s can not come in gold. The man says, “everyone likes gold, pirates, leprechauns and this guy (a random hairy-chested man, which I did not understand why it was meant to be funny).
The video closes with a black backdrop and the hashtag “#timetoswitch” (implying the idea that consumers need to switch from IPhone to the Windows products).
Right after I saw this advertisement, I rolled my eyes at how desperate and embarrassing Microsoft look in this ad. A day after the video was released on YouTube, Microsoft released the statement and said that they intended for the video to be a “light-hearted poke at our friends from Cupertino. But it was off the mark, and we’ve decided to pull it down.”
In my opinion, I think the real reason they removed the video is because they realized from all of the negative comments and feedback from viewers that the video was very poor in creating a funny or good attack at Apple. We all know that these two are really competitive companies, so I expected a lot more from Microsoft.
Although the company took it down, the parody commercial still lives on. I was reading the YouTube comments and one comment that got many likes on the site simply said, “lamest ad ever!” I agree that this was a bad move on Microsoft because they look really stupid at trying to come up with an attack on iPhone and then failed miserably at creating it. If anything, it just makes Apple look better!

Customize Your Chocolate Like Your Android

Google recently announced its new line of operating system to be named after the classic Kit-Kat candy bar for its android 4.4 operating system.

There had been much speculation over the past couple of months over the new title for the new operating system. Some rumored it would be announced as Key Lime Pie. Google executive, Sunder Pichai confirmed on Tuesday that Google has a partnership with Nestle on the company’s Google+ page. In the past, Google has been known to christen Androids OS after dessert dishes namely Froyo, Gingerbread and Jelly Bean etc.

This new partnership however is one of a kind as it’s the first to have attached affiliations with a known chocolate brand rather than a generic desert dish name.

This new phenomenon of cross branding in reflected on the packaging of the Kit-Kat chocolate bar as well. There is a promotional aspect to this cross branding. Consumers of the chocolate bar have the opportunity to win Google Nexus 7 tablets and gift cards by searching for specific codes in the inner wrapper of the chocolate bar.

To further add fuel to the buzz around this partnership Kit-Kat launched its first Television Commercial giving it a new suave and minimalist look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKOrkLxOBoY

The commercial can be compared as a parody to the well-known Apple product commercials. The video begins with a brief introduction  of the Chief ‘Breaks’ Officer , Chris Catlin.

He describes in detail about the nature of the product apparently mocking Sir Jony Ive

 “Every corner, every edge, every finger of every bar has been carefully considered and crafted to create a beautifully immersive and multi-sensory experience,”

Doesn’t it sound familiar? The CBO tells us that Kit Kat is something great but it’s pretty much unchanged. I feel it’s a direct hit at the Apple Inc. which is famously known for launching upgrades year after year yet everything is the same.

I think it’s rather amusing twist to the tradition message delivery methods for chocolate consumption. I feel this partnership (where “no money was exchanged” in the deal, according to a Google representative) is beneficial for both the companies. The have very different target audience and industry sectors yet it’s interesting to note how comfortably they integrate two unrelated products to make it seem almost natural. It’s magical

I think that the overall landscape is pure genius. You’ll want to watch the video twice- or even four times. And while you’re at it you might as well take a break. Eat a Kit-Kat!

References

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2013/09/03/google-mobile-operating-system-kit-kat/

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://plus.google.com/ android/posts/fuhQneSFKZX

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2012/03/05/android-key-lime-pie/

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.androidauthority.com/android-4-4-kitkat-horrible-yet-brilliant-name-261836/