The Social Media Cheat Sheet

Good overview. Found this on TheNextWeb.com. Made by Drew McLellan. Click the images for a slightly bigger version or download the full screen PDF here.

TED: Augmented Reality Apps

Very cool. Especially the star gazing aspect at the end of the video.

Can the iPad and other tablets save magazines?

Well, if they look like this, they just might.

Check out these cool demos of potential ways magazines can reinvent themselves in this new media format.

I'm likin' what I see and the potential that this new format offers. Obviously the big question will be price. What will these new enhanced digital magazines cost? And will consumers see the value? My guess is that is that this is the next frontier and those magazines and newspapers who get out early and do it right will win big in the long run.

Have a look at the very near future:

VIV Mag Interactive Feature Spread - iPad Demo from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

What do I think about Generation X? Here's my CBC radio book panel discussion.

As part of this year's Canada Reads competition, CBC Information Morning in Moncton assembled a multi-generational book panel to discuss Generation X:Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland. I was chosen to represent Generation X and was joined by Hanna Button a student at Mount Allison University (born 1988) and Bob Osborne from Corn Hill Nursery (born 1949). We spoke with host Dave MacDonald (born in 1965) about this popular book written two decades ago.

If was recoded at one session and broken into five sections and aired each day for a week. It was a great experience and hope I get a chance to do something like it again. In case you missed it, have a listen to them here:

Part 1 of the radio interview:


Part 2 of the radio interview:


Part 3 of the radio interview:


Part 4 of the radio interview:


Part 5 of the radio interview:





Here's the panel, Hanna Button, Me (Stephen Brander) and Bob Osborne posing after the interview with our books.

To see more visit the CBC Information morning website here.

"fake miniatures" movies

Tilt-shift time-lapse or "fake miniatures" is the next big thing in animation, and Keith Loutit, a Sydney-based photographer is the master of it. Using a variety of techniques, this short film hopes to encourage you to to take a second look at places that are familiar to them.







For more on the artist, visit keithloutit.com

We're getting closer Zoompass. Pay for purchases with your phone (almost).

When Zoompass first came out I got excited. Then I lost interest cause I had to have another "card" to carry around. Why can't I just pay with my phone? That's all I want... just use my phone to pay. Well, we're getting closer. Zoompass just launched in trial something they call Zoompass tag. Basically a wireless payment device designed in the form of a sticker that can be attached to a call phone.



Soon all Zoompass users (select ones for now) will need only their phone with the Zoompass Tag to access their mobile cash account and make purchases at retail stores. Zoompass users will be able to simply tap their phones on a contactless reader at point of sale to make purchases – just like a PayPass-enabled credit card.

Here's a video on how it will work:



I would for sure give this a try. Zoompass, if you are listening, send me a Zoompass Tag, love to try it out.

More info can be found on the Zoompass blog.

The Zoompass main site.

How Mobile Phones are Changing Shopping - is your store keeping up?

There is great article by Natalie Zmuda in Advertising Age that talks about how how Smart Phones are changing retail.

The article explains how mobile phones are fast becoming the way consumers find coupons, research products, compare prices and make purchases. Below are some of the apps to watch according to the article. Most of these look like they are US based only... but I'm sure it is only a matter of time for similar products will be here in Canada. If you are in any type of retail and are not thinking about mobile devices - you should be. They are coming, they are here, and it will change the way business is done.


SHOPSAVVY
With this app, users can comparison shop by scanning a product's bar code with a camera phone. ShopSavvy finds the lowest prices online and at nearby brick-and-mortar retailers, as well as coupons, and lets users make transactions.


YOWZA
Using GPS to determine shoppers' locations, Yowza delivers coupons to nearby stores.


RETREVOQ
More of a mobile advisor than an application, RetrevoQ uses texts and tweets to dispense info. Shoppers can text 41411 or tweet @retrevoq including the make and model of the electronics product they're considering, and RetrevoQ will respond with advice on whether it's a good buy, a fair price, the price range available online for that product and a link to reviews at Retrevo.com, a consumer-electronics shopping and review site.


FASTMALL
This iPhone and iPod Touch app provides interactive maps of malls, highlighting elevators and the quickest route to stores, as well as helping shoppers find food vendors and remember where their cars are parked. A shake of the phone turns up the nearest restroom location. Shoppers can also make lists and access coupons.


THEFIND: WHERE TO SHOP
Shoppers can find which stores carry the products they're looking for and where those stores are located, as well as compare prices with nearby retailers and online retailers. The app will even calculate the driving cost to each store.


GROCERYIQ
Coupons.com acquired the popular grocery app in January 2009 and released version 2.0 in December. The iPhone and iPod Touch app allows consumers to create grocery lists, organize them, access coupons and share lists with others. Shoppers can also take photos of bar codes to add items to their lists and create lists of frequently or previously purchased items.



Read the entire article here.