Two Cents

OK, now I know why I really need an iPhone.  Like the Luddite I am, I have resisted thus far – but this could just be the clincher.

So here it is – the latest big thing.  It’s called ‘Passion’ and it will revolutionise the way we ‘do business’.  The brainchild of Chris Alvares, a US computer science student, whose achievements to date include a number of iPhone quiz apps such as WikiQuiz, Four Squared and MusicApp, Passion is an iPhone application that, allegedly, can measure how competent we are… between the sheets.

Brilliant!  These are the kind of metrics that we all need in our daily lives!

This app uses the phone’s built-in accelerometer as a motion sensor, as well as the device’s microphone and timer.

According to the maestro inventor himself, “All you have to do is start the application, put your iPhone on the bed, in an arm band, or even in your pocket (?) and have intercourse – it is as easy as that”.  Once you have finished you can press the stop button and see how you fared.  Your rating out of 10 will be displayed based on Activity (motion sensor), Duration (timer) and orgasm (microphone).  If you’re not happy with your performance simply select “Try Again”.

Whilst the potential for abuse and embellishment is clearly there, for those who care enough to share, there is an option to upload their score to a leaderboard.

It is not known at this stage how many copies of the app have sold as this has not long been available on iTunes.  However, it is one in a long list of unusual and less than tasteful apps which have blossomed – pioneered no doubt by the iFart app, which allegedly earned $US10,000 per day and inspired several copycat applications.

So would it be any surprise to learn that of the thousands of apps currently available, the top three most popular iPhone apps focused on sex, drugs and alcohol?!

One wonders where all this will lead…

Steve Jennings is an Account Manager at BCM Brisbane

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I make no apologies for coming back to the subject of great mobile innovation on this blog. There’s just far too much great stuff out there not to share!

So, here’s a few more things that have appeared this week.

Firstly, how about using your phone as a projector?

A company called Microvision has developed a projector designed to fit inside any mobile device, or an iPod, or a laptop – anywhere really. It can project in any size from A4 right up to the equivalent of a 254-centimetre TV – about as big as the largest commercially available TV (if you’re a billionaire).  What’s more amazing is, it’s always in focus – there’s no manual focusing required.  It has to be seen to be believed, so I strongly recommend you check out this video.

Secondly, how about using your phone as a mouse?

Using your phone as a mouse doesn’t seem like much sense while sitting at your PC, but as living rooms converge a mouse will be required more and more while you’re sitting on the couch. Enter the mobile air mouse, an iPhone app that turns your phone into a mouse:

Mobile Air Mouse uses the built in accelerometer to translate your hand motions into mouse movements on your screen. It can also operate as a trackpad, allowing you to control your computer with a single finger.

I don’t know about you, but I want one.

Applications are now open for submissions to the next installment of More Mobile Goodness!

There can hardly be a better example of how innovation goes nuts when you crowdsource global talent than the Apple iPhone App Store. I expect we will look back on the early years of the iPhone app store as a truly revolutionary period of mobile phone usage.

Let’s take a look at one area where Apple probably least expected apps to go: musical instruments. According to almost every news outlet I frequent, including the Sydney Morning Herald, the world is currently going nuts over the iPhone Ocarina -- an app that not only lets you play this whimsical instrument on your iPhone (by blowing into the microphone no less),  but also lets you listen in to what others are playing the world over, thus adding that vital social element.

Take a look at the Ocarina in action:

This is just the beginning. A Canadian DJ and producer called Deadmau5 recently offered up his entire latest album for his fans to remix via a dedicated iPhone app. A Japanese band called Denki Groove play all their instruments via iPhone. Such instruments include the piano, drums and guitar.

For those of us who prefer a bit of noodling around with other people’s music, there’s always the mixmaster app to scratch up a storm, or a four-track mixing console.

I think it’s pretty clear where all this is heading -- pretty soon you’ll be able to hook up with another muso anywhere in the world and jam away to your heart’s delight. Good times.

The Apple iPhone has without a doubt ushered in a new era of touch screen technology. For a long time touch screens were a novelty, an expensive interface which may not have always been the best solution. But now consumers are coming to expect them as standard – on mobile phones, gaming consoles (like the Nintendo DS), and personal computers (like the increasingly popular Tablet PC).

Now, you can even find touch screens on musical instruments:

And on vending machines:

So, where next for touch screens? And what will advanced touch screen technology mean to the world of advertising.

I was going to suggest touch screens in taxis and shopfronts, but after doing a bit of Googling, it seems some clever companies are already on the case.

I was recently on a train in Spain which had screens – a touch screen might have helped consumers obtain more information about the current advertisement.

Or perhaps touch screen outdoor advertising could be the way of the future.

Any ideas where you might find touch screens in the near future?

Yes, I know I named 2009 the year of social media, but there’s another space we can expect to see some great innovations this year – the world of branded mobile applications.

In 2008, the iPhone opened up a whole new world of ways that brands engage consumers on their mobile in fun, functional and informative ways – in many cases, by utilising the converged capabilities of the phone, including the camera and GPS. Many of them even used the iPhone’s inbuilt accelerometer (the thingy that knows which way the iPhone is pointing) – two great examples from 2008 are the iPint and the Audi A4 Challenge.

In 2009, Kraft have now proven that even FMCG brands can develop engaging branded applications, with their new iFood Assistant.

The iFood Assistant contains over 7,000 Kraft-tested recipes, shopping lists and store recommendations, video demonstrations for on-the-go chefs, and daily updated content such as Dinner Tonight and Recipe of the Day.

Brands and their agencies are really hitting their stride now in thinking of ways they can make consumer’s lives easier by developing useful applications they can stamp as their own.

So, what branded mobile application is your brand going to build this year?

We were recently thrown an interesting challenge by one of our great clients, QUT. Their engineering faculty is trying to reach current year 12 students who might be interested in studying engineering in 2009. That’s a pretty finite audience! And certainly one we puzzled over how best to reach for a good little while.

Our solution: Developing a competition microsite that caters to the traits of future engineers – an inherent curiosity and problem-solving ability. And so was born Are You Smart Enough? – which is giving away an iPhone each week to successful puzzle solvers. It’s been backed up by a crafty promotional strategy to drive traffic, including outdoor projections, bus shelter ads, street furniture, search, Facebook social ads, viral seeding on existing QUT social media assets, and print.

Progress so far has been fantastic. Amongst the thousands of entries, QUT have already collected ample qualified prospects – year 12 students interesting in studying engineering next year.

So, think you’re smart enough? Then go ahead and check it out!