Daily nuggets of inspiration from the good folk
at Elmwood.
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To promote its new Office 365 software, Microsoft placed an ad with free wifi in a special edition of Forbes magazine. (Nice spot, Alex.)
The ad was made up of four pages, with a super-skinny router and battery packed in between. After activating the wifi, readers could get online for free (thanks to T-Mobile) for 15 days, wherever they took the magazine.
They could also charge phones and tablets on-the-go, by lifting a flap in the paper and connecting to a mini USB cable. Now that’s worth a read.
Via. http://www.springwise.com/magazine-ad-offers-free-wifi-readers/
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eBay is literally taking window-shopping to a whole new level. This summer they’re revealing a giant touchscreen pop-up store in partnership with NY retailer Kate Spade Saturday.
It’s interesting to see the e-commerce giants filling the holes in the high street – holes conveniently caused, many would argue, by their own success. Consumers want to have a closer experience with products and still enjoy offline shopping, which eBay is cannily tapping into. The move ties in with their ‘shoppable storefront’ concept of last year, which allowed shoppers to scan products with QR codes and the eBay app.
Via. http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/ebays-touchscreen-store-window.html
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Unlike North Korea, where less than 0.1% of the population have access to the internet, China’s generation of mobile web surfers is booming. Tapping into this demographic’s constant need for ‘click and play’ stimulation, retail brand AER have created a concept store that delivers an exciting new experience every time.
Here, buying a mobile product is a playful, personalised event. Follow the black runway to themed areas for Trendy, Lifestyle and Tech Savvy product-lovers, and try out apps on a giant interactive screen. The store, walled with pegboard, allows for displays to be hung in any configuration, providing fast and easy flexibility in how the whole space is arranged. Watch out Apple stores, there’s a new contender in Chinatown.
Via. http://www.adelto.co.uk/visually-stunning-store-concept-in-shenzhen-china/
ChinaI GenerationMobilePersonalisationRetail
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Am I the only one who’s getting all apped out? I know I risk sounding like the old man of Elmwood NY, but indulge me in a rant here. The other day, I was on the subway, doing a spot of people watching. I noticed a girl doing a jigsaw on her iPhone. I mean, a jigsaw? Aren’t they supposed to drag you away from technology rather than drive you to it? The same goes for the app version of Scrabble, Words with Friends.
And just near her was a guy playing some sort of nuclear warfare/world domination game. I was transfixed as he annihilated another unwary nation and dispatched a mega army on the next unsuspecting continent. Heavy stuff.
There’s an app for that!
The story continued as I arrived at the studio. The first email I saw when I got in was a circular about an app telling you the best time to go to the restroom during a movie. Almost despite myself, I downloaded it for research purposes.
I now know that when I go to see Skyfall, to wait for the moment 1hr 29mins in, when Bond says to Q ‘He’s gone’. Then I will have four minutes to race to and from the gent’s (and probably get a hotdog!) without missing anything much! This totally negates the need to organise myself before the film. Genius? Or madness?
Was Einstein right?
‘I fear the day when the technology overlaps with our humanity. The world will only have a generation of idiots.’ A bit harsh from Albert, perhaps, but maybe it explains why I’ve been feeling ‘unappy’…
So let’s all go and create digital stuff with meaning and substance and a real use. Easy to say, not so easy to do!
AppsLeisureMobileOnlineSocial media
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OwnFone is a light, low-cost mobile phone. You design your handset online, choose the colour scheme and pre-set it with a number of phone numbers. When you want to call someone, you simply need to press their name – making this the ideal handset for young people.
Once you’ve designed your phone (much like your Nike iDs) it’s delivered to you, ready-to-use, straight out of the box. There’s no manual to read or set-up to do. Just take it out, turn it on and press the person you want to speak to. Simple.
Via. https://myownfone.com/index.php
ConvenienceMobilePersonalisationSimplicity
