A Day in a Candy Shop

As a media tablet analyst, naturally, I was at the Rogers Tab Life Event last Friday...but I felt more like a kid in a candy shop...and I love candy!

Product was available to sample... the Samsung Galaxy Tab was there, a small compact 7 inch device which was still simple to browse and type on. The light weight device easily could have fit in my purse without me or anyone else being any the wiser. A pic of the device is below.


The Dell Streak was also on display, and grabbed the attention of a few of my fellow tech junkies. One said he was interested in the 5 inch Streak, given its portability, and his interest in simply using it for media on-the-go, and browsing the web.
And the surprise...a demo of RIM's Playbook. Now, as David Neale from RIM clarified to the drooling crowd, this is " professional grade, it's not a toy". Dual core, HD, and multitasking are promised to be present in the upcoming device when the 7 inch device hits the Canadian market in 2011. A shot of the device being demoed is below. Apps are along the bottom of the screen and media is being swiped across the middle of the screen in this shot.

But the best part of the day - it won't lead to cavities...just a lighter wallet once I treat myself to one of each device.

A Bichin' Night at the CNMAs

Fact: Canada has creative flair.

The Canada New Media Awards proved that last night as Ben Mulroney hosted a jam-packed night that celebrated all things digital in Canada.
Mulroney was joined on stage by some well-known faces to help give out the night's awards, including bad girl chef Nadia G from Bitchin' Kitchen, Josie Dye from Edge 102, and the entire band from Down With Webster was in attendance.

If you missed the awards, the winners can be found on the CNMA Website.

Just a few of the winners were:

BEST MOBILE APPLICATION
2010 Guide - Official Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Mobile Spectator Guide Xomo Digital Inc.

PROMISING NEW COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Polar Mobile

DIGITAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR
HootSuite HootSuite Media, Inc

Congrats to all the winners!

Media Tablet Q&A: The Low Down on the Canadian Market

I had a chance to chat with Iain Marlow from the Globe and Mail this week about the media tablet market in Canada and its expected impact on the tech sector. Our Q&A session can be found at the Globe and Mail Website.
Questions include:

• Why or how has Apple succeeded with the iPad?
• You say tablets don't have to be an “iPad killer” to be successful. Can you elaborate on that?
• What lessons can we bring to tablets from the ongoing smart phone wars?
• It's a nascent market, with Apple being an early mover. What do we know about the tablet market so far – who are using the devices, what they are using them for?
• Others, such as Research In Motion and Samsung, have announced their own media tablets.What do you make of these competing products and how do they differ from Apple's?
• What sort of impact do you expect media tablets to have on software vendors?
• What sort of impact do you expect media tablets to have on other device categories?

Tweeting on the Rock

I tweeted on the rock this week, and the response I got was worth blogging about.

I was in Newfoundland checking out the startup scene, and while I was there I tweeted a simple 102 character comment on my iPad:

"In Newfoundland this week checking out the tech start up scene out east - hoping I don't get screeched"

My tweets are synched up with LinkedIn, so faster than you can say "Long may your big jib draw", I had two people reach out to me.

• Contact #1 from Toronto offered to set up a meeting for me with her associate that works out there in NL to tell me about what they're seeing out East in tech

• Contact #2 mentioned he was going to be out East at the same time and offered to meet up

I'm often asked by those outside the industry (and within the industry) if I find value in tools like Twitter and LinkedIn, so here is my response: "Yes". I would not have even thought to reach out to those who reached out to me. The value here was discovering connections and opportunities to connect that I didn't know were available to me or that I'd forgotten about, and thanks to my network on Twitter and LinkedIn, I was able to identify those opportunities in less than an hour...and all I had to do was take 10 seconds to let others know what I was up to through a simple Tweet.

I also think it's worth noting that I tweeted from my iPad. Why? It was faster than booting up my computer and determining if my wireless was going to work that day because half the time it doesn't on my laptop. And I wrote the draft of this blog on the plane on the way home on my iPad, which took up way less space than my laptop or even a netbook would have in my economy size seat, and emailed it to myself as soon as we touched ground with the swipe of a finger. Fast, simple, and created conversation on the flight home with the person next to me.

I'm often asked if all this Tweeting, LinkedIn business and playing with media tablets is time consuming. Used in moderation, it takes up no more time than a quick conversation at the water cooler on my floor, yet my reach through these tools is global, versus the 4th floor of my office building. And if used correctly for business purposes instead of telling everyone what you ate for breakfast, they actually become powerful and targeted information and communication channels that work for you, as they did in this case.

Just remember, tweeting to your 500+ LinkedIn and Twitter network that you're in NL for the first time kinda makes you a target for getting screeched, or so I've heard.

A Closer Look at RIM's Playbook and the Media Tablet Market in Canada

On Monday September 27, 2010 RIM announced it's entry into the media tablet market with Playbook. I chatted with Leah Walker from CFRA Radio Ottawa on Sept. 28th on the "Business @ Night" segment to discuss RIM's Playbook and the hot media tablet market.
Click here to download the mp3.

How to Get Noticed...By An Analyst

At Mobile BizBootcamp last week I gave a presentation on how to get the attention of the analyst community, how to engage with them, and the value they can provide to a startup.

Check out some of the highlights captured in Jennifer Kavur's interview with me after the event.

Sneak Peak: Thought Controlled Computing with InteraXon

When I was first introduced to InteraXon, a device was placed on my head and I was told that if I focused my thoughts, I'd be able to control the images I was looking at on a screen.

And I did.

No, this is not an episode of Star Trek - its everyday business at InteraXon, where the company is positioning itself to help companies integrate thought controlled computing into their existing products and business plans.

I recently had a chance to chat with Ariel Garten, InteraXon’s CEO. Here's a sneak peak into our conversation.


Q: What is InteraXon all about?
A: The technology is made up of software and hardware that converts brainwaves into digital signals that can be understood by a computer - and ultimately, control anything electronic. The technology does not read your thoughts, but instead, reads the overall electrical pattern activity that accumulates outside your head. Our team of neuroscientists, engineers and designers understand and shape the technology as well as defining and designing intuitive applications of it.

Q: How is the solution being used today?
A: InteraXon was featured at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, where participants could control lights on the Parliament Buildings, the CN Tower and Niagara Falls using only their thoughts. Cameras fixed on the landmarks captured the changes and relayed video back to Vancouver, so users could see the effects of their thoughts in real time.
The applications go further than that though. From a business perspective, the technology could be used for example with patients that have attention deficit disorder to focus their attention and thoughts, with business executives in need of relaxation while on long flights, and with drivers to monitor their alertness while on the road.


Q: What does the future hold for InteraXon?
A: Thought-controlled computing has the potential to become another way that we interact with objects - just like a keyboard, mouse or voice-activation. There are many applications for this technology, and we are receiving many interesting inbound calls from companies eager to learn how they could work with us to leverage thought controlled computing to advance their products and services. One area that we are working actively is in mobile. Stay tuned for some interesting advances in that space, and other markets.