Google Wallet in the UK?

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There is still no confirmed launch date for Google Wallet in the UK, but the recent blending of Google Checkout into Google Wallet is a welcome move to simplify Google’s transaction platform.

What’s even more significant is the potential to better track the value of your customers as they purchase both on- and off-line. Think of all the additional analytics data that can be gathered as you identify which customers prefer in-store shopping vs. mobile or desktop?

But how long before PayPal launch their next innovation?

 

Will The Muppets be the catalyst for Google+ growth?

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 This week saw the launch of Pages for Google+, which has been well covered in the industry, and has resulted in a race by companies to set out there, pretty basic, stall on the platform.

What really intrigues me was not just the buzz around companies, such as Intel and Pepsi,  adopting the platform, but celebrities such as The Muppets!

At first it seems like a joke, that the Muppet’s kicked off their Google+ launch with a live hangout. However, Google know that the key to Google+’s success will come from greater consumer adoption as much as advertiser awareness.

This was a pretty cool move.

Who will win the console gaming war?

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This week will see the launch of the latest blockbuster installment of the Call Of Duty series – Modern Warfare 3, and it looks set to break all previous records in the gaming, and for that matter the entertainment, world. A tough ask when its main rival, Battlefield 3, has been launched two weeks in advance of it. Indeed, other big titles, such as Mass Effect 3, have been delayed until 2012.

The headlines would suggest that MW3 will be the biggest seller, but I’ve witnessed mounting support in the gaming computer for the more detailed and online focussed, Battlefield 3, so I did a little research.

Looking at the Facebook profiles of the two big games, it seems BF3 has more support than its big budget rival. So digging deeper we see a similar thing with search volumes.

Could search and social media be predicting an upset?

 

Google listens to users – the Google+ Android widget is back!

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Return of the Google+ widget

Return of the Google+ widget

Following the complaints after Google removed the Android widget in the last Google+ app update, it seems they’ve taken the feedback on board and re-introduced it.

This is great news and shows they’re listening to user feedback.

TIP – if you moved Google+ to your SD card following the last update, you’ll need to move it back to the phone memory in order to enable the widget.

 

Google updates Android Google+ app…badly

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Google+ Android widget

Missing my Google+ widget

I’m a big fan of both Google+ and android, but the recent update to the Google+ app has left me, and quite a few other users, disappointed.

While the User Interface looks to have been tweaked and improved, and the tool now supports Google Apps users,  the home page widget has been removed.

Surely this is an oversight? If you’re trying to increase usage of a service don’t remove an element that makes updating easier.

What’s with all the celebs getting into digital marketing?

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First we had Justin Timberlake becoming the CEO of recently acquired MySpace.

Then, following the departure of Carol Bartz, Snoop Dogg (probably jokingly) voiced his interest in being the new Yahoo CEO.

Now we here that the baggy-trouser-loving MC Hammer is to launch a deep dive search engine called WireDoo!

What next? Is Lady Gaga going to launch and affiliate marketing firm?

 

 

 

Why are we still talking about “hits” ?

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Hits!!!!!

Hits!!!!!

On my drive into work this morning I was listening to an interview with the MP Nick Herbert,where he was defending the popularity of the newly updated UK crime maps by quoting the number of “hits” it receives.

I’m all for transparency and really like the initiative, but why are we still talking about hits when they are simply a measure of page elements being called from a server, rather than any kind of measure of popularity? Visits, unique or otherwise, are a much better measure.

I know this can be confusing to the majority of the listeners who won’t be as tech savvy, but on the part of Mr Herbert, it show that he either doesn’t understand the metric, or that he is attempting to mislead. Neither of which is a good

HP CoolTown – over a decade later

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Back in 2000 HP created the CoolTown concept with a view of the wireless connected future.

I just found one of these videos on YouTube and it’s pretty interesting to see how far we’ve com in the last decade…. although I wish my car could do some of that stuff.

I wonder if it will all have been realised in another 11 years