by
4 Comments

Ad Age Agrees: 2008 Not the Year of Mobile

posted on April 1, 2008

Last week, we talked about predictions for the future of mobile Internet and concluded that this isn’t the year mobile will take off. We’re not the only ones. Yesterday, Alice Z. Cuneo of Advertising Age agreed, and offered five reasons why 2008 isn’t mobile’s year. Her reasons:

  1. Lack of reach
  2. Poor measurement
  3. Complexity
  4. Isolation/lack of integration of mobile
  5. No “hallelujah moment” (a mobile campaign so wildly successful that everyone will want to emulate its success in the medium)

Cuneo doesn’t just offer disappointment, however. She offers hope as well, by outlining what we’ll need to overcome these hurdles. Her vision for the future (possibly as soon as 2009, though I have to say that sounds like hype ;) ) includes:

by
4 Comments

Adsense for Conversations

posted on April 1, 2008

Adsense for ConversationsGoogle’s recent post about “Adsense for Conversations” is my favorite April Fools antic this year.

The fictitious Adsense for Conversations is powered by an “unobtrusive screen above your head” where “Anyone taking part in the conversation can hit the ad with their hand to immediately take advantage of the product or service being offered.”

While the thought of monetizing conversations about dinner plans, appointments, and general office banter is awesome, it got me thinking “could Google really monetize conversations with contextual advertising?”

Google needs only two elements to serve contextual advertising; a screen to display ever changing ads and data to match contextually with ads. The most logical place to find both of these things in the world of conversation is the phone.

by
6 Comments

Happy 10th Birthday Mozilla

posted on April 1, 2008

Yesterday was Mozilla’s 10th birthday. Ten years ago Mozilla was launched and they made their source code available to the public.

Mozilla is most popular for their web browser Firefox, which is favored by most internet marketers for their excellent plugins. They also offer the email program Thunderbird and bug tracking program Bugzilla.

Mozilla started out as a codename for the Netscape Navigator web browser. It used to be their logo until they decided they wanted to portray a more professional image. Mozilla wanted to bury Mosaic, the most popular web browser at the time.

Take the word Mosaic and the slang for killer (killa) and you get Moz+illa. And just to give it a little geek punch to the concept, it also references the ferocious monster Godzilla. I wonder if developers there have Mozilla action figures on their monitors.

by
13 Comments

Google Docs Available Offline; Where’s My Offline Gmail?

posted on April 1, 2008

First Google Gears brought us an offline version of Google Reader. Now, after many signs of its pending arrival, Google Docs is gearing up to go offline too.

With Google Docs offline (powered by Google Gears), I can take my little piece of the cloud with me wherever I go. Once enabled, I have a local version of my document list and editors, along with my documents.

As long as I have an Internet connection, every change I make is saved to the cloud. When I lose my connection, I sacrifice some features, but I can still access my documents (for this initial release, you can view and edit word processing documents; right now we don’t support offline access to presentations or spreadsheets – see our help center for details). Everything I need is saved locally. And I do everything through my web browser, even when I’m offline (the goodness that Google Gears provides). When my connection comes back, my documents sync up again with the server.

by
5 Comments

Microsoft Has No Plans to Raise Yahoo Bid

posted on April 1, 2008

Despite what foolery you may read today, Microsoft has no plans to raise its $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo.

According to the WSJ…

Such pronouncements are standard in deal negotiations but people close to Microsoft insist the stance isn’t posturing. While speculation has swirled that Microsoft was poised to raise its bid, Microsoft is instead biding its time. The software giant likely hopes to use the potential of a sweetened offer to lure Yahoo into serious discussions. So far the two sides have only had one meeting.

"There’s no reason to bid against ourselves," one of these people said.

by
7 Comments

Pilgrim’s Picks for April 1st – April Fools 2008 Edition

posted on April 1, 2008

Is any of today’s news real? Let me tell you, today is the day that you don’t want to be in the business of reporting internet news–the whole web has gone April Fools crazy!

If any legitimate news does surface today, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy this selection of April Fools jokes (mostly Google-related).

  • The official Google blog announces a joint space venture between Google and Virgin.
  • InfoWorld plays April Fools roulette by suggesting Microsoft & Yahoo have agreed on a price. Never mess with Wall Street–you could get sued!
  • Google Docs users will see new drop-down menu items, including “New Airplane.”
  • Google Calendar adds a new “Wake Up Kit” to its offering.
  • Meanwhile, RWW has news that Google will soon serve-up AdSense ads in our dreams.

by
21 Comments

Exclusive: Google’s Index Now on Your Wrist with GWatch Launch

posted on April 1, 2008

While we are supposed to be under embargo on this until later today, we wanted to be the first to show you the latest breakthrough to be offered by Google. The Google Watch, or GWatch for short.

The Google USB Search Watch (Model #8002RPA10; estimated retail $89) will bring Google’s popular search engine technology to a wristwatch. Apparently users will be able to use a modified Google API to view search results on your wrist. At launch, the “GWatch” will be limited to local search results–your zip, city, or state. Google has plans to turn the GWatch into a mobile Chumby-like device–adding widgets, RSS feeds, and YouTube videos in the future. By plugging the watch into your computer and downloading the compressed local index, you’ll be able to search more than 100 million geo-targeted web pages.