Mark Hawkins
When tech words grow olde
Writing about technology for businesses demands that attention is paid to the words used to describe and sell technologies: words which indicate innovation, credibility and cutting edge, but words which occasionally just might have grown old. Close scrutiny heightens the sensitivity to technology parlance, and particularly words which somehow appear to have weakened, tired, become [...]
Finally harmony – words and images together at last
“Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.” Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel Facebook’s recent acquisition of social image sharing application Instagram underlined the growing digital importance of combining images with information.
All of your business – the squeeze of mobile market consolidation
News of Velti’s acquisition of Mobile Interactive Group caught many off guard, the market consolidation suggesting chill economic winds not only for its competitors, but also for the two organisations themselves. The official statement read: – Velti plc (NASDAQ: VELT), the leading mobile marketing and advertising technology provider for brands, advertising agencies, mobile operators and [...]
Technology end-games and when it all falls down
Technology’s greatest strength, and arguably its biggest, weakness is that there is rarely an end-game, one perfect final solution. Everything just keeps developing, for better or worse. In an introductory video for The Guardian’s new iPad application, Editor In Chief Alan Rusbridger explicitly states: “there will be no final incarnation of The Guardian.” It’s equally [...]
More than words
In a digital age seemingly obsessed with verbal jousting and punning wordplay, it’s worth remembering the impact of the visual. Sometimes words aren’t all that important.
Changing gear with smart technology
Reselling cars might not be the most obvious place to find innovative new uses of mobile technology, but together with a free lunch and a trip to Microsoft’s shiny London HQ (strong on Windows) it was a topic which attracted some of the UK’s major car buyers and sellers. The British Car Auctions (BCA) event [...]
Picking a platform for enterprise mobility
This year’s mobile news has at times seemed dominated by smartphone Operating Systems: which has the most users, which is the most advanced, which is the most flexible and developer-friendly. But outside of consumer bells and whistles, how many platforms are ready for the serious test of enterprise deployment? We spoke to TBS Enterprise Mobility’s [...]
Intelligent Transport all set for ADVANCE
The blue dot on my Google Maps app indicates that the complex of buildings approaching on the left is my final destination. I marvel anew at this now relatively dated technology and its ability to get me from A to B. When I enter the site and realise the solutions tested and validated here take [...]
59% of mobile consumers want operator deals by SMS
Reports commissioned by technology companies to advocate their solutions rarely throw up huge surprises, but a YouGov survey conducted for Upstream has generated a couple of interesting stats. It reveals that most consumers want to receive mobile deals by text message (61 per cent), and within service messages such as top-up confirmations (9 per cent), [...]
Further afield – NFC still missing?
Rumours are circulating that the iPhone 5 will not now have NFC (Near Field Communication). It’s a big ‘Stand Down’ message for all those excited by the potential which stood to be unleashed by the new over-the-air medium which revolutionised quick payments on London Underground system. You can almost hear the disappointed groan, like children [...]
