VMA Goes Viral

The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards have generated 5.5 million social media mentions since the awards on Sunday. MTV wanted more engagement via social networking and their wish was granted, with most of the interaction being on the Twitter mobile site. This is illustrated better with this cool informational graphic.

The awards show broke records; Beyonce’s pregnancy reveal alone resulted in nearly 9 000 tweets per second! That’s not even including the tweets about Lady Gaga dressed as a male. This year MTV made it really easy to get the viewers’ opinions out onto the web. As they could either watch the show live on TV, watch  backstage antics and red carpet videos online, or even tweet from their phones. MTV also used Twitter Tracker to show users who was the most popular on Twitter during the awards and ranked the popularity. The Hot Seat feature (which is no longer working) would show where the celebrities were tweeting from in the Nokia Theatre. MTV also flooded their Twitter profile with videos and images throughout. Their website had a running feed of all that was happening.

To put it bluntly, MTV rocked at social networking!

Steve Jobless

Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple Inc. But who can blame him when he earns a measly $1 annually for the honour. It’s all the other pies he has his fingers into that are making him all his money. In 2009 it was estimated his net wealth was $5.1 billion. Not bad, Steve.

In the letter he sent out on the 24th of August, Steve resigned as CEO because he believes he no longer fulfils his duties. Steve went on to recommended Tim Cook as his successor, a request which the company quickly obliged. After the announcement Apple shares dropped by 5%. Which could have been worse but Steve’s bad health has been in the media for years, so it wasn’t particularly a shock that he decided to step down. In 2004 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and finally had a liver replacement in 2009. He had even been on medical leave since January of this year.

Steve will still be in charge of the major decisions but Tim will now deal with the day-to-day running of the company. In honour of Steve Jobs and his accomplishments, tributes have been popping up all over the web, for the man who transforms the industry almost yearly. You can read about all things Steve, thank him on facebook, or you can just go out and buy another Apple product making him even richer.

Touch. Pause. Engage.

Spirits are getting higher and our faith in the Boks is climbing. Our supporter shirts are ready and the remote control set to one channel. With just 15 days to go till the Rugby World Cup kicks off, you may think you're prepared. But wait, do you have the official Rugby World Cup 2011 Mobile App?

It's available in 3 languages, can follow all 48 matches with live commentary, score updates, half time and full time video highlights and much more.

For fans lucky enough to attend the world’s third largest sporting event, the app is the perfect tournament companion. There's exclusive match content and the app will provide fans with a calendar of events and festivals in New Zealand.

The Rugby World Cup has got their Social Media jacked. The Facebook page has over 1.1 million fans, there's a dedicated Twitter  account, a YouTube channel and now an official App to ensure that spectators are never left short of info.

If you're rocking a Blackberry, Playbook, iPad, Android, iPhone or Windows phone, this means that the Rugby World Cup got a whole lot more in your face.

The Third Device

Remember how the iPad was supposed to change our lives? Well, apparently it was. The real question is: has it?

Apple released the first iPad in April 2010, and sold 3 million in just 80 days. By the end of the year, Apple had sold 14.8 million iPads worldwide, representing 75 percent of tablet PC sales for 2010.

Over a year later, everyone is aware of Apple’s tablet, but they always seem to belong to a friend of a friend. The iPad 2 is selling like hotcakes but it's more than likely a result of marketing than functionally serving a purpose.

The iPad even came second in the Popular Science Innovation of the Year Awards 2010. It was beaten by the Groasis, which had to perform miracles by reinventing third world farming, in order to do so.

Where it matters, like productivity, they haven’t quite turned out to be the “Third Device” that we’d hoped for, and apparently needed. Until Apple makes it clear that it can do something we need better than something we already have, it's going to stay in the Nice To Have part of our wish list.

Snooze and Donate

There was donating money via SMS. Then it upgraded to clicking on a website. Now you can donate, in your sleep, via a new app. It doesn’t get more giving then this.

The app is called Snooze (how original) and works on iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads. It allows you to donate $0.25 every time you hit snooze. The app was created by LetGive, an organisation that combines mobile technology and charitable donations. You choose your charity and you’re given two opportunities a month to donate the money your snoozes accumulated. The money doesn’t automatically get donated so you could still change your mind (which isn’t really the point).

But wouldn’t it be really, really easy to snooze for an extra 40 minutes if it only cost you $1? That would be a dollar well spent. And you’ll have a great excuse: you were helping out a charity. What boss can be angry with that?

You can go here and download ten different charity-donating apps. Or you can take care of a hobo like a Tamagotchi but that doesn’t seem as charitable (or fun) as donating in your sleep.

Tech or Toys?

The world of technology can be a very intimidating place. What do you buy, which is the best? The possibilities are endless. What do you search for when it’s so confusing?

Take the positively futuristic Nano-structured Glass for example. These “monolithic glass space-variant polarization converters" (in English this means they are capable of storing data on glass) will be the next Flash Drives. With this kind rapid rate of technological development, what’s next?

When it comes to health, most people don't skimp and the latest aid seems to be coming from the most unlikely source. Jawbone, a company traditionally associated with audio products such as the Jambox Portable Bluetooth Speaker and Jawbone Bluetooth Headset, has created the “Up” wristband. Connecting to your cellphone it “tracks your movement, sleep patterns and eating habits and puts that information in the palm of your hand”.

If you prefer your tech in your toys rather then your tools, there’s still something for you and product review sites such as Cnet.com go a long way to help.

Among the thousands of gadgets, there are a few gems. Such as this really cool Big Ass Remote-Controlled Shark Balloon. Check out a demo of it's awesomeness here. You’re welcome.

Steer Safe?

Using your phone while driving is bad idea. Attaching your phone to your steering wheel to access it easily sounds even worse.

Steer Safe is a device that enables you to attach your phone to the top of your steering wheel. It fits all smart phones and all steering wheels. And it follows all the US Department of Transportation laws.

Really? Because in this video, you can’t see the speedometer. At least it doesn’t interfere with your airbags, because by the looks of it you’re going to need them.

Steer Safe makes it really easy to do all the things with a phone you shouldn't be doing behind the wheel like sending texts, replying to emails and watching videos. All of which are illegal. At least someone recognises just how catastrophic an idea this is.

Luckily the kit won’t be available anytime soon. The project is still pleading for funds and are way behind the goal of $20 000 with about three weeks to go. Chances are you won’t have to worry about even more dangerous drivers on the road anytime soon. At least, not until the next genius gets his brainfart into the public sphere.

Facebook Wants To Chat

Gone are the days of the prehistoric SMS, what is the point in spending the money on a messenger service when there are so many free apps circulating the mobile market? You can choose from Skype, BBM, WhatsApp, Google +’s Huddle and Apple’s iMessage’s. And now there's another option.

Facebook has made the move into the mobile chat revolution. It has launched a standalone app for iPhone and Android called Facebook Messenger. This app is dedicated to sending messages and texts through the world largest social network.

The application ties into the existing Facebook Messages feature on it’s website, the app can be used to send messages to Facebook friends or other people in the user’s phone address book, delivering them by notification or text.

All messages are sent and received in real time, which means no waiting for your feed to refresh. It is simple and straightforward, so even the most unskilled mobile users can enjoy.

Log onto Messenger with your Facebook username and you’re taken to a screen with all of your recent chats and messages. You can jump into any past conversation or create a new one. You can also send photos to your friends and give message threads a name, for easier organization, much like you do on the Facebook site.

South Africans will have to wait awhile before we get involved. It has only just been released in the US – but we cannot wait to see how it handles above the rest of the apps.

Sex or Cellphone?

How much does your cellphone mean to you? According to a new survey conducted by location-based services provider Telenav, people are willing to go without shoes, caffeine and even sex rather than give up their cellphone. Not exactly shocking results, considering how much our phones are capable of nowadays.

According to the survey “smartphone users were three times more likely to admit that they judge people based on the type of phone they carry”. Two thirds of respondents admitted they sleep with their mobiles by their bedsides. Of the three most popular cellphone types (you guessed it), iPhone users are the most attached to their device/BFF.

Psychologists warn that smartphone users are in danger of becoming addicted to the device. Another study found that “almost half of teenagers and more than a quarter of adults now own a smartphone, with most using their iPhone or Blackberry to browse Facebook and email.”

We're addicted to our most frequent companions. So, what would you give up?

Rabbits to do your Bidding

Contrary to popular belief, hamsters in wheels aren’t running the world. Rabbits are. Specifically, people posing as rabbits doing our menial tasks for us.

TaskRabbit has been around since 2008 but last week it released its iPhone App, which was the featured app of the week. It’s a service wherein you pay a “rabbit” to do a specific task you’re too busy (or don’t want) to do. It’s delegation, ad hoc and at a cost. Read the positive reactions to this service on the TaskRabbit website.

If strangers cleaning your house and mowing your lawn freaks you out (like it does us) don't stress: all the rabbits have gone through background checks and many interviews.  They are rewarded with carrots and hop up levels so the business is fully committed to the metaphor. 

You can download the app here  but it’s currently only available in certain parts of America. It should reach us in due time. By then we’ll probably have robots doing all that for us anyway. A new verb could come out of this; just like everyone began saying “Google it”, they will soon say “I’ll just TaskRabbit it”. Until then, put some bunny ears on your PA.

BBM 6 is Here and Wants to Chat

It's hard not to notice Blackberry's dominance in SA. So what’s the hype? BBM of course. Haven’t you noticed how your friends will only chat if it's free? The platform has 45 million users, 70% of whom use it daily.

Check out our low down on the newest version to get your fingers tapping and your tongues wagging.

Blackberry Messenger 6 adds a new social app layer to the messaging platform, with even more features to use within the app itself. While playing a game users can invite their BBM friends to join and continue to chat in real-time as well as making use of Foursquare, The Huffington Post, Wikitude, Scoremobile and Poynt to name a few of the tie-ins.

Expect the look and feel to get a slick new upgrade, and more emoticons than your emotions can handle. It will only be a matter of time before all Blackberry subscribers jump on the Download button.

BBM remains the crown jewel of the BlackBerry experience, despite the various other pretenders to the thrown and the gossip about other OS systems building their own native imitations. For now, BBM is in a class of its own.

Tweeting is an Olympic sport

With only a year to go, the London 2012 Olympics has started to spread its hype. Headlines of our South African Sportsman breaking records are starting to get competitive, DSTV subscribers are purchasing more sports channels and a watchful eye is being kept on London, as if to say “can they pull it off?”. And if that wasn’t enough, the official website for the Olympic and Paralympic Games just got a bit more R-O-W-D-Y.

The website now features and interactive contest designed to discover which country has the biggest online fan base. The contest ranks the top 20 countries based on the number of tweets, Youtube videos and Flickr photos submitted.

Fans already have submitted more than 20,000 tweets with Great Britain in the lead, followed by Brazil, the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands.

The aim of the contest is to promote that it is only a year away from the opening ceremony which takes place on July 27, 2012.

With South Africa in the bid for the 2016 Olympics, it is only our duty to get involved. How do you do it? Your tweets need to include the hashtag #1yearToGo along with the three-letter code for your country. E.g ZAR.

Blackberry: the new Crack

Blackberry users are as addicted to their phones as drug addicts. Research defines that someone is an addict when they rather focus on their phone instead of the people around them and that those deprived from their cellphone show symptoms a drug addict or smoker would feel when going cold turkey. Sound familiar?

With a Blackberry you are constantly informed as to what’s happening in your email or the social networks you’re on. There is no break; you are constantly connected to work and everything else. You don’t put it on silent when you sleep; you even put it under your pillow so you won’t miss anything. There is a website dedicated to people that act like this with their phones, and it’s called Crackberry.

A phobia has even been developed called Nomophobia, which is short for No Mobile Phobia. There are even solutions to decrease the time you rely on your phone.

If you’ve had enough of being out with your friends and suddenly talking to the tops of their heads while they check their Blackberrys, put your foot down and ban them from bars. Cellphones are a part of anti-social behaviour and need to be handled as such. And if you’re an addict, put it on silent and go out and enjoy spending time with real people.

Money Gets Mobile

As a generation on the move, mobile and tablet apps need to keep up with our daily manoeuvres. There are plenty of apps made to entertain us but where are the apps that make our lives more convenient? FNB has taken the banking innovation game to another level, introducing a free app that runs on any smart phone or tablet device.

The FNB Banking App allows you to view your account info and balances, transfer funds, make payments and get a detailed transactional history. The app also includes additional benefits like the ability to access a FNB directory and make free calls to any FNB Call Centre.

If you were wondering if this is just some fancy cellphone banking scheme, try completing those tasks through regular mobile banking. We dare you to try locate FNB branches and ATMs on a map. Good luck.

Download the app and this comes standard using the app's location-based services. Although it needs a secure connection to run off, its response is quick and surpasses our expectations. Hopefully this kicks off a spiral of innovation as other service providers try to out do each other.

Start a Band with iPhone

From Playstation to iPhone we can't leave our virtual instruments alone. That combo of entertainment and skills development makes them irresistible time wasters. Guitar playing apps have circled the interweb, plucked and played to suit the average Joe’s strumming skills versus those who think they're Jimi Hendrix re-incarnated. These are the Apps taking centre stage for us right now:

TabToolkit: Learn the ins and outs of your inner rock star. This is an essential tool for learning and practicing music. It also provides playback tempo control, a metronome and a tab upload and download manager. However, the download is not free so spontaneous guitar solo moments need to be thought out.

PocketGuitar: This is as basic as a guitar app will go we reckon. If simple is your thing, PocketGuitar turns your iPhone into a virtual guitar, electric Bass and even a Ukulele. Spend a buck and give it a go.

Gibsons: Learn and Master Guitar. As the 2010 Billboard Music App Award Winner, we need not say much more. As far as free Apps go, this one is for the win. GL&MG provides you with essential tools to help you become a better guitar player as well as free full length lessons that will take you from beginner to advanced.

Here's a list of more musical vibes on the go. Hit us up on Twitter if you have suggestions you think we should check out.

Mobile Entertainment

There is a seemingly never ending war between the size of data, storage capacity and the cost of storage. As compression gets better and file sizes get smaller, the display resolution capabilities increase, the file size jumps and the cutting edge, very expensive device that held your entire movie collection can now only contain your top 5 feature films and maybe one season of your favourite series.

External Drives are a great stop gap, but the inconvenience of them feels like a compromise rather than a solution. Which is why Wi Fi portable drives are so damn cool. Two options on the market are the Kingston Wi-Drive and the Seagate GoFlex Satellite. Both offer streaming to multiple devices, excellent battery life and easy to use functionality.

They bode well for the future when your supplementary storage will be able to nestle in your luggage and comfortably beam terrabytes of data to your entertainment device.

On the other hand, hopefully the future holds wireless data connectivity so fast and cheap that taking your data with you becomes a thing of the past and you simply stream it from an online source or connect to a storage device at home. In the interim, you could just get an iPad 2 and a year's free bandwidth, though that's probably the pusher equivalent of offering the first hit for free.

Better Health through Mobile

Despite all the concerns about the potential threat of cancer from exposure to cellular phones and the very real likelihood of getting taken out by someone driving and Tweeting simultaneoulsy, chances are phones will make us healthier.

Whether it's using them in conjunction with brands like Nike or Endomondo to make exercise social or an app that makes it easier to track and change your dietary habits, the potential is there to improve fitness, nutrition and overall well being.

We were inspired by the announcement of Jawbone's wearable health tracker UP to go and look for some cool health Apps for Android and iPhone. Some of them are practical, like the calorie counter while others like the SpecTrek bring a more fun element into getting exercise.

Whatever your vibe, stop worrying about what all those invisible rays are doing to you and offset the potential negative impact by using your phone in a way that will make you healthier. If you've got a favourite way to use your device to improve your health, let us know about it.

Facebook for Dummies

If you're like the vast majority of mobile phone owners worldwide who have a Facebook account but haven't yet upgraded to a smartphone, updating your status on the go just got a whole lot easier.

Facebook announced yesterday the release of an app that will work on over 2500 "Dumb" phones. The project has been designed to use a minimal amount of data and is quite feature rich. You can read more about it on Facebook Mobile's Fan Page  or go straight to their mobile site. If you're really in a rush just copy and paste d.facebook.com/install into your browser.

There's a Youtube Video that explains the process and the features, and with mobile being the way most South Africans access the internet despite smartphones being in the vast minority, this might help the world domination of the Social Media site through countries with demographics similar to ours.

Sign of the Times

Considering there's a bunch of people referring to themselves as iPhoneographers, it's not much of a surprise that a company has figured out a way to bring all the SLR lenses gathering dust in cupboards back into the game. The very dedicated people at Photojojo have done just that. You'd think it would have been Canon or Nikon, but nope, it was a company that is about as insanely head over heels passionate about photography as you can possibly be without being committed.

The new mount essentially converts everyone's favourite happy snapper into a DSLR housing, allowing the user to mount any lens they want.

There are many photo related apps available, and we found a great list of the better ones on The Next Web. The majority focus on either post production or enhancing your shooting ability. We have yet to find a good one that converts the iPhone to an SLR camera set on Manual. If you have one you recommend let us know.

The rumour-mill is going into overdrive about the next generation of phones from Apple, including upgrades to it's picture taking capabilities. Something like this may seem a bit silly now but it's not hard to foresee a near future where photojournalists are able to shoot, edit, retouch and post images straight off a device that blurs the line between an SLR and a handset.

Android App Must Haves

Apps are taking over the mobile world one download at a time, so we thought we'd highlight a few cool ones from the rapidly expanding Android Marketplace. These are simple, functional and guaranteed to add value.

Flashlight sure beats searching for your dropped keys simply using the glow of your screen. It is generated off your camera LED light but remember to turn off the light when you are done or your battery life will die and then you’ll be all alone, in a dark place, and no way to call.

Hook your laptop up to your TV, switch on your Wi-Fi connection and you can  use your phone as a remote control. We recommend you don’t tell your girlfriend about this one, Remote wars could go up a notch.

The open source RemoteDroid makes use of your wireless network to act as another keyboard and mouse for your computer. There are programs you need to preinstall but once you have done that, hey... get controlling.

There are plenty of others, but which have you found indispensable?

BlackBerry Down but Not Out

Kinda weird how a phone made for businessmen by Canadians has become South African youth's coolest brand.

Research In Motion may be in the news for all the wrong reasons. It's share price is plummeting and it's leadership is in disarray but locally they've managed to establish a solid and loyal following by offering cheap unlimited access to the internet, which means inexpensive always on communication. Blackberry have also recently considered opening BBM up to other platforms.

R59 a month for unlimited online access has garnered over one million users in SA and made Blackberry the coolest brand in the country according to the Sunday Times Generation Next 2011 Survey.

It remains to be seen whether decreasing data prices, cheaper entry level smartphones and more cost efficient ways to communicate erode that lead, but for now Blackberry enjoys a comfortable lead. Other concerns are the fact that RICA may want to ban BBM as it can't monitor the communication the way it can SMS, email and phone calls.

For now, Blackberry users looking to find frineds via Facebook should check out a new app called SearchBBM, and should also be on the lookout for a new Facebook 2.0 update which will further integrate the social network with BBM features.

Do You Want a 3D Phone?

Touchscreens are passe, and no-one cares about the size of your camera. As of July 1 it's all about how many dimensions you have. HTC and LG are leading the charge, specifically the EVO 3D and the Optimus 3D, respectively.

With the recent outbreak of 3D technology, from cameras and video cameras to gaming and home entertainment systems, phones were never going to get away from it.

Cnet reviewers give reasonable credit to the
EVO and the Optimus, but it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. The angle between the screen and your eyes has a narrow window of efficacy and it's easy to miss, which may put off people. The hack may not be worth the novelty.

As more phones hit the market with 3D capabilities, it will be interesting to see whether it's a fad or a legitimate feature people are interested in. If you can't get out of your contract and want 3D, get this cheat sheet.

We say skip the 3D and move straight onto lasers and holographic projection.

Could Driverless Cars end Traffic?

Google has been cruising around the US in automated cars for ages, Nevada is passing legislation that is a step toward allowing these machine controlled vehicles to roam the roads and Opel is currently evaluating a study on the impact on safety, congestion and fuel consumption networking cars using Vehicle to vehicle technology would have.

This seems the obvious direction transport is going. Trains, trucks, taxis, aeroplanes and ships are all constantly informing each other where they are, amongst other information so it's natural to assume private vehicles would do the same. Some are already heading that way, augmenting sensory input with other info.

In the interim though, what about person to person? More specifically, phone to phone. Networking smartphones in a way that allows people within a certain area or who share destinations and travel routes to share information. This would allow them to stagger their travel times, carpool, or alert each other of heavy congestion and suggest alternative routes. It could go a long way towards alleviating fuel consumption and reducing traffic congestion, and it wouldn't require any additional infrastructure because it's all in place already.

Someone start working on that, please.

Smartphones to Replace Keychains?

We posted an earlier article about how phones are looking to replace cash and plastic and become your wallet on top of already being your communication device and entertainment source. Now it seems they may very well take over the role of keyring too.

Lockitron, a US based company, has a DIY system that connects your doorlocks to a your phone via your router. You can lock and unlock a deadbolt using your smartphone. What's more you can grant access to other smartphones via an SMS for once off uses, say for dinner guests, or for a limited window period, if you have a contractor visiting.

Even better are reports on Springwise that they're working on an NFC based system, so you'd just swipe your phone across your door to enter. Very Star Trek. This is especially good news for people who constantly lose their hotel key cards or get sick of having to traipse down to reception to get them re-coded.

If you could have this system in your car, house and office you would be able to eliminate having to carry keys at all.

Rumors About iPhone 5

Almost the instant Apple unveiled their new iOS 5, rumours of an iPhone 5 release began emerging in the tech and mobile circles. Given Apple's almost cult-like following, it is not surprising that the rumours began and got such traction, especially given the reputations of some of the speculators.

The speculation began with a story on the Boy Genius Report, where claims were made that the iPhone 5 would include a radical redesign. The report was met with skepticism by many, and this skepticism was further entrenched by a report published by Bloomberg stating that the iPhone 5 would look similar to its predecessor, but would be faster due to the upgraded processor. They also claimed the phone would be released in September…

Whatever the future holds, iPhone 5 is certainly on the horizon and will undoubtedly be as anticipated and welcomed as the similarly rumoured iPad 3. The other little piece of knowledge we can all take away from the rumour mill, is that only Steve Jobs really knows what's planned at Apple.

Watch this space...

The Sounds of Charging

Cellphones have an uncanny knack of dying at the most inopportune times: Late at night, stuck in ridiculous traffic, lost in the middle of no-where or while you're being chased through a forest by an Axe-wielding cannibal.

Fortunately, plenty of brainpower has been applied to the dilemma and a host of options have been created that will take care of your needs in roughly 75% of the scenarios mentioned, and plenty that are slightly less intense.

Some are really eco-friendly too, like the thermo-electric charger that uses an open flame or the solar powered version. And for those who live in places that are overcast and not amicable to an open flame, there's the laborious last resort of a hand wound charger. We even found some hand held wind powered options.

If powerpoints are in short supply the Flipit charger leeches power from an outlet already in use, but our choice for sheer novelty and potential is the wearable battery charger that converts sounds into electrical power. UK service provider Orange, as part of their sponsorship of Glastonbury annually unveils an eco and festival friendly initiative. This year they revealed the Sound Charge. It leaves quite a lot to be desired in the aesthetics department.

No more stumbling around in the dark wishing your torch app and GPS had enough juice left after shooting hours of footage of your favourite bands. Finding your tent just got that much easier.

Who Gets the Pie?

There are really only three mobile OS systems worth talking about: Google Android, Apple iOS and Microsoft WP7. Almost all manufacturers are on one of those.

There has also been a lot of movement and buzz recently what with new updates coming out including iOS 5 and Mango, as well as the rumour mill getting involved about the possibility of Apple releasing iPhones that aren't linked to a contract or a carrier. This, combined with their recent tendency to take the best jailbreaks and include them in software upgrades (or just do what the other guys have done, only better), makes us wonder how much longer it takes until Apple turns their whole strategy on it's head and opens up the software on all it's devices to developers.

Maybe the announcement by research firm IDC that Windows will have 20% market share within the next 5 years has been the cause of a re-assessment of strategy. Whatever the cause, we should all be cheerful: it means the end user is going to get better and better products as developers vie for domination.

Texting at 10 000 Feet

We're used to turning our devices off when we fly. You send that last message to whoever is meeting you, power down and hope that there's something worthy of your attention in the complimentary magazine. When there isn't you vacantly stare at the safety instructions or the menu because anything is better than making accidental eye contact with the person sitting uncomfortably close to you and will continue to do so for the near future.


We've all been told that the polite demand to power down is due to interference with the plane controls. It's coercion through fear, but the evidence to support this is practically non-existent. Would you get on a plane that could fall out the sky because of a tweet?

More than anything this policy is about manners. You don't have a loud and animated discussion in a crowded space full of strangers and planes fall into the same category as elevators, trains and cinemas.

SAA is joining a handful of airlines cautiously entertaining the integration of mobile devices into air travel, whether it's passengers doing status updates at 10 000 feet or pilots using manuals on iPads instead of huge textbooks. So yay for the environment there.

We think it's a step in the right direction, so long as everyone remains polite and considerate. Cos it's not like they can ask you to leave because you're bothering everyone else, is it?

Andriod - Zero to Hero in Two Years

Unlike the iPhone which enjoyed almost frenzied sales when it launched, when Google launched its Android operating system for mobile phones and tablets in 2008, it barely made a ripple in the global mobile market's pond. But just over two years later and the Android has made huge ground, and is now on an almost even footing with its two biggest rivals, Apple IOS and Blackberry.

While Android has undoubtedly made ground on its competitors because Google has allowed phone manufacturers to use it for free, there are other factors that have accounted for its success. According to wheresthesausage.com, Android also has a powerful brand property in its little green robot, which has become a symbol synonymous with the operating system. Google are well aware of this, and have worked to recreate the 2-D image in various 3-D formats, and this has in turn led partners like Sony to embrace the logo raising the brand equity.

The strength of this recognisable brand property has played a massive roll in driving Android sales over the past two years, allowing the brand to become a major mobile player. So we're sure you'll be seeing a lot more of the little green robot over the next few years.

Fancy Fingerwork

Nothing like a bit of exercise to build up a healthy appetite, although the citizen's of Stockholm may discover that what they're burning off in calories doesn't quite match what they're putting back in with this promotion.

The Swedish Ronald has begun a promotion which allows locals to play a game of Pong against a digital opponent, with the prize of a free item off the McDonalds menu if they can last 30 seconds or more. The mobile interaction is built in such a way that the user doesn't need to download anything. They simply log onto a website, their location based software confirms they're in the area and if they win a digital coupon is sent to their phone.

The promotion is called Pick n Play. We imagine that one local franchise would disapprove of such a campaign were it run domestically. Unfortunately Pong With Ron doesn't roll off the tongue quite so smoothly.

What is a Twimera?

Twitter has been generating a lot of buzz, if you'll pardon the onomatopoeic contradiction. First they bought Tweetdeck, then they introduced the Follow button, and now they've announced that in partnership with Photobucket they're going to be taking photosharing and hosting in-house, as opposed to leaving it up to third party developers like it has been until now.

Twitter is pretty amazing because they gave permission to the users to decide how they would like to use it instead of telling them. Now they're building on that foundation and by looking at where they've started we can sorta kinda guess at their intentions.

Tweetdeck makes using Twitter very, very easy on a computer, so they have a platform to flesh out their web presence. The Follow Button makes connecting a one stop affair, (similar to the Facebook Like or Google's +1), and the combination of hashtags, video and photosharing mean information of any sort is categorised and at your fingertips in real time.

This is total conjecture of course but if you put all the pieces together, stand back a bit and squint through one eye, Twitter may very well be shaping up to become a chimera that existing animals like search engines, browsers and social media platforms should be very wary of. Maybe most importantly, it's built to work seamlessly across multiple platforms and was born post mobile bubble boom, and that could be the most important factor of all.

Phones Go Pair Shaped

Phones first looked and felt like bricks. Then they got small then tiny, and now they've got bigger. Next pads and tablets came along and bigger was better. Somewhere along the way the line between phone and tablet started getting a bit blurry and suddenly no-one knows if they're carrying around a giant cellphone or a tiny tablet.

So now it's a laptop, phone and tablet for the average mobile worker. Lugging these gadgets is almost counter-intuitive to the concept of being mobile in the first place.

One potentially very clever solution is a pad with a removable handheld device. It's a pad when you need it and a phone when you don't want to look like a toddler holding a tea tray up to it's head.

Both the ASUS Padfone and the CMIT Transphone have been unveiled recently. Is this the way forward for devices or a fad that'll fade?

Much Ado About Nothing

It’s been a dramatic week for Google, which seems to be how they like it. First they unveil Wallet, a suite of functions that turns your phone into a rewards earning, deal scouting payment portal. Then Pay Pall sue for what boils down to industrial espionage, accusing the employees responsible of using proprietary info obtained while working for them to make it happen.

Meanwhile the man in the street is freaking out about whether their personal info is safe, while programmers and retailers are salivating at the thought of being able to entice spenders through purchase rewards and location based offers. 

Your phone could detect and alert you to offers in your vicinity that, based on your interests and spending history, you might like to take advantage of. It’s like the illegitimate offspring of a grotesque Menage-a-Trois between a social media service, a bank and a GPS tracking service.

The thing is, money’s a concept, not an entity. NFC payment has been around for ages. People probably kicked up as much fuss when merchants started issuing bank notes and yet again when the government used alloys in coins. The hubbub will die down and we’ll continue as per usual, albeit with slightly less to carry around in our pockets.

Mobile is Great for Business

But is it really that great for your personal life? A survey recently completed by mobile services provider iPass indicates that the benefits are not as evenly spread as one might think.
They surveyed over 3700 people from 1000 companies and discovered some truly phenomenal changes in behaviour that are great for businesses in terms of competitive advantage, but maybe not so good for their employees.

More than half surveyed wake up during the night to check their phones, not to mention they work 240 more hours. The article doesn't say what the comparison is made to, but who cares, that's a lot more time working and a lot less doing, well, anything else.

Being available 24/7 was supposed to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Business had access to you day and night but your increased productivity meant more time to do the things you wanted to. Increased friction with your significant other, working more hours and losing sleep was not part of the deal.

We're not saying get rid of your device because thats just crazy talk, but if this is any indication of how things are going to be it's clear we need to start imposing some sort of self control or we'll all gonna be single, burned out and very, very tired. Read the full article on Cnet.

Give Your Mobile Device the Finger

The next mobile upgrade you make may not be a phone at all. It could very well be jewellery. A company called Ringbow has a product that is essentially a wearable navigation tool, making touchscreen use more flexible, innovative and intuitive. It essentially is a wearable mouse with an accelerometer component, but so much more than that. It means that to you'll be able to reduce the amount of screen space taken up by things like menus and nav bars and gives another element of manipulation for interface designers of everything from OS systems and applications to game controls and media players.

While we're not holding our breath that this will be on shelves any time soon, it's an interesting approach. It will ultimately depend on whether Ringbow puts them out there and hopes software developers build for the device or go the other way around and partners with another development company.

They might not be the height of fashion from the get go but there's a certain sci-fi quality to them that's appealing, and while the mouse at the top gives them an engagement ring-like look we're betting the second or third generation models will be a lot more low profile. After all, no-one really wants to look like they're betrothed to a cyborg unless it's Alice from Transformers 2 (or Rachael from Blade Runner, if you like the classics).

The Best Earbuds Ever

This is an amazing accessory and one of the most innovative ideas we’ve seen in a while. It’s also one of those things where in hindsight it’s the most obvious invention in the world. A very smart man by the name of Stephen Ambrose and his company Asius Technologies have created inflatable earbuds called the Ambrose Diaphonic Ear Lens.

Not only do they promise to be more comfortable than even the most perfectly fitted earbuds but the technology that keeps them inflated should theoretically allow for clearer sound at lower volumes, a wider range of sound, less damage to your ears and they’re just generally better in every way.

Even better, aside from the complete version they may also develop  an option that will retrofit existing earphone sets.

The same force that keeps them inflated will keep them secured, without having that inner ear-ache so common after a couple hours of use with a phone.

Look out for this technology to most likely be licensed to existing brands in the near future.

Onavo Promises it Can Reduce Your Data Bill

The internet is a problem. More specifically, holding intercontinental board meetings, watching video, liking our friends’ witty comments and telling a bunch of strangers how badly we’d like to have a ham and cheese sandwich right this second via our phones is a problem, because the cost of the bandwidth used can be downright coronary inducing.
While Onavo doesn’t claim to solve the dilemma, they do offer a service (for free) that helps take the edge off. Simply put, they compress your data usage without slowing your connection speed down, reducing use by a significant percentage.
The Israeli startup has been getting a lot of attention over the last few days and there’s plans to expand the service to other devices besides the iPhone, but for now it’s purely for those rocking Apple hardware. We’ll let you know when the Android version (supposedly a few months away) is out. 

In the meantime all you non-iPhone owners can become a fan.

Gamester's Paradise

While mobile gaming might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to ignore the amount of revenue being created in this area. The prilific spread of the smartphone is a major factor, considering it's essentially a pocket-sized computer with better technology than it took to send man to the moon.

By now everyone will have heard of the phenomenon that is Angry Birds from development studio Rovio. After becoming the #1 paid app in almost every country, it has spurred on the already burgeoning industry. The fact that this kind of success is not unheard of nowadays is proof enough that mobile gaming is on the rise. Even EA Games, the biggest games developer in the world, thinks that the future is in the iPad.

Cowboys & Aliens, the latest blockbuster movie based on a graphic novel, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and directed by Iron Man series director John Favreau has not only created their media campaign around social media but also included an online game, and numerous Facebook and iphone apps to tie in with the franchise. 

Whether their gamble will pay off still remains to be seen. But frankly, with the way things are, it seems like a safe bet.