Tag Archives: apps

Each week I write a column for my wine blog on the drinks / cocktails shown on that week’s new episode of Mad Men. Lately, the marketing folks at AMC have been making it a bit difficult for me, as they seem to have permanently placed a bottle of Canadian Club in Don’s office, replacing the bourbon and rye of past seasons. So this week, I chose to be inspired by an ad (how perfect) I glimpsed for a new show-related app. It’s worth sharing here on bub.blicio.us as well, home of all things fun and gadgety combined.

The app doesn’t exist (yet) for Android and I don’t have an iPhone. However, I do have an iPad, so I downloaded AMC Mad Men Cocktail Culture and started to play. The game is sized for the iPhone, but unlike some other apps, copes well with the 2x sizing for iPad. The app is restricted by age, so keep that in mind. Can’t have the kiddies downloading the cocktail guide, you know. It is a cocktail guide, but it’s also a game.

You get one “drink” for free – Betty’s vodka gimlet. The point of the game is to mix the drinks, including shaking your iDevice and pouring, using the correct amount of each ingredients. The novice level pretty much tells you what goes into the drink and then you just need to remember. The expert level expects you to know.

I like that the game tells you where or who to associate the drink with in the show. For instance, Betty has had a vodka gimlet when out with Don and when she went to pick up a guy in a bar.

In order to score points you have to use the accelerometer in the phone to pour the exact amount of vodka, which is fun. If a shaker is required, you have to shake the phone, and so on.

At the end of it all, assuming you have made a successful cocktail, you can tip your iDevice and “drink” your creation.

The game really is fun and it does include recipes, which could be useful on the spot, but off the top you can only access the vodka gimlet. To view and play the 20 other cocktails (including a Manhattan, Tom Collins, and Old Fashioned), you need to pay $1.99. I have mixed emotions about this. In essence, you’re paying AMC and iTunes $1.99 to be marketed to. On the other hand, if Don Draper were working for Ogilvie or BBDO in 2010, he’d probably think that was a great idea. It does sort of work with the show.

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Cheers!
Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by one of her day jobs.

Calling all Adobe AIR and C/C++ developers, Intel is hosting a free “Application Lab” as part of the Intel Atom Developer Program on Wednesday, May 26 in San Jose, Calif. at the San Jose Marriott. App development is all the rage and for developers looking to break in to the netbook and Intel Atom processor mobile app market, this free event might be just for you. The Application Lab will showcase the current C/C++ and upcoming Adobe AIR SDKs, introduce you to the validation and packaging process, learn how to submit your application to Intel’s AppUp Center consumer app marketplace and more. Intel experts will also be on hand with an open lab to give you hand-on experience with the development platforms and answer any questions you may have—make sure to bring your ideas and code! Afterwards network and mingle with other developers and Intel folks over dinner. The event is free but is limited to only 240 developers so if you’re interested send an email to appdeveloper@intel.com for more details on how to register.

Popular mobile app Aloqa has a presence across all of the major smart phone platforms, from iPhone to Android, BlackBerry and Nokia. A recent update to the location-based mobile app has added some useful layers to its GPS maps. From real estate to local hot spots, Aloqa is building out its service by adding more filters to appeal to the needs of more users.

One of the new layers includes a real esate search, which displays nearby homes and apartments for sale or for rent. Seeing as this is a relatively popular task utilized by mobile users, it makes sense that Aloqa would want to combine it with its existing features. Other real estate-specific services offer the same option, but they are not always combined with a full-fledged location-aware service for things outside of real estate.

Another new layer shows local restaurants that have an option for take-out, which can really streamline the foodie hunt process. Many location-based restaurant finders don’t have many such filters, or focus on things like making a reservation or reviewing the ambiance. The third new layer offers a list of hot spots that other Aloqa users frequent when they’re in a particular part of town, giving a crowd-sourced approach to location-based recommendations.

Adding such filtered layers to location-based mobile apps is a growing trend, with the bigger providers getting in on the fun. Google and Microsoft have both focused resources on the growth of their map layer catalogs, creating a new market for niche apps. In some ways, this is creating a market for app-specific apps, giving a sub-categorization of a rapidly growing industry.

We saw similar sub-categorization with web-based apps, particularly those found on Facebook. Some took a platform approach, enabling cross-platform interaction for a single app. Others took an advertising approach to this strategy, creating options for the monetization of such apps.

As mobile GPS-based apps are growing quickly in major mobile app marketplaces, it is clear that focused efforts to support this will be in the best interest of device manufacturers and developers alike. Though one issue to address for added app layers is the ability to successfully drill down into a person’s needs, the current approach to all-inclusive apps is still relatively new.

Eventually we may see the parsing out of mobile, location-aware apps. Those with stringent selections over what type of locations it will help you find will have their own level of success, likely creating an additional app or layer to work with the all-inclusive apps. This will become a more clearly defined space as those ouside of phone manufacturers begin to offer their own mobile devices that are centered around location-awareness, such as Garmin has begun to offer.

Will the iPhone require Apple to take a more controlling stake in mobile advertising? A recent rumor has emerged saying that Apple is acquiring Quattro Wireless, an advertising company that is considered to be a competitor to AdMob. While the rumor is unconfirmed and the reasons behind Apple’s purported interest are unknown, it makes for some interesting speculation as to what Apple may have in mind for its advertising future.

In the middle of the rumored acquisition talk is a battle of pride, glory and industry dominance. Google acquired Quattro Wireless competitor AdMob before Apple could close the deal, with some saying that this slap in the face caused Apple to “steal” music search tool LaLa from Google before an acquisition was complete. The ongoing spat may have led to Apple’s supposed acquisition of QuattroWireless, but there’s likely much more to the story than just a company feud.

Apple is in a powerful position as far as mobile devices go, having created and successfully marketed the iPhone on a global scale. Focusing on its platform capabilities, Apple is primed to take the mobile economy in a number of directions. Building out its mobile platform means the furthered generation of an app marketplace that could sustain developers, publishers and service providers. Improving on the device itself will help Apple to retain its customer base in the face of oncoming competitors in the smartphone industry.

Google could become a major contender in the mobile space, as its own Android operating system stands to create a viable marketplace to harbor developers as well. The ability to monetize one’s mobile platform is at the forefront of discussions surrounding smartphones at this point, as the meeting of enterprise and consumerism happily plays out in the havens of wireless service providers.

The point here is that Apple could very well take a larger stance in mobile marketing that occurs around its platform and app marketplace. Early on it appeared as though Apple were moving in this direction, having worked closely with a number of mobile advertising firms towards experimental marketing campaigns associated with native apps on the iPhone. With the growth of the iPhone app market, however, the ability for third parties to take advantage of access to iPhone customers gave revenue opportunities to all parties involved.

Being the middle man, Apple could really benefit from having a more established ad network through which third parties could run campaigns, either unifying the experience for end users or simply extending additional options to advertisers and app developers.

Regardless of what Apple’s plans are, the company is forced to take a closer look at the system operating independently of its own “cult” world, as well as the system it has helped to create and standardize. So far, Apple has announced plans to make iTunes available via the Internet, marking the small but obviously necessary steps Apple is taking to become more convenient for its consumers. Keeping a focus on the consumers will continue to help Apple in whatever ideas it has towards the integration of an ad network.

The Big in Japan folks, who make the popular ShopSavvy app, sent me some stats I found entertaining, so I thought I’d share with you.

The popular app, available for iPhone and Android, scans bar codes and lets you know where in your regional area the item can be found at different prices. It also prices the item online. I was standing at Macy’s at 5 am on Black Friday, debating on purchasing luggage. I tried the ShopSavvy app myself. Unfortunately, I could not get it to scan the UPC code on the luggage. I’m apparently the only one who had trouble.

More than 612,000 bargain hunters used Big in Japan’s barcode-scanning app on Black Friday alone, which is 7 times more than on an average Friday.

Data from the 18+ million scans by ShopSavvy users from Nov. 27-29 reveal that the most scanned product during Black Friday weekend was Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue. Really? Other top products included:

Top Toy: Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Mr. Squiggles
Top Video Game: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Top Camera: Nikon Coolpix
Top Laptop: Sony 15″ Laptop w/Intel Dual Core Processor
Top Netbook: Compaq Netbook w/Intel Atom Processor
Top Desktop: eMachines Desktop w/AMD Athlon Processor
Top HDTV: Emerson 32″ LCD 720p HDTV

The five most popular retailers for ShopSavvy scanning were:

1.      Walmart
2.      Best Buy
3.      Target
4.      GameStop
5.      Macy’s

The five most popular metropolitan areas for ShopSavvy scanning were:

1.      New York
2.      Houston
3.      Los Angeles
4.      Dallas
5.      Chicago

Did you use ShopSavvy on Black Friday? Did it help or hinder?

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Cheers!
Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.