The Mobile Revolution. Have you heard that one before. Well, just when it’s about to happen thanks to the iPhone and the Android OS I’d like to launch a thought about the next revolution – ‘The Revolution of the Screens’.
A couple of month back I got my Amazon Kindle. I blogged about the Microsoft Courier interface earlier this year. Others and me keep buzzing about what the Apple Tablet will be like, if there will ever be one (of course it will). Google launched their Chrome OS just over a week ago. Last week I read that the new Barnes & Noble Nook has sold out for the Holidays this year. And a couple of days ago I blogged about the New York Times Skimmer interface.
The Nook – Barnes & Nobles answer to Amazon Kindle
People and companies keep talking about how we all will move our behavior and communication onto the mobile when in fact my firm belief is that in 2010 we’ll see [click to continue…]
psst. You haven't missed the new app for kids aged 1-9 years old? It's created by my other company JAJDO. Check it out in the App store
The Amazon Kindle DX with a 9.7″ screen was introduced earlier this week. Today more details came out from Engadget. It looks like million bucks and I love it. Apart from my personal feelings for the thin thing from the ‘jungle’ it also makes me think that we’re now getting closer than ever to a digital newspaper (and more of course).
Think about it. If your ordinary morning paper would include one of these in their subscription fee, say you got one for free if you signed up for 24 months, would you still need the actual paper product? I’d check the ‘no real paper’ box immediately. No more fighting about the newspaper pick up on rainy days, the paper would be right there on my breakfast table, updated in real time. Of course I would need two as I don’t wanna get into a fight with my girlfriend over the business and sport pages. Sooner or later we’d get a couple for our kids too. While I’m at it I’d shop a Kindle for my Grandma too.
So why is the newspaper business struggling, why don’t they come up with shit like this? Because they love their paper of course. And what happens? An internet site called Amazon produces a product that automatically makes books available (275 000 titles right now) without any cost of distribution and at the same time they can offer any leading newspaper in the world – for free. It should be the other way around, shouldn’t it?
“Every book you buy is automatically backed up at Amazon.com” – that’s structural binding if anything!
The key here is the fact that Amazon knows the digital world and their product. They’ve created the Kindle meant for people that read text cause that’s what they wanna sell. They’ve not gotten themselves into the fight with portable video players or even notebooks. They’ve focused on their core business and how they can make it available in an ever changing world. Newspapers however, they stick to their guns when it comes to their original product and online they don’t know what to do so they become everything without being good at anything. I mean, in the long run newspaper know how to make a newspaper, they’ve haven’t gotten around to do it in a digital world.
Is this the future for newspapers? I don’t know. But, the first Swedish newspaper that includes one of these in the yearly subscription fee would make me pay more than ever before and that would lead to dramatically lowered distribution costs for that same ‘paper’. On top of that they’d have a direct CRM connection to me as a consumer and could provide targeted advertising. I can think of a million things that I’d pay extra for once they had me set up with credit cards and all…just like the telecom network providers do.
Finally, are you heading a media house with a paper product? Here’s are 21 things for you to write on that ‘typewriter’ of yours!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
I AM NOT HEADING A PAPER PRODUCT, I AM SELLING NEWS!
Get your ass moving cause the these guys are already half way to the moon.
I criticized the jungle branded company a couple of days ago because of their new shopping experience. Now I’m going to send them of on a rocket to my 7th heaven. This video shows a new feature that they are implementing on their big sellers – the Amazon Frustration Free Packaging. Wow. That’s all I can say.
Having two daughters myself I’ve wondered many times how brands like Fisher Price, Mattel, Lego and others get away with packaging that first and foremost is impossible to open. Damn, I’m getting beaten to death by my kids on their birthdays because of the time it takes to open and mount their toys. Secondly – animals of all kinds knock on my door right after I carry out the trash – I almost got picked to death by a woodpecker the other day. If I survive the day then I’m left with soar hands and a feeling of destroying the earth with debris.
Amazon tackles this problem in a beautiful way. The Amazon Frustration Free Packaging will brand them. It’ll make their customers their best friends. Basically it’s packaging serving as brand communication. On top of it all they’ve created a community like page called The Gallery Wrap Rage where people can upload their own frustrating packaging problems. Sweet.
One thing though…They didn’t make it possible to embed the movie on your own site. That was easily solved with ScreenFlow and YouTube though.
For years people have been wondering – when will Amazon redesign their site. Of course it’s been changed in small iterations over the years but all in all it’s not that far from what they launched in 1995. Amazon is absolutely one of the best example of a formula one shopping experience from a social networking and artificial intelligence perspectives. But now they’ve taken the whole thing a step further. Basement.org shares the news that Amazon has launched a new shopping experience called Amazon Windowshop Beta. Wow – I’m exited.
So what’s Amazon Windowshop Beta. We’ll it’s basically what it’s called – a window shopping experience. As you enter the shop you get to navigate with your keyboard through a papervision/cooliris experience type of interface. As you browse the images and categories Amazon obviously things you’ll start shopping – this is where they go wrong according to me. It’s fun the first couple of minutes to browse the products but I quickly find myself missing recommendations, reviews, other suggestions etc etc etc. The flash interface let’s you play around for a while but I quickly get tired of the whole thing and leave – long before my buy now finger starts to dazzle.
Why is Amazon doing this? That’s a question I’d love to ask the people behind this. When the rest of the worlds is fighting to make their sites more user friendly, simpler design and at least 10% as smart as Amazon.com then these guys go the other way. It’s a little 2006 this whole thing.
Instead, why don’t you go truly rich? Why doesn’t Amazon launch TV instead. I’m calling it TV cause I don’t mean Video. What I think Amazon should do is launch a bunch of TV channels online, hosted both at Amazon.com and other social networks. They should make sure the bring on some TV personalities that creates a show much like Fashion TV or Top Gear for example. Travel the world and do reports, review products etc. While you’re at it make sure you integrate the products closely or even inside the shows. Make sure you launch a couple of widgets and iPhone apps to support this new thing. Bring in celebrities to ad some spice to the show. By doing something like this Amazon would embody their store and give it personality.
Amazon! Amaze us an launch the best freaking online TV channel out there. And of course…don’t let this beta turn into an alpha.
This blog is written by Johan Ronnestam. He's widely regarded as one of Sweden’s leading speakers and authorities in the field of modern creative and conceptual thinking and skill of innovating brands and their communication. In 2010 the readers of Microsoft Indikat named Johan Swedens most influential authority within digital communication
