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  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 01/10/2012 • 1 Comments

    Leave the Phone Alone

    Sequester those mobile devices...and you may score a free lunch.

    Now you're listening, eh?

    For years delegates were told to NOT use their phones during meetings/events.

    Then came the years of encouraging the use of such tech during meetings/events.

    Surely, we can all agree that there are certain instances in which mobile devices should not be used at all (in order to concentrate, convey respect, etc.), such as a formal dinner. (Though I know I've cherished my phone as a dear escape during one or two boring meals.)

    How would your delegates respond if at your next group dinner all mobile devices were ordered into a communal, don't-touch pile?

    The catch with such a plan, as presented here, is that the first person to grab frantically at the buzzing bowl of bits has to pay the check!

    I say mute your device and enjoy the meal.

    Image: (CC) miss karen



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 11/07/2011 • 0 Comments

    Easily Share Event Snapshots

    Born out of the desire to share multiple photos from a smartphone at once--especially for use while at conferences and special events--Clark Wimberly, from the Android and Me tech site, developed the light-weight Photobooth app.

    Photobooth allows users to easily (and without the addition of goofy, unnecessary special effects found on other apps) combine photos into a single file, just like a strip of pictures from those old school, real-life photo booths (anyone remember those?).

    And better yet, Photobooth is free (right now, at least). Maybe future releases will somehow include a video component?

    Anyhow, check out the awesome Photobooth app video below if you're confused or simply need some amusement.



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 06/22/2011 • 0 Comments

    Payment via Smartphone

    When Google announced its first smartphone enabled with near-field communication (NFC), late last year, it felt to me like they were jumping the gun a bit. NFC was in its infancy in the U.S., after all. But a lot of activity (and funding) has since been thrust into developing the market, infrastructure and possibilities of using your smartphone like a credit or debit card--a convenient mobile payment system.

    Now, Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, have been named as the first testing grounds for Isis, a joint NFC project from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in partnership with local businesses. Isis will take flight early next year and, as long as the hardware is widespread (there are already several NFC-enabled Android smartphones and depending on the news story, the iPhone 5 may or may not have NFC--this seems to change ever week), NFC will be an outstanding technology for meetings and events.

    The following video shows the variety of current possibilities for NFC...at a special event, no less.



  • Posted by David Basler at
    12:00AM 04/08/2011 • 0 Comments

    VIDEO: LIVE from DN 2011 "What is the Future of Mobile"

    What is the future of mobile? I had a chance to sit down with author and mobile tech guru, Tomi Ahonen, at DigitalNow 2011 and I asked him that and much more (I received some great questions from you via Twitter and I asked him those as well). 

    This video "The Future of Mobile" is just a peek into what I learned and just a taste of what we'll be featuring in our May issue of One+. Enjoy!



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 10/22/2010 • 1 Comments

    The Android Cometh

    This week I spotted two new Androids at MPI's international headquarters. EVO 4G Androids, to be precise.

    I'm overjoyed to see greater adoption here of smart phones running the open source Android operating system. Both associate editors at One+ (Jason Hensel and I) have been rocking Android phones since the system's early days, standing up for the newcomer as it battled Apple's iOS (used on the iPhone and iPad) for market share.

    But now, two years after it was first released, Android is on track to be the No. 1 mobile operating system in North America by year's end! On a related note, the Wall Street Journal has a poll asking readers' opinions on the best mobile operating system--with a total of almost 10,000 respondents right now, the clear leader is Android which currently has more than 60% of the vote!

    There's clearly a place for iOS and Android, but I'm overjoyed to see this growth.

    Should you be seeking a little more Android geekery, you'll want to check out the November issue of One+--complete with a short profile on Steve Kondik, creator of the custom Android OS CyanogenMod. Really now, how many people have we profiled that have received a cease-and-desist order from Google?

    Oh yeah, and now a German company will build your own custom Android phone!

    Enjoy!



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 07/30/2010 • 0 Comments

    Smart Phones...in Space!

    We've all heard about how relatively archaic the computing technology used to send a man to the moon was: "less computing power than a washing machine. Now we're really seeing how new, widely distributed tech is being manipulated and pushed to the limit, this time not by the government but by do-it-yourself geek collectives.

    Take a look at your smart phone. Hopefully after WEC and through One+ tech coverage, you've developed a new appreciation for the computing power in your hand. It was groovy fun and games earlier this year when some tinkerers used an Android G1 smart phone as the brain for a robot, but the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation has taken the open-source Android OS to new heights.

    Attaching the awesome, yet sadly out of production, Android-based Nexus One smart phone to a rocket, the group launched the device to 28,000 feet...with the phone's video recorder running.

    “The purpose of flying the Nexus One is to find a low-cost satellite solution,” said Thomas Atchison, chairman of the Mavericks Foundation. “The radio, processing power, sensors and cameras in smart phones potentially have the same capability as those in satellites.”

    We're now turning smart phones into robots and investigating their use as low-cost satellites. 

    I almost feel embarrassed that I merely use my smart phone as a social networking device, for listening to podcasts and Internet radio, checking e-mail and, well, as a phone.

    (*Outstanding graphic from g1wallz)



  • Posted by Michael Pinchera at
    12:00AM 07/13/2010 • 0 Comments

    Make an App for That!

    Android smart phone users unable to find the perfect app among the Market's extensive offerings are now one step closer to making their own apps. Well, anyone has always been permitted to do this, but now you don't even need to be a geek to app things up in your style.

    Google recently announced their App Inventor program has been in test stages in educational settings for a year now. And it's still in test stage, but you can request an invitation to the program...you know, if you're all 1337...or I guess even if you're not. If the App Inventor works effectively, we can all be app developers. It's like a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) HTML editor, but for developing Android apps.

    Of course, this will significantly boost the number of Android apps out there...and increase the number the Big G can boast about. In the past few months, the number of Android apps on the Market has jumped from 30,000 to nearly 70,000. Once everyone with an Android phone will have the capability to create their own apps, that number should skyrocket. Most of the existing apps (for Apple and Android) are crap--there aren't 10,000 essential programs that we all need on our phones)--but gold will follow the App Inventor.

    I can't wait to see the customized apps that meeting and event professionals create...

    Now, go sign up for an invitation.