Starbucks Digital Network: Why? by Mark Walsh

Coming to you from my local Starbucks after browsing the Starbucks Digital Network (SDN), which launched Wednesday with much fanfare and loads of media coverage. The offering is much what you'd expect from Starbucks, a "premium blend" of content from partners including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Apple (iTunes) presented in a slick package spanning areas like news, entertainment, business, health and local. A feature in the entertainment section called New Word City launches with an excerpt from marketing guru Seth Godin's new book "Graceful," which may describe how Starbucks would like users to think of ...Read the whole story

Reality-Checking The IAds by Steve Smith

I still am not convinced that the iAds are that compelling a model for mobile advertising. I understand from anecdotes and press reports that some of the brand advertisers are very pleased with the performance they are seeing from the iAds. But what else are you going to say after ponying up a few million and handing creative control over your message to a third party? As a consumer, I know I am tapping on iAds now just to see what is there, not because the call to action is especially strong. Novelty is not a foundation for sustained performance. ...More

  • Top 10 Privacy Lessons Mobile And TV Can Learn From The Web by Dave Morgan

    The Web is learning privacy lessons the hard way: making mistakes, taking heat from the press, regulators and the public, and then retroactively fixing those mistakes. Today, both the mobile and TV industries are just starting to embark on targeted advertising. Both could learn some valuable privacy lessons from the Web industry's experiences. Here are my top 10: ...More

  • Ode To An Ipad by Gord Hotchkiss

    I really had no idea how much I'd love my iPad. I have to say that it's now my preferred connection to the online world. Somehow, whether by design or coincidence, Apple has tapped into something primal and intuitive in myself. Judging from other iPad owners I've talked to, I suspect I'm not alone. There is a magical thing happening between me and this sleek little device. And whatever it is, it's important, even prescient. This, I suspect, is our future sitting in our laps. ...More

  • Worth The Trip? In Mobile, Speed is Everything by Steve Smith

    When users navigate apps and the mobile Web they seem to have a memory of the sites that deliver information efficiently and the ones that don't. I am not sure where we spare the memory brain cells for this sort of thing, but somehow many of us recall that clicking on a link at this site is going to produce a long lag, while others have cached the experience wisely to smooth out the end user effect. I know that I think before I click on many apps and sites and wonder, 'is it worth the trip?' ...More