The Future of Interactive
I attended a very informative meeting of the DMA of Long Island yesterday. Ian Baer, Chief Strategy Officer of Rauxa, was the speaker. Although I think of myself as someone who keeps up on emerging technologies and trends, this session was so full of information I was unaware of that I felt like I had crawled out from under a rock!
Here are some of the concepts he introduced to the group:
Timeshifting: the recording of programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to at a time more convenient to the consumer. Typically, this refers to TV programming but can also refer to radio shows via podcasts.
Placeshifting: the viewing and listening to live, recorded or stored media on a remote device via the internet or over a data network. This is not to be confused with time shifting, which is viewing and listening to recorded media locally.
DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance): aka “follow me” technology: is a non-profit collaborative trade organization comprising more than 250 member companies[3] in the mobile, consumer electronics, PC, and service provider industries. Alliance members have stated the common goal of using standards-based technology to make it easier for consumers to use, share and enjoy their digital photos, music and videos.
Set-top box: a device that connects to a television and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device. (Ian said that the set-top box, and Kinect – see next – represents the future of ecommerce in the home!)
Kinect: a “controller-free gaming and entertainment experience” by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game platform. Based around a webcam-style add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console, it enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller through a natural user interface using gestures, spoken commands,[5] or presented objects and images.
Internet of Things: refers to the networked interconnection of everyday objects. It is generally imagined as a self-configuring wireless network of sensors whose purpose would be to interconnect all things.
Electronic Paper: a display technology designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike a conventional flat panel display, which uses a backlight to illuminate its pixels, electronic paper reflects light like ordinary paper. It is capable of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity, while allowing the image to be changed later. Ian said that a number of E-paper delivery systems are battling it out to be the ruling delivery system, and whoever invests in the right one will be sitting pretty.
Red Laser: an iPhone app that scans an item, and instantly provides access to a bunch of online prices and information. Scan movies at the store and beam them to your TiVo. Scan a book and check for online reviews. Scan a food item and add it to your grocery list. Ian said that it allows you to “cheat the buying experience” by finding an item you like at your favorite store, then checking to see where else it can be found, at a better price!
Ubiquitous Computing: a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone “using” ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems simultaneously, and may not necessarily even be aware that they are doing so.
Augmented Reality: a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality.
I’m still trying to fully digest all of the information Ian provided, and to consider all of the possibilities for the future!
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