The Official Blog of IsaacNaor.com

Although this post is somewhat unrelated to my general topic of conversation, I had this most annoying experience and wanted to help anyone who’s experiencing this hair-pulling, computer-throwing, keyboard-smashing issue.

Since the latest release of Google Chrome for Mac Lion OSx, if my Google Chrome browser was in full-screen mode and I clicked to open a popup, the popup would show up in full-screen mode as its own full-screen browsing window (not tab), and once closed, it would bring me back to my primary desktop.  This feature was terribly annoying (not just to me — check out this page dedicated to people complaining about it in Google Groups) and not optional!

Fortunately, I found the solution on that page as well, which doesn’t bring the popup functionality back to how it was in Google Chrome’s previous release, but solves the problem well-enough, nonetheless.

Visit https://www.google.com/landing/chrome/beta/ and download the latest version of Chrome Beta (hat-tip to Justin Mitchell, aka Diirge, for providing this solution!) and just like that you can go back to using Google Chrome as usual without cussing every time you open a popup!

Stay tuned for a Battle of the Mobile OS’s post I’ve been working after using iOS, BB7 and Android 4.0.x for all of my mobile computing needs, and creating a point-to-point comparison/rating system in-which only one victor will rise!

In the rapidly evolving technology space it’s often difficult to pin-down what the next big trend will be and how to plan for it.  Literally billions of dollars are being rewarded to those who can successfully predict and then create both software and hardware that is adopted by scores of millions of users, and most of the current generation’s greatest minds are attracted-to and working-on this opportunity.

Looking back into tech history, among of the first truly “successful” technologies that gained absolute ubiquity were the telephone and then the automobile, and the clear common thread is both technologies/products won people’s hearts and minds.

The telephone won people’s hearts because it allowed for one person to hear another’s voice, providing the feeling of presence in-spite of absence. The telephone won people’s minds because it was the first form of instant/real-time communication for those that were separated by more than a short distance.

The automobile won people’s hearts because it allowed Americans who were previously “trapped” in factories and urban areas to experience the freedom of being able to go just about anywhere whenever they wanted, and it won minds as it [eventually] became a practical, affordable and reliable means of personal transportation.

You’re probably asking yourself why I’m writing about cars and telephones here; the reason is, the essence of what made those technologies so successful and ubiquitous continues to be the essence of what makes current and new technologies (both software and hardware) truly successful.

A post from less than a week ago by Reuters correspondent Gerry Shih (@gerryshih) notes that Silicon Valley recently realized the critical importance of the UX (user experience), and that tech companies are finding only a limited supply of designers who also understand technology.

This realization may have stemmed-from the extreme penetration rates (particularly in the US) of Apple’s iOS operating system, iPhone, Square devices, the recently popularized photo scrapbooking site Pinterest and the acquisition of the sleek photo-sharing application Instagram by Facebook for $1 billion.

All of the aforementioned examples have user-bases in the scores of millions and are [nearly] ubiquitous household names. The iPhone and iOS did not exist more than five years ago, while the latter three didn’t exist more than three years ago. Most importantly, all have extremely sleek user interfaces and the technology present in all five examples is/was not revolutionary.

So if you’re working on creating “the next big startup”, you don’t have to employ the greatest technology or groundbreaking hardware; just focus on creating a useful product with an extremely compelling (and simple) UX, and you’ll have the best chance at success.

Google announced GoogleTV in May of 2010 because the company realized the future of advertising would require a cross-platform approach.  Google knew that if they could gather internet, TV and mobile usage habits, they could build the most targeted ad network on the planet.

Fast-forward to January of 2012; GoogleTV failed and in the interim, AT&T has been developing a home-brewed ad network of its own called AT&T AdWorks.  The ad network boasts advanced targeting capabilities that harnesses its TV (U-Verse), high speed internet and anonymized wireless subscriber data (from ~100M wireless subscribers), creating a data-mining trifecta that promises to outshine any other ad network’s current targeting capabilities.

To make matters worse for the likes of Google, Microsoft and Apple, I expect Verizon will soon announce its own competing product (disclaimer: I have no inside knowledge of Verizon actually working on this, but it is highly probable that the company would release a competing product, considering Verizon also has mobile, TV and internet offerings/subscribers).

At a time when it appears there could never be a competitor strong enough to take on behemoths such as Google, Apple and Facebook, could a retrograde move back to the telecom giants dramatically shift the future of digital advertising?

If you’re still using a Blackberry (I know most of you bailed already ;-)), look out for some awesome updates! 

The highlights are as follows:

• Mobile hotspot feature (connect up-to 5 WiFi enabled devices to your Blackberry, including your iPad and laptop!), and use your Blackberry’s internet connection while on the go!
• Updated Universal Search - this feature is much better than the spotlight search on iOS devices, and now automatically suggests what you probably ment to type (think “Google instant” search results)
• NFC Tag - Blackberry [relatively] secretly incorporated NFC technology into all of its new devices and is now unlocking some of its potential. NFC tag will now allow you to share contacts, media and files, and even invite friends to BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) through a simple touch.
• Wi-Fi Calling - now you’ll be able to make calls using the WiFi network your Blackberry is connected-to, saving you minutes on your wireless plan
• BlackBerry Maps - you’ll be able to see some deals from local businesses using your Blackberry Maps application.  For most people, this will be a useless upgrade as most smartphone owners use Google Maps which already incorporates Google Offers.  That said, it’s nice to see that Blackberry is thinking about a competitive product.
• BBM is now in version 6.1 which allows you to add contacts via a simple touch (harnessing a capability of the NFC tech mentioned above), and lets you customize your chats with specific contacts.
• BlackBerry Traffic now gives you turn-by-turn navigation! Awesome!
• BlackBerry Travel now shows you travel offers

BlackBerry just updated some of its killer apps, and made a good argument to get you back! Are you sick-and-tired enough of the battery & email issues plaguing your iPhone or Android experiences? This may be the right time to switch back! 

Are you considering making the switch back to Blackberry? Let me know in the comments below!

More info from the official BlackBerry blog is available here.

2011 was dominated by location-based ads and daily deals, fueled by the proliferation and increasing penetration-rates of smartphones (now said to be 38% penetration in the US, according to eMarketer).  In addition, mobile ad spending is finally expected to exceed $1B, marking a 65% increase over the previous year.

2012 promises to take true targeted advertising to the next level, and here are the top tech trends to look-out for:

 1. Location-based advertising will evolve into a much more targeted medium as platforms like Foursquare (@foursquare) move to the next evolutionary phase, powered by the immense data repository of recommendations it gathered from “early adopters”.

2. Mobile display advertising options will become increasingly consolidated, and platforms will enable for cost effective creation and trafficking of more compelling platform-agnostic mobile rich media ads.  For a long time brands and advertisers have been forced to choose which mobile operating system (OS) they want to target (and which ad-networks they want to utilize) to distribute mobile display advertising (due to limited resources), or were forced to create and re-create ad units that are compatible with each mobile OS and/or ad-network. The problems included a lack of consistent user experience (from device to device), the inability to rapidly adjust ads in reaction to competition and the marketplace, and costly, drawn-out experiences with creating ad-units that didn’t accurately reflect what ad-op’s teams intended. A few pioneers like Celtra (@celtramobile) identified this trend a few years ago and began “sharpening the saw” while others continued milking the cash cow. The result is a new breed of ad-creation and trafficking platforms that are easily modified, truly platform agnostic, and have both full-and self-service pricing options, appealing to a wide array of advertisers.

3. The daily deals space will become increasingly consolidated and targeted, as consumers seek to minimize the number of daily marketing-related emails they receive (many of-which are for non-relevant products/services).  The wealth of consumer purchasing and viral distribution data can be multiplied exponentially through the merger of two daily-deal leaders, and if we’ve learned anything about the value of highly-targeted marketing, the revenue potential for a joint venture seems to be much greater than that of individual daily-deal companies working independently.

4. Consumer-facing mobile application (app) development will take the back seat, as most big brands and advertisers have tested the waters and recognize that custom mobile apps are only as valuable as the overall strategy they’re a part of.

5. Enterprise-level mobile apps will become more popular and critical as large businesses seek to scale and mobilize their increasingly mobile and data-thirsty employees.  Today consumers are able to find any information they want at virtually any time, and the workplace shouldn’t be any different! According to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, 92% of Fortune 500 companies and 80% of top hospitals in the US have already tested or deployed iPads in their workforce.  Enterprise-level adoption of mobile devices is only expected to increase in the coming year(s) and enterprise-level mobile apps will be fueled by that growth.

6. Social media has been a major focus, primarily on an experimental level, of both big and small brands and advertisers.  As is the case with consumer-facing mobile apps, brands and advertisers have realized social media is only as valuable as the overall engagement strategy it is a part of, and social media will begin to take the back seat, as it becomes a necessary facet of the overall communications strategy.

7. Traditional entertainment will continue to evolve by way of integration with our mobile devices.  Virtually every new movie and show has a website and multiple social media profiles, and the level of integration with engagement will only grow as more of us begin using more advanced mobile devices.

Am I missing something in the list of trends above? Does your experience tell you one (or more) of the identified trends is way off?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!