The Tipping Point in Mobile Communications

by Harris Cohen, The PromoGuru

Analysts at Neilsen say we have reached that point: in May, for the first time, smartphone sales outstripped feature phone sales. Feature phones would be the pre-cursors to smartphones, which maybe could handle a game or two and would give you minimal if any Internet access, if any.

How did we ever get along without the Internet on our phones?

DIY Segway Hits the Streets of Stockholm

by Harris Cohen, the Promo Guru

Love to ride your own Segway but are a bit shy about the well-over $1,000 price tag? Petter Forsberg, a young tinkerer from Sweden, worked his way around that and has put together his own version of the personal transporter - and it only cost him $434 to create.

See the full story and videos here: Petter's Robot Dreams.

So we just need to get together some pieces, break out the tool set and hole up in the garage for a couple months, and viola! DIY Segway! Who's coming with me to the Radio Shack?

Facebook iPhone Update Conceals iPad Preview

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

Sixteen months and 25 million units sold, and iPad users are still using the same old Facebook app from the iPhone? That doesn’t seem right. With iPad’s screen well over double the size of the iPhone’s, running the phone-tailored app seems such a waste of screen space and other tablet capabilities.

Then the HP TouchPad comes around touts the first ever Facebook tablet app right off the bat. So where’s the love for Apple users?

Not too far, according to Techcrunch.

Do Apple Sales Signal the “Post-PC Era”?

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

Earlier this week, Apple quietly laid to rest the white MacBook, leaving new Apple enthusiasts with only two laptop choices: the MacBook Pro or the thin MacBook Air. Maybe it has something to do with Apple announcing that iPad sales in this past quarter had surpassed revenue from Mac sales.

And it only took the iPad 15 months to achieve this benchmark!

Apps Bring In the Money

by Harris Cohen, The PromoGuru

You’re not likely to make any money by playing Angry Birds, but if you were to develop an app of your own, you could be raking in the bucks.

High-tech analysts Canalys found that mobile apps will accrue over $7 billion in direct revenues this year, from downloads, in-app payments and subscriptions. This figure will likely double by 2012, to just over $14 billion, and is projected to reach $36 billion by 2015, which shows an annual growth rate of almost 50 percent.

From Apples to Amazon: A New Entrant In the Tablet Gambit

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

Not content with just having the most popular e-reader out there, Amazon now looks poised to enter the tablet market. A launch date for the code-named “Hollywood” tablet was expected sometime in August or September. But the online retailing giant could face some setbacks, as Apple has recently placed orders for a huge quantity of parts from suppliers across the Pacific.

Facebook and Skype: Together At Last?

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

This week saw the integration of two major players in online communications. At an event at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, California, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a deal between his company and Skype, the voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) provider. Zuckerberg heralded the partnership as “the start of a new era of social networking.”

iRumors: Apple’s Autumn Releases

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

The Internet is abuzz with rumors about what Apple has in store for the end of this year. Talk about the iPhone 5 has been around since the release of iPhone 4 in April; recent rumors have swelled over a new version of the iPad; and even the iPod Touch is getting some attention, with whispers of a very exciting new feature.

A Quick Boost, For You and Your Handheld

by Harris Cohen, The PromoGuru

Vitaminwater is looking to give a refreshing energy boost to more than just your body. Through ad agency Crispin Porter and Bogusky, the enhanced water drink company is integrating real, functional USB ports in their bus stop ads in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

The idea is to let riders charge their handheld devices while they wait for the bus. The ads are part of the Vitaminwater's 'You're Up' campaign, highlighting its message that the drink is formulated to give you a quick boost when you are on the go.

It’s an awesome idea…if we can get everyone to respect it. The line for the bus could become the line for the free charger (there do appear to be three slots). And hopefully some wisenheimer doesn’t stick their chewing gum in the slot.

Will the other energy drinks follow suit? Maybe 5-Hour Energy will set up a USB-capable subway ad, asking if your tablet needs to beat that 2:30 feeling!

The Tiny Screen Works Fine For Me

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

Has your smartphone become your go-to Internet source?

A survey by the Pew Institute found that of 2,277 people polled, 28 percent used their small screen handset as their primary manner for accessing Internet content. That’s not too huge a sample of the population, so we can’t official consider the PC passé. But don’t be surprised if you see more people heading to the optometrist complaining of eye strain.

Another interesting figure from the poll found that 87 percent of smartphone owners use their device to browse the Internet, read e-mail and such. This leaves us to wonder why the other 13 percent even got a smartphone. To just play Angry Birds, perhaps?

Super-Spy Watch It May Not Be...But Pretty Darn Close!

by Harris Cohen, the PromoGuru

If you frequently leave your phone or tablet laying on your desk, but always have your wristwatch on, Fossil’s got just the thing for you!

The new Fossil “Meta Watch” will come in two models, one analog with two small digital displays, and the other fully digital. Both connect to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth tech developed by Texas Instruments. On your Meta Watch you can receive push notifications and be able to read e-mails, tweets and Facebook updates. Since none of those apps actually exist on the device itself (they are just being transmitted from your main device), the watch has a great battery life.

Pre-orders are now being accepted, or you can wait until they go on sale officially next month at $200.

Checking your phone during a meeting can be considered rude, checking your watch carries just slightly less a taboo.