While the use of QR Codes in the European Advertising Industry is still in its infancy, the Japanese have gone the last step it seems. Today I read on Reuters that Ishinokoe-gravestones have taken that step that clearly shows that Japan is already living in a new generation and Japan is the land of high-tech. Gravestones can now be ordered and equipped with a QR Code that entails the information, the videos, the photos and general information about the deceased!!!
We have previously written about the cloud search engine Quintura. Just recently we have discovered a demo video of the new search engine called SearchMe! SearchMe visualises the search results with screenshots of the respective website and you can flick through the result pages similar to the image viewer of the Apple Iphone. SearchMe is still in beta but if the technology works out fine, it will sure be quite a good product because I find this navigation fantastic. The question is whether the search results will load fast enough and also whether the algorithms and search results are good enough but it will definitely be a refreshing change on the boring search result pages and give the competitors quite a headache.
We had previously reported about the Opensocial Initiative and that MySpace would like to open up an API for outside developers to develop applications for MySpace, similar to the applications of Facebook. Well, they are online now and some applications are already available. MySpace also provides the opportunity to create social shopping widgets! Check out the MySpace application center here.
We have previously already written about APIs in our Mashup Article and the Opensocial Project but this one is of particular interest for media and content websites. Google has just published that it has set up a YouTube API along with developer docs on how to adapt and use the API. Now developers can customise and develop their own YouTube which many developers and bloggers have been waiting for I think! These are the features as shown on the page of the YouTube APIs and Tools:
Create a web front end to let people view videos about specific topics.
Create a desktop application or plugin that plays videos in a customised environment.
Add related, dynamic video content to your website or application.
Customise the Flash player to fit the look and feel of your site, device or application
Add feeds of videos from each of YouTube’s 18 international domains
We are looking for the TV ads that were online during the first LetsBuyIt. Apparently the litlle ants were also followed by a song that we can’t find.. If anyone has an idea!
On Tuesday we were lucky enough to visit the CeBit 2008 in Hannover and it was quite amazing. The amount of retailers and new products are quite fascinating however it was a little short of fascinating new gadgets, which were unheard of. The trends are predictably M-Commerce, Mobile Technologies, GPS and Internet Security. These new technologies need a lot of development, which is reflected in the plentitude of headhunters and job offers in the hall for Human Resource Recruitment.
However what never ceases to amaze me is the audacity with which some of the companies are demonstrating the copies of the original products. Read this article on Heise to get an idea.
Here is a list of the most useful items that the modern man needs, in my opinion:
HDTV Flatscreen with 3D conversion for the best effects;
ruggedized laptops that are water-resistant (and coffee) can be dropped from the table, can work at -20 upto +60 degrees Celsius with battery for 8.5 hours. This way we can work from anywhere, even the post-Emma Germany;
