Tag Archives: brands

Coffee and TV

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January 16, 2012

Every year brings with it a new buzz, and this year is no different. Hot on the lips of everyone in the tech world at the moment, is the rise of the Smart TV. But what makes my TV so clever, we hear you ask? Look no further – What’s Hot is on hand to give you the lowdown.

The simple answer is the one thing that makes a TV ‘Smart’ is an internet connection. This connection can be built within the TV unit, as seen in recent new models, or from another piece of technology, such as a games console. This means the television is ‘connected’ (another word sometimes used instead of ‘Smart’) and therefore has the capability to bring a lot more engagement than the regular television experience.

So, why have industry experts decided 2012 is the year of Smart TV? Developments in technology mean that the majority of new TV models are now Smart. Buyers are ending up with Smart TVs without even asking for them, so it’s no longer just for the early adopters.

This week, the Consumer Electronics Show has acted as a catapult for Smart TVs, throwing them into the mainstream, with the big players showcasing their new products and technological developments. It’s an exciting time for the industry, observing how different manufacturers are using the technology and integrating it with other devices, encouraging the use of mobile and tablets with the TV unit. Soon, instead of a remote control, households will be using their smartphones to change channels.

This is a big step for brands into a connected TV world, and it is the start of a platform for engagement on the family screen. On top of that, there is the potential for monetary gain from subscription service opportunities. Examples of brands producing apps designed for connected TVs are already out there, such as Playboy UK.

The possibilities within the ever-increasing connected TV market are huge. The technological advancements, increasing broadband speeds, buoyant tablet market and variety of creative solutions are all providing a great platform for brands to engage with their consumers. At What’s Hot, we feel that those brave enough to fully commit to the TV app arena first will reap the rewards as the market continues to grow. Don’t just watch this space, get in it!

 

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Modern Life is Rubbish

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January 16, 2012

 

Last week saw the world’s tech lovers drawn to Las Vegas in their annual pilgrimage to the Computer Electronics Show (CES). Whilst What’s Hot would love to be checking out impressive new innovations from clever people, this year we have to settle for observing the reams of excited online content generated by the show.

Against a backdrop of worldwide austerity, there is in fact more amazing gadgetry on show than ever.

Samsung has been busy impressing even die-hard Apple fans, leading the technological revolution with its smart, connected TV products. Samsung’s OLED sets (that’s organic light-emitting diodes to you and I) with ultra-crisp picture and wafer-thin appearance have set tongues wagging, and both Samsung and LG are sounding the death knell for the humble remote, with voice and gesture controls taking over.

Inevitably, tablets are everywhere, but the new buzz is around ‘ultra-books’.  Critics say this is a dismal attempt by laptop manufacturers to win back some currency from the tablet players, or just MacBook Air copycats.  However, with machines such as the HP Envy 14 Spectre boasting some impressive technology, an interesting war might be on the horizon.

Moving swiftly from the sublime to the ridiculous, here’s something else that caught our eye. At What’s Hot we love to give new gadgets a chance, but we’re not sold on the LC Smart Manager fridge.  Priced at £2,000 it has an LCD touchscreen, camera and internet connection which means it can download recipes and link to online shopping services such as Ocado.

This scary piece of kitchen equipment comes with a range of capabilities, such as scanning your barcodes and receipts, monitoring its contents – even suggesting recipes based on the ingredients you have left. It can also switch on the oven to the correct temperature for said recipe via a wireless connection. Move over Delia.

Google is present, of course, pushing its TV offering and highlighting partnerships with large flatscreen manufacturers such as Vizio and Sony. 

Lastly, a nod to Ford in the US, and the announcement that it is bringing iHeartRadio to its vehicle line-up, allowing drivers to access the popular US radio service using voice commands.  Ford will be the first auto company to offer cars access to iHeartRadio, an app which features more than 800 of America’s top broadcast and digital-only stations, and allows users to create their own custom radio stations using particular artists and songs.

The Ford SYNC AppLink gives drivers hands-free control, access to local traffic reports via the phone’s GPS and a connection to Facebook timeline to allow music sharing with friends. Keep your hands on the wheel, sir!

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The Name of the Game

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May 12, 2011

From next month, we could start to see marketers investing hundreds of thousands of pounds to buy their own brand names as top-level domains. This might sound boring, but What’s Hot can assure you it’s not. A ‘top level domain’ is the bit after the ‘dot’ in a web address, where you’d normally find ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’. The result could be the beginning of web addresses that end in: ‘.nike’, ‘.sony’ and even ‘.asda’.

The news is based on an announcement by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the body that oversees the internet addresses. ICANN announced that next month it will outline its guidelines on brands buying these top level domains.
The rationale for this is that instead of brands having long sub domain addresses such as www.findaproperty.com/rent/lambeth/brixton, users will be able to find different products by visiting a much simpler (branded) top level domain such as brixton.findaprop.

Companies such as Canon, Hitachi, IBM and Unicef are expected to be the first to buy the unique domains  according to Brand Republic. However interest in this is far from universal. Motorola, for example, has insisted that it remains firmly committed to its existing site. Buying a top level domain will cost about $185,000 (£113,000) to register, as well as $25,000 (£15,000) a year in subscription and infrastructure costs.

Certainly there are benefits to large corporations with diverse business units that would be able to amalgamate their divisions under one domain, eg: mobile.sony, tv.sony, ps3.sony. However, there are lots of issues for a brand that wants to make these changes – most notably the reaction of users that have grown up with the ‘.com’ and ‘.co.uk’ domains. These are embedded in the psyche of the internet generation and any changes could cause confusion. To switch off ‘.com’ and ‘.co.uk’ would be extremely risky and brands would need to consider how they might align these with any move to a branded domain.

As well as buying the top level domains, brands will need to maintain them by having the right technical infrastructure. They will also need to migrate various business platforms over to the one domain as per the Sony example above.

Finally, brands need to consider key short- and medium-term concerns, such as extending their search keywords for PPC and SEO changes, and how they will raise consumer awareness of the new domains. In the end most brands will probably register a branded domain name and see how the market adapts before fully committing. In doing so, they will need to maintain their ‘.com’ and similar domains during any transitional period, and have a clear migration plan in place. The really interesting point will be when one leading brand takes the first step. What’s Hot is waiting with baited breath .

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