Join me at Webrazzi Agenda “Mobile Internet” February 10th 2010 in Istanbul

Webrazzi is the leading Turkish tech blog. This is like Techcrunch of US. They’ll be organizing 10 different events through 2010 and Mobile Internet conference is the 3rd one in the series. First two was about e-commerce and social media. They call these series of events “Webrazzi Gündem” which means “Webrazzi Agenda”. So, the name of the next event is “Webrazzi Agenda: Mobile Internet”. The event will be on February 10th, 2010, at Istanbul Elite World Hotel.

I will give a speech about my book “Future of Mobile”.
See the blog post at Webrazzi.com

There will be 200 attendees and they are mostly mid-high level executives and startup founders. They’ll cover mobile internet usage in Turkey, mobile apps market and future, opportunities in the market and especially opportunities for Turkish entrepreneurs.

You can check out Webrazzi event site at www.webrazzi.com/gundem

Apple iPad: Two ideas that blow your mind!

After the introduction of the Apple iPad I heard a lot of criticism about the potential of the device. Some said it’s not for sure if it will be a huge success. People need a phone and a laptop, but will they spend 500+ USD for another third device?

Well, I would say yes.
It doesn’t matter if it will be used as the first-, second- or third device. But the iPad will revolutionize many industries.

Here are two impressive concept why the Apple Tablet iPad will change industries and create a complete new business potential for many companies.

The First Video was published in December 2009 and shows how a weekly magazine could look like on the iPad.

The Second Video is showing how the iPad could be used in schools and universities.
When I was at King’s College in 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand, there was one “pilot-project” class equipped with Apple PowerBooks (the old black Wallstreet model). But now they could just use the iPad. Imagine how this would influence the way education works.

UPDATE:
Here is another very interesting concept for Digital Magazines.

Social Media meets Music - Donovan Live Stream on DONOVAN.ie/live

Donovan is inviting his community to watch his concert live on the Internet this Sunday. He will perform his hit songs and cult classics as well as showcasing songs from his new work RITUAL GROOVE as a run up to his forthcoming world tour 2010/2011. Special guest will be talented musician Claudia Koreck, one of the hottest newcomers in Germany.

The show will be streamed live Sunday, January 24, at 8:30 p.m. CET worldwide thanks to the professional live streaming technology and video production of TV1.EU, and a true broadband connection by BT, British Telecom. This World Wide Charity Concert is to benefit ‘Schools Without Stress’ (Germany). Also see the DLF, and the David Lynch Foundation.

The Link to the Live Stream will be on Donovan’s new Website http://www.donovan.ie/live/. News of the free live webcast concert is also on Donovan’s facebook and twitter page. His fans just love the idea of streaming the concert! http://www.facebook.com/DonovanOfficial & http://twitter.com/donovanofficial.

“Donovan fans worldwide now have the opportunity to take part in an extraordinary concert experience directly from their computers at home. While watching the concert Donovan’s Online Friends can share their experience on facebook or twitter”, says Monty C. M. Metzger, CEO of the Social Media Marketing Agency, Ahead of Time. http://twitter.com/montymetzger

This “Social Media for Social Activism” musical event will support the charity project “Schule ohne Stress” (Schools without Stress) and will increase awareness about the positive effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on creativity, intelligence, brain functioning and academic performance.

The legendary folk-rock pop troubadour Donovan began his career as an itinerant folk musician and created acoustic hits like Catch The Wind, Colours, Mellow Yellow, Universal Soldier and Atlantis.

Dr. Donovan Leitch is a Green-Activist and received a Doctor of Letters from the University of Hertfordshire, an honorary medal as “Officer of Arts & Letters” by the French government, and was named BMI Icon in 2009.

Donovan was one of the few artists to collaborate on songs with the Beatles, contributing lyrics and vocals to the song Yellow Submarine. Donovan influenced Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison in their guitar styles, and during his career played with folk music greats Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan, as well as rock musicians Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.

This is Donovan’s first global World Wide Web performance—a musical historic event! Viewers wishing to join Team DONOVAN.

My Message to Davos

I have created the Global Cocreation Model as a basic of Rethinking and Rebuilding our economy. This is my video for the Davos YouTube Debates for the World Economic Forum 2010. If this is selected as a finalist, I will need your help by voting to make this the winning entry.

Global Cocreation Model - Davos 2010

My name is Monty Metzger. I run a social media agency in germany and have started a collaborative global think-tank about the future of mobile media and communication, called Mocom 2020.

We have talked about the unthinkable challenges our world is facing in the next century and even in the next decade. The financial system has collapsed, the media industry is under massive pressure and the healthcare-system has become non-efficient. In 2020 we will reach the peak of the oil-production globally, climate change is one of the results of our exploitation of the planet. In 2050 we will have 200 million climate refugees due to a lack of resources of food or water.
Will we or our children be involved in a war for food, clear water or energy?

The world economy is based on many outdated structures and is not capable of solving the new challenges with old solutions. We are in a unique position, because we know some of the problems our planet and society is facing. Rather than dumping millions of dollars in old structure, we need to invest in new innovative solutions. We can solve these issues while integrating all stakeholders in a transparent, open and ethical economic structure.

Charles Schwab said that “we are living in a multi-stakeholder society and we need to rethink our values”. But how can we turn these ideas into action?

Today we have two unique factors which come together.
1) Half of the people on earth are under 25 years old.
2) We have the most powerful global communication tool ever - The Internet.

The technology and demographics combined can empower the Digital Natives to Cocreate solutions faster, more efficient and from the bottom up rather than from the top down.

I call this the Global Cocreation Model.
The Net Generation or Digital Natives have strong sense of values, they have Integrity, a Motivation or many Reasons to change the world. They are natural teamplayers and know how to self organize themselves. The Technology empowers and enables them to do things differently. And finally the openness, new culture of sharing and innovation gives them a very profound way of control.

This basic structure is framed by three key elements:
Collaboration - A powerful tool of self organization for all stakeholders enabled by the global platform of communication - the web.
Transparency - A new way of turning insights into common knowledge give us control and power to regulate what has been done.
and
a Vision - A powerful Vision or a Dream that is simple enough to spread it fast, but detailled enough to motivate and truely turn social media into social activism.

I would like to challenge my model of Global Cocreation with the members of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Like Al Gore once said:
If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together. But we need to go far … quickly.

Speech at M-Days 2010

M-Days is the biggest Mobile Media Conference in germany and one of the most relevant in Europe. I will be hold a keynote and present a few insights from the open think tank focusing on the future of Mobile Media Mocom2020.com as well as from my book “Mobile Future @mocom2020“.

The topic of my session at M-Days is called: “Mobile Trends 2020, Mobile Commerce and App-Video-TV. What comes next in Europe?”

From the M-Day programme:
Mobile Trends 2020, Mobile Commerce and App-Video-TV. What comes next in Europe?

The Google/Admob acquisition sends out a clear signal to the market: mobile is different and mobile is hot. The advance of touchscreen devices, app stores and new advertising approaches/formats are all coming together in a new kind of interactive mobile internet, a brave new place where new content, new experiences and even new mobile search services will set the bar. Mobile Trends 2020, Mobile Commerce, Mobile Video and TV.

• Overview of the mobile trends 2020 and key-apps
• Overview of mobile commerce of today - applications and options that drive ARPU, customer acquisition and retention
• Paying for content - why now and why not?
• Implementation and integration - an overview on the implementation of a full service mobile commerce solution - the lessons learnt and shared
• Overview of the mobile TV and video landscape of today
• Content: Why is Disney channel the most popular channel on mobile TV in Europe? And why are CNN so small compared to BBC? Viewing behaviour on mobile TV differs from normal TV.
• The power of the iPhone in driving creation and consumption of video and mobile TV services via mobile

Speakers include:

Mocom 2020 - The next ten years! Key trends for Mobile Media and Communication
Ahead of Time, Monty C. M. Metzger, Managing Director/Trendscout

MOBILE COMMERCE ? CHANGING THE RULES
Service2Media- mobile innovation company Netherland, Peter Broekroelofs, CTO

M-App: iPhone Puts Mobile TV In The Picture
Rubberduck Media Lab AS, Ola Svartberg, CEO
Karin Du Rietz, pertains top 50 Women in mobile content

Heroes of the mobile screen and mobile search analytic
Moderation: MSearchGroove, Peggy Anne Salz, Founder and Chief Anaylst

Interview: Monty Metzger about the “mobile media” think tank Mocom2020

I presented the book “Mobile Future @mocom2020″ at the Mobile Media World 2009 in Toronto. Here is a video interview filmed by Bnet.tv

Esther’s engagement & vision of eHealth

I talked with Esther Dyson on the way to the Monaco Media Forum about her vision of healthcare for the upcoming years.

View on YouTube.

Social and Mobile Media in Numbers

Netbooks, Mobile-phones and Social Media - Mythbusting with Duncan Stewart, Deloitte

Interview with Duncan Stewart Director, Deloitte Canada Research: Technology, Media & Telecommunications at the Mobile Media World 2009 in Toronto Canada. He talks about the growth of Netbooks, Mobile Phones and Social Media.

Details about Paypal’s Developer Conference Innovate 2009

Interview with Darrell MacMullin Country Manager, PayPal Canada at the Mobile Media World 2009 in Toronto Canada.

He talks about the upcoming developer event Innovate 2009 in November 2009. More infos about the event at www.x.com

International Olympic Commitee tries to stop Olympic photos on Flickr

When I read this blog post about how the IOC is building up pressure on photopraphers who publish Olympic pictures on Flickr, I was really shocked. It makes clear that the IOC is controlled by regulations, rights and its right-owners rather than by passion, emotion and equality which they say is the “spirit” of the Olympic Games.

So what happened: the IOC’s Legal Affairs department has send out letters to photographers, like Richard Giles, for hosting images of the Olympics on his Flickrstream. The IOC feels that this is a violation of the terms and conditions. Read the full story at Thomas Hawks blog.

So the IOC has taken a hammer and has smashed its own “olympic spirit”. The Olympic games are about experiencing and sharing emotions, passion and achievements. Thus social media should be in the centre of the strategy of the Olympic Commitee. The Blog of the Olympic Games in London 2012 is a small step in the right direction, but sadly was not initiated by IOC, it was the idea of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

I think somebody should tell the IOC about the Streissand Effect and how they are currently messing with the social media community, bloggers, twitterers and of course photographers. Sueing is not the right way to “control” social media. They need to accept the changes social media brings to the overall media environment and learn how to cope with these challenges.

Why not listen to what is said in Blogs, on Twitter, facebook etc. and create a strategy to activate the “power of social media”. If they don’t do so, the Olympic Games could become a historical relict, because the Net Generation does not care (and watch) the games anymore.

100+ Social Media Guideline Examples

This a great list of Social Media Guidelines, collected by Social Media Governance.

48% of Books sold on Amazon are electronic Books (eBooks)

Amazon.com Inc is introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries globally. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said that for every 100 customers who buy a book, some 48 buy it as an e-book — up from 35 five months ago.

Although Amazon does not release sales or profit figures for the Kindle, analysts believe it commands No. 1 market share in a growing market fueled by more online activity and a lingering slump in publishing and retail bookselling. The devices have proven popular with readers and travelers who like the convenience of downloads and avoiding heavy books, but high prices have kept many potential users at bay.

Amazon has an agreement with AT&T wireless for the international version, under which the carrier handles global network relationships, Bezos said. The new device is designed to work with the globally popular 3G GSM standard. The wireless coverage includes a wide array of countries, including China and Indonesia, for example, so the device will work in those countries although units won’t be shipped there.

Although Amazon does not release sales or profit figures for the Kindle, analysts believe it commands No. 1 market share in a growing market fueled by more online activity and a lingering slump in publishing and retail bookselling. The devices have proven popular with readers and travelers who like the convenience of downloads and avoiding heavy books, but high prices have kept many potential users at bay.

Via Reuters

Amazon’s eBook Reader Kindle will be rolled out in 100 Countries globally

Amazon.com Inc is introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, for over 100 countries, including China and most of Europe, intensifying a battle for the burgeoning digital book market.

The move, announced on Tuesday, gives the world’s largest online retailer the widest global reach among its competitors, including chief rival Sony Corp. The Kindle will sell for $279 in other countries. Amazon also said it would cut prices for its U.S.-only Kindle by 13 percent to $259 from $299, bringing its cost closer to its rivals. The new price is $100 lower than it was a year ago.

Amazon — which regards the Kindle as a pivotal growth driver — said over 200,000 English-language books from a host of publishers as well as more than 85 international and U.S. newspapers and magazines would be available on the international device, which begins shipping October 19.

“Our vision for Kindle is every book ever printed, in print or out of print, in every language, all available within 60 seconds,” Chief Executive Jeff Bezos told Reuters. “That’s a multi-decade vision,” said Bezos, visiting a Kindle office in the Silicon Valley city of Cupertino.

Analysts have pondered the likelihood of Amazon developing the Kindle into a tablet-like device for tasks like emailing, texting and surfing the Web, thus competing with devices reportedly being developed by Apple Inc.

But Bezos reiterated his intention to optimize the reading experience, saying the company rejects compromise, whether it be a touchscreen that affects legibility or computer displays that eat up too much power. At the same time, Amazon is working on making Kindle digital books available on more devices. Besides the Kindle, those books can now be accessed on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

“We want you to read your Kindle books on laptops and smartphones, anything with an installed base,” Bezos said. He said he was not “in principle” against making the works available on rival devices like Sony’s, but was focused on platforms with “large installed bases.”

E-readers are expected by some to be the hottest gadget this holiday season and Bezos said he had “a lot of confidence” that it would be a “great holiday quarter for Kindle.” Forrester Research estimated 3 million e-reader devices would be sold in the United States in 2009, up from an earlier estimate of 2 million. That could double in 2010, bringing cumulative sales to 10 million by end-2010. The research group predicts that Amazon will take 60 percent market share in 2009, followed by Sony at 35 percent.

In July, Credit Suisse estimated revenue and gross profit from the Kindle could reach $420 million and $35 million, respectively, in 2009, representing some 8.4 percent of Amazon’s total revenue.

Via Reuters

Making of Mocom2020

Get some insights and background information about the open think tank about mobile media and communication.

Lauri Hirvonen talks about history & future of dotMobi

Interview with Lauri Hirvonen, Senior Business Development Manager at NOKIA and founding member of dotMobi. He talks about the history, present and future of dotMobi at the mobileinnovationweek.com in Toronto.

Dom Sagolla to publish a book about Twitter

Dom Sagolla was one of the first emloyees at Twitter and is now publishing a book about the micro-blogging service, called 140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form

Dom writes about the definitive history of Twitter, from an insider’s point of view, about the new grammar rules for short-form writing, and a catalog of writing styles and includes inspiring quotations from comedy to poetry from some of the best writers.

Here is a Video Interview I recorded at the Mobile Innovation Week in Toronto.

Motoblur, a Social Media Mobile Phone

Christy Wyatt, Vice President, Software Experiences and Ecosystem Motorola, Inc., presented Motoblur at the Mobile Innovation Week in Toronto.
Motoblur: Everything you’re into is at your fingertips on a customizable home screen as unique as you are. Your friends and Facebook, MySpace and Twitter updates, along with your latest emails, news and favorite apps and widgets. All just the way you like them.

Speaking at Mobile Media World in Toronto

I will be speaking at Mobile Media World 2009 in Toronto next week. The event is part of the Mobile Innovation Week and features a selection of the leading experts in the mobile and telecommunication industry.

I will be speaking about key trends for the next decade of mobile media and will presented my latest publication
Mobile Future @mocom2020: A collaborative vision of the future of Mobile Media and Communication

Taking augmented reality to the next level: the digital contact-lense

Getting information as fast as possible and on the spot is the trend. So what could be more direct than having information fired directly into the eye?

A new generation of contact lenses built with very small circuits and LEDs promises bionic eyesight. Today — together with his students — Babak A. Parviz, bionanotechnology expert at University of Washington, is already producing devices that have a lens with one wirelessly Radio Frequency powered LED. To turn such a lens into a functional browser, control circuits, communication circuits and miniature antennas will have to be integrated. These lenses will eventually include hundreds of semitransparent LEDs, which will form images in front of the eye: words, charts, imagery enabling the wearers to navigate their surroundings whithout distraction or disorientation. The optoelectronics in the lens may be controlled by a seperate device that relays information to the lens’s control circuit. Another use could be the monitoring of the wearer’s health and biomarkers f.e. cholesterol, sodium, kalium or glucose.

A few barriers have yet to be taken in order to produce such a device. Materials are not compatible with one another; all components have to be assembled onto about 1.5 square centimeters of flexible, transparent polymer; and of course the lens needs to be completely safe for the eye. Parviz mentions that the LED for example is made of aluminum gallium arsenide, a toxic material that should first have to be encapsulated in a biocompatible polymer.

Last but not least: seeing the LED-light switching on and off is one thing, but seeing something comprehensible in dense resolution to the eye is something else.“The true promise of this research is not just the actual system we end up making, whether it’s a display, a biosensor, or both. We already see a future in which the humble contact lens becomes a real platform, like the iPhone is today, with lots of developers contributing their ideas and inventions.”

Contact lenses have always been about improving natural sight, so whatever information they may bring to our eyes in the coming future… may the view be clear.

Via: justgetthere.us