Here’s a brief look at the competitive dynamics of Connected TV:

TV Manufacturers vs App Developers
Twenty-five percent of the HDTVs that ship worldwide this year will be capable of connecting to the Internet. And by 2013, those numbers will swell to sixty percent. While connected TV’s growth will be impressive, TV manufacturers will be challenged to create an apps ecosystem worthy of the iPhone. At the moment, there’s little incentive for developers to do so. And as a result, few apps are being built. Could Yahoo Connected TV be the manufacturer’s savor? Or will other open source initiatives like Boxee be in demand?

Boxee vs Traditional Cable TV
Currently just an app, Boxee is about to be the device that has millions saying “I’d cancel cable for that”. It could be a generational thing, but what if Boxee does go mainstream? As the internet did to print, Boxee could force cable’s walled garden to come crashing down. This subject caught fire at SXSW and will only spread when Boxee’s box is released in the coming months.

Game Consoles vs Set-Top-Boxes
One device that could outbox even Boxee is the game console. Almost 60% of U.S. homes own at least one. And Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are all competing to position their devices not merely as a gaming machine for teenagers, but as a media portal for all ages. Gaming consoles could change the TV dynamic, but Apple and Google aren’t playing games anymore.

Apple TV vs Google TV
In February, Apple’s COO reiterated that Apple TV is still just a hobby. Perhaps Google’s more recent announcement – the development of TV search via an Android set-top box – will turn Apple’s hobby into a mechanism for war (one that’s getting increasingly personal). It will be interesting to see what becomes of Apple’s recent stealth TV patent.

Clearly there’s many battles to be fought before any device/app has its “iPod moment”. Until that time, one thing’s for sure: the competitive dynamics at play will soon create a TV that’s connected and love-able again.

Your website in 5 minutes tops… Life Yo

Digital tab for real night life… Tabbed Out

The community layer on top of your website… (Write On) Glass

Linking press and blogs… Dot Spots

New Gen Guitar Hero… Six Strings

Control your LBS data… Toodalu

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Not super advanced technology, just a clever idea: Anyone with a mobile can scan a bar-code and attach content to it (comment, photo, video, music, PDF file, ZIP file, friends tag, location tag…) All content posted is broadcast through your facebook and twitter and you can follow the object moving on a map.

You can leave a message on your friend’s coffee cup, explain to everyone how the darn printer works by attaching a tutorial video, or listen to your clients comments on your product…

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The Hello Wall is a huge, interactive art installation on Wembley High Road in the UK. By tweeting @thehellowall, you can arrange elements (triangles, squares, circles, rectangles) in any way that appeals to you (shake, faster, slower, bigger, smaller and in different colors). In essence your tweet creates a work of art.

Have a look for yourself, a whole wall controllable via Twitter:

The artist duo Hellicar & Lewis created the installation on behalf of Wasted Spaces, a non-profit organization committed to transforming unloved spaces with exciting art.

The installation is designed to empower people, to allow them to have a creative input into the architectural space that they find themselves in – often without any sense of control or ownership. – Hellicar & Lewis

Besides empowering people, the artists have found an artfully social way to mix the message with the medium. And long after the installation is gone, their magic could very well be the realization that 140 characters is a much broader canvas to paint on than we once imagined.

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post inspiration: Flavorpill (by email)

Even though 4G ad campaigns are touting faster speeds, 4G will not be “mass market” ready until the next few years. So why worry about it now? Because now is your only chance to take the high ground before the 4G tidal wave hits shore.

4G, the next evolution of wireless infrastructure, will offer ultra-broadband (gigabit) speeds (about 10 times faster than 3G). It’s important to note, that beyond being a mobile technology, 4G will be IP-friendly. The long-term vision shared by industry, academics and policy makers alike is that 4G will enable ubiquitous computing. This means that your home networking hub will talk to your TV, to your phone, to your gaming console, to your household appliances, even to your plants. While some of this is already happening, 4G will simply bring it to scale.

So how do we prepare for a world where everything is connected and bolted to the internet? We take the high ground, which is and will continue to be meaningful data. Consumers crave it. They can’t get enough of it. And judging from movements like Operation Chokehold, they’re willing to fight for it. So fight with them. Give your audience now the kind of data that entertains or provides utility. Help them choke up their 3G network; make your brand be part of today’s bandwidth problem.

The problem with 3G networks is that they are sagging under consumer demand for data. Take AT&T, for example, the first carrier of the iPhone. Analysis of AT&T’s data growth reveals that iPhone users, compared to “other cellphone users”, spend 25% less time ‘talking’ and 21% more time accessing music, games and the internet at large. This behavioral change caused AT&T to endure massive growing pains, a whopping 4,932 percent data growth in just the past three years.

While not everyone has an iPhone today, most soon will. By 2013 over 1 billion people will have smartphones which means that one billion people will be spend more time consuming data. Remember the school of thought that consumers would spend less time watching TV and more time watching video online? Studies have proven that we actually just consumed more video content overall. The same will likely ring true for the mobile internet when it overtakes the desktop internet by 2013. Regardless of device, we’ll stream more music, play more real-time games and spend more time social networking. But most of all, we’ll inhale video likes it air. Cisco predicts that by 2013, video will account for 90% of all consumer IP traffic and 64% of total mobile IP traffic.

So while those in the media debate 4G’s speed or lack thereof initially, let them squabble. Take 4G seriously now, pump out meaningful data online and make it accessible to a range of devices. Take the high ground while you have a chance, because by 2013 4G will be mass market ready. The only question is, will you? See you on the high ground…

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AUG, short for augmented living goods program, is a concept that encourages the localization of living goods (produce, meats and dairy).

Want to geo-locate the producer and see how far the product has come to get where you are standing? AUG it. Want to find out if a product is currently in season? AUG it.

What’s unique about AUG is how it simplifies the locavore lifestyle. In the grand scheme of things, however, AUG, like the Good Guide, fits into the responsibility revolution that is forcing the next evolution of business.

Post inspiration: Treehugger

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A responsibility revolution is underway.

“We are entering a period of social change…we are recalibrating our sense of what it means to be a citizen, not just through voting or volunteering but also through commerce: by what we buy.” – TIME magazine

Here at The TrendWatch, we’ve been digging around, exploring what’s fueling this social change. In search for answers, we revisited the 1970’s when corporate social responsibility (CSR) began. Around this time, we stumbled upon the following cultural insight and basis for our theory:

“Never doubt that a few, thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist

What’s driving today’s responsibility revolution is that a few committed citizens are using social technology to coordinate responsible consumer behavior. And what’s game changing is how their approach triggers responsible consumer & corporate behavior at the point of purchase where the battle of good vs bad is ultimately won.

Here are a few good trends, started by a few committed citizens, to watch:

Disrupting the incentives:
Carrot Mob is a method of activism that leverages consumer power to make the most socially-responsible business practices also the most profitable choices. Businesses compete with one another to see who can do the most good, and then a big mob of consumers buys products in order to reward whichever business made the strongest commitment to improve the world. It’s the opposite of a boycott.

Shifting the balance of information and power:
Developed by a professor at UC Berkeley, Good Guide sifts through the health, environmental, and social profiles of everyday products and the companies that manufacture them, distilling hundreds of pieces of data into a simple 10-point rating system accessible on goodguide.com and a bar-code-scanning iPhone app (note: Fast Company recognized Good Guide as one of the 50 most innovative companies).

Making it easy to buy good:
At first use, the Good Guide app is pretty cool, but we wondered if it would be practical for ‘bustling moms,’ the prized target of CPG brands? Would they whip out their iPhones and scan packages of cookie dough with a screaming baby in tow? Maybe some would, but most likely not enough for the tool to reach critical mass. So we were happy to discover that Good Guide is expanding its scope. In a smart move, they recently partnered with Alice.com, a startup designed to make sure bustling moms never run out of essential goods. What makes Alice unique is that she helps moms find the best price, applies available coupons automatically, offers free shipping and makes it easy to find and buy the ‘good goods’ thanks to the integration of the Good Guide rating system. The partnership between Alice and the Good Guide may only be the beginning. Imagine if companies like Amazon jump on board?

The bottom line is that as more consumers embrace social technology, it will only get easier to purchase ‘good’ consistently and so much harder for brands to produce bad. Could responsible consumer behavior (RCB) be the new CSR? Either way, the responsible revolution is forcing the next evolution of business.

#thetrendwatch

Embedded right into the map, you can watch YouTube videos from the perspective of the train. And while you’re cruising along you can choose the sound of the train, a classic Russian audiobook or local radio stations depending on your mood. Feeling a bit clausterphobic? Then hop off and let DJ Yelena Abitayeva be your virtual guide of storied spots along the way.

Fan or no fan of Trans Siberian travel, the multi-platform portal is pretty phenomenal and the possibilities for brands are seemingly endless. Take your favorite coffee brand, for example. Imagine visiting the fields where the coffee beans are sourced; imagine gaining an appreciation for the culture and people who put their heart and soul into your daily cup. While certainly not for every brand, Google could offer a unique way to put many compelling, location-based product stories on the map.

With this in mind, we have come to the attention of the launch an interesting platform – TheyMakeApps – in which you can find a portfolio of the best App makers you can find close to you (or not!).

While being a simple idea, TheyMakeApps is quite ingenious. Most agencies have been up to their hairs in finding ways to answer to the client’s demands regarding mobile applications for their brands (and as part of our Big Bet for 2010, the demand is only sure to rise) so the agencies can have one of two solutions – either develop the know-how inside the company by hiring professional App Developers or by hiring App Developers per job. In any case, where do you find someone with such specific skills for something as important nowadays as mobile applications? TheyMakeApps solves the problem by providing a directory of App Developers by Geographic localization and even price range. You search for the App Maker of your liking, check his portfolio and contact him – all in the same website.

For now the big focus of TheyMakeApps is the IPhone – which is the granddaddy of Mobile Applications, thus has the biggest Programmer Base. But it’s looking for the opportunity to spread to other Platforms like the Blackberry, Android or Palm that, while a little more difficult to enter at this moment, are very relevant on the global mobile business. But one thing is for sure – this is another strong indicator on the strength of mobile applications today and how the App Making skill’s importance is growing. So if you are an App Maker or know someone who is, make sure you direct them to TheyMakeApps – I’m sure they’ll thank you.