Guinness Launches Blippar Augmented Reality Game

I'm a big fan of mobile technology and get really peeked out about augmented reality. If you don't know what AR is, basically it's a way to use your smartphone to view content over real locations.

For example, with some apps, you can hold up your phone and it'll show you where people are tweeting from at a conference or show you where some Italian restaurants are. It's a way for brands to deliver marketing content in real-time in a very Star Trek kind of way.

The Next Web has a piece about Guinness launching an AR game in coordination with Blippar. Considering I'm a fan of beer and Guinness and AR, this resonated with me. Very cool idea that I'm eager to try.

Link: Guinness Launches Blippar Augmented Reality Game

Squarespace for Android

I love being able to blog and create content on the fly. My main weapon of choice is the iPhone 4. However, I do have a Samsung infused by AT&T. Its great phone but does have some issues with battery power.

I've been trying to do more on it to come around a bit, including blogging and creating content.

This post is written with the Android Squarespace app. I love the wide screen on the inFuse. It'll be nice when the iPhone 5 has more real estate.

The Squarespace app is pretty good. It is intuitive, fast and has a great UI.

If you have a Squarespace blog and Android, this will be your app of choice.

The World Doesn't Need More Blackberries

Macworld did a review of the RIM BlackBerry Torch 9810 Smartphone and the headline read, "Blackberry Torch 9810: solid, responsive and slightly underwhelming."

I haven't touched the device, but could have wrote that headline and review mostly because I had the first version of the torch for work. It sucked. Big time. I've also have a few other BB's, including the Curve and the Storm. Both were ok, but not a work horse for personal and professional stuff.

With the advance of the Android and the stronghold the iPhone has, it's just a matter of time before BB's are dead. Someone needs to buy the operating system (mostly BB Messenger, which is the only thing people really talk about when they discuss differentiating factors of RIM's offering).

Both the Storm and the Torch were supposed to put BB back on the map. Neither device has reached the hype. Neither will any other device the company puts out.

RIM should be RIP. Sell your assets or get bought by Apple.

AT&T to Drop All But Unlimited Texting Plans

So AT&T is going to cut all but their pay as you go and the unlimited texting plans. Ok, that's fine. I have unlimited because I text all the time -- text with my family, friends, colleagues, etc. It's a simple way to communicate. It's quick and effective. With the proliferation of smart phones, texting is just about as close to real time messaging as you're going to get (other than instant message services).

The question, why do these plans still exist? Why not just include unlimited texting for every user and just add in those costs to the month plan? Why give users a choice since I'd argue that just about everyone with a mobile phone uses text messaging at some point.

Stop finagling with plans, price ranges, etc. and make things simpler for your customers AT&T.

Via: AT&T to drop all but Unlimited texting plans | iLounge News

Foursquare Maps Real-Time Voter Turn-out with iVOTED Program

Throughout the US today, citizens are headed to their respective polling locations to cast their vote.

Early indications and media reports are pointing to decent voter turnout. However, if you want to know how the numbers stack-up, just head over to Foursquare who set up a dedicated page for this year's election (elections.foursquare.com) that visualizes check-ins from users that include #iVOTED in their posts.

With help from a company called JESS3, Foursquare will give each user an iVOTED badge after they checkin.

What's interesting about this is the Foursquare website that goes along with the promotion, which includes a real-time map indicating user activity (at the time I wrote this post, embedding the map wasn't functional).

This is a great example of how social media can help crowd-source hyper-local data for brands around any event — major or not. And despite not being a reliable source for voter turn-out overall, it will be interesting to see the cross section in the U.S. of active voters who are also location-based service users.

Have you checked-in, voted and earned your badge yet?

Article first published as Foursquare Maps Real-Time Voter Turn-out with iVOTED Program on Technorati.

Official Google Voice App Coming to iPhone

A report on Techcrunch says that Apple and Google are finally playing nicely in the sandbox or rather, hell has frozen over — the official Google Voice app is headed to the iTunes App store.

Yea, you right that right. It's the first kiss and make up story from Apple and Google since the two starting squabbling over various things.

For iPhone users that are Google Voice users, this is a great thing. Unlike any device on the Android platform where you can integrate Google Voice easily, using the service on the iPhone was a little painful. It was done through the web interface and is a little clunky to say the least.

There are currently two other Google Voice iPhone apps on the market that do a decent job, but something tells me that only Google will produce an app that will truly bring all the functionality Google Voice users desperately seek to the iPhone.

For bloggers, the Google Voice service is a Godsend. In my experience it has allowed me to share a phone number that's sort of off the grid and enables me to selectively decide who has direct access to me at any time, who goes straight to voice mail and how gets a "hello" from me when they call. I speak from personal experience that Google Voice is a nice virtual secretary of sorts, at least for my blogging career.

For popular bloggers that get a zilliion PR pitches and random calls, Google Voice will be your best friend. Now, whether you're an Android or iPhone user, you'll have access to it on the go without having to deal with a silly web interface.

Are you a Google Voice user? If so, how do you use it and which device(s) are you using it with?

Article first published as Report: Official Google Voice App Headed to iPhone on Technorati.

Foursquare for iPhone Goes 2.0

Location-based service freaks unite! Foursquare 2.0 for the iPhone is now available and is promising a better experience.

In version 2.0 [iTunes link], Foursquare is making an effort for users to use and create to-dos and tips. Both of these items are split up (as opposed to being together before) and now located on the bottom of the apps navigation bar.

As Mashable put it, "The emphasis is not application specific, as Foursquare will now also connect the dots between web discovery and mobile activity.

The goal is to encourage app users to look at Foursquare as a way to easily save the places they want to visit and store activities that might be of future interest. Foursquare drives this point home with a brand new “Add to My Foursquare” button — an embeddable button for the web that’s already been tested by the likes of The Wall Street Journal.

Basically, just like Facebook, Foursquare will become a "button" on major news websites and frankly across the web. This will come in quite handy for retail and dining locations that will enable users to add to-dos and tips — not only for their own experience, but also for others who might frequent those establishments in the future. 

The new Foursquare is just for the iPhone at the moment, but Mashable is reporting that the Blackberry and Android versions won't be too far behind.

What do you think of Foursquare 2.0?

Article first published as Foursquare 2.0 for iPhone Released on Technorati.

Facebook: Say It Ain't So to Mobile Device or OS

If the rumors are true, Facebook is working on a super secret project that could result in the launch of a new mobile device or a mobile platform.

TechCrunch has the story:

Facebook is building a mobile phone, says a source who has knowledge of the project. Or rather, they’re building the software for the phone and working with a third party to actually build the hardware. Which is exactly what Apple and everyone else does, too.

Let it be know that I'm standing on my soapbox and screaming as loud as I possibly can, telling Zuckerberg and Company, "PLEASE, DON'T DO IT!!!"

Facebook doesn't need to build a mobile device nor a mobile platform. Why? Well, mostly because iOS, Android, RIM and Windows have the platform side of things taken care of. Additionally, the world doesn't need YET another smart phone from an Internet company. Didn't you see how Google's NexusOne fared (or should I say failed)?

What the social networking king should take care of is the second coming of their service. They need to continue to push what they do best and stay in front of Google. Twitter, Foursquare, etc.

Facebook is becoming (or is already) of the hub of social media for consumers and brands. As such, Facebook needs to focus on doing that more and better.

Leave mobility, especially the OS and gadget part, to other companies. However, build strategic partnerships and synergies that will allow your company to leverage the latest and greatest coming out of those spaces, all geared towards pushing innovation for social networking.

Article first published as Just Say No to Facebook Mobile Device and OS on Technorati