Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, Gadget Girl

 

 

The gap between Australia and the United States is closing.

Not geographically—the Pacific Ocean is still infeasibly large. I’m talking about the gadget gap.

This is the gap between gadget pricing and availability in the United States and our little continent.

Now our dollars are worth the same, gadget prices should also be similar. And measures like grey imports, direct importing and price changes are helping.

But proof that we’re not quite there yet is already sneaking into 2012.

Sony has just slashed the price of its tablet in the States but failed to do so here, meaning Australians are paying significantly more.

It’s 2012. The world may be ending soon. Can we please fix this issue before it does?

Do you think you're getting the most cost friendly gadgets in 2012?

Sharlyn Lauby , Mashable

 

Having a remote workforce can be a huge benefit to organizations, reducing office space expenses and environmental footprints. Companies can reap the benefits of talented individuals all over the globe who are able to do work that excites and engages them and do it in a place they want to live.

As attractive as this working arrangement sounds, it takes a lot of planning and preparation to implement. Businesses must thoroughly discuss the terms of working remotely before launching such an initiative including work schedules, home offices, secure computer networks and job responsibilities. One thing is for certain: Being able to communicate effectively and efficiently with remote employees is the key to success.

Here are several examples of companies realizing success with their remote work teams and their methods for achieving that success.

 

1. Create Common Goals

In order for employees to feel like part of the organization, they have to feel that they are a part of the company’s goals. Morgan Norman, founder and CEO of social performance management company WorkSimple, says that probably the hardest task for a virtual workforce is making sure everyone is always on the same page. “Whether it’s about new features to the software, a change in the company’s overall direction or just a menial everyday task, keeping everyone appraised and in the loop can become a challenge when everyone is in different places and in different time zones.”


WorkSimple uses its performance management platform for its own workforce. Norman admits that when an employee doesn’t understand an aspect of the company’s direction, he will eventually discover the answer via the WorkSimple platform. “The consequence of this [discovery] is employees can make more decisions on their own, can take more initiative on their own,” Norman explains. “For us internally, it’s inspiring to see ideas and direction come from every employee; this sparks new goals and new projects that help push the envelope of our vision.”


2. Set Individual Goals and Expectations

 

Once an employee understands the goals of the company and how he fita into those goals, it’s essential to establish individual expectations of performance. Linda Pophal, a communications and management consultant with Strategic Communications LLC, says clearly conveying goals and expectations is critical to the success of a remote team. “The way to manage any employee effectively, I believe, is to clearly establish goals and objectives, provide the right tools and resources required to do the job (including communication resources like policies, procedures, etc.), and communicating regularly for updates on progress, to share new information and just to maintain the relationships.”

Pophal explains that you can accomplish this using some of the same methods you would manage any workforce: “Setting up regular processes can help. This might include regular phone/Internet conferences, required reports on a regular basis or the use of project management tools that allow everyone to track and report on activities.”

Pophal points out that the way a manager perceives a remote worker can affect the team overall. “One of the barriers to effective remote working arrangements is this odd ‘mental block’ many managers seem to have that not being able to ‘see’ their employees is somehow different or more challenging than other management scenarios. In truth, this type of relationship exists in many traditional organizational structures.”

3. Develop Trust and Accountability

Daily communication between employees and managers is a critical aspect of success. While remote workers are self-managing, they still require a frequent and consistent connection with supervisors and team members. Allison O’Kelly, CEO of virtual professional staffing firm Mom Corps, focuses on building an environment of trust and accountability as the foundation for communications.

O’Kelly says that MomCorps maintains its culture through a “Results-Only Work Environment,” or ROWE, which allows employees to work flexibly as long as they meet key objectives. “Often when companies hear about ROWE, they worry about losing control,” O’Kelly explains. “Rather, it is a shift in focus from controlling when, where and how people work to hold people accountable for results.”

Providing training to managers and supervisors is another important ingredient to managing remote workers. O’Kelly explains, “Virtual managers likely need training on how to expand their communication skills to include how to keep employees motivated as a team, giving positive and negative feedback over the phone, making sure schedules stay on track without micromanaging and making employees feel appreciated for the work they do.”



Creating a culture of trust has brought rewards to both employees and MomCorps, and O’Kelly says she recognizes employee performance. “I award them professionally with freedom and autonomy,” she says. “I am not tied to the details of how and when they work if they are high performers for Mom Corps.”

4. Overcome Isolation

Dan Silmore, vice president of marketing for online training platform Mindflash.com, says the key to managing remote employees is communication, and a lack of it can result in feelings of isolation. “While most of our team thrives and truly enjoys the remote environment, it is something that needs to be continually monitored. Is the employee staying motivated? Are they happy? Have they been particularly quiet on Yammer or Skype lately?”

Since it’s not as simple as walking over to an individual’s desk for a conversation, Silmore says he keeps his communication channels wide open. “Additionally, we let employees know they can travel to our Palo Alto headquarters, even outside of sprint cycles,” Silmore says. “That’s important and offers a lot of reassurance to some of our most remote workers.”

Tracy McCarthy, senior vice president of human resources at talent management software company SilkRoad technology, adds that laying down a solid schedule and policy for communication keeps collaboration flowing. “First, we have regular virtual team meetings, either conference calls, go-to meetings or use Skype or similar technology for video conferencing. Then, we ensure that each member of the team understands their role and others’ roles so that there is no question about who is doing what and who is a resource.”

5. Plan Regular Communications

Lolo Siderman, founder and CEO of design and marketing agency Gypsywing Media, shared that when dealing with remote employees, communications should be planned and structured to bring a level of consistency and clarity. “Any failure to clearly and thoroughly communicate can lead to a huge number of wasted hours, inaccurate results and ultimately unhappy clients — which all add up to money lost for the business.”

Another consideration in planning communications is the use of written documentation. “When we send a list of changes to one of our web developers, she will go through the list one-by-one and provide a written update on the status of each item before sending back,” says Siderman explains, . It is almost guaranteed that a number of changes would be missed, or misinterpreted, if left to verbal communication only.”

Jillian Snavley, vice president and senior recruiting manager at PNC Financial Services Group, agrees that a direct approach is required when managing employees remotely: “Managers should set expectations and be more intentional with remote employees. And remote employees need to be just as candid.”





Successful organizations communicate well, regardless of where their employees are located. Being able to work through challenges – no matter what kind – is core to having a thriving remote work team.

Series Supported by Elance

Lauren Drell , Mashable 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you a techie looking for work? We recently offered some tips on landing jobs at Google, Apple and Facebook, but there are more companies in the Valley than those three. And you might be wondering what the culture is like at each of these companies, as well as at LinkedIn, Twitter, Eventbrite, Gaia and Tagged.

Back in August, we brought you word of awesome perks at various startups; now, we bring you perks at a number of Silicon Valley’s largest and finest. From yoga to catered lunches, 401(k)s to dry cleaning, sports teams to vacation days, these tech companies seem to understand that quality of life affects productivity — and that having to run fewer errands after work means you’re more likely to stay at the office.

Check out the infographic below from ResumeBear for a breakdown of who offers what perks. Do you work at any of these companies and take advantage of any of these perks? Let us know in the comments below.

 

 

 

How does this stack up to your workplace? Would these benefits entice you to try your chances overseas for future business?  

Three years ago, the 3D movie was heralded as "the next big thing" that would save cinema. Over the years Australian ticket prices had steadily risen as home theatre became a serious threat, leaving cinemas to try and bridge the gap.

 

 

Image: The 3D juggernaut may be coming to an end. Photo: Simon Dawson

The objective was to up the "experience" that the public pay for, enhance the "immersion" for a premium ticket price and offer something that you just can't duplicate at home: enter the third dimension.

3D movies aren't anything new, but they've gone through a renaissance in recent years. When made well and actually filmed in 3D — such as James Cameron's Avatar — movies can be a triumph of cinema and a visual delight.

Advertisement: Story continues below Too often though we're presented with a slapped together conversion of a normal film, much cheaper to produce and resulting in a film a bit more eye-watering to watch, but hey, it was still a new age of cinema, right?

Slowly but surely, we moviegoers began to sort through dimensional shifts and see what was really in front of us. Yes, in some cases, the movie industry used 3D well, and made the few extra bucks worthwhile. But more often than not, we were being distracted. The honeymoon period was over all too quickly and in the past year 3D movies have seen a noticeable decrease in audience.

A factor that just accelerated this drop, in Australia in particular, is the ticket price. The average ticket price in the US in 2010 was $7.89, an extra $4 or so for 3D, with the glasses thrown in.

In Australia you were doing well if you could get a ticket for double that price. With our dollar near parity, we're paying $17 a movie ticket, $20 if you want to see a 3D film, more if you need the glasses. Quite a difference in price there, and it's even more if you have a family in tow.

There's been another wake-up call recently, in the form of a study by L. Mark Carrier of California State University, who found that people watching 3D movies essentially have the same immersion experience as those watching a 2D movie, but with the extra three-fold increase of eyestrain, headache, or trouble with vision.

This year has seen a vast reduction in the worldwide takings for 3D movies and the industry is catching on, as fewer movies are being provided in the medium. Whereas a movie such as Shrek Forever After made 65 per cent of its box office take from 3D screenings a year ago, this year's big summer flicks such as the final Harry Potter and The Green Lantern barely scraped 30 per cent. With the cost of converting a movie to 3D at $80,000 US per minute of footage (let alone going the step further and filming in it) it's fast becoming a reality that it isn't worth the box office take.

Here's where it starts getting a bit sneaky though — many that went to see movies like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Thor, The Green Lantern or Captain America in an Australian cinema this year would have had little choice but to see it in 3D. Normal 2D screenings were available, but they were few and far between. Have large cinemas like Hoyts and Village become so fond of the increased ticket prices that come with 3D, that they schedule the majority of their big audience screenings in it?

And what's next, you may ask? 4D cinema, that's what (technically the fourth dimension is "time", but this is hardly the moment to insist on scientific correctness). Found in the US, Canada, and now New Zealand (Australia can't be far away), using "d-box" technology your seat will now "pitch, roll and heave" along with the movie. Not immersive enough for you? There's a few cinemas in Asia that spray water and smell at you, with the recent Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon accompanied with the smell of burning rubber. It's taking the cinematic experience one step closer to a car wash.

3D movies aren't going anywhere soon. There's The Adventures of Tintin at the end of the year, The Amazing Spider-Man in July next year, and somewhere in the distant future, the tantalising promise of Avatar 2 and 3. Even with these tentpoles, it's undeniable that 3-D will never be the draw card it once was. Once the saving grace of cinema, the philosophy of making more money off less viewers has just led to less viewers overall.

How do you think 3D movies impact on the film industry? Creative genius or tacky money maker?

Gadget Girl  -  Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson 
 News.com.au

Have you received an email about Australia’s internet filter lately?

Seen a brief note from your internet service provider?

No? Neither have I.

Yet, like the majority of Australian internet users, my access to the internet is being filtered. A list of hundreds of websites is being blocked from view.

‘Which websites?’ you ask. It’s hard to say. They’re on a secret list.

‘Why didn’t the Government tell me?’ you ask. The Government isn’t overseeing this operation.

In fact, the Australian Government has no control over this filter at all. It’s something a select group of internet providers have taken on all by themselves.

Are you concerned yet? You have a right to be.

As suspected, Australia’s internet filter crept on to the worldwide web very quietly.

This filter, you see, was not the much-publicised version devised by Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy. It would have seen every website lumped into the ‘Refused Classification’ basket banned from view. There were more than a few Australians concerned about what that filter might ban, including political debates on topics such as euthanasia and abortion.

The RC filter still on the Labor policy table, though we’ll have to wait for the results of a Classification review before it rears up again. That is due next year.

The filter we now have (surprise!) was instead devised as a stop-gap while we wait for our full-blown filter. It is just as secretive, however.

Optus has confirmed it plans to start censoring the web this month, though it won’t say when. Telstra flicked the filtering switch on July 1, as did CyberOne.

So what exactly are they filtering? At this stage, the voluntary filter is designed to block child abuse material. According to the Communications Minister’s department, that includes the ACMA list of about 500 websites plus Interpol’s list of sites. We don’t know how long this list of websites is. No one will say.

So why should you be concerned? No one here is in favour of child abuse, after all. Here’s a list to get you startled.

1. Subscribers have not been told.
I expected to know when Australia got its first internet filter. I also expected to be notified when my long-time internet provider installed one. Telstra has told me nothing about it. Millions of others are in the same boat. If it’s for our own good, why aren’t we being told about it?

2. We don’t know what is on this list.
It’s all very well for the IIA to come out in support of this voluntary, commercial filtering, but even they won’t say what exactly is being filtered. Can we have content descriptions at least? Will there be a repeat of the incident in which Wikipedia was blocked in the UK due to an album cover the Internet Watch Foundation didn’t like? Nobody knows.

3. No appeals process.
Discover your website is being blocked unfairly? Perhaps you have a saucy album cover on your website? There is no way to appeal this ban. You could perhaps lobby the IIA or individual service providers, but there is no pre-constructed method to get your site off this list.

4. Companies are in charge.
This internet filter affects millions of Australian internet users yet it’s being governed by companies. Forget child abuse. Why not block customers whinging about Aussie telcos? Why doesn’t Vodafone block Vodafail? It’s possible now.

5. Paving the way for a bigger filter.
Much more serious is the threat that this system could be expanded to become Conroy’s planned internet filter. If no laws are required to set up this system, what is preventing its expansion to all Refused Classification sites? What is to prevent the banned website list getting longer? Based on this current experience, we would never know just how long the list was and wouldn’t discover a website was banned until we tried to visit it. This filter could become downright insidious without notice.

There is hope, however. Quite a few Australian internet providers do not see it as their job to block websites. These include iiNet, Internode, Exetel and TPG. Those looking for a way to protest this quiet filter can opt for any of these services.

We shouldn’t have to change service providers to make a political point though. This filter is not something Australians were allowed to vote upon and it’s not something about which we’ve been adequately informed. The Government won’t say anything about it as they’re not in charge of it and the ISPs are not even telling their customers.

If a site is illegal, take it down. If more law enforcement is needed online, fund it. Installing a voluntary, commercially introduced ban on a list of unknown websites? Dodgy.

What are your thoughts on internet filters? As a creative industry professional how do they affect your work?

Kevin Rose, Founder of Digg

Wow, this email is from a friend of mine that works for Apple in Japan... makes me happy Apple went the extra mile here, check out his story below:
---
Dear Alex L, David, & Kevin,

Hi this is XXXXX in Japan. As you all must have heard, the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history hit us on Friday, 2:30pm Japan Time. As Alex often says on TWiM, stories on the ground are often quite different from the stories in the news, and there is a tech story that I'd really like to tell: the story of Apple Inc in Japan.

Full disclosure: I work at Apple at one of its stores in Japan. The earthquake hit while I was working on the first floor of one of their stores. As the entire building swayed, the staff calmly led people from the top 5 floors down to the first floor, and under the ridiculously strong wooden tables that hold up the display computers.

7 hours and 118 aftershocks later, the store was still open. Why? Because with the phone and train lines down, taxis stopped, and millions of people stuck in the Tokyo shopping district scared, with no access to television, hundreds of people were swarming into Apple stores to watch the news on USTREAM and contact their families via Twitter, Facebook, and email. The young did it on their mobile devices, while the old clustered around the macs. There were even some Android users there. (There are almost no free wifi spots in Japan besides Apple stores, so even Android users often come to the stores.)

You know how in disaster movies, people on the street gather around electronic shops that have TVs in the display windows so they can stay informed with what is going on? In this digital age, that's what the Tokyo Apple stores became. Staff brought out surge protectors and extension cords with 10s of iOS device adapters so people could charge their phones & pads and contact their loved ones. Even after we finally had to close 10pm, crowds of people huddled in front of our stores to use the wifi into the night, as it was still the only way to get access to the outside world.

Anyway, I mention this not because I work at Apple now, or because I'm an admitted fanboy, but because I'm genuinely proud of the Apple Japan staff and their willingness to stay open to help people that day. And I'm also impressed with the way Apple's products (and yes, Google's, Twitter's, and Facebook's) helped them that day. Even after we had to close, many of the staff stayed outside the store to fixing iphones and teaching people how to contact family or stay informed via wifi.

TWiM, TWiT and Rev3 have talked about the power of tech & the cloud during the recent global events, so I wanted to let you know of one more example during the Great Tohoku Earthquake in Japan.

Sincerely,

XXXXX
Great Tohoku Earthquake Survivor 2011

----- UPDATE: -----

As of the writing of this, another nuclear plant just had an explosion so I will keep the 2nd half of the story as brief as possible as I may need to evacuate soon (weak smile).

A quick list of kind things Apple did after we closed:

1. Because the trains and phones were down, almost everyone who worked in Tokyo was stranded deep in the city. All the hotels were booked, the roads were jammed, so hundreds of people were instantly homeless. Apple told all of their staff - Retail AND Corporate - that they could go sleep at the Apple stores. The Senior managers at the stores had been notified earlier and unbeknownst to us, had gone out to stock up on food and drinks after the very first quake hit.

This was a godsend because by 11pm (118 aftershocks later) all food and drinks were sold out at every store within walking distance. And when I say walking distance, I mean 3-4 hours of walking distance. (Tokyo is a big city.)

Letting not just Retail but corporate staff sleep at the Apple stores was genius because:

1a. The corporate offices are in skyscrapers with over 50 flights of stairs. With all elevators in Japan shutdown, this was a nightmare.

1b. The Retail stores were the only areas where WE controlled the buildings, from top to bottom, so we could monitor, fix, and maintain the back-up power, networks, and heating ourselves.

1c. Ubiquitous wifi and Facetime devices gave us a lifeline to our families and the rest of the world. Facetime turned out to be MUCH more stable than Skype (And I'm a Skype fanboy!)

1d. With theater rooms and breakrooms designed for 150+ people, the Apple stores were the most comfortable places to be and to sleep. Much more comfortable than sleeping on the street on a cold March night.

2. Once staff let their families know that they were not only safe but how comfortable we were (break room refridgerators stocked with food and drink, etc), family members began asking if they could stay at the Apple stores as well. Of course Apple said yes. One business team member's stranded mother walked 3.5 hours to be with her daughter at the store. When she arrived, the Apple store staff gave her a standing ovation ("Warm Welcome") like they do for customers during a new launch.

3. The head of Apple International HR and of Japan Retail happened to be in Japan that week. Both came and spent the night with us in the stores and told everyone that if anyone wanted to try their luck getting home on their own, Apple would pay for any food, drink, or transportation fees that that person incurred on the way. "Your safety is most important."

If, on their way home the staff member realized they couldn't make it, but they found an open hotel, Apple would pay for it. Since many people lived 2-3 hours away, this ended up meaning 11 hour walks home, $300 taxi fares, and $800 hotel rooms (only the luxury hotels had vacancies). Executives from Cupertino and London Facetimed with us, letting us know not to worry, they supported us, and that they would write off on it all.

4. We continued to open our doors to stranded people on the street fixing iphones, selling battery packs, or simply teaching people how to get streaming news on their smart-phones until 3am in the morning. ;)

And lastly, as I write this now 3 days later, even though the Japanese government says everything is fine, nuclear plants continue to explode. And we still haven't even gotten the 7pt aftershock that is predicted to come this week, nor the nuclear/acid rain that is predicted to fall within the next 3 days. I hate to say this, but things may only get worse before they get better.

I've been calling my girlfriend at work, asking her to come home, but because the Tokyo government hasn't said anything, her company won't let her leave. On the other hand, my manager at Apple called me to let me know that Apple will support any decision I make regarding leaving the country or the area, and that a job will still be waiting for me if I decide to come back.

That is why I am a fanboy. Ack! Sorry, that wasn't brief at all!

Thanks for reading!

The latest development in robots is the focus of the Shanghai International Conference on Robotics and Automation, see the clip below to view the latest robots being created.  

What do you think? Can robots of this kind help?

Jeremy Scott, Creative Director Viral Orchid contributor to Reel SEO

Have you been wanting to jump into the online video marketplace but lack some of the necessary equipment? Do you have a great script but no camera? Well, then this is your lucky day. YouTube has just announced YouTube Create, a platform where you can use one of three animation movie-making software tools—Xtranormal, Stupeflix, or GoAnimate—all from right within the YouTube website.

You might remember when YouTube profiled several of these animation programs back in December, or when Xtranormal announced a new pricing structure just a couple weeks later. Never fear, though, all three of the systems are free to use in this new form… to a point, at least.

The whole thing is very simple and bare bones right now; when you head to YouTube.com/create, this is what you’ll see:



All three systems are different in their own way, so the experience changes from here depending on which one you choose. For the sake of experimentation, I chose GoAnimate–mostly because it is the one I’m least familiar with. I’m sorry that I didn’t have time to test drive all three.

Once you authorize the program (it wants to connect to your email for some reason), you can choose one of several genres—though, at this point, only two are available, with more coming soon.

It looks like this:

I chose Comedy World, mostly because I have no idea what I’m doing and I just needed to click on something.

From there you’re asked to choose a background, and let me just tell you… there are tons of them. And the first time you walk through, you’re going to get a fantastic tutorial that guides you and teaches you the GoAnimate system.

As great as the tutorial is, you’ll barely need it. GoAnimate is pretty intuitive. I wanted to make an actual video with GoAnimate, so you could see it in action, rather than just telling you about it like most other journalists & bloggers are doing.

Anyway… the service is moving very slowly right now, mostly because there are so many people checking it out—and because the three animation companies are hosting their own tools rather than having YouTube host them. Hopefully the speed of use will improve.

Also, each of the three movie-making tools has premium options you can upgrade to–with Go Animate, I learned the hard way that you have a 2-minute time limit with the free service. If you want longer videos, you’ll have to upgrade. I can only assume the other two have similar restrictions.

Either way, not having a camera is no longer a good enough excuse for not making video. Granted, these animation studios will probably never fill the needs of serious filmmakers. But for people who are mostly just making videos for friends and quick little amateur clips… they’ll do just fine.

Made your own movie? Share it with us today!

Nigel Collin, from Leading Creatives

Right from prehistoric times, people have always been very social beings.

We like to share stories and experiences, we like being inspired by others, and we like feeling that we’re needed, that we’re not alone.

Creatively, that’s a huge advantage. A while back I asked a range of creative people what they like most about working for an organisation, the biggest response was the community.

Creative people like hanging out with other creative people. It gives us a sense of belonging, being part of something bigger, being part of the team.

Creative people love hanging out with other creative people. It stimulates them, stimulates collaboration, and allows them to bounce ideas around.

Being with like-minded people is incredibly stimulating and engaging. Conversations spark interest and open all sorts of doorways to new arenas of thought and interest. And it also makes good creative sense.

Working with a team allows creative people to get different perspectives on things. We each see the world differently, so hanging out with other people triggers fresh insights.

It allows creative people to play to their strengths and tap into the strengths of others. It allows them to learn from each other and so grow their own skills.

So whatever you do, make sure your creative people get to network and hang out with others. Work out ways to help your creatives build networks, blow off creative steam, and develop sounding boards and avenues of inspiration.

But here’s the caveat. Collaboration isn’t just about hanging out in your own business: creatives also need to hang out with creative people from other businesses and other industries.

Tapping into the creative wisdom and talents of others is a major creative tool – but collaboration often gets restricted to the creative team or project team.

Businesses are great at getting the people together within teams to bang out solutions, but the collaborative action stops there.

It’s one thing to collaborate within a creative team and another altogether to collaborate with people outside the team, even outside the company and the industry. That’s when you start getting really interesting input and ideas.

They also need to hang out with people whose main focus isn’t creativity. That gives them a larger view of the world, new perspectives, and helps them get into the heads of other people from other worlds.

This isn’t just good for business; it’s good for the soul. Sometimes you just need to play: empty your head and have an outlet other then work.

Don’t leave that for people to do for themselves. It should be on the blueprint of building your creative human capital. Make sure you create opportunities for these things to happen.

Break down the us-and-them mentality between creatives and everybody else.

Find ways to collaborate, not just inside but outside the camp. Nurture a culture of collaboration. That doesn’t just happen – it takes effort and planning. In return, their collective creativity takes a huge leap forward and they learn new skills.

Image: Unleash your creativity at networking events. Source: The Australian Womens Networking Blog.

Nigel is a champion for creativity and a strong believer in increasing your creative capital. Capatlise on your creative talents with his FREE webinar, held 25 March. Register here today.

Do you attend creative events? List them here and help other industry professionals get in touch!

Courtney Aspland

Last night I was fortunate enough to be introduced to an amazing little clip which explores the development of mobile phones in 2010. It got me thinking about my growing dependency on my iphone and my need to be connected to everyone and everything at any given time!


As the development of apps, social networking systems and communication channels increase exponentially on a daily basis, I would just like to give you the opportunity to sit back and consider for 2 minutes and 52 seconds how the almighty mobile has changed...the creative minds behind this industry and contemplate what's next for mobiles in 2011. Hope you enjoy this insight as much as I did!




Photo: An oldie but a goodie, my fav app is still Angry Birds - there are still levels I can't crack which I think will elude me for a lifetime.

What apps couldn't you live without? And what's on your wishlist for 2011?