During this weekend’s Super Bowl, Google created a lot of buzz around their ad displaying the power of search.  It was the first time the Internet search giant entered the multi-million dollar Super Bowl advertising fray.  It seems to have paid off, too.  A Google News search, no less, returns multiple hits which feature the ad as one of the top attention grabbers (next to the “Dont touch my mom, don’t touch my Doritos” ad).  Then today, Google created more buzz by launching, the “Google Buzz” – a Gmail-integrated social networking tool.  After the likes of MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, Google is making a late entry into the game.  According to report, Buzz will integrate with feeds such as Flickr , Twitter, etc. and pull all information into a centralized location (albeit, a folder in your Gmail inbox).  The new feature hasn’t been pushed to my Gmail yet, so it’s too early to comment much further.  Although, few of my contacts actively use a Gmail address, so I’m uncertain how widely this new feature will be used.

Earlier, I wrote about Apple’s next, highly-anticipated product reveal.  Like many others uninvited to the press event, I monitored the blogosphere as the announcement was made.  As expected, the press event introduced a tablet device coined the iPad.  Let’s get the jokes out of the way.  Yes, it does remind us of a feminine hygiene product, and, yes, MadTV once spoofedan “iPad” in this regard long before the debut.  Did Apple know about this?  Sure they did!  Were there women involved in the decision?  Who cares?  Wait, I do care if women were involved (and likely were), but that’s not important.  Apple introduced the iPad; and so it shall be named.  Free publicity, humorous or otherwise, creates a buzz and interest.

Now that the world knows of the next best thing since sliced bread, we can provide honest critiques (months before the iPad even hits store shelves).  Disclaimer: Before I continue, it should be noted that I own both a Palm Pre, whose creation was aided by some of the original iPhone developers, and an iPod Touch. I enjoy each of these devices equally. Let’s start with the hardware.  At 7.47″ x 9.56″, it’s about a 1.5 inches smaller than a standard sheet of paper.  Definitely a comfortable size to hold, no doubt.  It’s also reported to be .5″ thick and weigh 1.5lbs.  Not bad at all.  There’s even a optional docking station and keyboard to make activities such as word processing easier to accomplish.

Speaking of word processing software, how does the iPad software stack up?  IMHO, I feel this is where Apple dropped the ball.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, Apple went forth and adapted the iPod Touch/Phone operating system.  Certainly, in terms of usability, this move makes sense.  Millions of people are familiar with the iPod Touch/Phone interface.  Swipe to unlock the device, double-tap to bring content areas into focus, pinch to zoom, rotate to change the direction of the screen image, and so on.  Simplicity that works.  However, the operating system lacks the ability display Adobe Flash-created web sites (at the time of this writing, so does the Palm Pre, although Adobe has announced an upcoming WebOS-supported release) and prevents running multiple applications in parallel.  This, I feel is the greatest downfall for a tablet device.  Devices intended for expanded use, like word processing, should be able to keep open more than one application at a time.  When I’m writing, I find it useful to keep my resources easily accessible by opening separate windows/tabs.  This is possible with the Palm Pre/WebOS and has yet to be adopted by Apple.  Until such time, I’ll gladly accept a free iPad (hey, I’m an admitted tech-geek) but won’t shell over ~$500 out of my pocket anytime soon.

Last week, I ventured downtown to the North American International Auto Show (aka the Detroit Auto Show).  This annual event is held in Cobo, Detroit’s convention center, which sits next to Joe Loius Arena, the home of the Red Wings.  That detail isn’t important in relationship to this post, but GO WINGS!  For this excursion, I was joined by the nephew of my parents’ neighbor, a 20-something native of Brussels, Belgium.  It was his first time to the auto show, my Xth (where X equals the number of times the news has mentioned the potential a Red Wings move out of the city).  OK, enough Red Wings.  This post is about the technology behind the auto show.

Years ago, when my parents would take my siblings and I to the auto show, the draw was the car themselves.  Sure, for us, the attraction was the promotional material which we’d collect by the bagful and take home to later make a collage that may or may not be ticky-tacked to our bedroom walls.  For our parents, though, it was an opportunity to schmooze with the dealers, sit in an multitude of news cars on display, and maybe move closer to making a decision on a new car purchase.  Today, while the main attraction remains the cars, it is almost outweighed by the technology.  The vast exhibition hall is transformed by a technicolor array of LED video walls, flat-screen TV’s, and various interactive displays.  It’s a sensory overload, and also an overload of an overly-aged electrical system.  The technology overflow is the reported likely cause of a small electrical fire near the Audi display.

Apart from the electronic displays, each manufacturer displayed their latest electric vehicle in a bid to win consumer interest.  Two very unusual displays definitely impressed both of us.  The first was CT&T, a South Korean car manufacturer.  They build vehicles with a maximum speed of 35mph, intended for local, city use by public services such as police and fire.  They also produce toy-like (think Micro Machines) golf carts, food service vans, ice cream trucks, and an amphibious vehicle!  Apparently, the first widespread use of these vehicles was during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.  I’m doubtful we’ll see many of these vehicles in US cities anytime soon.

The other display was a small manufacture, Commuter Cars (website, blog), an entrant in the Progressive Automotive XPrize.  To illustrate the size of this manufacture (and its car), the booth was manned by the inventor/engineer himself!  Further, his son was in the Cobo basement in the ‘Electric Avenue’ providing free rides in one of his cars!  The web site speaks to the car’s ingenuity, most impressive of which is its size.  It’s a two-seater which can park between most of today’s cars.  This is it primary marketing appeal.  Just imagine – it’s the middle of extremely harsh winter, you drive into work and find the parking lot completely full.  The closest spot is at the farthest end of the lot.  No so if you drive a Tango!

My eyes still can’t believe what the future holds in the world of automotive technology.  Can’t wait for next year’s show!

Advisory: When I first set out to establish this blog, it was started with the intent to be mostly technology related.  The following post veers from this standard and may be par for the course as this blog develops over time.

So, when did “vet” (v.) become part of the English lexicon?  In recent weeks, I find myself and others using this term far more frequently in place of more common vocabulary like “discuss” or “examine.”  According to dictionary.com, apart from being an occupation related to the medical treatment of animals (n.), “to vet” is defined as “to appraise, verify, or check for accuracy, authenticity, validity, etc.”  Surprisingly, a similar variation of this definition was added to the Miriam Webster Dictionary in 1891 (the Oxford English Dictionary information is not readily available).  I would have thought it was more recent; and, then again, I make no claims to be an expert linguist.

Surely, we can understand the evolution of this term.  A veterinarian, like a doctor, is responsible for the well-being of an animal and must perform an accurate examination prior to recommending corrective or preventative measures.  An extension of this would be a vetting process, though we never hear of a veterinarian performing the action of “vetting” an animal.  Instead, today we are more likely to hear this phrase in connection with politics:

• Had Senator John McCain vetted Sarah Palin more rigorously, he may have chosen another candidate.
• President Obama’s administration required all employee candidates to go through a vetting process before final consideration.

The corporate world has now adopted the term.  Ideas that are floated about may require further assessment prior to making a final decision.  Rather than say “we need to examine this further” it is more often stated as “we need to vet this further.”  I invite you to vet this blog further and provide feedback as it, too, continues to evolve.

Before CES started, Apple was already grabbing headlines with the rumored release of a new tablet device.  Speculation is that a scheduled press conference for January 27 will showcase the iPad/iTablet/iSlate/i-something-or-other.  The big reveal is believed to be a handheld computer with the processing power of a mid-range desktop.  Pretty cool if you’re a techie or someone on the Apple-bandwagon.  It got me thinking, though, does anyone remember the original tablet computing device from Apple – the Newton platform or MessagePad?  These were early entries into the world of mobile computing or personal digital assistants (PDA).  My first memory of seeing this futuristic device is in the 5th grade.  My friend, Nathan, had been given a MessagePad as a holiday/birthday gift and he brought it to school for show-and-tell.  Our eyes opened with amazement as he used some sort of pointer device to scribble words on the screen and have them be recognized as readable text.  Being his friend, I had an opportunity to hold the device and, of course, play a few games of BrickBreaker or Pong (my memory is not that clear).  We all knew this “cool toy” was well ahead of its time.

As the TechoBuffalo blog recalls: in the early 90′s, “…people were clamoring for electronic calendars and addresses books, but Apple delivered so much more than just a standard PDA…It gave consumers advanced handwriting recognition,  mobile FAX compatibility, peripheral expansion ports, audio recording, and a genuinely advanced OS…”  The Newton platform and related devices remained in production for nearly a decade.  By then, cell phones had started to become more prevalent and new companies like Palm (then a division of US Robotics) introduced lighter, cheaper, smaller, and faster solutions for mobile computing.  Then came an influx of new technology including lightweight laptops, powerful PC’s, PDA-based phones, mp3 players, the iPod, and eventually the iPhone.

Now, as Apple prepares to introduce the newest addition to its product line, we can certainly expect to be in awe.  But, we should also begin questioning “What’s next?”  Advances in technology have a short shelf life if not refined and kept current with our more agressively changing expectations.  While Apple has proven itself in recent years to be in tune with market interests, someone is certain to come up with the ‘next best thing’ before too long.

Within the last week, I’ve participated in the two online fund-raising campaigns for very respected national and local organizations.  Both campaigns actively used the Internet to spread their message and seek support through creative and very effective means.

Last week, the world learned of a 7.0 earthquake striking just off the coast of the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince.  When crisis strikes anywhere in the world, many immediately turn their attention to the International Red Cross organization.  The American Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org) was no exception.  Rising to the cause, they reached out to millions of Americans by accepting $10 donations through text message.  Word spread quickly through all social network sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and even led to the first Presidential Tweet.  Sure, we can get into the technicalities of how and when the money raised will actually reach Haiti, what cut each phone carrier will take from the bottom line, how many of the donations may go unpaid, and so on.  It’s not important for this discussion.  To date, the Red Cross has raised more than $20 millions dollars through very simple and accessible means.  Well done!

In another arena, Chase Community Foundation was looking to award $1 million.  Instead of the normal application process, followed by a review by some appointed board of authorities, Chase took a different direction.  Recognizing the power of social networks, Chase partnered with Facebook to create a page where ‘fans’ could vote for the charity they viewed as most deserving.  After Round One, 100 charities each received a $25,000 grant (see the press release).  These charities are now in Round Two to win the $1 million top prize.  The Friendship Circle (http://www.friendshipcircle.org) of West Bloomfield, MI in on the list of 100 and currently in the Top 5.  The organization provides “…assistance and support to the families of children with special needs.”  It’s an organization which has grown quickly and needs every dollar of support it can acquire.  To support their campaign, they’ve turned to technology and creative advertising.  First, they setup a web site specifically for the current campaign at VoteFC.com.  Then to support the campaign, they took a page from the viral video craze (think flash mobs dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller in the middle of a European train station) and created their own.  The video (see here) was shot at a recent Detroit Pistons game.  As with the other viral videos, they created a scene, surprised the public, and got their message across. The video, web site, and a campaign to change Facebook profile photos to the VoteFC.com graphic are quickly sweeping across social networking circles.  Absolutely amazing!

Sound the trumpets!  Bring out the band!  For the first time since college (where I was an early adopter of the then, newly established and non-Google owned, Blogger) I return to the world of blogging.  In the interim years, I’ve dabbled in the micro-blogging craze Twitter where expressing yourself is limited to 140 characters, including hyperlinks.  So I ask you, am I behind or ahead of the curve?

While I remain dedicated to tweeting, I intend to use this space to provide extended commentary on the ever-evolving age of technology, how it can be used to benefit (or hinder) aspects of life, and other random thoughts as the mood dictates.

My hope is those who visit find these remarks enlightening, educational, entertaining or even just boring drabble.  The fact is – you’ve visited – thus, something has drawn your attention here and, well, I’m flattered.

Until next time!