Derek E. Baird :: Barking Robot

I Want My (Social) MTV: 'WatchWith' Social TV App Connects Friends, Cast & Social Networks

Sick of watching "Jersey Shore" by yourself? Tired of your boo snoring their way through your hilarious "Real World" commentary? Download MTV's new iPhone and iPad app WatchWith now — your new Social TV watching partner.

Check it out:

• WatchWith acts as a DVR for social commentary, recording the best, most relevant comments and delivering them real-time — your Facebook and Twitter friends and followers obviously get top billing.

• WatchWith serves up cast commentary, too. (You know you want Snooki's take on the latest Meatball drama.)

• The app is so smart it knows your timezone, dishing out exclusive content to the timeline of your show.

• Let's say you watch an episode on demand and miss out on the live conversation. Don't worry, WatchWith can sync the episode with the comments.

• Oh you want more? It's got hilarious trivia, bonus clips, the newest pics, blog posts and more.

Did I mention it's free? Download it now on iTunes »

Trend Watch: Twitter, Facebook and Social TV

Twitter Embraces Its Social Role in TV: Like so many other things that the Twitter community has established on its own (hashtags and retweets, for example), the company is now fully embracing the role it plays in supplementing the TV-watching experience of millions of people. [RRW]

Social Media and TV - Who's Talking, When and What About? : Social media continues to influence how consumers interact with brands and share content every day. Increasingly, TV viewers leverage social media as a platform to talk about and engage with TV content.

These conversations are not only opening new channels for consumer engagement with their favorite TV shows and fellow fans alike, but also are providing insight into which viewers are driving the conversations and when. [Nielson Wire]

Yahoo's IntoNow Provides Signs of Life for The Premier Digital Media Company: Yahoo! is known for acquiring startups and letting them languish. But IntoNow cranked out a whole new product--and a possible game-changer for the TV industry--in six months. Is this the beginning of something new? [Fast Company] Get the free IntoNow App on iTunes

MTV Exec: Social is a New Programming Platform: Many people are talking about how TV networks can leverage the power of social networks to help build their show audiences. But they may be missing the point. According to Dermot McCormack, EVP of Digital Media for MTV, social networks aren’t just for announcing when the next episode of Jersey Shore airs, but a whole new platform for media creation and distribution. [GigOM]

TV Isn't What it Used to Be: According to a recent Ypulse report, only 28% of students say they can’t live without TV (referring to traditional viewing), compared to 83% who can’t imagine life without music. Some students even prefer streaming video to traditional TV viewing; after all, it gives them what they want when they want it. What’s a TV company to do? [MediaPost]

In the U.S., Tablets are TV Buddies: The Nielsen Company​’s most recent research on mobile connected devices sheds new light on how consumers are using their tablets, eReaders and smartphones – and where they are using them, too. [Nielson Wire]

Multask Mania | Viewers Watch TV, Discuss on Social Sites: Almost 40% of TV viewers are discussing TV shows on social media sites, with almost three-quarters of TV viewers with broadband access, generally using the Internet at same time, per U.K.-based Ovum, a business/technology research firm. [MediaPost]

What's the Future of Social TV Look Like?: Real-time entertainment is what people are looking for–we always want something fresh to keep us up to date.  But with this demand for real-time entertainment, how has it affected traditional TV? [Silicon Angle]

The Future of TV, From Apple to ZeeBox: “The future of TV” has become a buzzword over the last few years – but what if it was time to stop talking about it and acknowledge that the future has already arrived? [TNW]

Barking Robot > Category > Social TV

Trend Watch: To This Baby, a Magazine is a Broken iPad [VIDEO]

There has been a lot of debate about the existence of digital natives. Yes, it's a somewhat cringe worthy term, but there's no doubt that technology has an incredible impact on children. Take for example this video of a baby using an iPad. It's pretty amazing.

"Submitted for your approval, a child introduced to the iPad at a young age, exposed to its various delights of  light and sound, unable to comprehend a magazine. The video shows that this 1-year-old baby, after being introduced to an iPad, has become trained by its (admittedly elegant) user interface to repeatedly try and use a glossy magazine the same way.

Needless to say, it doesn’t work.

Of course, on one level this is cute, but on another, it could speak to the incredibly powerful way the technological innovations of the past 15 years or so will affect the next generation of human beings.

We have generally thought of technology as being something hard to grasp and hard to teach, but this video seems to illustrate that that has fundamentally changed. Forever." (via)

 

Related: Why the “A Magazine Is an iPad That Does Not Work” Video Is Ridiculous (wired.com)

Trend Watch: When Television Meets Tablet Computers [VIDEO]

What will happen when television meets tablet computers?

SuomiTV and Nordkapp have explored the future of television and created a concept to illustrate the direction where we expect TV watching to evolve in the near future.

Pretty cool stuff.

 

(Sorta) Related: Facebook Now Outranks Television in the UK [Infographic]

FBI Child ID: A Free App to Locate Missing Children

There are apps to keep your finances in order, and apps to keep your data safe. Now the FBI is offering a free app that could help authorities locate your children if they go missing.

The free iPhone application is called FBI Child ID and can be found at the iTunes store.

People who download it will be able to store identifying information about their children, such as photos, scanned fingerprints, height, weight and physical identifiers, in one file that is readily accessible on an iPhone.

The app is available only for the iPhone, but the FBI says it plans to make it available for other mobile devices in the near future.

The information is not being collected or stored by law enforcement authorities or iTunes, and is accessible only on the mobile device, where it is saved until it is emailed in the event of an emergency.

 

 

 

 

Oscar 'All Access Pass' Gives Viewers A Rare Peek Behind the Scenes Look at Hollywood's Biggest Night

Here in SoCal, we have five seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall and Award Season. The grand finale of 'Award Season' are the Academy Awards.

This year the ceremony takes place on February 27, 2011 at the Kodak Theatre and will be hosted by Gen Y stars James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

It's been a rough couple years for the annual telecast with ratings taking a bit of a hit---especially among Millennials. However, last year the Academy Awards made a concerted effort to attract youth to the show and it paid off with a 14% boost to Oscar TV ratings among 18-49 year olds.

The 2010 Oscars youth strategy included a more social media experience, the inclusion of teen friendly stars like Miley Cyrus, Zac Effron and Taylor Lautner as presenters, two original Oscars web series (Behind the Dress & The Road to the Oscars), extra video features and live streaming of the Red Carpet arrivals.

 

This year The Academy of Motion Picture Art & Sciences is once again rolling out the red carpet in a bid to attract a more youthful and technically savvy demographic with a new interactive technology that gives online Oscar fans the ultimate insider's view of Hollywood's biggest night.

The new premium feature is called Oscar All Access, and gives fans an insider’s view of the evening from the Red Carpet all the way through the Governor’s Ball.

Members (signing up is $4.99) actually will have the ability to control their own experience using the groundbreaking “360 cam” technology to control multiple cameras along the Red Carpet, at the Awards show, and afterwards at the Governor’s Ball.

 

In addition to Oscar All Access experience, the Academy also has an official Backstage Pass iPhone and iPad App that allow you to have a more interactive social entertainment experience with the Academy Awards show. Hopefully next year they will expand the Backstage Pass to include all types of Android mobile devices.

It's great to see The Academy embracing new media and providing fans with a more interactive experience. Last year was a step in the right direction and hopefully their social TV friendly approach will pay off in big ratings boost among younger and tech savvy demographic groups.

You can also connect with the Oscars on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

P.S. As long as I have your attention, if you haven't already--go see Oscar host James Franco in his Oscar nominated role for the film 127 Hours. The story, the acting, the cinematography are amazing. Go James! Go Danny Boyle!

 

Clementine, a 20 month-old, Discovers the iPad [VIDEO]

Infographic: Books vs. E-Books

View Large | via www.newsweek.com

eBook Resources

• Google eBookstore
• OpenCulture > Free eBooks
• Project Gutenberg > Free eBooks

Learning: Is There An iPad App For That?

A new report by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center takes a look at the mobile media revolution that is changing the lives of adults, and now children of all ages, under way across the globe.

This report focuses on how new forms of digital media are influencing very young children and their families in the United States and how we can deploy smart mobile devices and applications-apps, for short-in particular, to help advance their education.

It does so in three parts: Part One discusses new trends in smart mobile devices, specifically the pass-back effect, which is when an adult passes his or her own device to a child.

Part Two presents the results of three new studies that were undertaken to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of using apps to promote learning among preschool- and early-elementary-aged children. Though designed to complement one another, each study approached mobile learning from a different angle.

Finally, Part Three discusses the implications these findings have for industry, education, and research.

Learning. Is There An App for That?

Download the PDF

Infographic: The U.S. Media Universe

From smartphones to 3D televisions, The Nielsen Company provides a view of the device usage and audiences in the U.S. For more, download Nielsen’s State of the Media – U.S. Audiences and Devices report (pdf).

view large | via blog.nielsen.com

Infographic: How Mobile Phones Are Changing Social Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click image to view large | via www.flowtown.com

Infographic: Meet iPad's Competition

This infographic, created by Section Design for the Japanese publication Courier Japon, is just a wee bit visually confusing, but it does add a very important insight about the way Apple sees innovation.

Looking at the data from the bottom of the infographic, apparently 68% of people plan to use it for Web surfing, while only 28% plan on using it for reading magazines.

That's astounding: You'd think either of those uses would be better served on another specialty device. But, through design and marketing, Apple makes all those products look as if they're somehow lacking. Magic, indeed.

via www.fastcodesign.com| View LARGE

Trend Watch: Vinyl Records Back in Vogue Among Teens

Yes, like cropped tops and high-waisted Levis, vinyl records are making a comeback.

Why, when we have such lightweight, simple technology at the tip of our fingers, are teenagers fascinated by these oversized, nearly obsolete discs?

Perhaps it is the fact that most of us, used to having all our music stored in iPods that fit in the palm of our hands, completely missed out on the tangibility of records.

Even “vintage” music is becoming popular again. Shows such as “Glee,” in which the characters perform songs from every genre and era, are drumming up interest by teenagers in songs from America’s yesterdays

In this digital age kids are growing up in, songs skip around and change with the simple click of a button. Young people never physically see the music playing, and it doesn’t matter, so long as they hear what they want. But, there is a certain wonder to watching a record spin on a turntable and maneuvering the long, fragile needle.

Another possibility, of course, is that today’s teens are in awe of the amazing art displayed on the album covers. Sure, CD cases show interesting pictures, and occasionally album covers are displayed on iTunes, but there seems to be no comparison to looking at a 12-by-12 picture that adds a certain depth to the music.

Read more over on www.buffalonews.com

Mr. President, sign my iPad

At a rally in Seattle on Thursday, Sylvester Cann decided, like many, to ask the president for his signature. Unlike hundreds of other clamoring supporters, Cann asked President Obama to go digital.

He asked him to sign his iPad. Using the Adobe Ideas app, Cann scrawled "Mr. President, sign my iPad" onto his screen.

Obama obliged.

Check out the YouTube video of the electronic signing.

via latimesblogs.latimes.com

ABC Introduces Social TV iPad App for "My Generation"

As more and more people get iPads and other multiplatform devices that allow them to sit on the couch and socialize with friends while watching their favorite TV shows, traditional broadcast media outlets are looking for new and interesting ways to connect viewers to their programming and make it a more social experience.

Earlier today, Disney/ABC Television Group and The Nielsen Company announced the debut of ABC’s first-of-its-kind “My Generation” Sync iPad App that is designed to enhance the experience of watching ABC’s new show, “My Generation.”

Completely free to download and use, this innovative app makes watching “My Generation,” which premieres next Thursday, September 23rd at 8pm ET/PT on ABC an interactive experience.  

The “My Generation” Sync app provides exclusive content and social media functionality on the iPad in real time as viewers watch the show – whether they watch it live or on DVR.

 

Using Nielson’s Media-Sync Platform and audio watermarks, the app automatically synchronizes with the television show and allows viewers to unlock content such as polls, trivia, behind-the-scenes info and more.

As we look to the future of TV, consumers can expect more interactivity, personalization and portability that allow viewers to easily consume TV entertainment on devices other than the glowing box in their living room.

For younger viewers, television is a much more interesting and socially interactive experience when they can watch a show and discuss it in real time online with their friends. So it makes sense that ABC is looking at this trend and created this iPad app to provide younger viewers with a social tv experience.

The app also allows users to interact with other viewers through their various social networks as they watch the show. The app is free and available to download in the App Store on iPad.