Fascinating post on YouTube by a regular consumer putting to the test Apple’s claims about the speed of the iPhone 3G .

What’s interesting to me is not just the content of the video - which is revealing in its own way - but the way that consumers are increasingly challenging and distrusting advertising.

And how easily they can spread the message.

Even the comments on the YouTube page are mostly in favour of Apple, but based on the fact that, ‘It’s advertising, dude, of course it’s fake.’

Tive already pointed out (link), brands have not exactly fallen over themselves to launch iPhone apps.

I intended this to be a review of the top five, but by the time you discount media owners like the New York Times and online brands like Facebook and Google, there are only five branded apps, one of which is terrible (find out which below). read full post »

Nintendo Flagging Big Announcement Today

Nintendo are gearing up to some big announcements later today, setting up a special E3 website to cover their hot news.

The revelations are likely to be centred on their new Wii motion plus controller, a dongle that attaches to the bottom of your wii-mote to provide extra 3D information to the console. We will keep Knitware readers up to date with developments as they happen. read full post »

Jason Gonsalves, Head of Engagement at BBH talks about the changing communications landscape, how it’s affecting consumers and what the response should be from brands.

Artist Erik Nordenankar has drawn a huge self-portrait using the power of Global Positioning Satellites. He put a GPS tracker into a flightcase with an extended battery and got DHL to ship it to specific locations.

When he got it home, 55 days later, he downloaded the data of where it had been and plotted it on a map to ‘draw’ the portrait.

Great advert for DHL who did the transportation to very specific lattitudes and longitudes…

for video … read full post »

Blow me down with a feather, if I didn’t get a call from Orange, my mobile provider yesterday.

I was surprised because usually when I need to get hold of them it’s a nightmare.

When you call them you have to navigate up to five layers of computerised options, none of which ever seem to offer the alternative you are looking for and all of which are constructed to try and lead you to a pre-recorded message rather than a real life operator. read full post »

With iPhones widely out of stock and rumours about the imminent release of the 3G iPhone burning wild, Apple have just thrown some more petrol on the flames.

 An Apple press statement, released today states:

A team of Apple executives, led by CEO Steve Jobs, will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 9, 2008 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. This year’s WWDC will showcase two revolutionary development platforms, the ground-breaking innovations of OS X Leopard® and OS X iPhone™, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system.

 Could it be any clearer? Get your wallets out…

Anyone else noticed many Knitware headlines have been very negative lately:

• Torrential Debate: Hollywood kills the video star
• Press Red to Exit
• Death of the Digital Job
• Game Over for the Music Industry

Come on everyone, spring’s here, let’s bask in the joys of new technology.

How about:

• Torrential Debate: Hollywood learn from the music biz 
• Liberation! No need to Press Red anymore
• Digital Jobs Become The New Normal
• Games Now Bigger Than The Music Industry

 Or am I just feeling this way because the sun is finally out?

 Interesting piece in Steve Rubel’s Micro-Persuasion blog. He says there’s no point in graduates getting specifically internet-related careers since all in the future, all professional jobs will involve an understanding of digital channels anyway.

He mentions in particular roles like social Media Consultants, Social Media Manager, Online Advertising Sales and Digital Talent Agents, saying ”the need for such specialists will soon fade”

I agree and would ad, in an advertising context, I would add jobs such as “Digital Creative Director”, “Digital Planner”, “Digital Project Manager”. I don’t give them more than 5 years…

New Scientist write about a neckband that translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals in the neck

 It was demoed at a Texas Instruments conference. There’s still a bit of a delay between the thought and the speech, but it’s still pretty impressive.

Watch it here.