Many people have often repeated Bod Dylan's song title from the 60"s "The times they are a changin" and I for one have used it over and over. After reading the article below from Knowledge@Wharton it reflects on just how long we take to realize that something isn't just quite right.
In today's world what we know today from what we learned yesterday will not be that valuable tomorrow. We don't need Moore's Law to tell us that. Look at what you did today and think "will my customer tomorrow want something different?" Are you doing what you do because it is what you know? Do you need to see what you do from the user's perspective? Is your product's value dying off?
Could that be what is happening to the movies? To the music?
This story that I have linked too has so many really good thoughts. Read it slowly.
When new technologies change the world, some companies are caught off-guard. Others see change coming and are able to adapt in time. And then there are companies like Kodak -- which saw the future and simply couldn't figure out what to do.
Or subtitled; If you don't learn now others will be teaching you!
The following article that I have linked to from GMSA references revenue for mobile systems operators. That's really nice, however I think a bigger point here should be aimed at those who have said "this technology is fine but I don't really need to know."
My friends, and you are my friends if you are reading this on Facebook, maybe you need to find out more about what that phone or iPad can do besides, calling, Facebook or text messaging.
The statistic reflected in this writing, there are 9 billion devices connected today, is amazing, but 24 billion in 9 years? 9 years! WOW!
More from the article.
“We are entering the next phase in the development of the mobile industry, one where we will see mobile connect everything in our lives,” said Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer, GSMA. “In this new Connected Life, mobile will transform society and will have a profound effect on the way we interact not only with each other, but also with our surroundings. However, capitalising on this enormous opportunity requires collaboration across the entire ecosystem to demonstrate how mobile technology in everything from tablet PCs to new healthcare devices can enhance people’s personal and business lives.”
*The emphasis is mine.
The following statistical references are from Seth Godin's book, "Unleashing the Ideavirus" (which is also very good reading).
"It took 40 years for radio to have ten million users. By then, an industry had grown that could profit from the mass audience. It took 15 years for TV to have ten million users. It only took 3 years for Netscape to get to 10 million, and it took Hotmail and Napster less than a year."
And you all know how old Hotmail or Napster are. Just in case you had not thought about it; Hotmail founded in 1996 and purchased by Microsoft in 1997, Napster in 1999.
How about Facebook (launched in 2004) at 800 million and Google+ (launched June 28,2011 as invitation only) where this week I heard over 40 mllion users. Let's see 4 months.
Not only are the devices and their abilities as well as connection tools coming at us fast, the acceptance rate of these devices, tools, and their abilities is growing even faster.
You have 10 minutes, read the article and 'think' about it. Next figure out all that you can do with that phone or tablet.
The research shows that the number of total connected devices1 is expected to increase from approximately 9 billion today to more than 24 billion in 2020, and within that, mobile connected devices2 will grow 100 per cent from more than 6 billion today to 12 billion in 2020.
As an afterthought; I needed a new app to help with my prescription medicine but before I asked to have help writing it I thought I would do some research on the market. I found everything I need and more. Amazing! And in only 5 minutes.
It's truly an fantastic world out there and fun learning about it.
I had an app, Tricorder was it's name. It was a neat app. It was a fun app. It was a good app.
It was killed by the bad guys at CBS. Now the only thing I will think of when I think of CBS is that instead of working around this issue and finding a common ground the lunkheads squashed it. That is what dinosaurs did and look what happened to them.
Worse the people issuing the DMCA most likely do not even know what the app is.
You know what? Maybe it was a dinosaur at CBS that thought this up. Someone with no sense of fun. Someone who doesn't understand. Someone who can't see the connection to a great time in our lives. And worse, someone who does not understand today. Someone right up there with our politicians in Washington.
Or was it someone who can only see dollar signs. Perhaps CBS and it's lawyers see big bucks down the line for the name Tricorder (from Star Trek fame). From CNET News back in June: Ultrawideband gets humans one step closer to "tricorder".
So in May, the X Prize Foundation announced that, alongside Qualcomm, it would award a $10 million Tricorder X Prize to the person who develops a mobile device that can diagnose a broad range of common health ailments as well as--or better than--a panel of board-certified physicians.
Of course preceding the above was this quote from another CNET news article.
Tricorder for Android uses your phone's real sensors to detect magnetic fields, and gravity. Detect buried powerful magnets. See the passing gravity wave from a distant collapsar on your phone screen. Tricorder for Android is a Trekkie geek toy that turns your Android phone into a Tricorder.
Bad news for CBS is that I have had this Tricorder app for over a year and then suddenly CBS is aware and issues a DMCA.
Is it possible that the word tricorder is too common to issue a DMCA? However as the writer at Moonblink says, "Since I don't have legal weasels of my own, or the time to deal with this, that's it for Tricorder." I would also suggest not the money.
Let me think. Hmmmm, I believe that CBS owns CNET News. So maybe we should thank the people at CNET for this DMCA shakedown.
Below is the notice from Moonblink, the developer of the now deceased Tricorder app for Android. You can follow the link and read the complete DMCA.
Sorry Tricorder fans, Tricorder has been deleted from the Android Market by Google, at the demand of CBS's legal weasels. This all happened without any discussion or warning -- I was simply notified after the fact.
