From the blog post:

The decision to use the name Windows 7 is about simplicity. Over the years, we have taken different approaches to naming Windows. We’ve used version numbers like Windows 3.11, or dates like Windows 98, or “aspirational” monikers like Windows XP or Windows Vista. And since we do not ship new versions of Windows every year, using a date did not make sense. Likewise, coming up with an all-new “aspirational” name does not do justice to what we are trying to achieve, which is to stay firmly rooted in our aspirations for Windows Vista, while evolving and refining the substantial investments in platform technology in Windows Vista into the next generation of Windows.

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• Windows 7 to be officially named… Windows 7

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What is Next: Windows 7

Chrome on the Google homepage

Yeah, that should help.

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How does Chrome get more market share?

Why is it better than POP3?

When using POP3, clients typically connect to the e-mail server briefly, only as long as it takes to download new messages. When using IMAP4, clients often stay connected as long as the user interface is active and download message content on demand. For users with many or large messages, this IMAP4 usage pattern can result in faster response times.

Now I just wish Gmail had support for IMAP. Routing emails through gmail is great – except when you have an address that does not get a lot of email the gmail system checks less frequently. I know this system of checks works well for spidering SERPS but I think it is a poor practice in use with email. I find myself going into the account settings and demanding a email check quite often. I wish there was a way to tell gmail to “check every 60 seconds” or something similar like most mail clients. The alternative of course would be to support IMAP

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IMAP and never look back

AppAppeal looks at and reviews web apps and does comparisons between them. For a quick example see the Bookmarking section. They spell out the details with short and to the point descriptions which can help someone looking for more information. Obviously they have a large library of apps to go, but this is certainly a good start.

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Web 2.0 World Map

Image via Wikipedia

Is this a marketing campaign? Yes. Did it work? Yes.

We will know the results of the record soon…

For a full power users guide to Firefox 3.0 see LifeHacker

I told you this blog was about marketing + technology and this represents the perfect mix of both. I have been a fan of Fire Fox since the beginning and hopefully version 3.0 lives up to the hype. I am looking forward to trying out Weave and the many new features to come.

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Download Firefox 3 – help set world record

I received word today that Microsoft is launching Task Market which is essentially a mini rent-a-freelancer for specific office related tasks. (its not exactly classifieds but rather a niche of classifieds)

From the outreach note:

For every person who throws up both hands at the prospect of creating a complex formula in Microsoft Excel, somewhere in the world there’s another person who can make it look easy.

I cannot tell you how true this is as I have seen it first hand. Having a project board for “mini projects” from $20 – $500 seems like a much needed resource. Currently you can probably find the same services at the same price levels at sites like Guru, iFreelance, RentACoder, but none of them can put the volume of small business users at their service like Microsoft can with some well placed links off of a property like MSN.

I like the approach to Task Market because they are not going after Ebay or Craigslist but rather a smaller subset of people that have specific office problems that need solving.

Will it work? I have no idea, but I can tell you that there are frustrated people out there right now willing to pay who wish they had an Excel guru standing by to solve their formula errors.

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Microsoft Live Expo Gone, Enter Microsoft Task Market

photo credit: arquera

I recently saw the launch of the Optimus Maximus keyowrd announced and finally demoed and it seems to live up to all the hype – even with firmware that is not perfect.

For those who have not heard about this keyboard it has been in development with what has seemed like endless delays for a few years. It has different options, one of which is a full set of keys that can each be customized with the graphic of your choice. Watching the video above shows the true power of the keyword and how usability can actually be improved by key display changes.

Below is an example closeup of the keyboard in action:

I also read an article about the possibility of getting spam on the keyboard, or in any similar device, from AdLab. This got me thinking about the price of the product ($462.27 pre-order price) and the possibility of getting a sponsorship on board.

As you can see the keyboard can literally display anything on the keys. Why not setup a deal with a company to sponsor some of the keys or have a special area for sponsorship? Considering the keyboard is plugged in via USB cable and most likely a computer with Internet access why not have a company sponsor an area and update it with the latest message\deals\offers\customer messages?

This type of sponsorship could help offset the price of the keyboard and possibly be a great opportunity for a company involved. I am sure there would be a way to hack the keyboard and remove the ads, but this type of non intrusive message may be a good compromise for some people.

How much do you think a cutting edge site would pay to have a permanent button on a keyboard with their site just a click away? To add even more incentive updates and software downloads could be made available earlier to those who take advantage of the ads.

I think in the future, as OLED technologies become more widespread, we will see more ads presented in them. OLED screens connected to gadgets with a net connection are an advertisers dream for getting in front of a tech user.

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Optimus Maximus Keyboard – why not sponsored? OLED Sponsorhips

My favorite part about this notification is the fact that Google is open to working with other IM networks…

P.S. If you own a large IM network and would like to work with us, have your people contact our people.

I was talking with some friends about this who basically had this to say:

So are you telling me that pretty soon I will never have to use AIM again to talk with AIM buddy’s?

The answer is yes!

I bring this up because I was thinking about how many people actually want to live in the Gmail window and never leave. This new feature makes this possible. I posted about this earlier talking about the interoperability of instant messengers being the holy grail application. We are now one step closer to that reality.

This does however have larger implications. In one broad stroke Google has essentially given the ability for all AIM users to communicate with folks on the gmail system in real time. This essentially is a win for the “attention war” that is happening right now. In the future all platforms will be open, but you will still want people using your platform. Google has essentially made the first solid step in getting people happy with the Gmail interface so much so they are willing to give up other interfaces.

Let me put this another way – many people are not satisfied with the AIM and other IM client interfaces. I believe that Trillian should open the floodgates and release Astra now before it is too late. “Release early and release often” is what I have always heard and they need to do something to shake up the market.

The war for your attention is not new – but the next phase of battle rests with the instant messaging clients.

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Gchat + Aim Finally Here

Below is an updated list of some great websites designed specifically for your blackberry, pda, or mobile phone web browser:

5/9 Update:

MLB.com: It can sometimes be difficult to get the scores of your favorite team while on the go. Major League Baseball has a fantastic new WAP site designed for mobile browsing. Fans can check scores, stats, player & team bios and find other great facts for free. Check it out when you can!

3/8 Update:

HopStop Mobile: HopStop Mobile has another feature tailored specifically to mobile phones and text messaging. If you send a text message to 47867 with different two locations in the message body. HopStop will text you back with step by step directions.

Google has a similar service if you send a text to “googl” or 466453 and you can get the the street address and phone number of any business listing.

Combined, these two text features offer quick and easy information on the go.

Google Home Page: Do you have a customized Google home page with weather, stocks, gmail, and rss feeds? If not, you can now have one on your phone, pda or blackberry. It’s pretty nice actually – I just made it my home page.

January 2007 Update:

Google’s Mobile Applications: Google offers free and trustworthy applications for pda’s, blackberry’s and mobile phones. Many of the mobile apps that I’ve downloaded for the blackberry do not function very well but the below google apps function reliably:

Gmail - This flash-based mobile application is like having an exchange server for your gmail (well almost). The program enables almost all of the same great gmail features on your blackberry, pda and most mobile phones – you can: search your entire archive of mail and sent mail; it memorizes all contacts and anticipates email address in the “to” field; it functions much quicker than one would imagine. Beware of steep data fees from your phone company (but it could be good to have on your phone in case of emergency…). I highly recommend it. Click this on your mobile browser: gmail.com/app.

Google Maps – Google Maps allows you to search for businesses, plot map directions, view cross streets, or view satellite imagery of a specific location. This program works much better if you have an EVDO or EDGE data network.

Google Talk – (blackberry only) Chat with gmail friends in an IM format. Hopefully Google will collaborate with AOL Instant Messenger someday. In the meantime, RambleIM (free) works decently well on blackberries for AOL Instant Messenger.

11/14 Update:

Bitty Browser: m.bitty.com offers a collection of mobile friendly websites and if you go to bitty.com, you can create your own condensed version of your favorite sites. Hit tip to Micropursuasion for putting me on to the site.

Skweezer.net: Skweezer continues to be a favorite tool for “skweezing” websites for the mobile screen. This is much easier to use when you’re on the go than bitty.com. To learn more about it, tune into our interview with Kevin Perkins, CEO of Skweezer on marketing.fm podcast #3.

Helpful Blackberry Websites: This collection is provided by RIM and can be accessed from the Blackberry help link in the browser. Most of these sites are terrible! Some of the recommended sites are completely dysfunctional too. I can’t believe that RIM doesn’t have a better reference.

10/3/06 Update:

Mobile Newsweek – this site is limited to headlines. Maybe it will prove to be an effective marketing tool or a purchase inspiration for those on-the-go. I would personally prefer more inclusive content and at least a few full articles. Mobile marketers, especially in the News industry, should look to the NYTimes and BBC Mobile sites for inspiration.

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Time Magazine - I enjoy any mobile access to news however, I don’t necessarily like to read long articles. This site is good for reading headlines and cover stories but I prefer the BBC and NYTimes for breaking news throughout the day.

Digg.com – Digg is a great resource for the hottest developments on the web (primarlily tech news and blog coverage). I love having access to these stories on the go.

The New York Times

TechCrunch – Thanks to Dave Weiner for making this possible. TechCrunch is one of my favorite sites and I am happy to have a mobile version.

Marketing.FM – the mobile version

Yomoblog – enables mobile blog posting via mobile browser (Free registration required).

Amazon Anywhere – Access the entire Amazon.com library of books, movies, reviews etc. You can even buy from the road.

Ebay Mobile – Check on your bids or items for sale from your mobile phone or blackberry.

IMDB (Internet Movie Database) – Find out exactly who was in that movie on the tip of your tongue.

AdAge Mobile Edition – AdAge Headlines Condensed

NYTimes.com Mobile – This site is very new. I still prefer the older avant go version.

CNet Mobile Edition – The complete website is condensed for mobile pleasure.

NY Post Mobile Edition – Access NYC News, Gossip, and Sports

ebbogie.com – This Site provides a number of decent mobile website links worth checking out.

BBC World News Mobile

MoviePhone.com Mobile – Find a theatre or movie by zip code. This site could be a lot better than it is.

Google Mobile – Search the web, images, or access a mobile version of Gmail. This is a particularly well designed mobile website (what do you expect?)

Variety Mobile Edition

Technorati Mobile

Marketing.FM

Bloglines Mobile – Great for reading your feeds on the go.

Mobile Friendly Websites

Technorati Tags: google, mobile apps, gmail, google maps, ramble im, google talk, pda friendly websites, mobile friendly websites, google home page, mobile websites, blackberry websites, mobile, marketing.fm, amazon anywhere, New York Times mobile, Time, pda, blackberry, skweezer, bitty, hopstop mobile, mlb.com, mlb, wap, baseball scores

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Mobile Friendly Websites: 5/9 Update

Wikipedia entry on Second Life showing a comprehensive collection of information on different companies and brands within Second Life.

Second Life Company directory.

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Marketing in Second Life