Wolfram Alpha on the iPhone

Following on from the recent launch of Wolfram Alpha, the search engine has now been optimised for use on the iPhone and iPod devices.

The 'computational knowledge engine' works by calculating answers to specific questions, and the move follows pressure from users who posted their idea on the Alpha Community page. The company is also listening to fans' recommendations via the Community Page on what features they would like to see on the iPhone application, which is in development.

You can get it here

iPhone-Controlled Ads

The world’s first iPhone-controlled LCD adverts have been developed by UK-based digital comms agency, Clusta, and are proving popular in train stations and shopping centres globally. iPhone users passing by can interact with the contents displayed on the screens from their handset.

Objects on the screen can be moved by making finger movements on the iPhone’s screen, and users can even change colours and other features of the contents on the LCD screen. Clusta has essentially developed an API which allows for any input via the phone, including movement from the accelerometer or audio from the microphone.

This is truly a way of being able to engage the target audience, integrating digital OOH with mobile, with each experience being unique to each user. However, limiting the service to just iPhone users will have a massive impact on reach, and Clusta must soon extend the technology to cover interaction with all smartphones in order to reach its full potential and effectiveness.

The agency also claims that the technology is not just limited for exploitation in OOH, but could one day be used by people to interact with any Flash based process including banners or websites, implying the potential for brand involvement is endless.

- Antonia

Billing Revolution Brings One-Click Payments To iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android Apps

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2008/11/10/billing-revolution-brings-one-click-payments-to-iphone-blackberry-and-iphone-apps/

I realized last night that every person in the industry uses the joke around 'This is year for mobile'! Outside of vowing to not make the joke anymore myself, I caused me to think about what would need to happen to propel the advertising for this media vehicle.

Here is an example of one such thing in my mind. Billing Revolution is offering one touch payment for items over the mobile phone (and charging only a small fee for such a transaction).

Check out the link to learn more about this company but it could assist in mobile payment across devices and markets.

Rick