From Stone Age to the Digital Age

TV used to be the universal time waster/relaxing activity that unless you were Amish or camping in the wild, you were taking part in. Even the most interesting, well read, sophisticates have a favourite television program or advert, even if they can't admit it.

Yesterday, we explored the mobile age a little more, specifically the location based media trend. I thought we should take it one step further, cause that's fundamental in technology isn't it? To take it further I mean.

So I stumbled across this article published on IOL about mobile TV. It was a natural progression I suppose, from bluetooth and the Internet to TV on your phone. I'm not sure what it means for society, where before TV watching was reserved for personal spaces and the one of two distractions at gyms and bars, these days you can watch TV on the way to work if you want. Whether we want that much information or not is beside the point, the fact is that its "the future."

The world contains four million cell phones to date, any bigger and kids are going to start wishing upon a Samsung and not a star. But cell phones for now have a new function. The latest and greatest is a website that allows cell phone users to upload their "home videos" to their own Internet driven TV channel. The small flaw in the plan when it comes to mobile TV is the fact that many people aren't prepared to pick up the bill for streaming television channels to their phones.

The application makes it that much easier because it reverses the process slightly, most of the users uploading their clips will watch the channels from conventional Internet connections. So there you go? Who needs Jerry Springer when you have your own channel. You can be Oprah, you can be Chris Rock or you can just enlighten the otherwise dark world with some interesting finds. Including those you discover on your holiday.

hummba.com has a similar idea, users can upload the photos and audio clips to the website so that friends and the rest of the world can do it their way. So get on the net and claim your 15 minutes of fame on hummba.com, who knows, it might turn out to be longer than the age old 15 minutes. The FOOTPRINTS application on the site allows you to track your adventures in exactly the sequence that they happened, all you need to do is make sure that your mobile phone is GPS enabled! Have a look at the FOOTPRINTS example we've uploaded for your viewing pleasure...


So log on to hummba.com where the world is your oyster and the possibilities are endless.

www.hummba.com...see the world through your own eyes.

Location, location, location...

You may not like it, but your cell phone says a lot about you. In fact, it says the things that you can't seem to admit to yourself. But consider yourself warned, cell phones never lie. They're like the new zodiac signs.

It doesn't just end there though, these days how you use your cell phone is as important as what it looks like. I'd even be as bold as to say that there are even gender differences emerging simply from cell phone usage. On the whole, cell phone usage sets the mark for who you are or how you fit into the world today.

For instance, if you're tech savvy/crazy, you're logging onto social networking sites from your phone, downloading music, videos and constantly instant messaging it probably means that your need for information and your communication style is defined by the realities of society in 2009 (and beyond). In short, it means you're "mobile."

Coming, going, on the move, places to go, people to see, forget the tshirt, get a profile, you can be anywhere at anytime, you are indeed mobile. Location based marketing is the latest by product of being mobile, it means that if the big advertising machine can't reach you through static activity, they're going to get you on the run. "Mobile phone tracking" and "GPS enabled" mean that Big Brother is not only watching you but has welcomed a new addition to the family to make sure they keep an eye on you.

Its not as scary or as intrusive as it might seem anymore. Once upon a time it was regarded as an invasion of privacy if you got a phone call after 8pm. The cell phone age means that our tolerance has been stretched to fielding calls from every call center imaginable selling you everything from more cell phones to insurance to memberships at the gym.

There is definitely an upside to location based media though. In a definition found on Wikipedia (whatever happened to Encyclopedia Britannica?), location based media allows "for the enhancement of any given environment offering explanation, analysis and detailed commentary on what the user is looking at through a combination of video, audio, images and text. The location-aware device can deliver interpretation of cities, parklands, heritage sites, sporting events or any other environment where location based media is required."

And now for the rest of my upside...this means that you, as a cell phone user, have the option (some might call it a luxury) of being able to access any information you need, at any time. There are no such thing as inconveniences anymore. The world is now your world and it couldn't have happened a moment too soon.

The very definition of location based media is now packaged, complete with smiley face, in a new social networking site called hummba. Visit www.hummba.com to find out just how to maximise the use of your mobile phone, anywhere in the world. Keen travellers and weekend away specialists are all talking about how to use hummba to stay in touch, share your experience regardless of your vicinity to your friends and make the most of the moment you are in. In short, it brings new meaning to the phrase..."have cell phone, will travel."

Visit www.hummba.com for more...let your phone speak for itself.