Archive for February, 2011
Ignore your evolutionary history at your peril
Feb 27th
If you are interested in why people do what they do, why they buy what they buy, or why they behave like they do, then my contributions to IT Business Blogs may be for you.
If you are interested in learning what science has to teach about the best ways to convince, communicate and motivate people, then you should also see benefit in future posts.
Or, if you’re intrigued with why the so-called smartest species on earth, whose rational thought is capable of glorious invention and sophisticated insight, is also prone to individual and group behaviour that is at times mind boggling, my posts will definitely interest you. Read the rest of this entry »
Hoax viral video shows authenticity isn’t everything
Feb 25th
You can’t plan to create a viral video. Be authentic. These are two axioms I often hear about fostering success in social media marketing.
Now Jonathan Post, a visual effects company based in Sao Paolo Brazil has created its own viral video that seems to prove one and disprove the other. When CEO Luis Carone decided to create a video that appeared to demonstrate a revolutionary technology for 3D TV, he had no idea that it would collect 2 million hits in two days and 5 million hits in a month. But he definitely wasn’t trying to be authentic either.
Brian Jackson
In the viral video, titled “3D No glasses by Jonathan Post” a bearded man with a French accent blinks his eyes a lot. It doesn’t sound like exciting material, but what intrigued YouTube viewers around the world was the technology it purported to demonstrate.
Putting small diodes on each temple, the actor in the video looked at a screen and flicked on a device he held in his hand.
Thought-controlled car is mind boggling idea
Feb 24th
For some time now ITBusiness.ca has been posting stories about the many advanced technologies that are popping up in automobiles these days.
With Brian Jackson’s and our videographer Tyson Dover’s recent coverage of this year’s Canadian International Auto Show, we’re sure to provide you with more news about tech on wheels in the next few days.
Nestor Arellano
Some of the tech being proposed for cars today like the ones we see on the futuristic Ford 2011 Explorer might serve a practical or even critical use but I think some of it sounds just a bit wacked.
Take for example the so-called “thought controlled” car developed in a lab in Berlin.
If there ever was a contest for the best rolling coffin, this vehicle would probably take the prize. Read the rest of this entry »
HTC S Series Android Smartphone- Incredible S
Feb 22nd
By Rachel Andrade
The new line up of HTC S Series Smartphones has officially been unveiled at this year Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. 
The Incredible S is the first of the 3 Android devices to hit the shelves in Europe & US on T-Mobile and is dubbed the master of all the devices with the Desire S and Wildfire S catering to the mid range and low range customers respectively.
Let’s dig dipper into what puts the Incredible S so high on the pedestal and if it can live up to its name. Read the rest of this entry »
3 smart reasons for SMBs to avoid Facebook
Feb 19th
By Katherine Noyes
For small businesses, the conventional wisdom today is that social media have become the best way to reach out to potential and current customers, and that companies need to be out there participating actively on Facebook and other social sites. After all, that’s where consumers are, right?
I’ve never been a big fan of the social networking site, and that feeling increases with each passing day. For small businesses, however, the benefits of using it are uncertain at best. The truth is, there are several reasons why the popular social network is not the right place for small businesses, and especially young ones. Here are just three of them.
The new risk capital reality: What now?
Feb 18th
By Francis Moran and Leo Valiquette
In our previous post, we explored the massive changes that have occurred in North America and Europe that have led to a contraction of traditional venture capital investment.
These long-term trends have left early-stage companies in a tight spot. They must become increasingly creative to shorten time to market, become more capital efficient and generally figure out how to do more with less. The cash-burn of years past is no longer an option, if it ever was.
Rise of the super angels
All is not bleak, however. While traditional VCs may have become easily spooked by the prospect of sinking cash into an unproven startup, many angel organizations have stepped up to fill the void. Ronald Weissman, chair of the Software Special Industry Group at one of Silicon Valley’s oldest angel organization, Band of Angels, said many angel organizations have come to act like early-stage VCs. Read the rest of this entry »
New pharmacy spam campaign using Google brand hijacking
Feb 17th
MessageLabs Intelligence recently tracked a new pharmaceutical spam campaign promoting a supposedly “Google-accredited” online pharmacy. This is obvious brand hijacking: Google does not host or approve any pharmacy sites.
Paul Wood, MessageLabs Intelligence Senior Analyst, Symantec Hosted Services
We contacted Google about this, and a spokesperson responded with, “Google has a track record of fighting similar types of scams, and we also recommend that users carefully review online offers that look too good to be true before entering any of their information: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/fighting-fraud-online-taking-google.html“.
The spam message contains text promoting a drug for preventing hair loss, and a link to a blog the spammer has set up on a popular free blogging site, shown in the screenshot below:
[example of spam email promoting fake pharmacy brand] Read the rest of this entry »
Most Canadians find soft spot for CRTC
Feb 15th
Given the recent uproar over the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) decision that usage-based billing was an acceptable practice, you might think Canadians are eager to see the out-of-touch regulator canned.
But that’s not the case at all. Perhaps it was a Valentine’s Day phenomenon that had Canadians looking into their hearts to find a place for the CRTC, but a recent poll conducted for ITBusiness.ca by Delvinia Data Collection shows most of us aren’t ready to banish the regulator entirely.
Although about one-quarter of respondents thought the regulator “should be scrapped, 58 per cent said that “in some situations, the CRTC plays an important role.” Another 17 per cent said the CRTC “still plays a major role in regulating Canada’s communications.”
Brian Jackson
Commit to “Loving” your data
Feb 14th
By: Blake McConnell
For most people, Valentine’s Day conjures up thoughts of candy, flowers and secret admirers. Well, here at Symantec, it makes us think about information.
Blake McConnell
Yes, information. It may not be the most romantic notion, but the amount of “love” you give your data can have a significant impact on the success of your company. Your information – from company plans to customer financial information – is the backbone of your business, so today make a commitment to giving it a little extra care and attention.
In a recent Symantec survey, 74 per cent of SMB respondents said they were afraid of losing electronic information. Read the rest of this entry »
Looking for love? That iPad (probably) won’t help
Feb 12th
Retrevo’s latest Valentine’s Day-themed study answers the question that’s been on all of our minds: will girls (or guys) be impressed by my iPad/Droid X/sexy laptop/3D HDTV?!
We finally have an answer: maybe…it depends.
