There is only one way to start off this week's review. On Thursday evening, at its new flagship Galaxy S4 unveiling at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, Samsung finally had its chance to pull out all the stops and truly lay claim to being the world's foremost smartphone innovator. The hype and frenzy has certainly been significant, and there was a real expectation amongst many in the media that Samsung would in fact pull it off. Well…not so fast. We ourselves have never been in that camp.
And we were right…the unveiling proved to be - as far as we're concerned - not only underwhelming on the innovation front, but the event itself took a rather amazing surreal turn into badly executed modern day vaudeville - complete with the nine-year-old tap-dancing kid Jeremy. Right…Jeremy. LeBron James he isn't. And what of the hot new Galaxy S4 itself? It's a very nice but totally derivative new mobile device that will probably take a lot more than Paul Rudd, Seth Rogan and LeBron to sell 100 million of.
Many of us know that March Madness is just around the corner. For some of us, it's already here. In a world where we now automatically watch our smart mobile devices as closely - or more closely - than we actually watch the games themselves (this may now even be true of those among us who actually attend the games in person), it all comes down to knowing which apps are the right apps that will stand up to the madness. And that is exactly what this week's Apps on Tap column does. It's really rather amazing to think back to the old days - how did we manage our madness with our mobile apps?!
Here's a bit more madness. Imagine the father of Android, Andy Rubin, whose company Google bought in 2005 so that Google could rule the mobile world (at a time when Steve Ballmer famously declared that "Android is nothing more than a press release"), and that Rubin continued to run as it achieved massive success. Alas, Rubin's time with Android has come to an end. As Google CEO Larry Page put it, Rubin is going off to launch more moonshots. Within Google that is, at least until we finally hear that he's left to enjoy more time with his family or some such. In any case, what is Google up to here? Here's a hint: finding synergies between Android and Chrome.
We're all familiar with the KISS principle - Keep It Simple Stupid has always been enormously good advice. And now it appears that Facebook has decided to adopt the philosophy, at least when it comes to news feed and mobile ads. The company continues to receive all sorts of requests from advertising partners and potential partners about adding all sorts of additional ad delivery methods - such as aggressive text messaging - to the Facebook repertoire but (and we should all be thankful for this as long as Facebook continues to go along with KISS) Facebook believes that adding to the repertoire is not a good idea - that simplicity will work best. Who knew Facebook could have such complex thoughts?
What might a text messaging ad blitz look like? There is at least one company, Urban Airship, a global vender in mobile push messaging that wants you to find out. The company has unveiled its new Mobile Relationship Management (MRM) solutions that have a strategic focus on enabling marketers and brands to have a constant presence on their customers’ mobile devices. You've been warned.
There are others looking out for your mobile well-being. Text message marketing providers know the dangers of texting while driving, and the last thing they want is to have a customer’s life on their hands. That’s why Text2VIP has announced it will no longer use SMS campaigns aimed at drivers through radio or billboards. So, if a client wants a billboard or an ad that says, “Text us for this!” they’re out of luck. According to reports, the likelihood of crashing while driving goes up 23 times if you’re texting. There are plenty of campaigns about the dangers of it, but there are still those who believe they are the exception to the rule; that they can remain just as alert and focused even while texting, in spite of any evidence to the contrary. Thank you Text2VIP!
Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out our recommended March Madness apps.
QUICK LINKS 
