Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard that the iPad is here in a big way. ABC’s Modern Family even became one giant advertisement for the Apple wonder product in last night’s episode. Full disclosure, Steve Jobs is on the Board of Directors at The Walt Disney Company, which operates the ABC Television Network.

Unbiased WSJ Personal Technology Columnist Walt Mossberg tested out the iPad to see if it lives up to the hype. Here’s his consensus: “After spending hours and hours with it, I believe this beautiful new touch-screen device from Apple has the potential to change portable computing profoundly, and to challenge the primacy of the laptop. It could even help, eventually, to propel the finger-driven, multitouch user interface ahead of the mouse-driven interface that has prevailed for decades."Continue reading...

Many people are bent out of shape today over last night's episode of the sitcom Modern Family. In fact, while some news organizations are calling it "essentially a half-hour-long plug for the iPad," others see the episode as "product placement done right." But both sides agree that the episode did indeed feature a plotline heavily centered on Apple's new device.

This flagrant product placement comes just days before the much-anticipated sales debut of Apple's latest "game changer." But to anyone who reads Brandcameo, that Apple would receive heavy (and largely free) onscreen promotion will come as no surprise. For the last decade, Apple has dominated the product placement sphere. It will continue. Continue reading...

The era of the anonymous reader is upon us.You can’t tell a book by its cover anymore as so many people are replacing old-fashioned books with electronic readers, Kindles, and the much anticipated Apple iPad available this coming Saturday.
 
The advent of the e-book brings a new chapter to powers of observation traditionally embraced by print book readers – at the beach, on the subway, on a plane – and on the proverbial coffee table: It’s no longer possible to see what others are reading, nor to publically display your own literary preferences.

The element of free advertising is gone – and the residual bump publishers achieved from book cover sales is a thing of the past. In bookstores, still the primary place of book sales, covers remain a crucial tool. “If you have already passed that hurdle of having a customer be attracted to the cover, and then they pick up the book, an enormous battle has been won,” according to Patricia Bostelman, VP, Marketing at Barnes & Noble.Continue reading...

The runaway success of Avatar has television manufacturers salivating over 3-D TV in every American living room.

In the lead for multidimensional television, is Samsung Electronics with fifteen 3-D models and a commercial from James Cameron’s Avatar technical production company. The company’s 30-second premier commercial, “Dedicated to Wonder,” utilized fusion 3-D technology and Avatar’s Oscar-winning cinematographer, Mauro Fiore.

Forecasts predict consumer purchases of 3-D TV sets will reach 3.5 million to 4 million this year – ten percent of total US sales. The forecast hits a reality speed bump, however, when it comes to those pesky glasses. Unless technologies are compatible, one manufacturer’s glasses can’t be used on a competitor’s set.Continue reading...

In response to Apple's dominant and enviable success in recent years, competitor Sony plans to take its electronics brand to the next level. The makeover, however, will look strikingly familiar to the folks back at Apple.

Sony, a company that once contended with the elite players in the technology field, has seen decreased sales recently due to lack of innovation. And now Sony wants to change its reputation by rolling out upgraded products and programs – it's just too bad that they look disconcertingly similar to already-on-the-market Apple offerings.Continue reading...

Quora is a new startup from former Facebook employees, with growth contingent on current users extending invitations to others. The Q&A site has already won the attention of Silicon Valley.

Benchmark Capital, has reportedly invested $11 million on an $86 million valuation, and former Facebook executive Matt Cohler, has assumed a board seat. The track records of the people behind the new brand, and excitement about the content, have created significant buzz. Quora will open up to the public slowly as a precautionary tactic to handle the influx of interest.

Officially, “Quora is a continually improving collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The most important thing is to have each… Learn More.”Continue reading...

A plan by Amazon.com to open a warehouse in Canada has ruffled the feathers of some patriotic Canadians worried about their nation's cultural integrity.

For the last eight years, Canadians have purchased books through Amazon’s Canadian website, Amazon.ca, which employs third-party contractors to ship orders from the United States to Canadian customers. But this month the company decided to create a distribution center in the country, thus setting off independent booksellers.

"If they're allowed to do this, it could open the doors to others. We could see Barnes & Noble and Borders in Canada," said Stephen Cribar, president of the Canadian Booksellers Association.Continue reading...

If you are shopping for a new home or property, augmented reality, A.R., is the new way to go.

“Mobile is well suited for searching for homes that are for sale, because you’re out and about. It’s a very compelling partner to desktop search. People use the Web on Mondays and Tuesdays, and use mobile search on weekends,” says Leslie Tyler of ZipRealty.  “The feedback we’re getting is that customers want all of the features from the Web in their hands."

ZipRealty.com in Emeryville, California, uses proprietary A.R. technology in an iPhone application called HomeScan. House photos, interior and exterior, value and size projections, and neighboring properties are all delivered live with the point of your phone’s camera. “As opposed to seeing the home as a pin on a map, you get it in 3-D. It’s the same info. But the experience of looking at it is more interesting,” continues Tyler.

ZipRealty’s daily web page views have jumped 150 percent since HomeScan’s debut, and is one of the favorite free downloads from iTunes App Store.Continue reading...