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Welcome to another edition of the Prompt newsletter.
The papers may have been full of economy-themed doom and gloom for a while, but it looks like technology isn't having such a tough time of it. I take a look at why this is.
In other news, Google is sinking to new depths, the writer of 'The Long Tail' has some thoughts about giving things away for free, and we take a look at positives and negatives of biofuels.
Plus: the Super Bowl is over, but more importantly the ads have aired. Laurie casts her critical eye over this year's batch.
So read on, and if you enjoy reading this newsletter, why not visit our blog?
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Technology shines brightly in the gathering gloom
It may be a surprise to anyone who remembers the dotcom bust, but this time round it looks like the tech sector may weather the downturn pretty well.
Analysts and pundits across the business media have been hailing technology as one of the bright spots in the gloomy economic landscape, with Forrester Research even predicting that global expenditure on IT will grow by 2.5% this year, once currency differences have been accounted for.
A recent Economist article gives several reasons for technology's continuing good health. Firstly, still-rising demand in emerging economies such as China, India and Eastern Europe means that technology firms are less reliant on recession-hit Western markets. Secondly, business leaders now see IT as a strategic investment that can create efficiency gains and cost savings - suggesting that levels of corporate IT spending will remain intact even as cuts are made elsewhere across organisations.
And thirdly, technology firms are positioning themselves more cannily to take advantage of the global slowdown. Vendors offering cost-saving technologies, such as virtualisation, software-as-a-service and open-source software, will do particularly well, as will any vendor who can provide pared-down products that do a 'good enough' job for less money than a high-spec alternative. Netbooks and online or open-source productivity applications are good examples of the latter.
Finally, pundits are predicting continued high demand for mobile applications in 2009. Downloads of applications for Apple's iPhone passed the 300 million mark in late 2008, and with a serious iPhone competitor running Google's Android operating system widely expected to emerge this year, the stratospheric uptake of mobile apps looks set to continue.
It's good news, in short, for technology vendors with something useful to offer in a down market. Strike while the iron's hot - call us today to talk about getting your product and brand out there.
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Somewhere under the sea...
Google has only gone and done it again. Not content with mapping streets, the earth and the moon, this week it announced plans to map the ocean with Google Ocean. This will be some feat considering that less than five percent of it has actually been explored.
The launch event was held in San Francisco, with Al Gore explaining the tools and functions of the new software. Gore stated that the update to Google Earth would be a "magical experience". It's all very impressive stuff and geeks behind the search engine have definitely done their homework.
An advisory council of more than 25 ocean advocates and scientists knocked heads together to develop Google Ocean, with the input of world-renowned oceanographer, Sylvia Earle. Earle claimed that the new features would bring even the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean to life. "I cannot imagine a more effective way to inspire awareness and caring for the blue heart of the planet than the new ocean in Google Earth. For the first time, everyone from curious kids to serious researchers can see the world, the whole world, with new eyes."
The most popular features will no doubt include hunting out the shipwrecks and volcanoes that litter the sea floor, and finding the best diving and surf locations around the world.
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Free economy still a startup option?
Chris Anderson is a nice heavy name to drop when discussing the trials and tribulations of the online economy. Not only is he editor in chief of Wired magazine, he's also the author of the e-tailer bible 'The Long Tail'.
Having neatly boxed the concept of making money over the web by selling very few of very many things in his first book, Anderson is set to make his return to publishing with 'Free'. In this book he will dissect the established online business model of giving away products and services for free in the short term with a view to longer term returns.
In an insightful article in the Wall Street Journal this week, Anderson claimed that despite the economic strife, free is still the future of business. But he also explained that the notion of using capital investment to give away products for free online with a view to establishing mass market popularity and selling out to a bigger company simply doesn't work in a tumbling global economy. There's simply no capital and no buyers out there, he reasonably explains.
So what's the answer? Well although he admits that 'freemium' and advertising-powered models can still work in the right markets, and that the psychological case for free will ultimately hold up once the economy is a little more robust, Anderson's solution, is refreshingly direct and obvious: "What about the oldest trick in the book," he says "Actually charging people for your goods and services? This is where the real innovation will flourish in a down economy. It's now time for entrepreneurs to innovate, not just with new products, but new business models."
Fans of open source, BizSpark and gratis social networking should be first in the queue to pre-order Free...
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Biofuels take flight
This week there were both good and bad reports about the effect of biofuels. Starting with the good news, Japan Airlines became the first airline to successfully send out a plane fuelled by the biofuel camelina on a test flight.
The Boeing 747-300 completed an hour an a half flight, taking off from Tokyo and running on the next generation biofuel blend, without any modifications being made to the plane. The airline now says it could be using camelina to fuel carrier flights within the next three to five years.
Camelina, an oilseed crop in the same family as mustard, rapeseed and cabbage differs from other biofuels because it is virtually 100 percent efficient. It can be used to produce both fuel and food. Its success as a fuel means it could also be used as a way of powering cars and trucks, in a more cost effective way than petroleum.
Predictions were made last year which suggested that by using biofuels, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by up to 80 percent, but is this the only thing we should be measuring biofuels for?
Recent studies revealed that some biofuels could pose a greater health risk than petrol and diesel, particularly the corn-based bioethanol. These studies showed that growing corn to produce biofuels could raise the price of food and cause environmental impacts, such as deforestation to clear space for growing the crops.
However, the study also state that next-generation biofuels, made from organic waste or plants grown on marginal land, have less than half the combined health and environmental costs of standard gasoline and a third of current biofuels.
Luckily, Camelina is from the latter variety of biofuels, so anyone jumping on a Japan Airlines flight in the three to five years can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
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Apathy 09: The commercials of Super Bowl XLIII
Every year when the majority of the United States is gearing up for another Super Bowl Sunday, I look for a comfy spot to locate myself that will best suit a critical eye for the exorbitantly priced half minute commercial spots that air during breaks in the big game.
This year's ad contributions weren't bad, but they weren't anything to write home about.
If you weren't around to watch (or live in another country), you can check them all out here. Budweiser dominated with three of its spots ranking amongst Nielson's top ten 'most liked' commercials. The brewer also monopolized the 'most remembered' list with four spots shared between the Budweiser and Bud Light brands. What beats animal interaction between a cute Dalmatian and a beautiful Clydesdale? Well, nothing. Except maybe Doritos causing ATMs to spit out money, women to lose clothing and other hilarious scenarios.
Other spots came from GoDaddy.com, Pepsi, NBC and a hilariously terrible appearance from Ed McMahon in another of his many Cash4Gold commercials.
The Super Bowl itself was fine too, but the truth is that I couldn't care less about football. Blasphemy? Maybe. But my soul is soothed with the warming thought that Major League Baseball's Spring Training will soon be underway
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06 February 2009
Technology shines brightly in the gathering gloom
Somewhere under the sea...
Free economy still a startup option?
Biofuels take flight
Apathy 09: The commercials of Super Bowl XLIII
US
UK
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 The team behind this newsletter is available to create yours. Prompt will help you build and sustain rapport with prospects, customers, staff or analysts, whether you want to write daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Call Sean McManus on 0208 996 1651 or email him to find out more.
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Client Corner
 This week's client corner features enterprise mashup software developer, Corizon. Last week Corizon's CEO and founder Eric Guilloteau met with journalists across the business and IT press to brief them on how enterprise mashups can increase efficiency within businesses and ensure that they are receiving a greater ROI. Recently announced Corizon customer HomeServe is already reaping the benefits as its call centre agent generated sales have increased by nearly 50 percent and call handling time has been reduced by more than seven percent. Application management is certainly an area on the up and enterprise mashups were listed by Gartner as one of the key strategic technologies to watch in 2009. Stay tuned!
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 US
Wireless Week has made several changes within its editorial department. Evan Koblentz, online editor has now left and current editor in chief, Monica Alleven, will serve as acting online editor. Before joining Wireless Week, Koblentz worked in the editorial teams at several publications, including eWeek and the FierceCIO:TechWatch. Andrew Berg, and Maisie Ramsay have recently joined Wireless Week as the new associate editors.
eWeek senior writer, Clint Boulton has left the magazine. eWeek's editorial content is aimed at IT professionals, government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organisations and corporate executives. Boulton joined the company in 2007 as a senior writer and before that, he served as the managing editor of internetnews.com and Boston.internet.com. He joined the staff as an assistant managing editor in August 1999.
Edmunds.com has added Doug Newcomb to the team as senior technology editor. Since August 2008 he has been a freelancer for the site. Prior to joining Edmunds he served as the road gear editor for Sound & Vision magazine and the now defunct Road & Track Road Gear.
Michael Horowitz is Computerworld's Defensive Computing blogger. The blog will focus on preventing computer failure for professionals and businesses and will enable readers to be proactive to prevent these problems. Horowitz previously wrote a blog for CNET with the same name.
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 UK
The Financial Times has launched a website optimised for mobile devices. The site will include a touch screen interface, faster access to content, improved search, and ability to customise and follow stock options. The second rollout, later this quarter, will also feature interactive mobile charting, which will enable users to quickly access company information and index data while on the move. There will also be a dedicated iPhone application.
Marketing Week, a weekly publication featuring news, contracts and partnerships, has appointed Mark Choueke as editor. Prior to joining Marketing Week, Choueke worked as editor at sister title Precision Marketing. Choueke replaces Stuart Smith, who stepped down as editor at the end of last year.
Adam Morris has joined The Edinburgh Evening News as health reporter, covering local issues, health trends and statistics. Morris was promoted from his position as reporter at the Daily Scotsman.
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12.6%: decrease in number of mobile units shipped from Q4 2007 to Q4 2008
70.1%: growth of smartphones uptake in North America
25%: 2008 growth of smartphone uptake in EMEA
1.18 billion: mobile units shipped worldwide in 2008
Source: IDC
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Mirror's Edge 2D
 Last year Electronic Arts released Mirror's Edge, a first person parkour-inspired video game. And jolly good it was too. Now, talented Flash game designer Brad Borne is working alongside EA to create Mirror's Edge 2D, a side scrolling platformer that recreates the same sense of free running as its console and PC-based big brother. It's only in Beta, but you know what? It's already pretty good. It's only got the one repeating level, but the design, animation and flow of the game is great - it's one of the slickest flash games I've seen for some time. Highly recommended.
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We hope you find the Prompt Communications Newsletter an interesting read. For any feedback on our newsletter, or to discuss how we can help you with your technology PR, marketing, social media/blogging initiatives, copywriting or surveys, please contact us using the details below. We are always delighted to hear from you.
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info@prompt-communications.com | www.prompt-communications.com
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