Can’t Help Falling: The Devastating Charm of Google

November 2nd, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink

I’m in love.

And you might wonder who’s the lucky man? Google has won my heart with its GoogleDocs and zesty email backgrounds. After being badgered by so many friends to switch to Gmail, I finally succumbed. Now, I can wax poetic about its incredible features.

The devastating charm of the media giant has conquered many others. Indeed, the verb Google has entered our everyday vernacular and even dictionaries.

Swoon-worthy news came with the announcement of the launch of Google TV. GOOG represent Google’s foray into home entertainment, trying to revolutionize the TV as it revolutionized the personal computer. Its point of differentiation is  to make the Internet fully accessible on TV and make searching for videos as easy as searching for web pages.

Partnerships have been struck with other online giants, Twitter and Pandora. Google TV will be built into SONY flatscreens or Logitech boxsets.

Google’s strategy to enter the home entertainment market is a risky one. The rivalry is intense in the already crowded industry. While Google has maintained the number one position in search engines, it will be an upstart coming up against the established networks.

I must confess, I’m a little worried for my new beau.

Bringing Sexy Back: Viagra for Women

October 4th, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink

Marketers are the Christopher Columbus-es of the decade, always trying to reach unexplored territories. Female sexuality is the new New World.

From a rational standpoint, I must applaud Pfizer, the maker of Viagra, who is developing female sexual dysfunction drugs. Currently, it occupies the number one position in the erectile dysfunction drugs market.

Already has it won the battle for the consumer’s mind,  the “bam-chicka-wow-wow” commercials and the little blue pills have become a part of popular culture. Pfizer can cement the public’s perception of their products and expanding into a new market with its female equivalent.

Worrisome news comes with the revelation that Pfizer has manipulated medical research on female sexuality and is helping to define the disorder. This seems to confirm the paranoia that has long dogged Big Pharma: they are inventing or promoting medical conditions to sell their products. I can’t help but be concerned about this trend of merging medical research and marketing.

Little pink pills? A savvy business move, but questionable morals.

Ban in Motion for Research in Motion

October 2nd, 2010 § 0 comments § permalink

Our visions of futuristic worlds often involve cyborgs, the perfect union of man and machine. So it was not without a certain amount of surprise, alarm even, when I found myself surrounded by cyborgs. Attached to their hands are Blackberries, acting as if they were a natural part of their bodies.

The Canadian Blackberry maker, Research in Motion, is not rejoicing its role in the new stage of evolution of man. It is under pressure to give the Indian government partial access to the information sent across the devices.

RIM is facing the dilemma of standing by their principles and refusing to give access or losing the significant Indian market. The Indian government argues that monitoring communications is necessary in order to combat terrorism. National security, some argue, should take precidence over personal privacy.

Others, however, say that would undermine personal privacy and corporate security. More than a question of ethics, Blackberry has gained a loyal following on the strength of its security features. If RIM concedes, it could potentially lose more customers to Apple and Google in the increasingly crowded smartphone market.

To give way or not give way, that is the question.

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