There are literally thousands of mobile apps available today for almost any make and model of the latest cellphone – be it running Android or the Symbian operating system or an iPhone. There are apps to simplify your life, to stay connected 24/7, to take funky photos with, do research through or apps to simply waste time.

Here are 10 mobile apps we feel could change your life.

Facebook – http://facebook.com/
It is impossible to always be at a computer to update you Facebook status messages, post photos or keep on top of what your friends are up to. With the Facebook mobile app you can. You can basically do everything you do with your PC on Facebook, straight from your phone. It’s a must have app for the socially conscious.

Twitter – http://twitter.com/
Yet another communication tool is the micro-blogging Twitter application for your phone. Download it and you can tell the world what you are up to right this minute or just share your thoughts on anything that tickles your fancy, or simply follow your favourite celebrities and idols to hear what they have to say in 148 characters or less.

http://www.shazam.com/
With Shazam and a click of a button you can send a clip of a song you want to know more about from your phone to an online library, and in seconds you’ll have all the info you need. As a bonus, you will also have the option to buy the track right there and then. There are other features to help you choose the music you like as well as hear what others are saying about it.

WordPress – http://wordpress.org/
If you are a blogger or want to become one in seconds, then WordPress is the mobile app for you. Create your own blog in minutes and post your blogs straight from your phone to the web without hassles and it is all for free.

Dropbox – https://www.dropbox.com/
Dropbox is fantastic if you have lots of stuff you need to store, but be able to access from your phone while you are out and about. You can basically sync a folder on your phone with a folder in cyberspace and exchange between the two whenever you like. Too many songs on your phone, then save them online with Dropbox and retrieve them just as easy. You get 2GB free storage after that you pay, but it’s worth it.

IMDb – http://www.imdb.com/
With this mobile app you get direct access to The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) site which will allow you to search almost anything regarding Movies, TV, Video Games, Actors, DVD Covers, and get entertainment trivia, movie quotes as well as access to photos. If you are a movie lover you’ll want to get it immediately

Hipstamatic – http://hipstamaticapp.com/
If you own an iPhone the Hipstamatic app will help you funk up your drab photos with various lenses, flashes and photo effects that you can download. Ad some blur motion or rough edges or try changing the entire colour of your pic. It’s fun and über cool and will keep you busy for hours.

Pocit – http//www.pocit.co.za/
Mobile banking and payments are touted to be the next big thing when it comes to you and your finances. With Pocit you can make and receive payments by simply knowing a person’s cellphone number. You can either use your credit card, bank account or a ‘virtual value store’, called Pocit Money, from which to pay. Its easy and secure and very now!

Google Earth – http://www.google.com/mobile/earth/
Available for the Nexus One, iPhone, and Motorola’s new Milestone, this app brings the world to you through satellite photos which you can zoom into to see any area of almost any place on earth. It also offers photos of places which other people took and uploaded and even buildings in 3D.

YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/mobile/
Nothing is as big as video clips for entertainment right now than almost anything else and the YouTube mobile app will provide hours of it. Not only will you get access to YouTube clips to your phone, but you will also be able make and post YouTube clips from your phone for the world to see.

Fifty percent of the world’s population live in cities and by the year 2050,
6.4 billion people will be urbanites.
In 2009 we felt the impact of globalization as economies crashed driving home our inter-connectedness. Digitally united, technologically driven, our world and its weather are changing rapidly!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heightened 3D Augmented More Real Reality

2010 is the year for applications that allow one to interface faster, more efficiently and creatively with the world (= reality)! Digital convergence has changed how people interact, meet, buy, sell, communicate, relax, LIVE. Augmented and extended reality applications and devices, track and report applications, user-friendly hardware and software is the BOOMING market. Brands, marketers, companies, hell… countries will need radical paradigm shifts to encompass and meet the needs of techno-savvy consumers who need immediate feedback, instant gratification and constant nurturing.

Luxury is time to smell the roses

In a world of things, things and more things, the definition of luxury has been transformed. The big spending consumer is a sophisticated urbanite with everything but time. Increasingly in a world where mink coats are cruel and passé, bling is bad, ostentatious displays of wealth are OTT, luxury is about less style and more life – time to smell the roses, to reflect and connect with you, family, friends, and the environment. That is not to say that Louis Vuitton is out of business, but that people are grappling with materialism and a new age mentality of restraint.

Finding the ME in Big Mac Land

Mass media, mass culture, mass production has sapped the soul of the individual. More people are searching for unique personalized products, experiences and places that treat them as individuals. It is a direct backlash against brands that have reduced everything to crude and basic demographics. Companies that cater to that need are on the up and up. From personal banking consultants, to made for you perfumes, to trawling outdoor markets for the handmade, one off or commissioned product that says “I am no number!” Marketers will do well to heed the need for personal, individualised and niche promotions.

Brands Adapt or Die

Consumer habits and needs are changing moment to moment as they respond to the latest gadget, technological innovation and fad. Brands needs to be respond quickly to these surges by anticipating and catering to the ever increasing/changing consumer behavior.

Collaborate to Relate

Passive consumerism is out. The collapse of 2009 has resulted in a loss of faith – in institutions, politicians and brand promises. The rise of social media means that we are creating communities who are constantly in contact, sharing information, networks and knowledge. Across a spectrum of social media sites; like minds have come together; to create tight communities that maybe divided by continents, but are united through their world views. In the chaos of undifferentiated brands, those that involve consumers and stakeholders from step one will prevail. Brands that engage intelligently with consumers via social media not only are able to defuse negative reviewing but are using it to collaborate on the creation of new products engendering loyalty from step one.

Green is still Hot

Despite the Copenhagen fiasco/farce, eco-friendly living has become the mainstream. 2010 will see companies that greenwash, named and shamed. Consumers are tired of empty promises, double speak and a willful distortion of the facts. But it’s hard for the ordinary consumer to make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices with the plethora of more harmful but cheaper products. Companies that offer consumers MORE green products and services at better prices are going to steal the march on their competitors. 2010 is going to be a year when governments start legislating to ensure a safer, sustainable environment.

Yes, really understand them by investing in analytical skills that allow you to make strategic, fact based decisions that arise out of relevant insights from all the available data. Some sectors may be out of the recession but financial constraints will continue for a long time yet and we know that marketing budgets are the first to get the snip. Demonstrate marketing value with hard facts rather than waffling subjective extrapolations. Remember no proof, no money!

Know thy customer

The modern consumer is sophisticated, knowledgeable, aware and UNLOYAL. No one wants to be treated with disrespect or kid gloves so don’t patronize. Engage in authentic and real dialogue and above all ADD value to their lives through the experience of your product, service and brand.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.

So maybe there have been budgets cuts and you need to market more for less. Rethink your strategy, embrace the online revolution but don’t make assumptions about traditional media being too expensive. Print media and television advertising owners have also been pinched by the recession and so like you are offering “specials” and added value packages.

Be a socialite.

Master the art of using social media like Facebook, blogs, wikis, Twitter, YouTube. Companies around the world from big corporations to start up businesses are using these social utilities to create buzz, generate support, promote events, expand databases and create dialogues around their brands. They are ideal platforms for word of mouth endorsements, creating brand champions, viral campaigns and interactive brand experiences.

It’s getting warmer and soon we won’t be able to hide winter flab behind layers of clothing. So my green tip is eat vegetarian meals at least five times a week.

You will lose weight, feel more energetic and most importantly cut down on your carbon footprint since cows, sheep and other four-legged creatures of that ilk produce a potent greenhouse gas called methane – bad news for the environment and as bad news for your health!

So, my green tip for the day is:

Switch your computers and other digital equipment OFF when you are not using them.

Instead of buying new, buy a recycled computer – it’s cheaper and easier on the environment.

Instead of a PC, use a laptop because of its size, it uses less energy.

If you are buying a new PC or laptop go to at www.epeat.net and find a computer make that has been certified as more environmentally friendly.

And finally, don’t dump your old hardware, return it to the manufacturers so that they can re-use parts and get rid of it SAFELY or contact Computer Scrap Recycling www.computerscraprecycling.co.za who offer the controlled collection, safe transporting, and environmentally sound storage and dismantling of e-Waste (electronic and electrical waste).