Second Screens

According to consumer data, the ratio of screens to computers that are bought exceed 1 which means that there are lot of people that have more than once screen for their computer. To be honest, there are some advantages to that such as being able to separate things while still seeing them at the same time. Some might say that it can get distracting but I find it great to be able to separate all the internet fax and email. Now throw this idea into TV watching or game playing and things get ugly in such a way where reasonable people start thinking that the sun might actually rise in the west. Enter the belief that second-screen technology stimulates audiences to behave in new and exciting ways -- that grabbing their phone or tablet while the TV is on makes them do things they've never done before. Researchers noticed. Suddenly, in-depth reports on second-screen behavior breathlessly concluded that people often do two things at once! That got everyone stirred up, even though the critical cause-and-effect part was missing. We've been here before.

Who Wants a Smartwatch?

Do you feel like life would be so much better with a smartwatch? Is it something that you cannot live without? Samsung and Sony have devices out, and Qualcomm has one coming before the holidays. Apple is believed to be making one, and a new report says Google is developing one, too. Why the big push for smartwatches? It’s not coming from consumers. Rather, it’s a product in search of a market – and an expensive one at that. Samsung and Sony executives say they’ve designed their watches to give people ready access to information they would normally check on their phones, reducing the need to constantly pull out the phones. I think that the smartwatch is a solution looking for a problem where there is none. Do you really want to use phone services on the little gadget on your wrist? It will be more of a burden than anything and most people have no problem pulling out their phones to check things on it. Not to mention the distractions that it would bring while driving because it would be right there in the field of view and more tempting than ever to look at it. Any thoughts?