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I was just looking at the Web site, Ajaxian.com and I noticed several very cool new applications that could be disruptive to the current software establishment.
If you go to www.iscrybe.com, you will see a video for a new Ajax application called Scrybe which is a Web-based organizer/daybook which combines calendars with notes and seems to have a gazillian smart features including the ability to work on it offline and then sync up later. It also has a feature that formats your calendar and notes perfectly for printing and folding into your wallet. Those drunk on the Web 2.0 kool-aid shouldnt underestimate the power of such cross platform capabilities, especially when they involve old school standby's like folding paper and putting it in your wallet.
Now I know Google already has a calendar attached to Gmail and that it just introduced Google Docs and Spreadsheets, but I can see either Google or Apple purchasing this smart application. For one thing it seems to better than what they have now. Also it would piss off Microsoft to no end because it would seem be yet another potential blow chipping at MSFT's' core. Google certainly isnt averse to spending money on such apps even if it has been developing similar platforms in house. Youtube is being purchased for $1.65 billion despite the fact that Google had already built its own video platform. Will Scrybe attract the attention of mighty Google or even Apple which has yet to introduce any neat ajaxian Web based applications? Stay tuned.
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I was watching CNBC last week and a report came on about how Nielsen Media Research was introducing its well known "ratings" tracking to video games in a service called GamePlay Metrics. An article I read in Brandweek said that in-game advertising would reach $730 million by the end of the decade, but I think the number could be much greater. I am eager to see how well these new ratings are received by advertisers.
I have watched my son and others play video games and I can tell you that the hours spent on these games often blows away TV because there is no channel surfing. My son pops Madden NFL 2007 from Electronic Arts into his GameCube and then three hours later he emerges from the basement bleary eyed. We have played some of the racing games together, like Need for Speed Most Wanted and I can already see the billboards for "Best Buy" along the road while I drive by.
Once advertisers see proof of how sticky and targeted these games are, I think more and more will move to this medium. And of course these games have the added benefit of being interactive and often online, so there is the added possibility of direct response advertising. This comes into play much more when you consider all of the handheld and cellphone gaming going on. Add in GPS and I can see someone playing Madden on his handheld and as he approaches a nearby Dicks Sporting Goods, his preferences and the GPS figure out that he is a Steeler's fan. He then sees an advertisement for Steeler's football jersies on sale at Dicks. In short, advertisers should be able to wring more ROI from these games than traditional tv spots. I have heard Eric Schmidt, Google CEO speak of this possibility and I am certain Google is planning this capability with cellphones and handhelds. Google doesnt seem to have cracked the video gaming market. It will be interesting to see if they move in this direction.
Of course the challenge for video gaming companies is to cleverly integrate ads so as not to junk up or slow down the game playing experience. The last thing they want to do is piss-off their core audience.
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