I wanted to do a story about the new augmented reality glasses created by Google known as Project Glass. Google recently began taking pre-orders for Project Glass for $1,500, but the product will not be available until next year. Will the high price-tag be worth it? I personally would find it hard to spend that much money on a product I hadn't tried, or even seen in use. There is some footage of Project Glass in action, but it's hard to tell if it's conceptual material, or if it depicts the true capabilities of the device.
Tech Radar has good article detailing what you need to know about Project Glass. Google's product is believed to use transparent LCD or AMOLED display for projecting images in front of the user's eyes, and scrolling and mouse-clicks will be performed with a series of head motions. Also, if you already wear glasses you shouldn't have to worry about wearing another piece of eye-wear, as Google plans to make an adaption to traditional glasses.
It's great that more information is coming out about this exciting new product, but there is still uncertainty about whether or not it will be able to perform as well as the promotional materials suggest. And even if it does, will it be something that resonates with people? Will people find it awkward to move their head to control the glasses? I'm interested in the implications of this product, but I think I will wait to see if it catches on before I spend $1,500.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Prices of Facebook Stock
I posted about the Facebook IPO when it was announced, and then again when they updated their S-1 filing, and I thought I would look into where the stock was at now. I heard reports that the price fell quickly, but I never looked into how bad of a drop it was. Facebook seemed like a good investment at the time, so I was surprised with the initial figures. Then again, Facebook may have intentionally inflated its stock price, as I had heard rumored. The release of a Facebook app store made me wonder what sort of opportunities it would provide for driving revenue, and if that would affect stock prices.
An article at ABC News states that the price of Facebook stock is down 19% from it's initial public offering of $38. Even on the first day it barely closed above that at $38.23. The article also mentions that Facebook is entangled in numerous lawsuits over the IPO. I had heard there were complaints over how transactions were handled, and I wonder if enough people were able to pool their resources and file a class action lawsuit.
None of this looks good for Facebook, and yet it seems like the company is doing well if Mark Zuckerberg can purchase Instagram for $1 billion. Will Zuckerberg decide to sell the company off, and will it become the home to so many advertisements that users move to other social networks? Facebook still seems to be the most widely used social network, and the most recent competitor Google+ hasn't proved to be much of a threat with its minimal engagement levels. Again, I think the Facebook apps are a good sign that people are putting money into this product, and I don't think Facebook will become the next Myspace for at least a few years.
An article at ABC News states that the price of Facebook stock is down 19% from it's initial public offering of $38. Even on the first day it barely closed above that at $38.23. The article also mentions that Facebook is entangled in numerous lawsuits over the IPO. I had heard there were complaints over how transactions were handled, and I wonder if enough people were able to pool their resources and file a class action lawsuit.
None of this looks good for Facebook, and yet it seems like the company is doing well if Mark Zuckerberg can purchase Instagram for $1 billion. Will Zuckerberg decide to sell the company off, and will it become the home to so many advertisements that users move to other social networks? Facebook still seems to be the most widely used social network, and the most recent competitor Google+ hasn't proved to be much of a threat with its minimal engagement levels. Again, I think the Facebook apps are a good sign that people are putting money into this product, and I don't think Facebook will become the next Myspace for at least a few years.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Business Plan Development
As I finish up my mobile app business plan, I wanted to take
a look back at the resources I found and wrote about in my previous post. I’m finding that the advice given by the
individuals is very relevant, and I will be able to incorporate it into my mobile
app plan and any business plans in the future.
Tim Berry gave the advice that you need to be able to adapt,
and as I do more and more research I am finding this to be true. The mobile app market is strong now, but will
this trend continue? And what about the
poor performance of Facebook’s stock? I
think finding projected statistics compiled by professionals would be one way
to help my plan, and then devising contingency plans would help to show that I’m
ready for things to not go the way they are expected to. As for the mobile app market, all signs point
to continued growth, but I feel like the bubble with burst at some point.
Ellen Rohr advised selling your product before your pitch to
demonstrate salability. I agree with her
advice, but it might be difficult to incorporate into my business plan for a
mobile app. I could possibly have a free
version of the app out first, track the downloads, and then present those stats
to investors for the paid version. Or I could
create a landing page with a submission form on the website as a means of
measuring interest.
Bryan Howe mentioned Kickstarter as a means of funding
projects through peer-to-peer networks.
I looked at Kickstarter to see what they had for mobile apps, and there
are quite a few projects that are raising funds for apps or mobile device
related projects. This could possibly be
tied to demonstrating salability as well – if we have a successful Kickstarter
campaign, we can show that people are interested enough in what we have to
offer that they will donate money to see it happen. Peer-to-peer funding wasn’t as organized in
years past, but I think the advent of social media networks has changed
that. I also think donation site like
Kickstarter are helpful because if you do get a project funded, you will have
an initial and eager fan base ready for you once you get your project off the
ground.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Business Plan Ideas
As I work on a business plan for a mobile app, I’m turning toward experts in developing business plans for inspiration. I haven’t done previous research into creating a business plan, so I’m new to who are the leading figures in the field. Here are a few individuals I found.
The first business plan expert I found is Tim Berry. Tim is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and bplans.com, and is co-founder of Borland International. He has written a number of books on business planning, and has also created software.
Tim says that while planning is vital, a plan as a document is obsolete as soon as it is finished. I agree with this in the sense that a business needs to be adaptable to survive. You can have a great plan, but you can’t expect to make it past the first year if you aren’t prepared for the inevitable problems your business will face. Two more great points I took from Tim are that persistence doesn’t make a business succeed – it’s what’s left over after getting past all the other causes of failure, and value and giving customers value is the single most important factor.
The next expert I found is Ellen Rohr of Bare Bones Biz. Ellen started out as a plumber’s wife, and got involved with her husband’s business when his partner died. She learned a lot from the ups and downs of her first business adventure, and went on to start the consulting company Bare Bones Biz in 1995. She writes as a columnist for numerous publications, and has an extensive network of companies to which she has contributed.
Ellen suggests selling your product prior to presenting to venture capitalists if possible. That way you can show evidence that your product has sales potential because you have actual documented sales on the books. She also strongly recommends knowing how much money you will need from potential investors on the front end of a project. It’s better to ask for a lot and explain what you plan to do with it than to try to get more funds if the run out amidst the duration of the project.
The last resource I found is MasterPlans, a company started by Bryan Howe. According to Bryan:
“When I started the business as a sole proprietorship in 2002, I never really set out for it to be what it's become. I thought I could help some people, make some money, and work when I wanted. That was my original business plan. When the workload reached a point I couldn't do it all I started thinking about breaking the plan into pieces and have someone focus on each particular section so I could just sell and do financial modeling. In 2004 the team plan model was developed. Since then we have worked with over 10,000 clients and counting.”
One interesting thing I took from MasterPlans was in an article about being both a borrower and a lender. They mention Lending Club, which can offer small business owners loans at lower rates than most banks, and is all powered by peer-to-peer lending. I think sites like Kickstarter could potentially be incorporated into a business plan, though that presents some difficulty since there is no way to be certain whether or not your project will receive the complete funding. Still, I do think online resources, especially a creative social media campaign, could be incorporated into a plan shown to potential investors that demonstrates how money received through the Internet could be a significant source of funding.
The first business plan expert I found is Tim Berry. Tim is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and bplans.com, and is co-founder of Borland International. He has written a number of books on business planning, and has also created software.
Tim says that while planning is vital, a plan as a document is obsolete as soon as it is finished. I agree with this in the sense that a business needs to be adaptable to survive. You can have a great plan, but you can’t expect to make it past the first year if you aren’t prepared for the inevitable problems your business will face. Two more great points I took from Tim are that persistence doesn’t make a business succeed – it’s what’s left over after getting past all the other causes of failure, and value and giving customers value is the single most important factor.
The next expert I found is Ellen Rohr of Bare Bones Biz. Ellen started out as a plumber’s wife, and got involved with her husband’s business when his partner died. She learned a lot from the ups and downs of her first business adventure, and went on to start the consulting company Bare Bones Biz in 1995. She writes as a columnist for numerous publications, and has an extensive network of companies to which she has contributed.
Ellen suggests selling your product prior to presenting to venture capitalists if possible. That way you can show evidence that your product has sales potential because you have actual documented sales on the books. She also strongly recommends knowing how much money you will need from potential investors on the front end of a project. It’s better to ask for a lot and explain what you plan to do with it than to try to get more funds if the run out amidst the duration of the project.
The last resource I found is MasterPlans, a company started by Bryan Howe. According to Bryan:
“When I started the business as a sole proprietorship in 2002, I never really set out for it to be what it's become. I thought I could help some people, make some money, and work when I wanted. That was my original business plan. When the workload reached a point I couldn't do it all I started thinking about breaking the plan into pieces and have someone focus on each particular section so I could just sell and do financial modeling. In 2004 the team plan model was developed. Since then we have worked with over 10,000 clients and counting.”
One interesting thing I took from MasterPlans was in an article about being both a borrower and a lender. They mention Lending Club, which can offer small business owners loans at lower rates than most banks, and is all powered by peer-to-peer lending. I think sites like Kickstarter could potentially be incorporated into a business plan, though that presents some difficulty since there is no way to be certain whether or not your project will receive the complete funding. Still, I do think online resources, especially a creative social media campaign, could be incorporated into a plan shown to potential investors that demonstrates how money received through the Internet could be a significant source of funding.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Get Paid to Watch TV: Viggle Revisited
I previously posted about how you can get paid to watch TV using the iOS app Viggle, and I wanted to take a second look at how the company is doing. I’m personally still using the app, and I’ve made over $30 from checking in to TV shows. I don’t see any way I’ll hit the $550 reward limit for a year period at this rate, which makes me wonder if I could be using the app more effectively. Featured shows are given more points, and I would be interested to know what sort of contracts shows such as American Idol have with Viggle to be listed as “featured” on the app.
An announcement was made at the Ad Age Social Engagement / Social TV Conference that Viggle has reached 625,000 users, and 142 million engagements have taken place on the app. Users check in to the app an average of five times a day, and interact with an average of 15 videos and games presented while the app is open. I use this feature now and then, but as a user I haven’t seen a lot of reasons to use the app other than for the check-ins. Nevertheless, I imagine that these statistics present a great case for companies advertising through Viggle, and for shows to get listed in the featured placement area available on the app.
I think it’s good timing on the company’s part to release Viggle for Android fresh on the heels of releasing announcements of successful user engagement. Granted the current Android version is only a beta release, the Android market makes up a significant market share that has remained untouched by Viggle up to this point. I’ve told a few of my friends about this app, only to have them upset it wasn’t available for their Android device yet, so it’s good to see that more people will have access to this cool rewards based TV check-in program.
An announcement was made at the Ad Age Social Engagement / Social TV Conference that Viggle has reached 625,000 users, and 142 million engagements have taken place on the app. Users check in to the app an average of five times a day, and interact with an average of 15 videos and games presented while the app is open. I use this feature now and then, but as a user I haven’t seen a lot of reasons to use the app other than for the check-ins. Nevertheless, I imagine that these statistics present a great case for companies advertising through Viggle, and for shows to get listed in the featured placement area available on the app.
I think it’s good timing on the company’s part to release Viggle for Android fresh on the heels of releasing announcements of successful user engagement. Granted the current Android version is only a beta release, the Android market makes up a significant market share that has remained untouched by Viggle up to this point. I’ve told a few of my friends about this app, only to have them upset it wasn’t available for their Android device yet, so it’s good to see that more people will have access to this cool rewards based TV check-in program.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Facebook IPO Updates
The CBS article also mentions Facebook’s purchase of Instagram for $1 billion. I think the fact that the company has that kind of money to throw around, plus the fact that Mark Zuckerberg made the deal on his own without consulting his team, shows the company is experiencing good fortune.
WealthWire.com 2012
http://www.wealthwire.com/news/equities/2601
My original post was about people getting rich from the Facebook IPO, but I wonder if it will be the case. I think the Instagram acquisition is major, since I’ve seen a lot of use of that app recently. But did people like it because it was different than Facebook? Did they identify with the Instagram brand? How will the future user experience compare to how users currently share images? If users need to log in to Facebook to use Instagram, I could potentially see it decreasing in popularity.
An article at Wealth Wire suggests that buyers avoid the Facebook IPO, at least for now. Jim Rogers thinks that Facebook has timed out every aspect of the IPO, and plans to capitalize on buyers willing to purchase expensive stocks. Rogers says he doesn’t buy expensive stocks, and plans to avoid Facebook’s as well. The article goes on to list a few other sources raising similar concerns, and I suggest anyone looking to spend a lot of money on Facebook stock take a look before investing a considerable amount of money.
One thing I wonder about is the market saturation of Facebook. How many people out there on the Internet are not on Facebook yet? Are there so many people using Facebook already that people are bound to start looking for the next big thing soon? Or is Facebook here to stay? Will enough new additions and partnerships, like the Instagram acquisition, be enough to keep users interested? I personally think Facebook will be around for a while, but I’m going to wait before I spend any significant money on their stock.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
3D Printing and Intellectual Property
While on the topic of publishing and distribution, I want to
mention the upcoming technology of 3D printing. Using various materials, a 3D printer lets
one build real-life objects from a computer generated model. A question that immediately comes to my mind is
“are these objects subject to the laws of intellectual property?” I found talk online about copyright and
patent disputes, which eventually lead me to the IP laws section of
MakerBot.
MakerBot is one of the leaders in the 3D printer industry,
and they sponsor the website Thingiverse.com.
This site showcases designs that can be created digitally and manifested
physically. One of the areas featured
here is a Tools section, and it made me think about a potential hardware
company that uses 3D printing technology to design and produce tools.
How would the company register the design templates created
with computers that would be the basis of their livelihood? Would they copyright the material, apply for
patents, or could the templates be considered a trade secret of a company?
Another site I found is Sculpteo. Sculpteo seems much more design based, and
focusing on the art community. Sculpteo
does have a store section, and it appears you can register as a vendor through
its store. I was interested in what sort
of contract your participation at Sculpteo entailed, and I found the Terms of Use section. It outlines their Characteristics of Goods and Services Proposed, which includes the following:
i.
SCULPTEO proposes a personalised 3D reproduction service. Based on
an image supplied by the CUSTOMER, SCULPTEO will create a concrete object:
interior decoration, figure, robot, miniature, maquette (hereinafter referred
to as the “OBJECT”).
ii.
SCULPTEO also produces 3D images shown in the catalogue published
on the website “http:// www.sculpteo.com” available to CUSTOMERS.
iii.
The 3D images shown in the catalogue published on the website
“http:// www.sculpteo.com” are as faithful a representation as possible but do
not guarantee perfect similarity with the OBJECT (in particular with regards to
colour and execution).
I’m interested to try this technology as an end user, and I
would love to create a design as well!
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