I was reading an article the other day on how Sony was attempting to gain a greater position in the Apple market, with the introduction of new technology centering around media friendly products such as e-reader devices, smart phones, and online applications. It’s more an expected play at this point, since this technology is a major growth area with consumers. It makes sense that corporations looking to stay relevant would be required to keep up with this trend. Still, it’s a significant change in direction for a company that has lived at the forefront of technology for a long time as it means they are behind the times and trying to catch up.

As a company though it really brings to light some of the paralells that Sony has with it’s competition. Both have made their reputation through marketing media devices: computers, netbooks, LCD screens, and so forth. Both have had turns at greatness: Apple with the invention of the iPod, Sony with the now aging Walkman brand. Both are big players in the patent wars. And both are known for their quality and style. When you think of the best of something, 9 times out of 10 you think either Sony or Apple. It’s just the way the world works.

The biggest difference comes when you look at the size of the two companies…Apple is still considered a niche home entertainment corporation operating out of California, while Sony operates both in Japan and the United States spanning the world with a universal global brand. It’s a little intimidating to say the least, yet this little upstart Apple has made a pretty significant dent in Sony’s market share. So what does that mean for Sony? And how can they fix the problem?

It’s not like Sony hasn’t had competition before. They eventually beat out JVC in the video wars, and the original Playstation was an obvious success over the long standing dominance of Nintendo in the 90’s. Even in recent years, it was Sony that won the HD DVD wars with their introduction of the blu-ray player. But Apple is a little bit different company than they’ve had to deal with in the past, and the solution is going to have to be a little different as well if they want to make it work in the new world model.

Apple is a company that attaches itself to it’s consumers and won’t let go. It not only meets the needs of it’s customers, but dictates what the market wants, and in so doing Apple wins by always staying one step ahead.

Enter Sony. What do we do now?

The truth is, Sony has to not only meet Apple’s standards for excellence, but also is challenged with breaking their niche on the marketplace. While they may not be able to flat out beat Apple in their own niche, there is definitely room for them to carve out a name for themselves in their own by capturing their audiences attention in new and significant ways. And while I don’t have all the answers as to what those ways are, Sony has mentioned combining gaming PSP architecture with other media devices such as wireless phones and e-books as their launching point, their is definitely room to grow.

What I’d like to see from Sony is a new direction. Not necessarily something new, but something that veers off from the norm some, transcends its roots, and something that blows my mind a little bit in the process. And it has to make sense in my life, not just a silly gimmick for me to ooh and ahh at, but a major grass roots ideation that takes the public by storm. I know it’s a lot to ask from a global juggernaut, but I figure I’m owed that much.

Lately I’ve been looking around and asking myself, “What exactly is culture?” It’s a question full of complexity since over the years, the definition of culture has changed drastically. Culture transcends genres, breaks barriers, bridges ideas, and is the foundation of identity for millions of people around the world. Everyone has a sense of culture, many would say it is art or science or religion or even politics, but it’s a hard concept to truly wrap ones head around even though it affects our lives on a daily basis.

Over time, I plan to continue asking this question in order to gain a better understanding and awareness of what culture is, and what it means to people. In doing so opening up a dialog about its relevance in modern times as well as its place in the world at large.

Check out the video. It’s a good start to a definition, and gives a pretty good history and perspective.

So I saw this article on online coupons. It seems you go to certain websites and print off coupons or get codes for vendor websites to redeem coupons but I haven’t yet heard of what I’m going to term a vendor coupon online management porthole. Basically, the idea is that you could be standing in line at the grocery store and log into some kind of application and pick your coupons while you are waiting. You could just get them redeemed at the store, assuming the store used the same system, or even if the application provided some sort of code that the cashier could use to enter into their cash register. As it were, a lot of coupons you can get right from the weekly papers that retailers supply right at the door. Seems right in line with what retailers are doing anyway and might be kind of fun for the customers, giving them a single location or shop for all their coupon collecting needs.

I stumbled on this great talk on cloud computing given by the CTO of the US Government. He makes a lot of good points on adoption and infrastructure of the cloud computing model and then branches into an example using medical companies and incentives to adoption. A lot of similar content to what I’ve mention previously, but it’s from a pretty respected source and gives some hint as to the US governments stance on the subject.

So the other day I talked about the way in which new media interactive technologies were entering the marketplace and how they had begun to gain acceptance in mainstream culture, but I wanted to cover a little bit of how this acceptance was made possible. Looking back at the last few years we’ve seen a lot of growth in the consolidation of business practices linking technology to uses in everyday life. These in-roads have helped to develop a core acceptance of the usefulness of this technology and newer technology has been built upon the infrastructure of the older model. So basically, building the internet and attaching it to cellular technology led to the creation of smart phones. Taking that technology model and adding functionality for Apps and Full Media Integration such as web site support, Twitter, and Youtube was another step on top of that. The next step would be to take this technology and implement it in such a way that its purpose, design, and function could enhance the users experience and give the user a greater sense of intrinsic accomplishment for having used the device. For instance using an App on ones smart phone to find a restaurant and NAV technology built into the phone to help you drive there would satisfy all three requirements. Finding a restaurant would be the purpose, the App and NAV technology would be the design, and using the NAV technology to get there satisfies the functional aspect. All on a portable device that has any number of other great uses.

Taking this and applying it to other technologies brings up some interesting ideas. For instance you could take the Microsoft Surface technology mentioned in my previous article and attach it to your XBox and Entertainment Center, thus adding purpose, design, and functionality to a previously successful and developed model. While there has been some hesitance by users to use their dumb appliance television as an internet device, a coffee table style device billed as a table top computer is more likely to be adopted by the average user; an integration of the two devices in a style reminiscent of a Nintendo DS would add another level still. The Microsoft Surface could be the interface for the game system, the television, stereo system, and even internet. It would be a new system, but built upon ideas and concepts that were already widely accepted by the mass audience. And gamers, always known for being early adopters anyway, would be the initial entry into the market.

The point is this, that people will adopt in a mass market only what they think they will use, and nothing more. While it still may take some time to reach the widest possible audience due to price and other constraints; just like home theaters, LCD screens, and plasma televisions, these type of items and other products and services like them have huge potential to catch on and become staples of the economy.