Mediaboss Marketing

An alternative to in-car voice control: a steering-wheel-mounted click wheel. Image: Patently Apple

Its rare that an Apple patent application passes through the system completely unnoticed until its actually granted, but such is the case with a patent for a wireless remote control for a car steering wheel.

The patent, Wireless remote control device for a portable media device, was discovered by Patently Apple Tuesday. It describes a touch-sensitive, iPod-style clickwheel device that attaches to a vehicles steering wheel, and is used to control a media player.

The patent specifically mentions the remote controls potential for use with mobile devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It would hook on to your steering wheel using adjustable clamping feet, and the faceplate, which could use either capacitive or resistive-touch technology, would be rotatable.

In-car entertainment and infotainment systems are becoming increasingly commonplace in todays vehicles. You can find them in everything from Toyotas to Mercedes to Fords.

These systems are usually compatible with your smartphone, allowing you to play music from your device on your cars stereo (among other uses). But theres one problem: Its not easy to safely control music playback functions while driving. Most current systems only output your devices audio, and to advance through tracks and the like, you have to manually adjust your mobile device.

Some auto manufacturers are addressing the interface hurdle via voice recognition. But if youre jamming out while youre cruising down the highway, do you really want to have to turn down the volume or yell over the music just to skip to the next track? It could be quite useful to instead adjust a remote control thats just a thumb-click away.

In case youre wondering, this patent wasnt filed during the click-wheeled iPods heyday it was originally filed in Q1 2011. It was designed by Apple UI Design Manager Policarpo Wood and Anton Davydov, a principal designer at Frog Design, the company behind the Apple IIc and NeXT workstation.

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Apple Granted Patent for Steering Wheel Remote Control

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Today, 24/7 Media, Inc., WPP's marketing technology company, and Moat Inc., a brand intelligence and analytics company, announced a partnership to offer advertisers and publishers brand-focused metrics to help them measure the success of an ad campaign well beyond the industry default measure for success, the click-through.

With this new partnership, publishers can measure for their advertisers both viewable and viewed impressions. More importantly they can capture the details that brands care most about: with which publishers and on what pages was an ad successful, and with which consumers did the message resonate?

Publishers using 24/7 Medias propriety ad serving technology, 24/7 Open AdStream,can utilize Moats solution through a simple integration, and instantly begin measuring viewable impressions, and engagement levels in real-time.

Moat has developed an exciting new way to empower publishers with incredible brand insights which they are able to pass along to their advertisers," said Rob Schneider, Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Platform Development for 24/7 Media. We are committed to partnering with the leading companies that bring a significant competitive advantage to the clients who use our technology, and Moat is an excellent example."

Moat's Metrics That Matter includes collection and reporting on metrics such as viewable impressions (in-view impressions), in-view time, interaction rate, and interaction time. These metrics all conform to the IAB working definitions for each respective metric. In addition, Moat also collects 23 other brand-focused metrics such as hover rate, attention quality, time to scroll, and more, for a deeper understanding of ad and publisher effectiveness.

Publishers who implement our technology solutions are able to increase the flow of brand dollars to their sites, as the new metrics provide far more compelling insights to the advertisers and a way to prove value for premium inventory," said Jonah Goodhart, CEO and Co-Founder of Moat. "We want to make brand advertising more effective online, and that starts by getting the right measurement tools to as many publishers as possible."

About 24/7 Media, Inc.

24/7 Media, Inc. is a leader in digital marketing technology, serving advertisers, agencies and digital publishers worldwide. The 24/7 technology platform spans every digital channel, providing users with unprecedented control and consolidated data analysis. This technology powers two specialized business units: Real Media Group helps marketing organizations engage their audiences with superior precision, transparency and return on investment. The group also helps digital publishers monetize their properties and manage advertising operations more effectively. Media Innovation Group provides advertisers and agencies with strategic consulting and implementation services that deliver competitive advantage in fields being transformed by technology.

Formerly 24/7 Real Media, the organization has been in the forefront of media innovation for fifteen years. 24/7 Media is a WPP Digital company headquartered in New York with 18 offices in a dozen countries. For more information, please visit http://www.247media.com.

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24/7 Media and Moat Partner to Evolve Ad Engagement Metrics and Viewable Impressions

AUSTIN, Texas, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly half of American adults (46%) are smartphone owners in 2012, according to Pew Internet. With a world of information and entertainment in the palms of our hands, attention management is the most desirable skill to tame the tide of distractions in our 21st century lives. MauraNevelThomas' PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY SECRETS (Wiley, ISBN: 978-1-1181-7967-3, May 2012), published this monthfrom John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,is a powerful how-to manual for taming your attention and reaping the most productivity from smartphones, email, social media and the newest downloadable apps.

PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY SECRETS draws on Thomas' 20 years of experience in the productivity training industry to share the most universally useful process for managing the details of a busy life. Thomas kicks to the curb the concept of "time management" and makes a powerful argument that when you control your attention, you control your life.

"Maura understands why we struggle with productivity when the tools designed to help us can also be a source of distraction," Steven List, Agile Coach. "Anyone who's ever felt overwhelmed by email or wondered if social media is a networking tool or a total time-waster will become more productive and in control after reading PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY SECRETS."

Whether you use Windows or Mac products or carry an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry phone, PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY SECRETS shows how the most popular technologies can help you support your attention, not sabotage it. With Thomas' process, the Empowered Productivity System, you learn to:

Maura Nevel Thomas' method and process for capturing the details of a busy life complements our 21st century culture's growing preference for smartphones and software instead of pencil and paper for personal information management. PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY SECRETS: Do what you never thought possible with your time and attention...and regain control of your life (ISBN: 978-1-1181-7967-3, $29.99) is available in stores and online beginning May 7, 2012 from Wiley in both print and all e-book formats. For a full list of retailers, visit http://www.wiley.com/buy/9781118179673.

About Maura Nevel Thomas and Regain Your Time.com

A 20-year veteran of personal productivity, Maura Nevel Thomas is founder and chief trainer of Regain Your Time.com and creator of the Empowered Productivity System a process to manage the details of life and work. As a speaker and trainer, Maura helps individuals, organizations and corporations how to maximize their communications tools, defend their attention and achieve their significant results.

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.

Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and Web sites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

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PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY SECRETS Puts You in Control of Technology and Tools, From Smartphones to Social Media

This article is written by a member of our expert contributor community.

There are strategies that colleges and universities need to embed in their communicative DNA, all of which not only help prevent brand issues from arising, but also ensure an enhanced level of preparedness should a worst-case-scenario emerge.

This weekend, as countless college and university seniors process across the stage to receive their degrees and commence their professional lives, it may be easy to forget the myriad issues that are impacting higher education brands these days.

Its not just the events that make national news, such as the Virginia Tech massacre, the Penn State football scandal, or the raucous student protests against Gallaudet Universitys leadership a few years back. In recent years, weve seen lawsuits take aim at schools alleged to have inflated job placement data. Weve seen campus leaders taken to task for accepting donations from less-than-savory sources. Lets not even get started on the NCAA, which rarely goes a week without front page headlines that detail some form of alleged recruiting, reporting, or behavioral controversy. And ascollege tuitions have outpaced inflation by five-fold for the past 25 years, soaring debt has become a high profile issue putting universities on the defensive.

Its no wonder that campuses from Burlington to Tacoma are scrambling to ensure that they have crisis response plans in place should any of the above issues threaten their reputations. But in an age of unanticipated risks, total transparency, and instant and lasting impressions, a response plan simply isnt enough to dim the harsh spotlight. Colleges and universities need to take proactive steps that assume control of a potentially damaging narrative before it ever materializes. To that end, there are three strategies that colleges and universities need to embed in their communicative DNA, all of which not only help prevent brand issues from arising, but also ensure an enhanced level of preparedness should a worst-case-scenario emerge.

Be authentic.

When four graduates of Thomas M. Cooley Law School sued their alma mater for allegedly luring them with misleading employment statistics, every institution of higher learning was reminded of the dangers associated with inauthentic marketing. Ten years ago, no one bothered to fact-check a claim that 80 percent of a schools graduates landed jobs. But in this transparent digital age, students and parents have the tools at their disposal to do so--and they wont hesitate to take action if they feel theyve been duped. As such, honesty (as viewed from a critical, outside the ivory castle view) and integrity must be top marketing priorities.

Of course, theres more to authenticity than not allegedly inflating statistics. Its about being up front about relationships with potentially controversial donors. Its about involving community leaders in expansion plans and others activities that impact a schools surroundings and neighbors. And its about making decisions that align with the institutions educational mission. The Penn State scandal was so troubling not only because of the monstrous allegations levied, but because there was a sense that the school elevated football above the ethics and values the institution was founded on. In this context, authenticity is just as much about a school being true to itself as it is about being true to its students, parents, faculty, and alumni.

Control the narrative.

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Debt, Scandal, And Bruised Reputations: Damage Control For Colleges In Crisis

NEW YORK, May 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Master Control Switchers Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0552783/Global-Master-Control-Switchers-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Sporting_

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Master Control Switchers in US$ Thousand. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 21 companies including many key and niche players such as Evertz Microsystems, Ltd., Grass Valley USA, LLC, Harris Corporation, Miranda Technologies, Inc., PESA, Pixel Power, Inc., Snell Group, and Utah Scientific, Inc. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1

Disclaimers I-2

Data Interpretation & Reporting Level I-3

Quantitative Techniques & Analytics I-3

Product Definitions and Scope of Study I-3

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Global Master Control Switchers Industry