2015 Shorty Awards: A Year of Living Dangerously

It’s been a whole year since my last Shorty Awards campaign. Here I am again, but everything has changed! The Apps category is no more so I’m championing an entirely new category… #Innovation.

Last year I reached the final and headed to New York only to miss out on the night. You think the Oscars are competitive, the Shorties are even more cutthroat!

This time, I’d love your votes in a category that will only exist if we work together. There isn’t currently an Innovation category but if I receive enough votes, it’s possible the Real-Time Academy will make it official.

There's no 'I' in Shorty Awards but it is all about the individual. Having said that, the cutting-edge innovation only happens thanks to the brilliant Brandwidth team.

Here’s the link to take you directly to the voting screen, just double check the drop-down box shows ‘Other’ and the text contains the hashtag #Innovation (plus your reason for voting for me of course). We can do this! 

Add your vote! < THIS IS THE REALLY IMPORTANT LINK TO VOTE

If you need more convincing, here’s the campaign video featuring Brandwidth’s Star Wars Scene Maker app for Lucasfilm, the incredible Maleficent multi-touch book for Disney, the Bernhoft Islander HD music app, my TEDx Athens 4D app experience and my Oculus Rift Light Saber battle with Apptain America at Silicon Beach.

Oh, and Olivia and Hattie in their own virtual worlds…

To add even more depth, here’s the summary of my Shorty Awards Interview and my thoughts following defeat in New York last year.

Thanks!

CES 2015: And the Winner is… Social Media

Wearable Tech, Autonomous Cars, Connected Homes and Robots. CES 2015 was as big, loud and crazy as ever but what came out on top? All the above, but the winner was social media in all its shapes and forms.

Heading to Vegas last week, I already knew what would provide the main talking points for the industry. I’m not being cocky, but if I didn’t have a damned good idea I wouldn’t be doing my job at Brandwidth and beyond.

Whilst at CES, I wrote about Smartwatches, Wearable Tech and Robots. All three articles took off in a big way on my social channels but some of my other experiences were just as popular. Twitter, Instagram and Vine were the main stalwarts, covering my initial backchat at the ‘State of the Industry’ press conference (including Selfie Stick mockery), through my BMW i8 driving at the superbly organising automotive manufacturer’s experience (complete with Laser Light Show), to the incredible performance by Frankie Moreno in the Gibson tent.

A superb week that I could have gleaned tech industry news from afar via social channels, but being there made all the difference. From outside, the event looks like a barrel full of nerds, from the inside it shows that technology supports the world in which we live but requires the entertainment, engagement and most importantly ‘soul’ of the best innovators and creative minds.

Music, film, TV, publishing, automotive, retail, leisure, museums… and many more. All these industries need to work hand-in-hand with technology as a means to drive forward and make themselves relevant in the places their customers reside. They don’t need to build the hardware or construct the platforms but they damn well need to make great digital content and experiences.

Here are my CES social landmarks…

Scourge of the Selfie Stick

This guy just got bored and is taking selfies in the corner... #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/NR6h1xLKMp

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 4, 2015

Numerous reposts and later featured on Mashable

The unsexy s(l)ide of Wearable Tech

How to make #WearableTech / #Wearables look unsexy with just one slide. All the good work undone folks #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/h0zy1XExE3

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 4, 2015

Dawn of the DumbWatch

#CES2015: Dawn of the DumbWatch http://t.co/9wTpJ3WzKK #WearableTech #Wearables #Smartwatch pic.twitter.com/CF1FXY7V7D

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 5, 2015

Taking the fight to Apple Watch – Sony SmartWatch 3

Taking the fight to #AppleWatch - #Sony #Smartwatch3 Steel & changeable strap available next month #wearabletech #CES2015 #SonyCES #tech #Vegas #Wearables #Smartwatch

A photo posted by Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) on Jan 5, 2015 at 6:04pm PST

Driving the Future – the BMW i8

Just drove the future around #Vegas - a #BMWi8. Stunning, just stunning. #BMWCES2015 #CES2015 pic.twitter.com/grA50MQFni

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 6, 2015

This shit got real! No, virtual…

Frankie Moreno and Gibson prove gadgets aren’t just for geeks

Brilliant high-energy performance from @frankiemoreno at @gibsonguitar. #CES2015 - not just geeks & gadgets! pic.twitter.com/GSJkjuuDr9

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 7, 2015

BMW Laser Lights

Stunning #BMWM4 Concept Iconic laser lights (the lights are the stars of the show) #BMWCES2015 #CES2015 #innovation pic.twitter.com/avHTJxijpJ

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 7, 2015

Wearables: The Whole Package

#VR & #AR #WearableTech at #CES2015 - #Wearables: The Whole Package http://t.co/mBcIYHnWsb - #Robots tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/qGgtqN9EcN

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 8, 2015

Rise of The Machines

You thought #CES2015 was all about #Wearables? Think again... Rise of the Machines http://t.co/IkjUa4ouj9 #robots pic.twitter.com/D5tbcWAVUg

— Dean Johnson (@activrightbrain) January 9, 2015

Rise of the Machines

Robots: Who doesn't love the idea of a humanoid personal assistant with artificial intelligence, laser eyes and the ability to preempt your every move? No, wait…

2015 is the year of wearable technology, right? No, that was last year. This year wearable tech beds in and gets on with the real job in hand. The 2015 buzz surrounds robots of all shapes and sizes.

Yesterday, I caught up with Aldebaran at CES, a French company making big waves in the android marketplace. That’s ‘android’ with a small ‘A’. I first met NAO in Poland last month and loved the playful approach Aldebaran had taken to developing their first consumer robot.

Only it isn’t available to consumers yet. 10 years of refinement means developers have been the first to get their hands on the cute little chap to hone interaction and push boundaries for commercial markets. He currently responds to a set list of commands but this is then extended by the user with AI kicking in as he learns new and exciting ways to respond.

The limb articulation is particularly impressive. If you push NAO over, he struggles back to his feet in a truly human fashion. This where it all begins to get a little weird. The mere act of pushing him over makes you catch your breath, as if actually bullying a small child. You feel bad about having performed this action, merely to see see how he’ll react. And so begins the human/humanoid relationship.

Aldebaran have some exciting products in the pipeline, including Romeo, a personal assistant and companion for the medical and care industry. Humanoid robots with character can play a vital role in this area, with NAO already used in hospitals to aid rehabilitation and put children at ease in an intimidating environment.

I spoke with a number of other fascinating robotic manufacturers at CES but the tiniest was Ozobot, a cute little droid that (in their words) “teaches robotics and coding through fun, creative and social games”. I love the use of physical and digital inputs – in its simplest form, providing a pen or pixel line for Ozobot to follow across paper and tablet. The manufacturers picked up a raft of awards at CES – deservedly so.

This market isn’t just for startups, Google went on a buying spree in 2014 and their ownership of robotics companies is now in double figures. Automotive manufacturers have been at this game for years. Honda and Toyota are particularly hot in this area, as Mercedes and Audi up their game at CES with autonomous cars – that kinda makes the whole car a robot!

Amazon is another big player entering the arena. They’re offering us the chance to purchase our own personal assistant, Echo, useful and worrying in equal measures – especially with its ‘always listening’ approach.

Window cleaning robots, digital sandwich board cyborgs and tiny printer droids – Vegas was wall-to-wall automatons.

Of course, robots come in all shapes and sizes, with drones also falling into this category. Now everyone wants a drone before they get legislated out of existence so grab one while you can!

If 2015 wasn’t kicking off with a big enough buzz around robots, just wait for the season climax with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in December. These are the droids you are looking for.

Wearables: The Whole Package

The 2014 wearable marketplace offered a random scattergun approach to product development. Tech-biased, fashion-biased, bracelets, watches, clips and headgear all vied for the same ground without any apparent strategy other than to get there first in the rush to the front. At CES, ‘wearables’ are bigger than ever.

I’ve written a lot about mobile, wearable technology and digital content, but I don't just sit around talking about it. At Brandwidth, we help to shape the stuff, create incredible digital experiences and tell the world about it.

When all the boxes haven’t been ticked, this makes me angry. Startups, growing brands and global giants are all guilty of this. Applying the word ‘smart’ to something doesn’t automatically make it smart and even when it is, often the implementation, narrative and marketing isn’t. Quite frankly, it’s inexcusable.

Over the past year, I have been testing a number of VR and AR platforms, including Oculus Rift, Zeiss ONE VR and Samsung’s Gear VR. Rift still owns the field and was not only the first established player in this current VR reboot but has Facebook $s to back this up. They’re doing a great job and taking their time but the product is a long way from consumer’s hands. Or is it?

Actually, Rift technology is lurking inside Samsung’s Gear VR and it’s a great product that's available now, with full mobility (none of Rift’s own cabling to contend with) and a new Milk VR store. But wait, the website’s a mess, littered with typos and poor UI and none of the gloss associated with Apple’s products or even rival Zeiss ONE VR. Ironically, there's a much better representation of Gear VR on the Oculus website.

It’s just not good enough. The website can’t be an afterthought, it’s a vital portal to the products and for many the first contact with the brand. Perception is everything in a virtual world so why sell yourself short?

It’s not all about the branding. Brands need to get their stories straight if they’re going to convince us to part with more money for devices that we’re not even sure we need.

Until we’re offered genuine digital convergence, each device must fit seamlessly into our lives and play nicely with all our existing technology.

The rest of the VR and AR field is wide open and I’ve tested some incredible products at CES this year. Ones that really stood out included the latest version of Oculus Rift – Crescent Bay. The new model features 3D audio, is much lighter, has only one tethered wire, extraordinary spacial recognition for head movements and a massive step forward in screen resolution. The demos I tried were so good that the increased quality was enough to feel as if you were really there, rather than merely experiencing a great piece of tech.

I also tried the Sulon Cortex. This provides an extraordinary mix of VR and AR by using an external camera to display surroundings, then overlaying digital content until you ‘step into’ the full VR environment. This Canadian start up is currently flying below the radar as they establish solid R&D before hitting consumers. Definitely one to watch.

My final pick of the headgear wearables is the Recon Jet. More Canadian tech, but with a sports bias. Their Google Glass-beating technology is already featured in snow goggles but the headset I’ve been waiting (a long time) for is a much sleeker unit and one of the first pairs of tech glasses not to make the wearer look an idiot. They hit the market next month. More when I have my own pair…

VR and AR has incredible potential for entertainment, sport, automotive, museums and er, the sex industry, but what about the rest of the wearables market? It’s huge (like CES itself) and I’m not writing about it all here. I’ve covered VR, AR and glasses. I’ll tackle the rest next week!